Reflections of A Princess

Total Eclipse Of the Heart

2008-08-04T01:29:00.000-07:00

When the universe finally decides that it's time for your life to change...not you or anyone else in this world can ever stop it from making it happen...you could have a list of things planned out and suddenly when the moment arrives...your plans are all but thrown out the window with the thought of "wishful thinking..".....and your mouth left wide open..not to mention you looking like an idiot for thinking that life was never gonna change...

Within one year, my life took a complete turn that when I look back it leaves me breathless and totally amazed at how things have changed...

From single hood to marriage....from being Daddy's little girl to no more Daddy (Allah yer7amah)...from being a career girl to sitting at home...and of course to top all that...from going to power yoga to pre natal yoga!!! OMG!!!

One thing I've learnt from all of this is that this saying is really really true "Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans"....I can't stress enough how true this sentence is...

So all those sitting bored and frustrated with their lives or thinking that they're not getting anywhere...think again....you just never know when change will come....just pray that when change does decide to knock at your door.....that it's a good change...hell I remember being so bored on August 1st, 1990...and then all of sudden August 2nd, 1990 came along...boy...did I eat my words or what!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We have two Eclipses this month...so hold on to your horses....things are about to change...fingers crossed that it's gonna be a positive change that will leave us all smiling....(Insha Allah!)

The Death of A Legend....

2008-01-29T04:41:00.000-08:00

On January 25th, 2008 my Dad (Allah yer7amah) past away....

Like a mad woman, I wailed and cried asking every one I see "What do you do with all those memories?"....I kept repeating the question over and over again....for anyone to answer...So many pictures....so many home videos....what do you do with all those memories?

Until...out of no where....a sweet and lovely girl looked me in the eye and said "Would you rather a father who is alive and have no memories with him?".....Suddenly I stopped wailing...suddenly I understood the difference and knew that although she was there to comfort me....I felt that I should comfort her...she admitted that she had never said that to anyone until now...and so I hugged her and said "Thank you"......I finally stopped asking....The pain remains....but there is comfort within....he was definately always there for me.....and stood by me...and the words "love you" were said coming in or going out of the house...all the time....so al-hamdulla....I say....al-hamdulla.....

My Dad was a wonderful man with a big heart...a legend...a real gentleman but above all...he was the perfect Dad....al-hamdulla.....

Wa enna lillah wa ena elaihee raji3oon

Last Post April 2007....

2008-01-18T02:59:00.000-08:00

It's been eight months and few weeks since I last posted....for some reason life became so busy that blogging became a thing of the past...now I wonder how I left it...it used to keep me sane...journaling and having supporters giving you their input was theraputical....

I missed it even though you'd have to pay me if I was gonna write for the past 8 months....

Fast forwarding into my life...after 8 months....I got married in October....and it was completely out of the blue....and by blue I don't mean that I wasn't thinking of getting married...in fact I was preparing for it...I say out of the blue when it comes to the groom!!! The wheels turned and I ended up getting married to completely another person that I thought I was gonna marry...and thank God for that!!

I was preparing for the Wedding...when in December....my Dad had a brain stroke and is still in Hospital....All Doctor friends are kindly requested to please assist in all ways to make my Dad fit and healthy again and come home.....and I'm begging Allah to make him better....so please....pray with me....like I said...I'm blogging to keep my sanity...and remembered my old support group that always made me feel better...you know...the ones who gave support with just the smallest comments.....it's good to be back....and I need you to keep me sane.....

Should One Get Married Anyway....

2007-04-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

Lately life's been great...having discovered that I can manifest things by merely thinking of them (curtesy of The Secret)...everything has been wonderful...only one problem...when the Genie says "Your Wish Is My Command"...I realised that...realistically...I have everything...a good home...great parents...a job I love....financially satisfied...good friends...food on the table...blah..blah..blah....there was only one thing left...and that is to manifest the perfect man for the perfect marriage....

Having read too many books on the subject of Men and Women...it's been hard to actually ask for the perfect man...because..simply...I know the difference between Men and Women...and so..the Perfect Man...would still be....A Man...which meant...he is a man who's priority is his job not the woman in his life...when he's doing something..he'll be thinking of that one thing that he's doing rather than the woman in his life....emotions are things that are locked up and never spoken about...he'll love sports, his buddies and hanging out with them is more fun than the woman in his life...the list of differences between Men and Women is huge..not to mention endless....I see it in all couples...I see it with my parents...I see it with my married friends...and the bottom line is...the differences that exist only seem to bother the women...not the men...the men are just wondering most of the time why the women are so bugged and over emotional...especially when it comes to men's lack of understanding when women want to share...while men just want to play volleyball or something! In case any man is reading this...don't you know it's insulting to have you prefer to hang out with your friends on weekends than with the wife! Duh!

True...it's a fact of life that we all are supposed to end up getting married...but would you get married if you knew the flaws of the whole situation before you even got to say "I do"?

Accents and Me

2007-02-07T11:09:00.000-08:00

There's just something about British accents that always turns me on...I don't know...maybe it's because I developed a crush on my English Teacher when I was a kid...now that I think of it...he must've been barely 25...and I was this little thing thinking that he was the next best thing...

The other day..I was making a business call and was answered by the most fabulous voice with the most heartbreaking British accent....typical me...I went into imagination overdrive...I visualized a hunk of a man...with wavy blond hair...blue eyes...great tan...fantastic physique...(did I mention I have a great imagination)....anyway...half way through the conversation...I still hadn't caught his name....so I asked him...and he said Mustafa! Needless to say that blew me away....ok granted...I know a few guys that could fool you...but this guy's accent was flawless...pure British bliss I mean....of course....curious me...and boy will I ever..ever get the fact that curiosity really does kill the cat....I decided to switch to Arabic and see what happens...within seconds....the whole visualization went down the drain...I was dropped from the penthouse down to the gutter....his Egyptian accent (no offence to Egyptians) gave me a completely different scenario of what he looked like....suddenly...I visualized the short pitch black hair....rough looking skin...an unappreciated burnt out employee who hasn't shaved in ages...etc..etc...

I tell you...if women were to judge men by their voices....the world would be a whole different place....no matter how hard I try to guess what the person looks like by his mere voice....it always turns out to be the exact opposite....the deeper the voice...the smaller the man....the uglier the voice...the more good looking the man....it's weird.....I suppose when they said don't judge a book by the cover...they should also say...don't judge a man by his voice....some men sound so cool on the telephone yet turn out to be such nerds in real life...it's amazing...it's like a practical joke on us single women who are so busy at work that the closest they could get to an intimate conversation...is dialling the bank and talking to customer service....or possibly showtime to guarantee there's something to watch during the lonely nights....but then again when it's showtime...I'm always spending more time trying to catch him slip in his words while he puts on a Kuwaiti accent and finally say "Haah" when a typical non Kuwaiti word comes out....(still don't get it why I take such pleasure in doing that...but sadly...I do! )

Bottom line, ladies, if you find yourself drooling over a man's voice and you haven't seen him yet, do us all a favor...keep it that way....imagination is a wonderful thing but it just doesn't mix well with reality....and honestly...who needs reality anyway! Life is tough enough without us having to find out that the guy with the wonderful British accent isn't really Hugh Grant!..:)

Kuwait Inside Edition - Part 1

2007-01-19T01:23:00.000-08:00

Now that I have a cold, I've been forced to be at home and what else to do but to blog the latest gossip that I have...if you read my last post and are interested in the outcome...the chick resigned which was just as well....her family thought the working hours were too long and that it's "7arram" to spend such a long time in the office rather than be home and pray...I'm not kidding...the Mom actually said that to me...."We are Moslimeen...and this is 7arram"....granted she doesn't know about her daughter's drinking problem but according to most of the answers I received in my last post...hey...a mot7ajba drinking chick is no big deal...well...excuse the hell out of me...why the hell her Mom wanted to talk to me is beyond me...but...I've come to accept that this year is full of the darnest, weirdest things!

The fact that the chick had a black eye and was bruised up, didn't make my life any easier...apparently her brother wasn't too happy that she resigned without telling him...or was it 'coz he caught her drunk? I couldn't tell you but I really did feel sorry for her...Granted if we were in the States, I'd recommend she'd go to a Women's Shelter...or maybe to the police...but I scratched that idea when my friend told me that if she went to the police, they'd throw him in jail for a month and then he'd come out and go kill her....Ok..I did say this year is turning out to be weird but I sure as hell don't want to be part of a murder thank you very much! Sad thing, my friend mentioned that this happens all the time...a rude awakening indeed...

So my fellow readers, would you say she drank because she came from a screwed up family...or was her drinking problem causing her family to be screwed up?

Oh...and for the record...for those of you who asked if I was "religious" because of my last post, please define the word religious...if the question is....do I pray...yes....do I party...yes....do I fast...yes...do I drink...No...do I smoke...yes...do I talk to guys....all the time.....am I met7ajba....No...do I wear tight jeans...can't live without'em...so....label me as you wish....be it religious...open minded....mo3aqada....hypocrite...whatever...I couldn't tell you...all I know is this....when a 20 year old girl can't come to work 'coz she's called in drunk...I'd say that was a BIG deal! Even if she was a blonde girl from California and works at McDonalds...notice..I didn't even mention the fact that she's mit7ajba....So there!

Case closed!

To Fire or Not To Fire....

2007-01-02T03:38:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to dwell on the past nor be pessimistic...but so far this two day year hasn't all shown me any kind of promise...

It took me forever to get to post anything...I haven't posted in ages so I've missed out on all this upgrade mumbo jumbo...

I'm not happy with it being freezing outside...

I'm about to fire one of my employees and I'm depressed that I gotta do that....maybe I'm naive..but if i tell you the story..I don't know if you'd believe me....and if you did...then...hell...where the hell have I been that shit like this happens in Kuwait!

It all started one morning when my little mit7ajba employee called me to tell me that she won't be coming in to work this morning....when I asked her why...this...my dear blogger friends is what she told me....in bloody broad daylight....

"I'm drunk!"

I was walking to my office when I stopped in my track...."Excuse Me??" I said.

"Yeah...I'm drunk...I know that you hate to be lied to so I'm telling you the truth..I mean I could tell you that I'm not feeling well...but...I won't lie to you...I'm drunk!"

Dumbfounded, I replied "You know...we're not in America here..and even if we were....I have a right to fire you for telling me this!"...

The word "Fire you" was all she heard and she then went into the pathetic whining that twenty year old do when they're in trouble...you know the kind...."laaa.....Allah ye7'aleech....la etsaween feeneee chithi....Wallaaa....wallaaa.....a7'er marra....blah...blah...blah...."

Part of me says...it's none of my business in the end....the girl does a good job in the office...granted she's not as experienced as I would've liked her to do...and granted if she was another poor other nationality...she'll probably wouldn't come in late all the time....or have her mobile stuck to her ear all the time when she's pretending to be talking to her Mom and you know very well she wouldn't talk to her Mom with that husky voice trying to sound sexy and all.....but then when I ask her to do something...she does.....

Having said all that...Damn it...why do I still have her in the office!!! Worst still...I heard her discussing with some other employee who was planning a trip to Dubai "yeeblee min eleee 7'obrak....and I swear...walla....ma ra7 ashraba ella ma3ak!!!"...

Is it just me...but do twenty year old mit7ajbas do this often????? WTF....have I been living in la la land...pretending that shit like this doesn't happen....or is this perfectly normal in my little innocent Kuwait when twenty somethings in my head are pretty little girls wearing the national dress on TV and dancing on some nice famous traditional song to the Ameer on some masra7...

All I remember saying to her was "6i7tee min 3ainee...which apparently upset her so much that she got into her car and actually came to work to beg for forgiveness!"

Dumb ass.....

I so want to go back to my innocent thoughts and believe shit like this isn't normal....and I'm so pissed she ruined the picture....but in the end...I still feel like shit thinking that I'm gonna have to fire that chick.....and this is not the way I wanted to start my new year....the idiot actually thought I was gonna call her Mom and tell her....yeah...like I have time!

I tell you....if you were in my shoe....what would you do?

Are You Shee3a or Sunna?

2006-12-14T23:38:00.000-08:00

Sitting across the table from my eight year old neice during family lunch on Thursday, I listened to her unpleasant story of having gone over to a new friend's house for dinner. Her friend was half British half Kuwaiti and seemed pretty normal.

"We had to sit on the floor in front of the TV for dinner and then her Uncle came in and yelled at me and said Wa7'ry ya 7emara!" He'd mistaken her for one of their kids and the British Mom yelled "She'll never want to come over to our house ever again!". My neice's version of the story got even worse for me when she said that the Aunt's girl looked at her and asked "Are you Shee3a or Sunna?".

Later that evening, I sat next to an American contractor at a Christmas dinner as he chatted away about his experience in Kuwait when he suddenly turned to me and asked "Are you Shee3a or Sunna?"

Baffled, I answered "Well I'll be damned! This is a sign of the times! Since when do you Americans know about such things unless you worked for the US Goverment? When I was studying in the States, you guys didn't know where Kuwait was, let alone if I was Shee3a or Sunna?"

His answer to that was "Well, we don't want to be accused of being arrogant or ignorant. We oughta know about such things."

To that I answered "So I suppose it would be perfectly normal to be at a party in the States and ask a girl you just met if she was Jewish or Catholic? I think I prefer you guys being ignorant!"

Later I realized he'd only wanted to impress me with his question rather than insult me!

If the sign of the times is being asked "Are you Shee3a or Sunna?" over dinner, I much prefer the olden days thank you very much!

Whatever happened to normal small talk?! Yeesh!

Circle of Life

2006-11-16T22:04:00.000-08:00

As I walked into Hadi Hospital...I couldn't hear the noises of the people..all I heard was the pounding of my heart...my younger sister was having a baby and I was nervous like hell! I still don't get the circle of life thing...I remember her being the kid that hung out with me when I had friends over as a teenager...I remember putting on some music in my room and making up dances with her infront of the mirror..step one..step two..I mean we did Michael Jackson's Thriller with our eyes closed! I remember my Mom giving me her car and telling me to practice learning how to drive around the neighborhood and taking my very petite younger sister with me..I remember being scared as hell and this little kid sitting next to me encouraging me to relax..I remember pushing on the brakes too hard and the little kid bumping her head on the dashboard and laughing and telling me "I'm ok..I'm ok"...Now she was having a baby! She was gonna be a Mommy...I remember running after her as I threatened to sit on top of her and tickle her till she couldn't breath..

Now...suddenly..after hours of waiting and praying...I'm standing in front of this tiny baby who is the daughter of my baby sister...I'm now the Aunt of this tiny creature and as they take pictures..I fast forward to her being a teenager and me telling her how I blogged about her when was born as she looks at her baby pictures...will that teenager know how I couldn't breath out of worry the day she was born?!! I now have a whole new perspective when I look at my own baby pictures...life is truly strange...

The circle of Life...Truly amazing....

Female Bloggers Bragging

2006-11-09T20:07:00.000-08:00

One of the greatest moments I recall is when we have our Female Blogger Meetings and have a brag session. If you're not familiar with the game, it's pretty simple. Basically we'd be sitting in the restaurant and each one of us tells the group a brag that happened to them lately that made them feel good. It could vary from "I recently got promoted" to "I past my exams" or "this guy I really like gave me the best compliment" or "I just got engaged". The point of the game is not only to share what's been happening in our lives but more importantly to celebrate with each other our achievements or good fortune. Thankfully, no envy exists in the Female Blogger Team (mashallah), on the contrary it's a wonderful support team that I miss when we're all too busy to get together and in need of a "picker upper".

Recently, I've been so busy with my new job that getting together with the ladies has been so hard to accomplish and I really miss it and them! Somehow, the group no longer represents just bloggers getting together, it's more like us ladies connecting together and celebrating life and I love it.

Ladies, wherever you are, here's my brag session for this week. I was recently asked by a producer to consider acting in one of the future Ramadhan episodes! HAAAAAA! Would you believe?!!!! He even asked me if my dimple was real!!! How's that for a brag! By the way, didn't realize there's good money in that...varies from KD 50 an episode to KD 3000 (only Abdulhussein Abdulritha gets paid that high though). So let's see 30 episodes X KD 50 = KD 1500...wow...for learning a few lines....not bad! Don't you think?

Anyway, that's my brag for this week, you're turn....

F.U.C.K.

2006-10-26T11:46:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what F.U.C.K stands for? You probably thought it was an actual word...right? Not really...it's actually an abbreviation...(beg to differ? Well..that's what I found out lately)...it..supposedly stands for "Fortification Under the Consent of the King....according to history...back in the 14th century in some European country...no one in the land could get married without the fortification of the king...which basically means..people couldn't fortificate unless he approved it...it was such a long sentence to say "you can't get married unless you get Fortification Under the Consent of the King...and so...low and behold..they shortened it to be "you need to get F.U.C.K to get married"...hhmmm...interesting..huh?..

Now that I've explained all that...you may think...ok so what?..It was back in the 14th century...big deal...who cares...why is she wasting our time to tell us this..well...I'll tell ya...did you know that there's a country today that requires it's citizens to get a F.U.C.K when a couple decides to marry the one they chose...believe you me...it exists...Of course the King no doubt is a very busy man...after all...it's a big country...so getting the F.U.C.K will probably take the couple months on end to finally get it..no one will marry them off unless they have the approval..they can't make plans for their wedding..they can't think about their future..I mean..what if the King is in a bad mood and doesn't feel like approving it! How sad is that?!

Yes..there are some that are blessed with freedom in their world and there are others that it gets that personal in their world...so my dear bloggers...the next time you decide to bitch and whine about Kuwait...just hold your horses and count your blessings..you could get married to whoever you wanted to (unless of course you're Mummy's boy... in which case..you're the problem so who'd wanna marry you anyway)...but in reality..you could...I mean seriously...all you need to do to make yourself feel better when you're feeling down is just think about all the poor couples waiting for their F.U.C.K!

The Weakness of Arab Men...

2006-10-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

After watching ramadhan episodes...of Hamda being screwed over by Bu Mubarak when he married the horny little shit next door...it was obvious that her scheme had worked but in the end he realized he really loved Hamda...so basically he only wanted the other one so he could get layed....only to end up regretting it...

I remember a book I read a very long time ago about the Mossad in Israel called "By Way of Deception"..it was written by an ex-Mossad who had been trained to spy on Arabs...during his training he mentions in his book that they had to study the average Arab personality intensely..in the end they were told that the best way to make an Arab man fall down on his knees is to bring a beautiful women to mesmirize him..(what a reputation!)....they actually used this strategy by recruiting beautiful women who'd work undercover pretending to be the Arab man's girlfriend....

In other words, as the Arab man was getting layed, he'd pour out all sorts of classified information to her then when he'd doze off for his ten minute nap... she'd take pictures of a map of a secret nuclear plant that some Arab country hoped to complete...the Israelis would then identify the exact location of such a plant and would bomb it the next day...(look it up in history..it's all there)...

So...Are Arab men that weak that it's that easy to lure him into such a trap?...and..if the Israelis know that the secret to an Arab man's heart is women..what makes an Arab man so weak infront of women that he risks everything else??

Is it romance?...I mean history tells us that Arabs come from a line of great poets..or is it just plain sex?..they have extra hormones than the average Joe...or is it because they haven't been exposed enough to the opposite sex (which can't be true if they all end up at Marina Mall half the time)...Seriously..what makes an Arab man so weak in front of women??

HELP....Anybody Into Advertising?

2006-10-19T14:23:00.000-07:00

Frustrated out of my mind with the number of Advertising Agencies in Kuwait..I mean there's like bakalas...at every corner and all claiming to be the best...but when it comes down to it...they suck! They take your text and place it on a paper and say it was creative...oh really...is that it...so I could've gone to a printer for that..duh??!

What's worse is when it comes to translating English to Arabic...everybody tells you that the best translation office is so and so and then you take a look at their work and you know you could've done better....why didn't I open up my own Advertising agency...why didn't I open up my own translation office...the answer is...I'm too busy at my job to do that!

So help me out please...who is the best Advertising Agency in Kuwait..and if you know of a good translation office which one is it?

My blogger friends...you are my last resort...so help a chick in need...:)..thanks!

7areem willa 7ameer?

2006-10-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Standing by the counter at Starbucks ordering his usual drink he turned to ask her what she'd like to have.

She hardly knew him but he was cousin of a friend so she figured conversation with him wouldn't be harmful, besides, he was cute. The typical female thought of "what if?" came to mind.

"I've been really busy with work and stuff, you know 7areem receptions and stuff," she blubbered. She tended to do that whenever she faced a cute guy. Her shyness would be covered with repetitions of words that could be avoided in a sentence.

"7areem?" he said "You mean 7ameer."

She thought she'd heard it wrong "Did you say 7ameer?" she asked.

"Eee 7ameer, sorry bass el 7areem ehnee 7ameer" he answered quite frankly.

"Which I guess makes all mean Echlab then?" she answered accusingly.

"True, I won't argue there. All men are Chlab" he answered.

She'd seen him at Starbucks quite a few times and watched him as he worked intensely on his laptop. She'd admired his physique while he worked out at the gym. When her friend introduced him to her, his politeness and modestly seemed different than the average Joe (or Mohammed in this case). Having stated that all women were 7ameer, she felt all admiration go down the drain and decided to be blunt about it.

"weee, 7asafa, kint mo3jaba o al7een sa7abt e3jabee kilah. Too bad," she said with a sarcastic smile.

"Entee embayen 3alaich shiriya," he replied.

Funny she thought to herself, he accused all women of being 7ameer and she was the one being accused of being shiriya.

It was time to move on she thought as she took the coffee he had just paid for and thanked him for it. He obviously was not moved at all by their conversation yet she was pleased with herself. The realization that her theory was always right that cute men who hang around Starbucks are usually just as superficial as they look remained to be true.

Luckily, at that moment she bumped into her favorite blogger friend and as conveyed to her the story, she was happy to hear DR say "entay shariya?? 7'alee walee!" Spoken like a true friend, what could she ask for more!!

Arabs And The Vicious Circle...

2006-09-28T14:29:00.000-07:00

3:00 - Khaled Bin Waleed...I watched Hind eating Hamza's Kabd today...not a pleasant experience...especially if your fasting..Gross...

4:00 - Al-Embara9oora (MBC)...the botox in those ladies lips is horrendous...and so far..Fajer El Sa3eed hasn't impressed me yet...

5:00 - Cinderella (LBC)...true life story of Su3ad Hosni...very interesting...she falls off the stairs when she's a kid as she's trying to run to the malja' because of the war at the time...

10:00 - Al-3andaleeb (MBC)...true life story of Abdulhaleem Hafez...his brother goes to fight the war against el engleez we el yahood...and how there's a Moslem Brotherhood forming for Jeehad..

12:00 - Wa Yaktiloona Yasmeen..(LBC)..story about a Syrian family that lives in London when the terrorist attack of July 7th happens...the brother becomes a suspect and they take the sister Yasmeen for interrogation..the entire family suffers as the neighborhood declares war against them...and how the entire Moslem community in London is also affected...

Yes, I always say every Ramadan that I won't watch anything depressing but I do anyway! I actually tried to stay away from the Su3ad Abdulla, Hayat El Fahad and all the others Kuwaiti episodes for that reason...besides...there were just way too many out there this year..but then I ended up watching episodes with bigger issues!

What upsets me the most is the vicious circle of life...is it life or is it being an Arab or being a Moslem that war follows us around!

It's so confusing that one doesn't even know who to blame...7asbee ya Allah mink ya Osama bin Laden....7asbiya Allah minkom ya el engeleez ...o hasbee Alla 3alaikum ya yahood...o hasbi ya Allah min kol thalem fee ha dinya...

Oh...I forgot to mention the commercials...the ones about Cancer on Kuwait TV (I have to cry everytime I see it)..then there's the ones about El erhab on MBC (the kid's tennis shoes on the ground after a guy bombs the place)...or the one on LBC about the Lebanese kids that have lost their families during the war...

I know such things in life exist and we have to be aware of it all but when you know some issues are completely out of your hands...it sure leaves a person very angry and depressed!

This was my experience for the first week of Ramadan, how was yours?

HAPPY RAMADANING!!

2006-09-22T12:19:00.000-07:00

Embarak 3alikum el shahar!

I don't know about you but flipping through the TV channels and watching the advertisements for the Ramadan mosalsalat has already got me overwhelmed...All those women with their problems...UGH! Not only do I have to have the willpower to stop smoking this month...now I have to avoid the TV all together!

I bought the nicotine gums and tried them...they suck..I felt nauseated and it got me all dizzy...guess that's the end of that solution...Now I just have to have the guts to place the patch on my arm and hope for the best...

Just think...in 30 days Ramadan will be over and we would be at the end of October...looks like this year is nearly over...if I manage to quit smoking..now that would be the greatest accomplish ever...but can I really do it? God knows!

If I could just get my hands on the assholes that invented the damn thing..I'd be much happier!

Trivial Facts:
A study conducted by UCLA's Department of Psychiatry has revealed that the kind of face a woman finds attractive on a man can differ depending on where she is in her menstrual cycle.

For example: If she is ovulating, she is attracted to men with rugged and masculine features.

However, if she is menstruating, or menopausal, she tends to be more attracted to a man with a spear lodged in his chest and tape over his mouth while he is on fire.

No further studies are expected.

Here's wishing you all a peaceful Ramadan and kabbal Allah 6a3atkum...:)

Organized Chaos...Need Help!

2006-09-12T23:43:00.000-07:00

I'm now entering a time in my life that I'd like to call "Organized Chaos"...it's when you suddenly have been doing something for a few years and decide it's time to QUIT...yes...I have one more week left at my job and then I'm heading to a whole new world....My mobile number will change 'coz I gotta give it back and go back to my original mobile number..(for my blogger friends I'll be forwarding you a message with the new one soon in case you have the old number)....actually it's a good time to go through all the numbers and delete the names that you have no idea who the hell they are! Funny how one gets so into his/her job that your entire identity gets shaken up and you wonder who you are....which in reality is a good thing because we are not our jobs...we actually are our own identity and the job should be just an additional part of our life...NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND...at least that's what I think!

I'm also trying to face my demons by contemplating quitting smoking! Anybody who's anybody that knows me...knows bloody well..that's big of me to mention...but I really do...I can't do it cold Turkey...so if you've used patches, gums or hypnosis or any other amazing cure to get rid of this habit...please do fill me in...the internet has got a million and one way to cure it...and the whole thing got me so overwhelmed that I haven't ordered jack shit for it!

As for my personal life...well...it's a crossroad too....sometimes we single people may bitch and wine about our lives...about how lonely we are...or about wanting to find love and romance...but we hardly ever really look at the real picture of romance...Have you ever seen your parents fight? It aint pretty...Naturally...all couples fight...and the making up is sometimes worth it...but the amount of energy that goes into creating the perfect relationship can be exhausting...we women tend to spend hours analyzing every man's move...to the point we become obsessed...we are at fault..and it's not the man's fault...but the problem is...we can't help it...it sucks...Men want us like them and we want them like us...we both want the other to be perfect! As women it means never discussing the relationship and how it's going...never showing any reluctancy or insecurity...never look slightly worried if the thought "does he still feel the same way about me" ever comes up...and any other form of emotional feelings that makes us woman who we are.....HOW IN HEAVEN'S NAME is that possible??? So yes...we single women might complain...but sometimes the peace and serenity that our brains have when we are single and alone might not be so bad compared to the hell that attached women go through as they go on a journey of two personalities clashing until one day (if ever) they become one! Bottom line...they want us to be practical and we want them to be emotional..and it's in our both genes not to ever happen...UNLESS the man is metrosexual...which sometimes gets us all worried if he's gay...and in the women's case if she's not emotional...she's an Overconfident, feelingless bitch who's so conceited and can't see past her nose that her practicality just means that men who fall for her are into being stepped on...he's into S&M's or something...or let's just say makes him a wimp and who wants a wimp anyway!

So back to Organized Chaos....yes...this is where I stand...full of fear of the future...Hoping for peace and serenity and wondering how older people do it day in and day out...and if you're wondering what IT is...I mean growing up...it just doesn't get any easier...your worries increase...your fears of the future haunt you and you wish you could go back in time when you're just a kid and your parents did all the worrying...meanwhile you're sucking on the Red Loolee ice cream waiting for cartoons to start already!

Journal of A Single Gal in Q8 - Episode 20

2006-09-08T09:52:00.000-07:00

From last episode...

"Mabrook habeebti! Allah yetamim 3ala 7'air! Did you ask your parents?" she asked worriedly.

She closed her eyes. She knew she was going to have to soon enough.

"Hala, I want to..but I'm too scared."

Why couldn't she have married someone that she knew her parents would be ecstatic about? Why did she have to fall in love with someone that wasn't perfect? Because, she thought to herself, life was never perfect! Maybe she should've married Tarek and be done with it but she cringed at the thought. It was just too much to ask of her to marry Tarek.

She remembered how her Mother had tried convincing her. Her Mom had no idea what kind of a person Tarek was. Just because he was from the in-laws, didn't mean that he was perfect. It was hard to explain to her mother. She just didn't have the heart to tell her that Tarek was a very bad boy. The kind that good girls should stay away from.

She'd first met Tarek years ago when her cousin had gotten engaged. As in customs, this was not a marriage of just two people, it was a marriage of two families. Never an easy situation. It was a hard time for her cousin. Her fiance's mother was an old fashioned woman and she considered her eldest son to be God's gift to this earth.

Although in some way, she was a very kind woman and fun too. Something about her always made her smile. She reminded her of a character from an old Kuwaiti episode, 7ababa where young girls would sit on the floor and listen to her stories all night.

Then again, this was different. No one was going to be good enough for her son. Other relatives from his side of the family especially the single female ones (who had hoped that they would've landed him) had eyed her cousin up and down with vicious stares looking very unimpressed even though her cousin was beautiful.

Her cousin had transformed before her very eyes from the independent, strong willed woman to a "Khaltee, ayiblich shay?" one. It was a transformation that sometimes drove her crazy. His mother, no doubt, rubbed it in. He was her eldest son and the apple of her eye and his new wife was taking her favorite son away from her! "ee, yibeelee chaay!" she would say. Her cousin would get up and get it and her husband would gloat with happiness that his wife was taking care of his mother. True, tradition asked it to be that way but it never went down well with her when it was obvious that the mother-in-law took full advantage of that.

"Wow, nice bag!" she told her cousin one day as she starred at the fancy bulberry bag.

"Yes," she replied with an embarrassed look on her face, "You know I don't normally care for brands but Ghada (her new sister-in-law) said that I should buy it."

"Oh..?" she replied as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I don't have a habit of changing my bags daily but Ghada thought it was such a terrible thing that I wanted her off my back so now I'm starting to do just that!" she answered. This was not the cousin that she knew. She was a very modest girl and although dressed beautifully normally, she was not one that ever cared for brand names. To her cousin, she was blending into the middle class society that paid more money for brand names than royalty. In fact, sometimes paying more than they could afford to the point of debt. It was obvious though that her cousin cared about his family's opinion and she figured as the saying goes "if you can't beat them, join them" even though she wasn't sure she liked the fact that her cousin had changed in that way but as long as it didn't hurt her cousin changing herself, she thought, then no harm done.

During the preparations of the wedding, both families had to meet on a regular basis and check back on their assignments. The men in the family took care of arranging for the men's wedding that included reserving the hall, delivering invitations and making sure that the best bu7'oor (incense) was ordered. While the women took care of the woman's wedding which was an endless list of a million and one tasks!

It was then that Tarek would go out of his way to give her a look of admiration. She had to admit, he had a good sense of humor. He would crack jokes and make the little girls of the family giggle and the older woman laugh, especially her mother. He was that type. He knew how to make the older generation happy by either teasing them of their beauty or kissing their foreheads as a form of respect. In other words, he was good at making the important people like him; A kalakjee.

At first she had been scared of him even though he was quite good looking. His soft black hair was swept to the side, his features were distinguished and there was something charming about him. When she'd first met him the day both families had first gotten together, he had been wearing his military uniform and that's was had scared her. She had heard enough stories about Kuwaiti men in uniform whether it was military, police or even the CID. In her opinion, they'd seen too much in their lives not to mention that their background was completely alien to her. It wasn't that she had anything against them but they just weren't her type!

She'd heard rumors about how they went about raiding houses of possible prostitution. She imagined that no doubt such men would have close contact with the women they'd arrest. She even heard that these women were sometimes recruited for future use for whatever mission they would be useful for. It was an ugly world that was far from her environment.

By the time her cousin's wedding was going to take place, Tarek had utilized all his charms and she'd begun to wonder if she had judged him harshly. She began to enjoy his company more and more and they would spend hours on the phone. He was a good talker and he made her laugh and in the end she began to fall in love.

When he began speaking of marriage, she played with the idea in her head. Something about their relationship just didn't seem right. Sometimes he wouldn't answer her calls and would say that he was working. His continuous admiration to every female that walked by was unnerving but still she would give him the benefit of the doubt. Until things moved even more serious and she decided it was time to put her suspicions to rest.

She decided to play Tarek at his own game and be her own CID. She was going to do the unthinkable and spy on him. She knew that he made disappearing acts and she wanted to know where it is that he would disappear to.

On a quite night, driving down the fourth ring road heading to Salmiya, she had spotted him turning into some spooky building. He'd told her that he wasn't feeling well and that he was going to visit the hospital. She'd waited outside his home and then followed him from a distance.

The darkness of the neighborhood made it easy for her to park from a distance. She watched as he parked his big Mercedes in the open parking lot of the building. She also watched another car park at the same time in which came out a woman with very long black hair. She squeezed her eyes harder to try to see more of her but all she could see was her long black hair.

They both entered the building and her heart began to race.

"She could be going anywhere," she thought to herself but she knew it was now or never. She drove closer to the building and ran towards the elevator to see what floor they'd stopped on. It was the second floor, she decided to race up the stairs to get a chance to hear them as they stepped out of the elevator. Her legs were weak but she continued to race up the stairs and came to a sudden halt as she heard voices.

It was sickening to hear. The same crap of charm was being used on this woman. She decided then and there to confront him.

She had no idea what she was going to say but suddenly found herself barging into the hall and saying "hello" sarcastically.

It took him a while to absorb what was happening as he pushed the other girl into the apartment and closed the door.

It was then she decided that there wasn't much to say so she turned around and headed back down the stairs as he came running after her.

"Where are you going? Wait" he yelled as she continued to ignore him and rush down the stairs.

"Listen to me, I told you that I want to marry you," he shouted.

Suddenly she stopped and turned to look at him. "So that makes it ok then? The fact that you want to marry me means that I forgive you for this!? Am I supposed to be happy?"

"These girls don't mean anything to me. You are different, you are going to be my wife," he said defiantly.

With that, she laughed and replied calmly but sternly "How typical of a mentality that I could never live with! You make me sick so don't come near me again!"

She'd finally reached the ground floor and as she walked back to her car, she realized that he hadn't followed her and she was glad of that.

She knew then and there that it was her fault that she hadn't listened to her first instinct but years later she now knows that she was glad it had happened that way. She smiled as she remembered dropping exactly two tears after having gone through that whole ordeal. It was then she realized that she hadn't even really been in love with him or else she would've cried a river! The two tears were simply her disappointment of yet another experience that she was supposed to learn from and grow as all the books would say!

Still, she was happy for the experience, after all, she could've actually married the jerk and then really been miserable. Yes, small miracles do happen even though she knew that one doesn't necessarily recognize them that way at the time.

She was jolted back to reality when she heard Hala say "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine. Once they see that your happiness is at stake, they'll agree."

"I hope so, Hala. Wish me luck, I think I'll talk to my mother tonight."

To be continued...

September Eclipse..You have been Warned!

2006-09-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

According to all the horoscope predictions, there will be two eclipses this month. The first one, a hard one to handle whether on the world front or in your personal lives. It's predicted to be on September 7th. If you don't know much about eclipses, well, they represent beginnings and endings..and change is a coming my friend, whether you want it or not. I don't know about you but that makes me nervous. Hey but if it's a good change...then bring it on! You think I can strike a deal with the universe?

The second one is a more friendlier one and that falls on September 22nd. I guess you could say that it kinda eases up the shock of the first one for us. Of course, there's nothing one can do to prepare for such times. Maybe hope for the best or better yet take an example from the Dali Lamma who says don't be attached too much to anything that way if you lose it, it's no big deal i.e. learn detachment. Yes, it's definitely easier said than done but what the hell, I might as well apply it to myself, at least for this month. Therefore, I hereby declare myself going numb so if blogosphere suddenly ends, it'll be ok, I've detached myself from loving it and it wouldn't matter....(yeah, right...as if!)

What's a new beginning you'd like to see in your life and what endings would you like to get rid of?

Camp Jail??

2006-08-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

In a city like Kuwait where a vicious work world is out there with expatriates and locals fighting for the perfect job, it's easy to get lost in the rat race and forget what life is all about. Parents are shopping for back to school stuff for kids, businessmen are getting their businesses back on track after the summer and young people are looking for the fall trends. Life seems so simple yet is it?

Deep in the heart of the Kuwaiti desert lies a world unknown to the average person. A world that looks like a scene from "The Day After". A depressing world. Thousands and thousands of tents lay erect on the desert sand with portable bathrooms around the corner. Kansas Avenue or New Mexico Avenue. No, this is not Spring camp. This is a camp that looks like hell itself and nicknamed Camp jail. You can check in but you can't check out, at least for most.

Yes, thank God for civilization. Thanks for the roof on my head, the bed I sleep on and would you believe, thanks for the bathroom that's not portable but most of all, thanks for the freedom of going wherever I want, whenever I please!

No matter the cause, no matter the price, I couldn't do it. Could you? And if so, how much would they have to pay you for you to check in but not check out? Actually, to put it more bluntly, how much do you think your life is worth?

Waleed Bin Talal Or Machboos??

2006-08-23T05:01:00.000-07:00

"You deserve a Waleed Bin Talal," this was said to me by a relative of mine after a hot argument about something or another....Flabbergasted, I asked "What do you mean?" it sounded sweet at first but I wasn't sure if it was meant to be a compliment.

"Well, you're daloo3a...you like being pampered...you do massages, manicures, pedicures and facials...you're more likely want to quit your job and let your husband spoil you. You're also sexy and deserve a Waleed Bin Talal...etc."

It was mixture of being extremely insulted but complimented all at the same time. Part of me felt that she made me sound so pathetic and the other part felt touched that she thought I deserved a millionaire. Needless to say, I was confused!

Then I got to thinking about rich men. Yes, if I saw a beautiful sports car, I do get a physical reaction and think "Oh my God, it's beautiful!" You'd think I saw a good looking man! Naturally, I never ever look inside to check the guy out. For starters, they're usually not good looking (sorry if I'm generalizing but usually they're not, I swear!)...Second, if he was good looking, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with him because RICH MEN SCARE ME!

Maybe it's my preconceived ideas of rich men. All those millions, beautiful models, sports cars and jets all at his feet...Everybody at his beck and call and he snaps his fingers and all the ladies run to him...it's just too much for little ol' me to put up with. I just couldn't do it. I know a man's temptation that comes with being so rich. Why would they stick to one chick. True, not all men are alike but hey, if he was traveling for business and met up with Angelina Jolley, would you blame him if he had a fling? I know it's crazy for me to admit it but it's true...unless he happens to be very religious, I doubt he'll be able to resist and who would blame him.

As for religious millionaires, well, I'd have to sit and really ask "how" religious is he. If his millions are going to go to bad charity, I definitely wouldn't want to have anything to do with him, thank you very much! Besides, how many religious millionairs are there out there?!

My encounter with rich men started when I was very young. I remember having a buddy who was so rich and was constantly being fought over by the girls in school. Sadly, he was also very lonely. He just couldn't tell who really liked him and who was just using him because he was rich. Later, we kinda stopped being friends because his paranoia got on my nerves and I was just too insulted by his constant fear that I was using him for something.

In the end, I suppose we all have dreams to live the life of the rich and famous or the "Waleed Bin Talal" life...but in reality,...I'm not sure that's a dream I would want to pursue...maybe I'm crazy but a diamond ring or a fur coat after his business trip in Paris would only make me more miserable 'coz I'll know he was up to something..Call me silly but a simple guy who can't afford his own private jet but can afford ordering machboos from Bin 3ateej while we watch TV at home, definitely sounds much more appealing.......yes..I do believe other girls wouldn't give a shit what he was up to and would just be happy with the fur coat and the diamond ring..but when it comes to me..the "daloo3a" as she called me..I'd take the home delivered machboos from Hawally any time, any day baby...so pass me the dakoos please..

El Baraka Bil E7jab....

2006-08-16T22:39:00.000-07:00

When I bumped into my mit7ajba twenty four year old distant relative at N Bar the other day, there was something about her that looked different. True, she looked cuter than I'd ever seen her but I just couldn't pin it down. Teasing her, I said "Shlonich ya Su3ad 7ussnee?" Her face reminded me of her for some reason.

She giggled and said "You can't tell what it is, can you?"

I realized suddenly that she must've done something to her face and so I starred intensely to figure it out.

Getting bored at me starring, she finally blurted out "I GOT DIMPLES!"

My mouth dropped.

Yes, there they were, two holes in her cheeks! I, dumbfounded, screamed "Eshlon?"

"I was feeling depressed and wanted a change. All my friends have been doing the same thing and so I did it! I went to this famous Egyptian Doctor at Taiba Clinic and it took exactly five minutes for each check!"

Shaking my head at her being crazy, I teased "Oh, so this is the latest trend in Kuwait that you girls have been up to!"

She looked at me like I was from out of space and said "You mean you've never heard about it?"

"La habeebti, I had no idea!" I replied feeling rather exhausted while I remembered my entire busy week at work and how different it must've been compared to this newly dimpled girl.

With a sudden serious look on her face she said "Bass Tikfain MissCosmo, mo etgoleen hag a7ad, tara 7'alee ma yadree o low dira be kafi7'nee!"

"En zein shlon ma dira, ma shafich?" I asked, wondering how the entire family couldn't see that there was something different about her.

"La, el baraka bel e7jab," she replied as she showed me how she can cover the dimples by her laffa.

After she was gone, her answer kept ringing in my head. "El baraka bil e7jab?..El baraka bil e7jab...el baraka bil e7jab"

There was just something very ironic about that sentence when it came to fake dimples and e7jab....

"El baraka bil e7jab..."...weird...when you think about it...isn't it..

Legalized Perversion!

2006-08-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

Last night I went out for dinner with a girlfriend of mine who wanted to introduce me to two of her acquaintances...as the two ladies walked in..I suddenly felt very under dressed..they had all that perfect make up..the perfect hairdo..all dressed up in perfection...I'd just finished yoga, had a quick shower and had slipped on my jeans and my hair was still dripping wet...Anyone watching us would've thought what a strange combination these ladies made...the two of us looking like a mess and the two others..straight out of a magazine....

There was something about these girls that made me presume that they were older than us...but it didn't take long to find out that it was absolutely not true..as usual..when it came to women talk the conversation had turned into the subject of marriage..

I asked the beautiful girl in front of me if she was married...she giggled..and said "Yes, actually, I got married when I was fourteen."

Yep..that's right...that is one four...14!!! I dropped my chopped sticks and looked at her with my eyes wide open...and then went into my Oprah Winfrey routine:

Me: Really?!! So how old was your husband?

Her: It was ten years ago, so he must've been 37 at the time...

A quick calculation meant that the girl sitting infront of me was 24 and her husband was now 47

Me: Forgive me for asking such a personal question...when I don't even know you but what was it like on the first night?

Her: (giggling) We didn't do it the first night...I was only fourteen and didn't know anything so he would sit with me and tell me things..

Me: What kind of things?

Her: Well..you know..

Me: No...I don't know..give me an example

Her: He would tell me that things happen between a husband and a wife and then he would put his hand on my lap...then the next day he would explain more and then kiss me slowly...then the next day he would touch me somewhere else...it took a whole week until I was comfortable enough and then we did it..

Me: How did you feel?

Her: At first I was scared 'coz I didn't understand what he was talking about..but then after one week...I was ready....

Me: Do you have children?

Her: Yes, I have two, a boy and a girl

Me: When your girl is 14, would you marry her off?

Her (in horror): NO WAY! She needs to enjoy life...

Suddenly, her friend interrupts and says "It's funny...you should see us when we are shopping...whenever we see a good looking guy...we go crazy...we missed out on a lot of things in life"...

That's when it dawned on me that her friend had married young too...and it seemed to be perfectly normal...was I living in a bubble unaware that people still did this...yes...my grandmother got married at the same age...but that was many..many years ago....yes...it used to happen centuries ago...but now??

It was sad to see a 24 year old girl act so much older...my friend and I were twice their age...yet we both treated them as older women...was it because they were married, it instantly made them "older"?...They just seemed too young by age years to feel, look and act older...how unfair was that...

My mind then wandered off to the 37 year old man that had married a 14 year old....I couldn't help but imagine him a pervert..or for a better word...a molester...

Last night I dreamt of the whole scene...the hairy 37 year old man with his big belly standing naked in front of the beautiful 14 year old girl..as she shivers from fear with her eyes wide open....the hairy big man pointing at his tool and saying "touch this"....she holds it and pretends it's a toy...

Am I sick to have dreamt that...maybe....but I couldn't help it...it made me feel soo angry...when innocence is robbed from a 14 year old girl...this is not marriage...it's just legalized perversion for free! Ugh!

Inside MissCosmo's Mind...

2006-08-10T23:38:00.000-07:00

(1) Thank you God for making sure that when I was passing through London..this "real deal" terrorist plot was not in the works...it was only a month ago that I was waiting for my flight at heathrow airport...(thank you..thank you...thank you)

(2) When you're out with friends for dinner and everyone is supposed to be pitching in to pay the bill...how is it possible that there is a KD60 still missing???

(3) If all self development books on relationships tell you that the best way to land a man is to avoid being emotional...how in heavens name is she supposed to be herself when she's born a woman of emotions???

(4) According to the horoscopes, it's a year of surprises (whether in your personal life or in the world at large i.e. Lebanon crisis)...so "be prepared" they say..but if it's supposed to be a surprise...how does one prepare for it?

(5)Back to relationships ('coz I'm a woman..and that's what we strive on) why is it that woman can talk about any subject with their friends but it never gets really interesting or exciting as it does when the subject is about men?

(6) Speaking of relationships...(again!) if a woman's relationship with a man is based on her self esteem...i.e. the higher her self esteem..the more successful the relationship...how is she supposed to have high self esteem if he's being distant or withdrawn?? (no promotion or any other form of success ever highers a woman's self esteem as when it comes to the man in her life..and any other woman who tells you otherwise is either a lesbian or fooling herself!) It's a vicious circle and I'm hating it in case you can't tell..:)

(7) I'm reading the book "Thinking Like A Billionaire" by Donald Trump...(had to step away from the relationship books to stop the frustrations!)..according to him...the art of becoming one...includes never taking a vacation, having a short attention span and not sleeping more than you have to (he never sleeps more than 4 hours a night!)...I'm happy to report that the only one that I can accomplish out of those three is the short attention span...I have that natural ability! (you can forget the vacation part or the sleeping..thank you very much...besides...I'll be happy with being a millionaire...who needs the billion!)

(8) Ramadan is about 6 weeks away....!!!!...Panic...panic....where did the year go? I still didn't get over last year's episodes of misery and disaster....(7oor el 3ain, Nezar Qabani, 3adeel el roo7)....will I really pull it through this time and not watch the episodes that cause depression and near suicide feelings??? Can I do it? ahh...the challenge of it all!

(9) More importantly....with the whole world going hay wire...is World War III around the corner?? Is it true that it's better if we have World War III because "look at Europe...it had to go through one to make it the way it is now"...Would the Middle East need to go through a World War to settle?? If so and God forbid...would it cause us all to split based on our math'habs..shi3as versus sunnas....you know..I'd much rather not be around for that...way too ugly if you ask me!

(10) MissCosmo takes a deep breath, closes her eyes and asks herself...why can't you just stop worrying and start living!

Handsome Up?????

2006-08-06T05:48:00.000-07:00

As seen in Kuwait's classifieds in Al-Hadaf...and I thought I'd seen everything! Min sijhum??...Handsome Up 3aad!!!

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode 19

2006-08-02T01:10:00.000-07:00

From last episode..

He continued to stare at her for a while longer then finally asked "Do you think your parents would approve of me if I proposed?"

It had taken her a few days for her to actually absorb his question then she did the first thing that came to mind. She called her married best friend to ask for advise.

She had always had a very deep relationship with Hala even though they'd met under the strangest circumstances. They had both been refugees in a strange country when they'd both escaped from Kuwait due to the invasion.

Their mothers met at a "Free Kuwait" gathering held in Dubai and they both insisted that the two girls should keep each other company. At first, Hala appeared to be nothing close to her type. She thought her a T.K. (a secret code she and her friends used as a term for girls that they couldn't connect with mentally). Hala's bob haircut, big lashes and full lips had given her the impression that she would be more into Louis Vuitton bags than about writing political poetry to expressive anger on the current circumstances. It was far from the truth! Hala turned out to be the most modest and caring friend that crossed her path and so began an amazing friendship that only became stronger everyday.

Life had not been easy for Hala. She came from a family that still lived in the old fashioned mentality of "who's who" in the world. They were what they called themselves "a9eeleen" a term translated into being "original" or "pure". Such families took pride in being originally from Saudi Arabia, Najd in particular. In her own mind she had translated it as being blue blood. If the common term of WASP in the States was translated into Wealthy Anglo-Saxon Protestant then WAMS stood for Wealthy A9eel Moslem Sunni and in both cases it meant that doors would open for them wherever they went. If you had blue blood you made it in the world because all blue bloods would stand with you. Marrying blue blood meant a step into the fancy world of high society. The money always stayed within the blue blood community and that was the way it had always been and how they expected it to remain.

When Hala had confided to her that she was in love with a Bedouin boy during those endless hours of waiting and watching CNN during the invasion, she was happy for her. Being in love under such circumstances gave the heart something else to concentrate on and eased some of the pain. Little did she know that her friend was playing a part in what was to lead to the worst experience in her life.

When the years past and they'd returned to Kuwait, Hala had called her one evening and told her that Mohammed, her Bedouin boyfriend had proposed. Although she was thrilled for her, she could tell that Hala sounded worried.

"What's the matter?" she asked her.

"My parents are refusing to see him because he's a Bedouin!" she replied breaking down into tears.

As she tried to comfort her, she had no idea that the worse was yet to come. It took a week for her to beg and plead with her parents but her eldest brothers wouldn't budge! It was too embarrassing for their blue blood to have a Bedouin brother-in-law. Actually, it was unthinkable!

Her mother whose words held importance within the household finally told them that her daughter's happiness was at stake so she asked the father to call them and let them know that they'd accepted.

Unfortunately, when it came to Bedouins, pride stood before anything else. Mohammed's father told them that they were insulted for having waited so long to give their reply and so they were no longer interested in the girl!

Mohammed told Hala that his father was a very stubborn man but that if they ran away and got married, soon everybody would accept it. Hala wouldn't have anything to do with it.

"I can't do that to my mother. Not after how hard she helped me. I'm sorry, it's over," she told him as she cried all her tears mourning his loss.

Hala's dismay to the failure of her love life became worse when her brothers told her that she'd embarrassed them as a family and that they were going to find her a suitable suitor whether she liked it or not. It took only a month when her brother told her that his best friend is "willing" to marry her. By then Hala had given up all hopes in life and so did what was expected of her, she agreed to marry him.

When Hala past by to give her the invitation to her wedding, she was shocked to see Hala all skin and bones. Her beautiful shiny hair was barely there and she practically looked like a ghost.

It was a wedding she hated remembering but had to be there to support Hala. She still couldn't believe that things like this still happened in this day and age. Coming from a completely different background, marrying someone you didn't want was unthinkable. It just didn't make any sense.

She remembered being dropped off at the Marriott hotel and rushing to the elevator so she could spend sometime with Hala in her room. These were the hardest moments as she held her hand to comfort her while she waited for the moment for her to go downstairs and enter the ball room full of guests who had no idea what she was feeling.

She whispered to her "Are you ok?"

Hala's soon-to-be sister-in-laws were running around frantically getting ready. She remembered how they had looked so scary and unfriendly especially one particular one. She was the kind that one would refer to as being the nisra meaning a hawk; a woman with claws that showed no mercy.

Hala didn't reply. She just looked at her with pain in her eyes and nodded in denial as though to comfort her.

The wedding was miserable. Though she attempted to dance to cheer Hala up, inside she just couldn't be happy for her. It was all so wrong! Little did she know that the worse was yet to come.

The wedding past as any other wedding and she waved goodbye to Hala as she watched her being escorted to her husband's car that would take them to his family house.

Little did Hala know that when they were driving down Highway 30 that they were being followed by Mohammed, her Bedouin boyfriend.

No sooner had she arrived and been taken upstairs by the sister-in-law did the door bell rang. A few minutes later she heard her new husband call for his sister. As she sat upstairs, looking at the stranger in the mirror, she wondered how her new life was going to be. Suddenly, her sister-in-law walked in with a evil grin on her face and said "My brother says intee 6alek!"

Mohammed had delivered a letter to her husband telling him that he had been her boyfriend and with the letter was a picture of her and Mohammed that they'd taken years ago in a restaurant in Kuwait.

The next six months, she was not aloud to speak to Hala. Whenever she called, they told her that she was either asleep or out. It was only when she'd bumped into her mother at a ladies tea party that she begged her to be able to speak to her.

When she finally did, Hala told her the story and how her brothers had locked her into her room which she was never allowed to leave. Food would be delivered to her room and she had no access to any telephones. Her mother had been nice enough to smuggle her the phone today so that she could speak to her.

They were very hard days for Hala and her heart went out to her everytime she spoke to her after that. All she could do was comfort Hala and tell her that everything has a way of working out and that she had to be patient.

When months and months had past and she continuously begged her brothers to at least give her the chance to graduate from college, they finally agreed. Her brothers would take her to college and bring her back everyday but the few hours she would attend class were always a blessing for her.

As she waited for Hala to pick up the phone on this current day, she was comforted by the thought that Hala was now happily married to an older married man. A man she had known throughout her life and that had always begged her to marry him before her ordeal.

She had always disapproved of such a marriage but slowly she would find comfort in his wisdom and support for all that had happened to her. His kind heart would finally win her and she agreed to marry him. Knowing fair well that her brothers would not approve she needed to come up with a plan. She finally took the decision one idol day and jumped out of the gate of her house into his car where they ran off to get married abroad.

Yes, life had not been easy for Hala but here she was settled down and finally content with the life of a married women with two kids to love and cherish.

"Tell me your news habeebti," said Hala when she finally picked up the phone.

"He proposed!" she said shyly to her best friend who had been waiting patiently with her for that moment to come.

"Mabrook habeebti! Allah yetamim 3ala 7'air! Did you ask your parents?" she asked worriedly.

She closed her eyes. She knew she was going to have to soon enough.

"Hala, I want to but I'm too scared."

To be continued...

Let's All Pretend!

2006-07-28T02:46:00.000-07:00

I was having a conversations with a married friend of mine when she giggled and said "I'm going to say something that is going to sound crazy...but you wouldn't believe it...the minute you get engaged or end up about to get married...be prepared for good looking men to hit on you!"....I was pretty shocked about that statement and asked her to continue..."It's true she said...ask any married woman and she'll tell you...for some reason...good looking men start showing up everywhere..and worse...they'll approach you...and I mean complete strangers! This would never have happened to you when you are single...and you'll find yourself appreciating all the attention but wondering where were they when you were actually looking for them!"...

After that statement...it got me thinking..what was the reason...was it because of the confidence of the engaged women or soon to be married women the cause of those men suddenly finding the ladies attractive and therefore approaching them (meaning that men no longer smell women's fear or desperation in finding the right one)...OR....was it because the women who were now considered untouchable and unavailable, the reason that good looking men suddenly wanted them??" (going back to the old analysis that men are attracted to women that are a challenge).

I simply couldn't get it off my mind off...so if there are any therapists out there who may have the answer to this...please do tell...I would deeply appreciate it...afterall...we could all pretend to be engaged and see what happens! Don't you think?!

I'm A Blogger, Are you?

2006-07-24T05:56:00.000-07:00

No matter how many times I end up meeting a blogger face to face...I still get all excited about it and wonder if they're gonna look like anything I imagined them to be...It is a rare moment that it ever turns out to be what I thought they'd look like...

Last night I met one of the very few bloggers left that I was dying to meet...Her sense of humor was so original...I just had to shake hands with the blogger that made me laugh even when I didn't feel like it....As soon as I saw her I said "Oh my God, you are gorgeous!"...she smiled and looked even cooler doing it! Here I was thinking I'll meet a cute, chubby chick with short hair (my stereotypical mind thinking that girls with great sense of humors are usually cute and chubby) I was amazed at finding the exact opposite...Not only was she gorgeous but she was totally amazing and we hit it off really well...

My other blogger friend who had arranged the whole ordeal was typically late (sorry dear!) and so I actually had to walk in and guess which one of the ladies there would be her...did I feel sheepish...add to the fact that I'd forgotten to wear my contact lenses and couldn't help but squint my eyes to make sure I wasn't talking to a complete stranger...Cool as she was, it was a fast introduction into what I hope will be a warm and everlasting friendship...

As the three of us sat in an absolutely cool hang out and gossiped away about everything and nothing...much to my amazement...we were interrupted by ANOTHER female blogger who happened to be there with some friends!!!...I mean how cool is that! Not knowing how to introduce her to my new friend (by her real name? by her blogger name?)....I did the first thing that came to mind, I said "sorry..let me introduce you..."Blogger, meet Blogger!"...the ladies giggled and shook hands but I couldn't help but wonder if I had done the right thing...I mean I have no idea if they wish to reveal themselves whether by real name or by their blogs...so I felt kinda stupid and hoped that I hadn't embarrassed the ladies...I guess I was just so surprised by the coincidence! What a small world!

Do You Change Tires Or Not?

2006-07-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

As I was leaving work the other day, driving down the highway, very excited that I was actually going to take the initiative and go to the gym...I realized that I was about to have a flat tire! I always hated that feeling...suddenly the sukan feels heavy and that sinking feeling that you're about to be stranded on the streets takes over you...and of course the fact that you're not gonna make it to your aerobic class on time gets you all frustrated...

I was reassured by the feeling that once I park my car on the side of the road and put my blinkers on...it'll take exactly two minutes for a car to stop and the guy stepping out and asking "3asa ma shar?"....it happened that way throughout my life...that's why I never learnt how to change my tire...I mean besides my Ice Queen sister and an American female friend who strives to be independent...I don't know of any other girl who knows how to do that!!

So there I was, stranded on the high way...blinkers on...playing the damsel in distress...and guess what?....NOBODY STOPPED!!! I called the driver at home and explained for five minutes exactly where my location was...sadly..he's an idiot so it didn't look likely that he would find me soon...It took me two hours to end my dilemma....but the mere fact that times had changed got me all depressed...

Whatever happened to those guys who'd never see a girl stranded on the road without stopping to rescue her??? I couldn't figure out whether it was because some girls actually pretended to have a flat tire in an effort to meet guys and the guys have picked up on this....or whether the guys feel that now that women can vote...why should we rescue them...they should be able to take care of themselves....both cases pissed me off and I went home feeling hurt....leaving me singing an old 80's song "Where did all the good men go?"....."I need a hero!"...what pissed me off even more was that I now had to learn how to change a tire...and imaging my hands getting all dirty and breaking a nail just doesn't sound much fun to me!

Ok...Do I sound like a spoilt brat?? Maybe...but at least I'm honest! I mean how feminine is it to watch a girl change tires??

Celebrity Bloggers In Al-Qabas!!

2006-07-17T23:50:00.000-07:00

I couldn't help but get all teary eyed when I saw the list of bloggers who were being thanked for their role in "Nabeeha 7'amsa" in today's Al-Qabas, page 11..It was like a family member was being acknowledged!..All those mentioned should be so proud of themselves...

CONGRATULATIONS for being part of history and making things happen! YOU ROCK!

7abeebti...a3sab...I know you worked just as hard as those that were mentioned...and I'm sorry I didn't see your name in the list but you'll always be our Political Hot Babe in our eyes and we're proud of you too!

BLOGGERS ROCK!!

Middle East From Space

2006-07-17T05:48:00.000-07:00

American TV covered the space shuttle launch today and asked the astronaut what part of the earth could he see "Right now, I see our beautiful earth as we pass over the Middle East. It really is a beautiful scene and I wish that we could all just get along."

That was the first thing I heard this morning when I woke up and switched on the TV on MBC4..I couldn't help but wonder how stupid we must look from up there...not from the space shuttle but from further up...in Allah's eyes...and I don't just mean the Middle East...I mean the world in general...

On another note, why couldn't I have the courage to join the Hilal el a7mar and have the guts to pick up body parts when disaster strikes or maybe possibly save a few lives...I hate being a 7'eee7'a...!

Thank you to My Blogger Support Group...

2006-07-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

I can't thank my blogger family enough for their love, support and prayers...

My parents finally arrived safely al-hamdulla...I had rushed to the airport when I received the SMS that they were on a plane from Damascus...I had no idea which flight number or airline it was but I headed to the airport anyway...I figured hanging out at the airport would be mentally soothing for me...I only realised how frantic I must've been when hours later my sister told me that I was actually wearing my shirt inside out! (boy did I feel sheepish!)

It really was so comforting to get words of encouragement from my blogger family and they truly were my support group...I'm so grateful that you were there for me..Thank you sooo much!

And even though my ordeal might be over...this doesn't mean I'll stop worrying about Lebanon....as I watch the news my prayer goes out to all the Lebanese people..May Allah protect them...and yan9irna ajma3een...(I don't know how but we pray).

One final note...if you watched the news and saw the press conference of the Jam3a el 3arabiya...could somebody please tell me what the hell was the Emiratee guy wearing the bisht bloody well smiling about???! Amana fashalna!

Your Love and Support Is Needed Here..

2006-07-13T23:27:00.000-07:00

My parents are in Lebanon and I'm shitting bricks...literally...(when I'm nervous you'll either find me constantly running to the bathroom...or sleeping...al heroob min el waki3 kind of thing!).....

Did I mention I hate politics?...well...I do!

After endless hours of trying to get a hold of them..I finally get through and they tell me that they're going to try to take the bus from Lebanon to Damascus...and then fly out from there....this is supposed to make me feel better...but then on CNN I get to hear announcements that "this is all Syria's fault"...so is Syria a safe haven or not???..I don't know whether to tell my parents to stay put or go to the next battlefield...again...did I mention I hate politics...ugh!

Two Kuwaitis have been killed in Southern Lebanon...more visits to the bathroom...I'm hooked on watching the news 24 hours....only to be reminded of the many times in my Middle East life that I had to do this...knowing very well that watching more news only makes it harder for one to keep his/her sanity...shit...I hate politics...

Imagine trying to "combat terrorism" these days....are you kidding me? How many terrorists do you think decided to see the light and stop being terrorists when they saw the Israelis bombing southern Lebanon....More realistically...how many new terrorists do you think were born last night after watching the reaction of most politicians who had no harsh words to say to Israel or worse said "that they had a right to defend themselves"...AS IF! "Defend themselves"....when you're a big giant bossing the weaker party around...and decide to show your muscles...you call that "Defending yourself"....God it makes you want to throw up!

HELP! I need somebody to feel with me on this....how long will politics play a role in my daily life when all one wants is to live a peaceful life?

Is there anywhere in the world that is safe? I need an island where nobody gives a shit about whose land is whose, what's your religion, what's your ethnic background, what's your color or any other stupid thing that's caused war in this stupid pathetic world....

Ya Allah...I know that You've seen the worst of this world...
I know that those that call themselves faithful ones have killed innocent men
and I know that there are men preferring to sleep with men than women
I know that there is too much hatred, greed and corruption
and killing and raping and lots of weapons of mass destruction
I know there are too many things that make this world an embarrassing place
Why would one save such humans who have caused their image a total disgrace

Dare I ask that you save us from ourselves?

Please pray with me that my parents come home safe...

Spanish Wishes

2006-06-26T02:21:00.000-07:00

Amazing how most countries have some ritual or another about making wishes....some countries have a wishing well...you toss a penny while making your wish...some have old mountains said to have listening skills when you whisper your wish...the moutain makes it come true...others...well..I guess in Kuwait we have our Turkish coffee and have the ba9ara tell us what we want to hear!...When it comes to the Spanish..it´s a whole different thing...On the 23rd of June (the first official day of summer), the Spaniards head to beach at night time...light a bon fire...sing Spanish love songs...party all night then finally light some candles make their wishes and toss them to the sea...Of course you would´ve had to pay me for me to miss this..so off I went with my new friend Ellaina from Ecuador and a German friend who´s name was too hard to pronounce so I called Flourine...

The beach was packed with humans...and I mean bodies and bodies of humans...you couldn´t see the sand...all you could see was flesh...and when I say flesh..I mean literrally flesh...topless women...half naked men...ten minutes and I´ve seen enough...I´m no party pooper but paleeeeeze...there was no air to breath..it was just way too crowded...standing looking at all this..I see an old black guy with broken teeth smoking something that stinks...I get nervous when he comes to chat with him...and so I walk off...suddenly I realise that I´m walking alone...Flourine...the German chick is chatting with him and telling him to join us! I turn to see where Elaina is and she´s chit chatting with a Spaniard and is now waving goodbye saying "I´ll see you later...Ciao.."....Right about now I´m ready to go back to the hotel...it´s 3:00 in the morning and I´m tired...I tell Flourine I´m leaving...she says her sad good byes to the black dude and I try my best not to give her a lecture but I just couldn´t...it just wouldn´t be me...even if I tried....I tell Flourine..."Why did you chat with that guy...he looked like a homeless man?" she giggles and says "we are having a good time and I wanted to show him a good time too"...I laugh "My dear....you don´t risk your life to make sure some stranger has a good time!...I don´t want to sound like your Mother (ofcourse I am anyway!) but you should be careful...he could be dangerous"...All of a sudden..she gets all emotional and says "thank you...I like you"....and she hugs me...how sweet I think..until her hug lingers...now I´m getting nervous....my mind wanders off to some TV channel and I´ve seen this scene before....(is she hugging me too close while she hangs on to my waste?)...Finally we´re at the hotel and I just can´t wait to get to my room..."what floor are you on?" she asks...."It´s ok...you go ahead...I need to tell the reception something about my room...I´ll see you tomorrow...Ciao"..that´s me rushing off before I have to face what would appear to be a pass by my Flourine chick...ok..back to my room...I come to the realisation that with all the festivities going on at the beach..I never got to make my wish...ah well...I think to myself..let me resort to what I believe is the bottom line...if it was meant to be..it´s meant to be...and I head to bed after having experienced another interesting Spanish night of rituals and wishes....and my last thoughts as I doze off...I think I´m ready to go home...;)

Vacation Update...

2006-06-22T03:57:00.000-07:00

As expected there was no great guy sitting next to me on the flight..but I thought that was perfect...the seat next to me was empty and I got to stretch my legs..which wasn´t too bad...

Amazing the resemblance between Arabs and Spaniards...saw a flamenco show last light...they used the wooden sajat...or sagat as Egyptians call them...do you think they took it off us...then of course there was the clapping...sharbeka...that wad definately ours...(wasn´t it)...and of course the Spanish woman singing some mawal...could that be ours too....aaahhh....we ruled them for years and years..as my father would say....besides the beautiful monuments left by us...and possibly the sharbeka...where we really here centuries ago?....amazing....

The weather is purrrrrfect...the scenery out of a postcard...the music is amazing...the company?...well....nothing to report...but who needs company when you´re in a place that your ancestors spirits still live on possibly roaming around looking after you..making sure you never forget that they were here....;)

Leaving On A Jet Plane

2006-06-14T23:15:00.000-07:00

What's the probability of me sitting next to a great guy on an airplane?

I've always been amazed how the one person that's so irritating when I'm checking in on the ground is usually the person that ends up sitting next to me on the plane! It happens all the time...here I am sitting on my aisle seat and I see them coming...I close my eyes and say "please don't let him sit next to me...please don't let him sit next to me"..and low and behold...HE SITS NEXT TO ME!! It's reached the point that when I see them coming..I stand up knowing that THEY'RE GOING TO SIT NEXT TO ME!...WHY?

It's all those damned stupid romantic movies that's why! ah well..never mind...I promise I will tolerate them as they push my arm off my chair and I struggle not to have any physical contact...I promise to be patient everytime they want to go to the bathroom...I promise not to feel guilty when I ignore the hell out of them as they try to make conversation...ok...seriously...I can't promise...but let's just say I'll try....oh...and I promise not to get aggravated when the stewardess takes forever to come and take the damn tray after I've finished eating like an hour ago!

All that aside...I'm looking forward to my vacation and will miss you guys! Don't post something too exciting while I'm gone!..:)..If civilization exists where I'm going I'll hope to post...but if not...see you in two weeks!

P.S. Please let those exciting election days turn out to be the best thing that's ever happened to Kuwait...goloo Ameeen!

P.S.S. Ok...not all 50 seats...but at least two seats for the women..pretty please! :)

Post.a.no.secret for Pappilonia

2006-06-11T01:55:00.000-07:00

Tagged by Papillonia

Let's Talk About Sex

2006-06-06T22:23:00.000-07:00

Over the past week or so, I've had to listen to a few wives bitch about their unfaithful husbands...now Ladies...don't go assuming that this is typical Kuwaiti thing...not true...in one week..I had an American women complain to me that after 20 years of marriage she realized he's been unfaithful...chats with women on the internet, meets up with them, sleeps with them and then transfers STD (sexually transmited disease) to her...so much so..that she was told that she can never have kids because of the STD...ok...let's take a moment to absorb that...The wife can never have kids because the husband was unfaithful and gave her a sexually transmitted disease...my God that sucks!...Hold on a second...don't think it's just an American thing...the other nationalities of the unfaithful husbands included but were not limited to a Kuwaiti, a Jordanian, a Lebanese, an Egyptian, etc....so...let's be clear...we can't label here...it's a universal problem...and of course some women would say...Men SUCK..but there's got to be a reason..isn't there?

Now get this, according to science, women have approximately 20,000 nerve endings...uhhmm...well...you know...down there...Therefore when women have orgasms it's a bloody mind blowing experience...versus the man...who aint got the 20,000 nerves...in fact...it's been observed that a women's orgasm is 100 times stronger than any man's orgasm....so...(and in order to justify men's behavior)...consider this..Is a man's continuous run around to get extra orgasms a simple mathematical equation of him trying to catch up with a women's 20,000 nerve ending orgasm?

You think?

C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N-S!!!

2006-06-05T22:30:00.000-07:00

Ladies & Gentlemen please take a moment to say CONGRATULATIONS to Samboose for her Wedding Anniversary....Alf mabrook habeebti to you and your hubby! Below is the lyrics to a song that I'm dedicating to both you and DR...

SO please say "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" to the sweetest blogger around...our very own DR....in case you didn't know...she's the kinda girl that if you've ever seen the movie "CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG" you'd remember this song and sing it to her....DR habeebti....this song's for you...(hopefully you've seen the movie!)..:)..and Samboose...I know you know it...no need to explain why I chose this song..!!

You're my little chu-chi face
My coo-chi, coo-chi, woo-chi little chu-chi face
Every time I look at you I sigh
And you're my little teddy bear
My lovey lovey dovey little teddy bear
You're the apfel strudel of mine eye
Your chu-chi woo-chi nose
Your chu-chi woo-chi eyes
They set my heart a flutter
Your ooo-chi coo-chi ways
Your ooo-chi coo-chi gaze
Wilts me down like meltings butter
You're my little chu-chi face
And you're my teddy bear
Together we're a chu-chi woo-chi, ooo-chi coo-chi pair
Whatever you may ask becomes my happy task
I only live to serve you
I never will divine what magic made you mine
I only know I don't deserve you
You're my little chu-chi face
And you're my teddy bear
Together we're a chu-chi woo-chi, ooo-chi coo-chi
Chu-chi, Woo-chi, Ooo-chi, Coo-chi pair
Chu-chi
Woo-chi
Ooo-chi
Coo-chi pair

When Past Comes Back To Haunt You

2006-05-31T02:12:00.000-07:00

If you're past the age of 20, you know that you've already developed a little bit of history in your life...you made friends..some you still like and some...you're like...what the hell was I thinking!! Maybe even had crushes or relationships that you soon forgot over time...

For some reason, I've had this outrageous month where everybody who's anybody in my past keeps showing up in my life..and it's scary...Why do I keep bumping into my past? What is it trying to tell me? Is there a hidden message that I'm not getting?...

Sure the past plays an important role to one's future but when you leave it behind...will it leave you alone?

When it comes to the future are we victims of our own past?

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode Eighteen

2006-05-22T08:53:00.000-07:00

From last episode..

"I hope you're not mad at me,I missed you!" he said, quite embarrassed. He struggled searching for something in his carry on. "I got you this," he said finally as he took out a box of Mozart chocolates he must've picked up from Lufthansa airport.

Still in a daze, she took the chocolate box from him and then on impulse pinched him hard.

"Ouch!" she heard him say.

"Sorry, just had to check if it was you, besides, you deserved it!" she teased.

The next two weeks were more like a dream. He'd rented a convertible mustang then bought some CD's of Arabic songs from a local Arabic store run by some Lebanese. They had all the classics like Um Kalthoom, Abdul7aleem and the lot. They'd listen to the icons singing away in the car as they drove down to Las Vegas or down Westwood avenue.

The only time they'd ever argue was when she'd ask about his past. "What is she like?" she'd suddenly ask.

"Who?" he'd turn around and look at her knowing fairly well who she was asking about.

"You know...Her!"

"Do we have to talk about this. We're having fun, why would you want to spoil this," he'd answer hoping that she would cave in.

There were times that she would give up but her curiosity would always get the better of her.

"At least tell me how you met," she said one night over dinner.

"It's very simple. I had graduated from college and had been working for a few years. All my friends around me were getting married and everybody was nagging me that it was time to get married. I felt that it was time too so they told me to go see her because she was suitable and so I did. She had fit my criteria and we got engaged. It was during the engagement that I began to see certain types of behavior that I didn't appreciate but I was too embarrassed to tell anyone and figured maybe she'll change so I went through it. I now know that it was stupid. Later I thought maybe having kids would bring out the best in her but things just kept getting worse so I gave up. There, are you happy? Now my mood is totally off and I feel depressed," he leant back in his chair and began to sulk.

She felt her anger build inside her as she took deep breaths to calm herself down.

"I'm sorry but that's just sick! "She fit your criteria!" What? You were gonna buy a car?" she wasn't going to let him play the victim.

"Look, I know I made a mistake so there's no need to rub it in my face. They'd convinced me that I'd fall in love with her once we got married and I believed them. Now I know that they were wrong and I really wish you'd change the subject," he called the waiter to take their order.

She was about to reply but now that the waiter was standing there, she knew she couldn't. It was killing her to comment.

When they'd finally made the order, she said "Listen, I know that talking about this is bothering you but it's healthy and the sooner you talk openly with me about it, the better. Why is it that we Arabs believe that talking about our problems is a sign of weakness? It's not! If I'm not mistaken, you didn't even have a conversation with your kids telling them this isn't their fault. I suppose you both thought that the kids are too young to understand or that they'll figure it out on their own! I mean that is just so typical. It's sick!" She was on a roll and her words just kept coming out.

He'd obviously hit a core on various issues that she felt very passionately about. First it was the way that he'd gotten married which she'd always felt very strongly against. Second, the fact that he'd realized she wasn't the one during the engagement and went ahead with it anyway. Thirdly, his insisting of wanting to close the subject. If she wasn't so in love with him and had seen his good side, no doubt she would've turned around and told him "Sorry, you're not my type" as she'd done to so many other men that had past her path, particularly those that had been checking her out because their Mommy told them to!

"Listen, please don't try to use your Dr. Phil or Oprah on me. I've been very honest with you and telling you everything that you've been wanting to know. Is there no winning with you? I mean instead of you appreciating the fact that I told you, you've been giving me a hard time. Please don't let me regret telling you," he finished his sentence as the waiter arrived with their food.

She knew it was time to close the subject for now. She wanted to know a lot more but it was obvious he was not going to say anything further after she'd exploded in his face. They fell into silence as they ate their food. Her thoughts wondered off as to how to break the tension between them.

So this is why some couples look so miserable at restaurants, she thought to herself. She'd often watched couples eat in silence and it would kill her to see them not say one word to each other. She would always say to herself, if I'm ever in that situation, I'll never let that happen to me but here they were looking miserable while eating their food. She was determined to change the mood but she just couldn't think of what to say so she began to sulk too as her mind drifted further into her thoughts.

A few minutes had past and she was completely lost in her thoughts when she noticed he'd started on his main meal and was now cutting his steak into small pieces and placing them in her plate.

"Thanks," she mumbled. She wasn't sure if she was still supposed to be mad but then his gesture was sweet and she just didn't feel like being miserable anymore.

"I'm sorry if I snapped at you," he said.

"Thanks," she said.

"Are you going to say anything more besides thanks?" he teased her.

She reached over to his hand and squeezed it "I'm sorry if I gave you a hard time," she said sweetly.

"You shouldn't apologize," he replied. "You have nothing to apologize about. You have every right to know and I don't deserve an apology."

"Ok, fine. Let's not start a fight about who has the right to apologize," she said jokingly.

He smiled as he took her hand and pretended to be reading her palm then finally kissed it. Suddenly he looked up at her and she noticed his far away look.

She looked back at him questionably.

He continued to stare at her for a while longer then finally asked "Do you think your parents would approve of me if I proposed?"

To be continued...

Looking for Some Hot Stuff.....

2006-05-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

So here I am single and care free...got a vacation coming up and I've reached the stage where I've taken those spinning earth balls...closed my eyes...spun them and then saw where my finger landed as a way to make up my mind on what destination to travel to!!...Two times out of three I got Canada for some reason...but that just seems too far and too cold...(even if they think it's summer time there..it just aint my type of summer!)...I got free accommodation to go to Canary Islands but then didn't make up my mind fast enough and so I lost it...Besides...who wants to be in a romantic place like that and be solo..yuck...I mean I know we can all brag that we're happy being single and carefree..but there's just so much a single gal's heart can take and watching love birds get all lovey dovey on the beach while I lay on a sunbed alone, reading a romantic novel under the boiling sun while sipping on a cocktail as I quench my thirst..then ending up reading the sentence over and over again 'coz I'm distracted by the romantic couple who have now decided to go skinny dipping...oh no...I DON'T THINK SO!...Problem is...I have to make up my mind where to go soon since my vacation starts in June...One choice was to spend a week in Thailand in a five star luxurious spa that would include all the rituals of a perfect reviving vacation (massages, facials and everything else for a "spoil me to death why don't you!)...I've been told that Mel Gibson goes there...now wouldn't that be a summer of all summers..(would I ever come back?!) Naturally, it's quite expensive but sounds so soothing I practically drooled when I saw the website...then there's Italy...ahh yes...I've been advised not to go there alone since the men are very forward in their approach...uh..Seriously...you think?..ok...so how is that different from Kuwait?!! Besides...who wouldn't mind being approached by an Italian??!!! Still..I guess it would be more fun with a bunch of friends..but then again knowing that traveling brings out either the best or worst in people..it's a risk I don't want to take...Bottom line...if you had two weeks to travel wherever you wanted...Where would you go and why?

Any Plans Tonight?

2006-05-16T00:54:00.000-07:00

Grand Opening Invitation

You're Cordially invited to attend the Grand Opening of
Bassinet Gift Shop
Date: Tuesday, May 16th. 2006
Time: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Tala Center- Salmiya

I'm Tagging Myself!..

2006-05-14T00:41:00.000-07:00

Most Shocking Moment of the Week:

My High school friend just invited me to her daughter's wedding...wtf..now I'm going to friend's kid's weddings!!! Ok.....granted my friend got married when she was 16 and her daughter is now about the same age but still...I'm now attending daughter's weddings..WTF!!!

Most stupidest Incident of the Week:

A friend of mine and I are heading for dinner at Edo and she's trying to find parking..and being an already slow driver..she nearly stops as she looks for parking..I tell her to let the valet take care of it..but she insists...by now the car behind us is honking his horn like crazy...I tell her to go straight and then go up the pavement on the left and turn back to Edo...Meanwhile the guy behind us is doing the same and is still honking...she opens the window and says "ESHFEEK??" and he gestures that the car is leaking..I tell my friend "that's B.S. it's the oldest trick in the book"...she panics and snaps at me that it could be true and gets down...he gets down too..and has the dumbest ass..Piece of shit...Smirk on his pathetic face...She realizes that it's B.S...and now wants to give him a lecture about the nastiness of scaring us half to death for no particular reason....He turns to me and says "momken kalma"...I'm close to spitting in his face...we finally get into Edo..and I thank my friend for making us look sooooooooo sheeepish...ugh! It's moments like these that I wish guns were legal in Kuwait!

Most confusing decision Of the Week:

Do I renew my membership at Palms or try this new C Club...most important thing to find out is what type of people go to the C Club...Anybody know?

Most aggravating moment of the Week:

Finding out that my colleague did it to me again and submitted her vacation for July and August and since we both can't travel at the same time..I'll have to take it in June or wait till September and in both cases it sucks...it's July and August that are the killers....bottom line...what a B*&&^%$$#^%$CTH!

Most Interesting Moment of the Week:

Went to the opening of Zaater we Zait infront of Qasr el Seif with friends...the whole area is moving on up with Panini and Humburg Hub there too...nice to see that area get all spiced up...it's the sign of the times as NIGHTLINE would say!

Most Thought Provoking Moment of the Week:

Was in need of a good cry and decided to go see an Indian movie..ended up sitting with my friend surrounded by around 100 cooks, drivers and what have you...The movie turned out to be quite funny and the best part was listening to the 100 cooks and drivers laugh...the smallest thing made them laugh...it was soo cute...felt small for having wanted to cry for not so important reasons...amazing that they'd cheered me up without even knowing!

Most Analytical Moment of the Week:

Was flipping through Layalina the other day (only 'coz I knew I was in there!) and took a good look at most people's faces..I realized that there was this look of everybody looking burnt out...it was sad...ok...the women did a good job at covering it with make up..but in general everybody looked burnt out...are we all rushing through life and its responsibilities looking like zombies while risking our health and happiness without even thinking??!!!...and for what!?

Most Repeated Sentence of the Week:

Life is too short so make the best of it!

Affirmation of The Week:

Life is short..make the best of it...Life is too short..make the best of it...Life is too short...make the best of it!

I'm tagging Samboose, Stallion, Delicately Realistic, Unknown Entity, A3sab, Judy Abbot and anybody who likes to be tagged!

Conversations With A Man

2006-05-07T03:48:00.000-07:00

Man: Wow, you’re pretty

Woman: Thanks

Man: I’m looking for a pretty woman

Woman: Oh really, that’s nice

Man: I think women have to take care of themselves after they get married, the man has the right to leave her, you know?

Woman: Oh really? What about the man?

Man: What about him?

Woman: Shouldn't he take care of himself too?

Man: (laughing!) It’s not the same thing. Anyway, like I said, the woman I’m with has to look pretty and STAY pretty!

Women: What about her intelligence?

Man: What do you mean?

Women: What I mean is her mind, should she be smart?

Man: (laughing) Oh no, definitely not. She should be pretty, that’s all that matters!

Woman: I don’t suppose you’d be interested in my poems then, I really think you should hear it

Man: (Bored) Ok..

Woman: Well, here it is….

She begins…

"It's called the

King Of Beast

I know not what lies in store
Nor do I ask for much more
Searching relentlessly for dreams
Hoping to find what it all means

Pleasure and pain you may ask
Why would one endure the task?
Pray, do not ask of me
What I for one cannot see

The very reason I do not know
Brought upon in life to grow
Provided with freedom and joy
While society declares me a toy

My gender is not one of opinion
Only beauty and a marked civilian
A man’s toy placed down the hall
To be at his own beck and call

Neither education nor wisdom they say
Only ones beauty and the role they play
The predator will seek his everlasting prey
And conquer he shall with no delay

So what differs us humans from animals?
No longer so strange to think us cannibals
Searching as hounds for the smell of prey
No minds to use, nor intelligence or brains

Can you turn back the years, if you please?
Take away my thoughts, my mind, my beliefs
And hand me over to a King of Beasts
To bare him his cubs and never have dreams

She stands up and smiles..

“I may be pretty but I’m not stupid so good bye and good luck”

as she walks away with her head held high...

Close Encounter with the Worst Kind

2006-05-03T05:51:00.000-07:00

To make a long story short...my mother tries to set me up with this guy...he talks and talks and talks...(it's all about him..if you know what I mean)...and my mother in the end asks me what I think...even though she knows I couldn't stand the guy in the first place but I had no choice but to let my Mom try, try and try again...Having always fought with her whenever I accused the man of being a nerd, gay, snobbish, arrogant or dysfunctional..this time I was too exhausted to answer...but then I remembered one of his proud stories that he had told me...so I told her..."Mom..would you marry a man who found himself on a long flight with an unaccompanied kid sitting next to him...so in order to make sure that the kid didn't bother him, he actually took a sleeping pill and dropped it in the kid's drink which resulted in the kid sleeping through out the flight much to his delight?"...to which she answered "Ya bintee he's only trying to impress you"...I tell you people..Would you be impressed by a guy who might've killed the kid by putting a sleeping pill in his drink because he just didn't want the kid to bother him??

....Worse...WOULD YOU MARRY SOMEONE LIKE THAT???

Yoga - Filipino Style

2006-04-24T03:59:00.000-07:00

The other day a friend of mine asked if I wanted to join her at her yoga class. I usually try to squeeze in my yoga at home but lately, I was slacking so I agreed. I needed to get back on track so I grabbed my stuff and went to the club.

I arrived early and went to the exercise room where the Filipino instructor greeted me with a very rude "Yes?" I'd seen her before around the club and she had a snobbish air about her.

"I'm here for the yoga class," I said.

"Have you ever taken yoga? This is a very advanced class." She said with her snotty attitude while standing at the door of the yoga class not letting me go through.

I took a deep breath. I was here to take a yoga and was not going to start it off by telling her that her attitude sucked so I patiently answered "Yes, I've taken yoga before."

She wasn't too pleased and continued "Are you a member?"

"Yes, I am a member." I replied wanting to tell her "Lady, are you gonna let me in or what but refrained from causing a scene. It's yoga for heaven's sake. The whole point of the damn thing is to calm our nerves!

"Oh, ok, grab a matt and you can place your matt there," she replied with her unfriendly tone as she pointed to an area in the exercise room. Seeing her attitude, I figured it must be a full class which I later found out that it wasn't!

"We will start the breathing now," she told me. I wondered if we should wait for the rest of the class but seeing that the women was so assertive, I followed her instructions.

Two minutes later, a forty something year old Kuwaiti man walks in with his shorts and T-shirt and grabs a matt. I am impressed! Not every day that you'd see a Kuwaiti man interested in yoga (or let's say men in general for that matter!) so I admire his courage from far and smile to myself.

"Please, no noise!" she snaps at him.

He takes his matt and drops it on his space which makes a loud thud.

Irritated, the bitchy Filipino turns to him and tells him "Shhhh! Please no noise"

By then my friend and another lady have shown up and the session has begun.

A whole half an hour has past when suddenly I notice that the Kuwaiti guy has stopped and is now sitting on his matt. "What is he doing?" I think to myself.

The instructor finally notices to so she asks him "Why have you stopped?"

....and that, my dear friends is when all hell broke loose!

"You have favoritism!" he yelled. "People walked in after me and you didn't tell them to be quite. You are rude. I always come to your class and I am always here on time but look how you treat me! I am going to complain to your Management," the man had literally exploded and was on a role!

The Filipino, now in shock, replies "But sir, I didn't say anything, I just say be quite please."

"No! You were rude! I don't know if she will be a witness but she saw how rude you were to me," he says pointing at me.

At which point, I begin to take deeper breaths. This was not my way of relaxing. I've had a stressful week and last thing I wanna be is a witness to any of this crap.

After watching him yell and yell and yell with the bitchy Filipino pleading that she is innocent, I finally getting bored with the whole thing and say "7'alas, enta 9a7 bass 9alee 3a nabee, ma 9ar shay!".

The man by then is at the door and is embarrassed to look at me so he huffs and puffs and finally leaves swearing that he's going to complain to the Management.

The Filipino instructor mumbles to herself "walla those Kuwaitis...."

The class is obviously over and I definitely don't want to argue that she shouldn't say that. I grab my stuff to leave. "Please, wait," the Filipino instructor's attitude has suddenly changed, she looks innocently at me and sweetly asks "Was I rude to him?"

I tell her "Yes my dear, you were very rude!"

I naturally wanted to add that she was also very rude to me which is why the whole thing happened in the first place 'coz that's Karma baby. Works every time and I love it! But then again, I didn't need to say anything, she was shitting bricks as it is and that was enough to keep me satisfied.

I plan to go there next week but I wonder if she's still gonna be working there and if her faithful student will return.

One thing is for sure, this is one Yoga instructor that needs to understand the true history of yoga. It's not just about positions and breathing, it's actually about good intentions, karma and the cleansing of the souls and she had one soul that truly needed some clorox cleansing, if you know what I mean!

The good news is whenever I do end up deciding to go to that class and she still has a job, I do believe she is going to be so nice to me, don't you think?

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode Seventeen

2006-04-24T01:02:00.000-07:00

From last episode...

"As she walked up to her car, she noticed the red rose that was tucked away under the wipers of her car. She picked it up and read the note attached to it. "Now that you've seen the price list, am I worth it? Love you always, Me."

She couldn't help but get into her car and smile. Regardless if things hadn't turned out the way she wanted, she appreciated his gesture. She could recall other men that had past through her life who found the whole flower issue a cliche. She was an old fashioned girl and any man who bothered to bring flowers, definitely gained brownie points with her.

Driving down the Gulf Road and listening to the music, she started to sing with the chorus. "It must've been love, but it's over now, it must've been good but I lost it somehow..." Her chain of thoughts traveled to what her next move ought to be. She didn't want to just jump back into his arms. He needed to suffer more. It wasn't that she liked revenge it was more like her right that he made her suffer and it was his turn to know what it felt like.

Her mobile rang and it was a long distance phone call. She grabbed it quickly, afraid that it would get disconnected.

"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi habeebti, it's me!" said Hala, her closest friend. She was calling from the U.S. where she had decided to do her Masters. She missed her so much and was ecstatic to hear her voice. She had the kind of voice that soothed any heart.

"Habeebti! It's so nice to hear your voice!" she replied.

"Are you ok?" Hala had the tendency to see right through her and knew when something was up. She would often have dreams about her and call her up to ask her if things were ok. It happened so often that it no longer surprised them.

"I'm ok, habeebti, just having man problems!" she tried to sound cheerful.

"Habeebti," she said sympathetically. "I miss you so much. Yalla, don't you want to come and see me? I could use the company."

What a perfect way to get away from all of this. Her mind went into planning mode.

"Walla, that sounds like a brilliant idea. Let me see if I can take a break from work and I'll email you the details."

They finally said their goodbye that consisted of blown kisses and terms of endearment lasting longer than the usual. It made her all emotional and teary eyed. She really missed her friend and it would be great to see her.

She hadn't been to the States in a while and was getting excited. The smell of the malls, the laid back feeling. The lifting of a heavy load on one's chest that suddenly disappears the minute one landed was the perfect anecdote. She made up her mind, she was leaving.

Two weeks later, she found herself flying on BA already adjusting to the foreign world. His messages and songs that he sent during the past two weeks were already making her weak and the timing of her flight was impeccable. She was doing the right thing.

At the airport, she finally picked up the phone when he called her. She was traveling and she had learnt to keep the peace with those important in her life. It was a hard lesson she would never soon forget learning, thanks to her experience during the invasion of Kuwait. She remembered wishing that she'd spoken to everybody she cared about before traveling during that awful summer. She had suddenly found herself stuck in Europe and everybody else including her family were scattered all over the place. Along with over packing everytime she traveled, this was the one thing she always did; call her loved ones before she got on a flight.

She told him that she was leaving. He went quite first but then quickly asked her if she would email him as soon as she got there just to let him know that she arrived alright. She told him that she would.

Arriving in London airport for her transit made her very nostalgic for the days that he had been with her. She switched on her mobile and instantly heard the beep that she'd received a message.

"You should be in London by now, how's the weather?" he asked

"The usual...:)" she replied

"Can I have your friend's number so I can check up on you while you're there?" he asked.

It took her a while to answer back and then finally messaged him the number. She knew her friend was not going to mind. They were old family friends and the girl was a mirror of her so she knew her well.

Arriving in LAX airport was a joke in and of it self! Just when she thought, she'd left everything behind her, including the Arab World and its issues. She was seated right smack in front of a not so famous Lebanese singer that she recognized. It was typical of being on a flight heading to L.A. Celebrities were everywhere. She had been over listening to their conversation, not by choice, the man was loud. She giggled as she heard him complain to what appeared to be his agent sitting next to him, "Khayee, hayda kil mara eb ye3mil feenee haik." She realized he was complaining about his competitor who was more famous than he was and kept stealing all his shows! He'd bashed up his competitor so bad that when they landed, she couldn't help but turn around and tell him "7amdilla 3ala al salama!" His face was worth millions. She was sure his thoughts begged that she wasn't a journalist who'd recorded his conversation with all those horrible things he'd said. The headline would've been simple "Waleed Tawfeeq's bashes Ragheb Allama on a flight to L.A.!"

Outside the gate, she saw her friend standing excitedly trying to find her in the crowd. They both screamed in the middle of the airport as they ran towards each other and hugged.

They were both the same height and one would think that they were sisters. She was tanned with pitch black hair with eyelashes that seemed to curl till there was no tomorrow. In her opinion, she thought Hala was prettier than her and more genteel so when people said that they looked alike, she always took it as a compliment.

Driving down the highway and seeing the typical building of any American downtown from a distance, she knew that she was far away from home.

"So?" asked Hala, "tell me about him?"

"Is it that obvious?" she asked.

"I know you," she stated as a matter of fact, "you look like you're in love."

Trying to change the subject, since she wasn't ready to talk about him, she said "You know what I hate about us women, why do we always talk about men. Why can't we be more like men? They talk about sports, about politics, about their work. They hardly ever talk about us. Why is it that men are priority one in our lives while everything else is priority one in men's lives, except us?" she asked.

"Don't get philosophical with me now! I'm dyeing to know more but if you prefer to talk about politics, we can! So, do you think Saddam Hussein is an agent of the US and we are all part of a chess game?" said Hala as she giggled. They did tend to go into long talks of politics but it never lasted as long as their men issues.

"Oh my God, not Saddam, please let's not talk about him!" she answered back laughing.

They had finally reached her apartment and were struggling to get her suitcase up the stairs.

"These are the moments that you wish Mary the maid was here to carry my suitcase!" she said jokingly. She realized that she hadn't laughed so much in a long time. Her body began to relax and the tension was slowly melting away.

"Looks like I have a message!" declared Hala as she walked into her apartment.

"Sorry to bother you but this message is to check up if your visitor has arrived safely. I will call back later, I guess I calculated wrong that she would've arrived by now."

She smiled. Hearing his voice from miles away and sounding so worried about her made her heart all soft.

"That's so sweet of him," said Hala. "He's worried about you."

"I know, that's the problem, it gets me all confused!" she replied feeling suddenly very sleepy.

"I have class tomorrow, would you come with me? I'm dyeing for you to meet all my friends," asked Hala excitedly. "Unless you'll still be jet lagged?"

"We'll see," she said as she yawned. She will have to fight her sleep until evening commenced and it was still early in U.S. time.

During the next few days, they had gone shopping, lounged at cafes and on occasion she would pick up a Kuwaiti cook book and actually cook for her friend while she was in school. She was never into cooking but when it came to those she loved, she did it wholeheartedly and was always pleasantly complimented.

Tonight she was finally going to meet up with Hala's friends. They would be going out for dinner at a famous Moroccan restaurant in Westwood.

"It's nice to meet you," she said, as she shook hands with the entire group. Hala's group of friends consisted of various nationalities. A married couple from Bahrain, some single Bahrainis, both females and male, Lebanese, Palestinians and a mixture of Saudis and Kuwaitis.

She ended up sitting next to a Saudi guy that looked like a professor. During their conversation, she realized that he actually was. He was a T.A. at the University that Hala went to and was doing his PhD. Even though he was being nice, something about him kept bothering her. Maybe it was the way he kept looking at her. True, she appreciated being admired but this guy had a look that he was actually drooling. She couldn't stand it. She felt like she was on display.

He looked the eldest and had a mature streak about him, compared to the mixture of freshmen at least. He was tall, dark skinned, curly black hair with a well built body. He oozed education; one could tell his occupation by merely looking at him. He was your typical teacher/professor looking guy.

When she found herself conveniently sitting next to him, she couldn't help but feel depressed. She would've rather have sat next to the fun Bahraini couple who were saying jokes. She just wasn't in the mood for that kind of socializing. He looked like he wanted to sum her up and she didn't appreciate being tested. Who the hell did he think he was, PhD or not!

"So Hala tells me that you've studied in the States too?" he asked.

His confidence was irritating her. Must be the way he's holding his cigar, she thought to herself.

"Yes, I have," as she continued staring at the Bahraini couple envying their sense of ease.

The evening went slower from there on as she threw threatening looks to Hala until she finally made an excuse that she felt sleepy and Hala was quick to pick up on cue and left.

"No chemistry?" asked Hala.

"None, zero, zilch, nada," she replied as she began describing his irritating behavior throughout the night. When they'd finally reached Hala's apartment, they were in tears laughing.

"I know internally you're feeling depressed even though you're trying really hard to cheer yourself up, I just want to say don't worry, everything will be fine." she told her. "By the way, if you want to check your email, just let me know and I'll log you on."

She hadn't checked her email in ages, afraid she'll find an email from him and she would miss him even more. "Actually, I think I will, thanks!" she replied.

She scanned through her inbox till she saw his name and clicked on it. "A hallmark greeting card for you" said the subject.

She clicked on the card link and it began to load. Slowly the music began to play "and I miss you, like the desert miss the rain.."

A bouquet of a dozen red roses on a black background with the text "Can't stop thinking of you, please forgive me, I miss you."

Just then, Hala's telephone rang and she picked it up. It must've been a personal call since she took the phone to the bedroom and closed the door.

She stared at the greeting card and took a deep breath to stop herself from crying. She hadn't realized that falling in love at an older age was even harder than when one was a teenager. It hurt more since mind and heart fought constantly with each other and logic struggled to play a role. As a teenager, logic had nothing to do with love!

A few days later, they were on their way to the airport to pick up a friend of Hala's. Hala was acting funny and she hoped that it wasn't another of Hala's brilliant ideas to introduce her to more of her Professor friends.

Standing at the airport feeling shy, she decided to move away from Hala so she could greet her friend privately once they came out. She stared at the people coming out of the gate when her heart skipped a beat. Wearing a red cap, a white T-shirt, a pair of faded jeans and carrying a carry on bag was what appeared to be someone extremely familiar. She blinked, her heart was playing games with her, she thought.

He was walking towards her, Hala came to stand next to her and he took out his hand to introduce himself to Hala.

"Thank you so much for keeping this all a surprise," she heard him say.

She stood there in a daze not fathoming the whole scene.

"Wake up!" said Hala "I hope you like the surprise, it was his idea and I just couldn't resist it!" Turning towards him, she said "Welcome to L.A. I'll go get the car. Just before leaving, she whispered in her ear, "I just couldn't stand seeing you so depressed habeebti."

He finally turned around to look her. She remained standing, still in shock.

"I hope you're not mad at me,I missed you!" he said, quite embarrassed. He struggled searching for something in his carry on. "I got you this," he said finally as he took out a box of Mozart chocolates he must've picked up from Lufthansa airport.

Still in a daze, she took the chocolate box from him and then on impulse pinched him hard.

"Ouch!" she heard him say.

"Sorry, just had to check if it was you, besides, you deserved it!" she teased.

To be continued...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2006-04-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Ever had a relationship with a friend that you just could never understand? One minute, they feel like they really are your friend then the next minute they act like a complete stranger? Now I know that I can be too good hearted and forgiving...but sometimes I just kick myself for being that way 'coz low and behold after the first incident...I forgive and forget...then a few months later...I'm back where I started..simply stunned that they did it to me again...

In my dictionary...I have a word that simply describes people as Normal or abnormal...when I meet somebody I like..I call my sister very excited to tell her.."Oh my God...I met this girl...she was soo normal"...my sister instantly knows what I'm talking about and says "oh, how nice..how rare" to explain...normal means...they acted natural in their own skin...(no pretence nor conscious of the world around her)...no fakeness...purely and genuinely normal...

Lately, I was pleasantly surprised to meet many "normal" people through the blog world..I had reached the stage when I thought that meeting someone normal was a rare commodity...granted there was one or two out of maybe twenty that were very guarded everytime they saw me (which gets on my nerves 'coz it instantly means that they don't trust you and is insulting)...but other than that...most people were normal...I loved it...

incidentally, my friend is not a blogger but maybe she should be..it might do her well in figuring out why she behaves so unpredictably...For now, I'm stuck with this stupid feeling of asking myself "how could you let her talk to you that way"...as the song says "R-E-S-P-E-C-T" that's all I ask for...just a little respect...what is wrong with you abnormal people? How can you give a shit about a friend and then screw them over when you damn feel like it? Tell me that's normal...it absolutely isn't...I often give myself a hard time that I bring it on to myself..I tend to want the person infront of me to feel very much at ease and I hate formalities..so I 6ayi7 el miyana but then this miyana comes back to bite me in the A$$...I hate that!

The question now remains...how do you not sound like a High school student and ask "How do I break up with a friend?"...yes...it does sound lame...but it's true...are you supposed to confront them and say "I don't want to be your friend anymore?" or just leave it at that...i.e. let nature take its course..

Whatever is the decision, what blows my mind is how a drama queen friend who needs me more than I need her...ends up blowing a friendship that she needed more than I did! You call that normal??!!

Don't get me wrong when I say this..but out of my experience..on average it's been the women that tend to fall under the abnormal more so than the men...I don't understand it! Again..I said on average..not all...but in general...I mean have you ever bumped into a girl that you haven't seen in ages and while you're talking to her...she looks around at everything but never at you?..What is with that? Hello..I'm here..I'm talking to you...could you stop for a minute from your curious/conscious self and look at me while we're talking..rather than care about who is watching us?

I guess at the end of the day, I'm getting off of this roller coaster of a relationship with this friend...and hang on to my new blogger friends..so there! Teenager talk or not teenager talk...when push comes to shove..I think we all have an inner kid inside us that just wants to scream "MAMMA...SHE WASN'T NICE TO ME!"

Damn...why can't people just be nice..(I mean for real...not in a fake way ofcourse!)

Your Advise Please...

2006-04-15T00:18:00.000-07:00

Granted some people only care for money and are very materialistic...to be fair..so am I at times...but if you had a choice between a career that pays you less and can get on your nerves for many reasons that I couldn't even begin to tell you but is prestigious and is in of itself quite self fulfilling...or a career that doesn't sound very prestigious...is tedious with logistics more than you care about but may end up adding more Dinars to your account....which one would you chose?

Sexy Bike for a Sexy Blogger

2006-04-12T22:04:00.000-07:00

Our sexiest male blogger, The Don is dawning!

Come out and vote for this sexy bike at 4PM on April 14th! (This coming Friday) at Kuwait's Bike Show at the Hard Rock Cafe parking lot!

Who'd wanna miss checking out the Don and his mean machine! Vrrooooom!

What's the Time Mr. Wolf?

2006-04-10T10:35:00.000-07:00

It's been rush, rush, rush in my life and I can't believe how time is flying. Who would believe it's April! Summer is around the corner and where did the time go?

Is it just me or is everybody rushing as I am? Why is the saying "tarketh, tarketh kal we7oosh...3'air rizgak ma te7oosh!" keep playing in my head?

Sometimes I'm rushing so much that I ask myself "Are we there yet?" and wonder to myself...will I ever get there?...and where is it that I'm trying to get to anyway?! Who knows?! Is it in the stars, (Mercury in my sun!) or is the rest of the world as busy as I am these days?

I have a friend who's always leaving the house late which aggravates me 'coz I always like being on time. The weird thing is, she ends up being on time too. Some say that we are the owners of our own time. If we say, "I have plenty of time" then we do. Am I just rushing myself mentally? Can I really have more time, if I just wished it?

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode Sixteen

2006-04-05T11:03:00.000-07:00

"I think you need to calm down," he said. "You still haven't heard my explanation and you're already calling me an asshole. Could you please just listen?"

She closed her eyes for a second and then took a deep breath. All that screaming had taken the last drop of her energy.

"Fine! I'm listening," she said. "Bring it on!"

When he began to speak, she realized that she still wasn't ready to hear what he had to say. She felt claustrophobic and told him bluntly "I'm sorry. I need some time for myself and when I'm ready to talk to you, I will."

He went quite and then finally said "As you wish." After an awkward silence, he said good bye. She stared into space. The journey into a world of loneliness had just begun.

It was an awful night that night, tossing and turning, trying to sleep. She'd remember the whole ordeal over and over again in her head. It was driving her crazy. When it was finally morning, she felt like she hadn't slept a wink. She'd stare at her ceiling wishing that what had happened last night was just a bad dream.

For the next two weeks, she walked around like a zombie. Often times, she'd have an out of body experience when she'd be sitting there but not really be there. She watched herself with dismay.

Though she'd asked him for time to not call her, it killed her that he hadn't called. At the same time, it killed that she'd wanted him to call. The whole situation felt confusing and she felt lost.

It was only when her sister had called her for the millionth time to check up on her and bluntly said "You're sinking" that she finally felt it was time to snap out of it. She had had enough of the crying and the moping around. It was time she gained control of her life.

She began to plan her next week and decided to give herself a week's session of massages and to start going to the gym. Her mood lifted and her taste in music had suddenly changed. She no longer wanted to hear sad sappy songs that would make her cry. She'd listen to all those songs that would cheer her up and give her strength.

It was high time she began enjoying the small pleasure in life even if her heart was bleeding.

"Madam, you have too much tension," said the massuese as she struggled to loosen yet another knot in her shoulder. She had hoped the massage was going to relax her but it was getting to be too painful everytime the massuese pressed harder. Her body had been aching so much during the past two weeks but she hadn't realized her entire body was full of knots!

"Yes, I know," she answered.

"You should see our Consultant after this session. I will check if he is free," said the massuese.

She'd always gone there for a massage but had never seen the Consultant or the "Doctor" as they called him. Maybe it would be a good idea, she just wasn't feeling too well and could use some suggestions if he had any. She'd heard that he usually recommends certain diets which might be helpful.

As she sat infront of him feeling quite shy about seeing a consultant/doctor at a spa, she noticed how friendly he was and began to relax.

He was in Indian man in his early forties and seemed very relaxed in his own skin. "There is a lot of tension in your body and it is in all places that are usually caused by nerves from an emotional experience. You are bottling in too much emotion and you need to let it out. Has something happened lately in your life that you has upset you?" he asked in a concerned tone.

She was stunned by what he said and just nodded.

"The body has the tendency to store in emotions especially if they are related to love. Can I presume that this is the case?" He asked.

She couldn't help but laugh at that moment. Was she seeing a consultant at a spa or was she seeing a psychic, she couldn't tell but she nodded.

"You're not married right?" he asked.

She nodded again.

"I have a belief," he began "maybe you will not agree with me because of traditions but marriage is a very difficult institution. It ruins very good friendships. The worst thing one can do to a friendship is to get married," he stated.

"Please don't let my mother hear you say that," she said humorously.

He laughed and was happy to see her more cheerful.

"What I am trying to say is enjoy your life. Your body shouldn't suffer like this. I want you to list all the things you enjoy doing, whether small or big and everyday look at your list and make sure that you do at least three of the things listed. Don't worry about tomorrow, just live for the here and now."

She kept thinking of his words while driving home. Regardless if it was crazy to listen to this holistic man, she couldn't help but smile. She liked what he had to say. Yes, it was crazy and from a religious point of view it was wrong not to believe in marriage but for now, she felt it was what she needed to hear that friendships were the most important thing.

Things were getting better. Sitting behind her desk in the office and having regained her strength, she put all her energy in her work. It was then that it dawned on her why some people were workaholics. It wasn't just because they loved their work or wanted more money, it was the perfect anecdote to keep the mind busy and stop it from thinking. It was running away from the bitter truth.

There were two hours to go before it was time to go home which gave her just enough time to finish off her tasks. She was getting into the habit of working after hours with the excuse that she hadn't finished her work but today she thought of leaving early to hit the gym.

Just then, there was a knock at her door. As she looked up, she realized it was him standing there looking like he'd just been hit by a bus. She blinked just to make sure that she wasn't imagining it. Within those two weeks, she must've imagined him a million times, at the traffic light, at the shopping mall, the mystery car behind her and all the time she'd realize that she'd just been imagining him.

"Can I come in?" he said.

She couldn't believe that he'd come to see her at the office! Not good, she thought to herself. He was carrying a filo fax and wearing a suit. He could've been anyone that she may have had to have a meeting with but still, she thought.

It was not the perfect place to be rude or make a scene so she put on her professional face and invited him to take a seat.

He took out some papers and handed them to her and said "these are the catalogs that you'd been asking for."

Although she had promised herself that she'd be professional and disconnected, she couldn't help but giggle. He was actually pretending that they were having a meeting!

She took a look at the catalogs and flipped through them. "Do you have a price list for these items?" she asked avoiding looking at his eyes. She knew if she did, she'd lose all power. It was obvious that she had control of the whole situation while he sat nervously, hoping to win her over.

"I don't want to take too much of your time here since I know you're busy but I wanted to make sure that you get the price list and you'll find it in the last page of the catalogue. Thank you for seeing me and I hope you can get back to me with your decision but please take your time before you do." He slowly stood up with a weight on his shoulders and his head held low, he turned around and walked out.

She'd seen him glimpse at her from the corner of his eyes and his familiarity came back to her even though she still felt strong. Just when he was completely out of site, her colleague came into her office and asked "Who was that?".

"One of the companies that we asked quotations from," she answered still staring at the door.

"Really? He's cute. Did you get his name?" she asked.

"No. He didn't have his business card with him. Guess he forgot." she answered pretending to be looking at the papers on her desk.

"Oh, too bad. That's always you're problem. You're so busy working away that you don't notice anything. I really think he was cute and you should find out if he's married or not."

She wanted to kill the girl! She suddenly remembered him saying to check the price list and now wanted this colleague out of her office.

"I really have to finish what I'm doing before work is over, did you need anything?" she asked innocently.

"No but I just want you to know that if you continue with this attitude, you're never going to get married, " she said frankly as she walked out the door.

She ignored her colleagues stupid comment as she took a deep breath and flipped to the last page of the catalogue. There it was, the light blue piece of paper that he was trying to show her on that disaster day.

It was an official paper that she hadn't seen before. It had the official Kuwait sign stamp and was definately authentic. She slowly began to read what it said.

She closed the catalogue and packed her stuff to go home. She needed to sit down with herself and figure out what she was feeling.

As she walked up to her car, she noticed the red rose that was tucked away under the wipers of her car. She picked it up and read the note attached to it. "Now that you've seen the price list, am I worth it? Love you always, Me."

To be continued..

The Winners Are... Kuwait Academy Blogger Awards

2006-03-31T22:15:00.000-08:00

Let's set the scene first...

It's night time at the magnificent ballroom in a five star hotel in Kuwait. The lights are dim and the room is chilled. Ushers are leading bloggers to their rounded tables. Everybody is dressed up for the occasion. Some rush to grab a table to sit with their buddies. The crowd is getting impatient, waiting for the show to begin.

Suddenly the spotlight lights up the stage and in walks MissCosmo wearing a red dress (equivalent to Julia Roberts dress in Pretty Women) as she makes her way to the podium.

"Ladies and Gentlemen" says MissCosmo "Welcome to tonight's results of the Kuwait Academy Blogger Awards!" (the audience roars)."The Executive Committee of the Kuwait Bloggers Awards would like to thank you for your votes and wonderful support. We've received so many great ideas and suggestions that we truly appreciate. Without your support this night would not have been possible! We begin our show tonight with the winners of the first category. To announce the first category, please welcome with me, winner of the best foreign Blog Award in the Saudi Bloggers, NuNu!"

The crowd claps and settles down as NuNu walks in wearing a long white dress (equivalent to Marilyn Monroe's dress in Some like It Hot). Her shiny red hair clearly making a beautiful contrast.

She giggles her way to the podium. "Thank you MissCosmo. It's such a honor to be here. I was so happy to win the best Foreign Award but I must say, it would've meant so much more to me if it was from my own home town. It's sad not to be as popular as you are in a Foreign country.." MissCosmo who is standing next to her, nudges her to get on with it and not turn it into a negative moment. NuNu regains her composure and continues "The winner of the Funniest blog award is" she opens the envelope and giggles "the winner is Bo Maryoum!"

The audience claps and laughs, turning to look for the Funniest blogger who is walking up to the stage to give a speech.

"Thank you so much" says Bo Maryoum as he cracks a joke on his way back to his seat.

MissCosmo continues "Congratulations, Bo Maryoum, I'll definitely be visiting your site from now on! And now to announce the next category of Sexiest Female Blogger, please welcome with me the advisor of the Executive committee, the infamous Purgatory!"

The crowd cheers, claps and some boos can be heard in the distance.

MissCosmo turns to the backstage waiting for Purg to come up to the podium. (He better show up thinks MissCosmo to herself!) After a long pause, Purg walks in wearing a black tuxedo and a "what's the big deal" attitude.

Purg begins "And the winner of the Sexiest Female Blog is..." MissCosmo interrupts "Aren't you going to say a few words first?" giving him a look of horror.

Purg calmly replies "No"

"Why?" asks MissCosmo clearly agitated.

"Because I'm Purg," satisfied to see the agitation in MissCosmo's face, he continues.

"The winner of the Sexiest Female Blog is" Purg opens the envelope and smirks "Jelly Belly!

The men in the audience roar and clap. The crowd is obviously very excited to see the Sexiest Female blogger.

Jelly Belly struts her stuff as she walks up to the microphone and says in a husky voice "Hello boys!" The men in the audience are clearly enjoying this as they roar and whistle.

"I just want to say thank you for all those that voted for me. I'm so touched. " she finishes her sentence with a wink as she struts off stage.

"We're happy to hear that Jelly Belly, ya sexy thang!" says MissCosmo.

"Congratulations!" And now ladies, brace yourselves, we're about to announce the winner of the Sexiest Male blogger!"

MissCosmo nervously opens the envelope hoping to finally meet the Sexiest Male blogger. Her heart is pounding as she looks at the envelope, takes a deep breath and says "Ladies and Gentlemen please welcome with me the Sexiest Male blogger, the one and only, the greatest mystery, The Don!

The women in the audience can't help themselves as they stand up to feast their eyes on the Sexiest Male Blogger.

MissCosmo looks around searching. The spotlight is on the the audience trying to find him but he is no where to be found. Disappointed beyond words, MissCosmo says "Unfortunately, looks like The Don is not with us here tonight but we send him our warmest congratulations."

"For our next category, Most Bizzare Blog, please welcome with me our Executive Board Member, the wonderful and best buddy The Stallion!"

The audience cheers and claps. One particular table begins to whistle and shout, obviously friends of the Stallion!

The Stallion walks up to the podium, dressed to kill. He then looks at the crowd and says "WHAtEVER!". The crowd cheers and screams.

"Thank you," says The Stallion as he begins "It's amazing to see so many bloggers all in one room! I never thought this could ever happen, what with all the drama I saw on my blog! This is great. Anyways, can I have the envelope please," MissCosmo passes him the envelope and he opens it. "Oh my God, the winner of the Most Bizzarre Blog is what do you know, Purgatory!"

Purgatory is obviously very pleased with himself and is not the least bit surprised as he walks up to the microphone and says "Everybody clap or I send you all to the Guillotine!" The crowd roars with laughter and claps as Purgatory proudly steps off the stage.

"For our next category, the best Joint Blog, the winners are" MissCosmo opens the envelope and smiles, "the wonderful, informative, interesting and knowledgeable Misguided & Ms. Baker".

Both Misguided and Ms. Baker known for their maturity and grace step up to the podium, giving their thanks for the award and to the Committee.

"Congratulations to you both and now ladies and gentlemen, before announcing the rest of the categories, we will take a fifteen minute break," announces MissCosmo.

The audience relaxes as they discuss the night so far.

"I better win in one of the categories," says one blogger to the person next to them.

"Don't worry, you will. You're the best," they answer back.

"Oh, thank you. You are too sweet. I love you."

"I love you too. Group hug."

Another blogger hears their conversation and rolls his eyes!

The recess is over and MissCosmo appears "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back. To announce our next category The Most Romantic Blog please welcome back NuNu!" MissCosmo turns to search for NuNu but she is backstage arguing with Purgatory about the night so far. MissCosmo is about to call her name when NuNu realizes it's her turn. She swiftly walks to the microphone and says "And the winner of the Most Romantic Blog is" she opens the envelope and excitingly says Jewaira"!

The audience is clearly excited to see Jewaira as they stand up to give the winner a standing ovation. Jewaira walks elegantly towards the stage, wearing an exquisite black strapless dress with diamond accesories.

In her soft voice she utters the words "Thank you" as the audience melts. The men are drooling and the women are looking on, some in admiration and some in envy.

Purg turns to MissCosmo and says "Come on, announce the next category." MissCosmo clearly enjoying the moment turns to NuNu and asks "What do you think?" NuNu replies, "No, wait. This is so romantic." To that, Purg replies "NuNu, be quite and announce the next category!" Stallion walks in on the conversation and asks "So what's next?"

Finally, all four are standing by the podium and MissCosmo says "Congratulations to the beautiful Jewaira. We have now come to our final two categories, the King and Queen of Blogosphere."

Behind her Purg and NuNu are arguing again. "I really don't see why we have to have a King of Blogosphere category," says Purg.

"If we have a Queen we should have a King," says NuNu.

"No, we don't" says Purg.

"Yes, we do" says NuNu.

"No, we don't"

"Yes, we do"

MissCosmo ignores them both and continues "and the winner of the King of Blogosphere category is Zaydoun!

Zaydoun walks up to the podium and says "And here I was thinking that I'm a failed writer! Thank you for your nominations."

"Congratulations to Zaydoun! We definitely know that you are no failed writer Zaydoun! Last but least, to announce our final category Queen of Blogoshere, please welcome again our very own Stallion. The Stallion takes the envelope and slowly opens it "The winner of the Queen of Blogosphere is Shurouq!

Shurouq stands up and smiles, thinking to herself "what a perfect belated birthday gift" She walks up to the podium and thanks everyone for their nominations.

"Congratulations Shurouq and don't ever leave the Blogosphere. You are truly loved!" says MissCosmo.

"With that, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have come to the end of our night. We hope you enjoyed sharing these moments with us and congratulations to all the winners. Thank you for keeping us entertained through your blogs and we look forward to reading more! You have been a wonderful audience and good luck to next year's Executive Committee. We hope we've been able to start something that would continue on for years to come. For now, enjoy the after night party with drinks and food for everyone!"

MissCosmo exits stage and rushes to the backdoor. NuNu and Purg are still arguing. Stallion has run off to see his friends and the audience is making its way to the buffet.

"I'm sorry you didn't win!" says one blogger to another.

"Are you kidding? I never took it seriously. I was just kidding." replies another blogger.

"But you know that you're the best, sweetie"

"Oh, thanks, you're so sweet. I love you."

"I love you too"

In the distance the same blogger is overlistening, rolls his eyes again and thinks to himself....BLOGGERS!

The night is warm as she stands outside on the sidewalk behind the hotel, frantically looking for a lighter.

She hears the sound of an engine roar. What a powerful sound she thinks to herself as she notices him.

"You missed the party" she says.

"Did I win?" he asks.

"Wouldn't you like to know!" she teases.

"Would you like a ride MissCosmo?"

"Thought you'd never ask!" she replies.

She hops on his bike and hangs on tight as she rides away in the distance with the Academy Award Winner of the Sexiest Male Blogger...naturally!

I'm Baaaaaaaaaack!

2006-03-27T10:29:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am finally back! Thank you to all those that past by to ask about me...it definitely feels wonderful to know that you were missed..:)..mwaaaa...

By the way, if you're planning to go to Hamburg in the near future then let me give you a clue of what to expect:

(1) If they speak to you in German and you look innocently at them and say "English?" they think you've insulted them

(2) Unless you like freezing your butt off and walking in the snow, don't travel there in March

(3) Seeing an episode of Friends in German makes you wonder why you ever liked that show..it kinda loses it's funniness in German!

(4) When you ask for the menu, don't ask for an English menu, you just don't want them to spit in your food. Just order "Salat" and save yourself the trouble!

(5) The fastest word you'll ever learn is Nine which means No and that's what you'll get everytime you ask a question

(6) Frankfurt airport is not as big as it used to be when you were a kid

(7) In their dictionary tourists means trespassers unless you took the time to learn German

(8) When shopping, take a dictionary with you or you'll end up having a huge fight with the sales woman that knows English but pretends that she doesn't 'coz she can't believe you have the nerve not to know German

(9) Do visit a great Italian restaurant called Verdi and avoid the Indian restaurant right next to it...

(10) Last but not least...forget learning German, learn some Turkish to get by with the Taxi drivers

Bottom line...there's no place like home....and damn I missed my machboos!

FINAL REMINDER TO CAST YOUR VOTES

2006-03-17T08:16:00.000-08:00

To cast your votes, simply choose the ones you believe deserve it and forward an email with the heading "Annual Kuwait Academy Blogger Awards" with your nominations for each category to any of the Executive Committee Members listed below:

MissCosmoQ8: MissCosmoQ8@hotmail.com

Deadline to cast your vote is March 24th. The results will be announced on April 1st.

So what are you waiting for? Vote for all those who've made you laugh, made you cry, made you dream of a better tomorrow but most importantly made you share their lives with you.

Winners will have the pleasure to know that their bloggers have not gone unnoticed and that's a gift in and of itself!

For those bloggers who's names are not listed, please note that this was purposely made on a smaller scale as a trial for a bigger Academy Award event so don't dismay, you may end up in the next one!

Good Luck to all the nominees and may the best bloggers win!

A. Funniest Blog:

1. Bo_Ghazi
2. Bo Maryoom.
3. 7tenths.
4. Jan6a.
5. Grandma Funk
6. McArabian.
7. Doggizzle.
8. Jazz Central
9. Your choice

B. Queen of the Blogosphere:

1. Shurooq
2. Sheba.
3. Papillona.
4. Samboose.
5. Flamingoliya.
6. Delicately Realistic.
7. NuNu.
8. Your choice

C. King of the Blogosphere:

1. Zaydoun.
2. Nibaq.
3. Q.
4. The Don.
5. Jazz Central.
6. Dr. Lost.
7. Lil Alien.
8. Bo Maryoom
9. Your choice

D. Most Bizzare Blog:

1. Purgatory.
2. Grandma Funk.
3. Vintage.
4. Sponty
5. Temetwir.
6. NuNu.
7. McArabian.
8. Doggizzle.
9. Your choice

E. Most Romantic Blog:

1. The Don.
2. Jewaira.
3. Charisma.
4. Flamingoliya.
5. Misscosmo.
6. Stallion.
7. Ayya.
8. Delicately Realistic.
9. Your choice

F. Sexy Female Blogger:

1. Jelly Belly.
2. Papillona.
3. Jewaira.
4. Closet Diva.
5. Misscosmo.
6. True Faith.
7. Georythm.
8. Samboose.
9. Your choice

G. Sexy Male Blogger:

1. The Don.
2. Bo Ghazi.
3. Jazz Central.
4. Stallion.
5. Dr. Lost
6. iDip.
7. Zaydoun.
8. K The Kuwaiti.
9. Your choice

H. Joint Blogs:

1. Purgatory & Shosho.
2. Misguided & Ms. Baker.
3. Kuwait cosmo.
4. Kila Ma6goog & Al aQra3.
5. Mark & NAT.
6. Your choice

Last Thoughts...

2006-03-15T23:35:00.000-08:00

I'm off on a trip and won't be back for a week...but couldn't leave without saying a few words:

(1) If you haven't voted already for the Kuwait Academy Blogger Awards, don't forget to do so before March 24th! Just drop us an email and let us know who your favorites are (check my last post and yes..I could put a link here but do some homework for a change!)

(2) To the Edo Pride gang thank you for the lovely gifts and great food! You guys sure make me laugh!

(3) To my female bloggerete gang, can't wait to get together again for some good old fashioned girl power recharge!

Other thoughts include:

(1) How cold is zero degrees...damn I'm gonna freeze

(2) Carson Dailey on Marina FM sounds so cute...so when Hillary Duff says "Stay tuned to Carson Dailey's most requested"...is she referring to someone that lives in Kuwait or is this pre-recorded? (is this a dumb ass question?)

(3) When faced with a career crossroad of going left or right, does one chose the road less traveled or the safe road?

(4) Same applies with one's personal life..do you stick to those who know you, love you, respect you and treasure you or go out there and expose yourself to new people..knowing that you may become susceptible to those who may misjudge you, label you and possibly have a preconceived idea about who you are...due to your crazy wavy hair, loud laugh and easy going attitude...(but just knowing in your heart that within them lies diamonds in the rough who'll take the time to know that you're more than just that?)

(5) To Jan6a...can't say it enough...thank you for the beautiful birthday package sent to me all the way from wherever you are...amazing! You bring a whole new meaning to thoughfulness...YOU ROCK BABE!

(6) To the Hello Kitty girl...I will miss you babe and wuv u...don't ever change!

With that said..my final thoughts are..."I'm a leaving on a jet plane..."

Until then...Tootles...

REMINDER - Kuwait Academy Blogger Awards

2006-03-14T01:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all those that casted their votes!

For those people who haven't yet, you still have time and this is a reminder for you to send in your choices (even if they weren't on the list of nominees!)

To cast your votes, simply choose the ones you believe deserve it and forward an email with the heading "Annual Kuwait Academy Blogger Awards" with your nominations for each category to any of the Executive Committee Members, here is my email for easy reference, missCosmoQ8@hotmail.com

Deadline to cast your vote is March 24th. The results will be announced on April 1st.

So what are you waiting for? Vote for all those who've made you laugh, made you cry, made you dream of a better tomorrow but most importantly made you share their lives with you.

Winners will have the pleasure to know that their bloggers have not gone unnoticed and that's a gift in and of itself!

Good Luck to all the nominees and may the best bloggers win!

A. Funniest Blog:

1. Bo_Ghazi
2. Bo Maryoom.
3. 7tenths.
4. Jan6a.
5. Grandma Funk
6. McArabian.
7. Doggizzle.
8. Jazz Central
9. Your choice

B. Queen of the Blogosphere:

1. Shurooq
2. Sheba.
3. Papillona.
4. Samboose.
5. Flamingoliya.
6. Delicately Realistic.
7. NuNu.
8. Your choice

C. King of the Blogosphere:

1. Zaydoun.
2. Nibaq.
3. Q.
4. The Don.
5. Jazz Central.
6. Dr. Lost.
7. Lil Alien.
8. Bo Maryoom
9. Your choice

D. Most Bizzare Blog:

1. Purgatory.
2. Grandma Funk.
3. Vintage.
4. Sponty
5. Temetwir.
6. NuNu.
7. McArabian.
8. Doggizzle.
9. Your choice

E. Most Romantic Blog:

1. The Don.
2. Jewaira.
3. Charisma.
4. Flamingoliya.
5. Misscosmo.
6. Stallion.
7. Ayya.
8. Delicately Realistic.
9. Your choice

F. Sexy Female Blogger:

1. Jelly Belly.
2. Papillona.
3. Jewaira.
4. Closet Diva.
5. Misscosmo.
6. True Faith.
7. Georythm.
8. Samboose.
9. Your choice

G. Sexy Male Blogger:

1. The Don.
2. Bo Ghazi.
3. Jazz Central.
4. Stallion.
5. Dr. Lost
6. iDip.
7. Zaydoun.
8. K The Kuwaiti.
9. Your choice

H. Joint Blogs:

1. Purgatory & Shosho.
2. Misguided & Ms. Baker.
3. Kuwait cosmo.
4. Kila Ma6goog & Al aQra3.
5. Mark & NAT.
6. Your choice

Message To The Blog Log Group

2006-03-11T07:12:00.000-08:00

As I type away, I notice my absolutely beautiful purple stoned bracelet while listening to the great sounds of my favorite CD, "the Buddha Bar" through my fantastic new Headphones. My room smells wonderful thanks to my crystal candles as I munch away using my adorable Japanese chopsticks. On my desk, a little beautiful crystal vase with a red flower. These are just some of the gifts I received on my birthday by some of the wonderful bloggers that I had the pleasure to meet and I would like to say Thank you sooo much!

All the presents were absolutely fantastic but to make it even more special and memorable, I also received a diary that I now call my "Blog Log". It was signed by every blogger present with such thoughtful words that truly made my day!

A special thank you to the magnificent Samboose for making sure my day was so special and though fate played a role on that particular day we can only say al-hamdulla 3ala kulli 7al..and inshallah 7'air...

A dear friend once argued that "80% of the bloggers are very nice people" and I must agree with my lovable blogger friend but honestly, giving a stranger a gift was more than nice, it was wonderful so thanks for being you!

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode Fifteen

2006-03-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

From last episode...

"There's something about me that you need to know and I hope you'll be understanding about it" he explained.

She held her breath, looked into his big blue eyes and waited.

It was a long pause as she wondered in anticipation what he was about to tell her. The worst case scenarios were jumping into her mind. She made a quick summary in her head for any clues. She knew that she'd been just so happy to have found chemistry with someone after having waited for so long. Her last experience had been so tough on her that she had felt sure that this time it was going to be different. The universe owed her, afterall she deserved it! Hadn't she gone through enough rough patches to have this.

He had been staring at her trying to read her mind as she looked up and took a deep breath "Tell me," she said.

He reached for his wallet and opened. It didn't take long for her to notice the pictures of two kids. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Oh God, do I really want to know?" she asked herself.

He was taking out a blue piece of paper when she finally grabbed the wallet and looked at the pictures. The resemblance was obvious.

"Yours?" her voice was so low, she could hardly hear herself speak. Her heart was pounding, her mouth had gone dry and she felt nauseated.

"Wait. I need to explain," he answered.

Fathoming the whole thing was taking a toll on her and she was wondering when was she actually going to react. Her legs were shaking. She desperately needed to get rid of this numb feeling.

"I think it's pretty clear" she said and held on to the table as she stood up afraid to lose her balance.

"Where are you going?" he asked her looking surprised.

"I don't want to hear it. I have to go. Goodbye," she answered finally as she looked ahead of her, afraid that he'd see the tears building in her eyes.

He sat frozen, looking at her as she turned to leave.

"But you need to hear what I have to say" she heard him say as she quickly walked away.

She walked the path of the Salhiya Complex wishing that she wouldn't bump into anyone she knew. The last thing she needed was to bump into anyone!

Being stared at was just part of living in Kuwait but she couldn't help but feel that people stared at her more as though they knew what had just happened. She wanted to scream "leave me alone" but they continued to eye her as she struggled to get to her car.

When she finally reached the underground parking lot, she burst into tears. How could he do that to her? She knew she had no energy to drive and decided to sit in her car on the hopes that no one would notice her.

How could she have missed the clues? Did he not love her at all? What was happening? She just couldn't understand. Why would he do that to her?

She didn't know whether she was crying because he hadn't told her or because she found out that he was already taken.

Just then, there was a knock at her window. A man in his thirties, wearing a white dishdasha, medium built with dark features stood there waiting. She reluctantly opened the window and said "Yes?" without looking at him.

"Are you getting out or what?" he yelled. She noticed that his car was behind her and apparently he was waiting for her to leave so he can take her spot.

There was no choice for her but to look up and say "I'm sorry," and started her engine.

No sooner had she looked up when she noticed the look of horror on his face.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Are you ok?" he asked.

She managed a smile to show her gratitude for his sudden concern and then slowly began to reverse.

"Wait. I'm really sorry, please don't cry," he called out.

In her rear view mirror, she could still see the look of guilt and surprise on his face. It somehow made her feel better. Here he was ready to fight with her and now he was feeling sorry for her. "So shines a good deed in a weary world" she thought to herself. Funny how anger in men is so easily deflated with a women's tears.

The distraction had given her mind a break and her body was slowly returning to normal. True, her mouth still felt dry and there was a heavy feeling on her heart but at least her breathing had gone back to normal.

She searched frantically through her CD's to find a song to match how she felt. This calls for a Abdulhaleem Hafeth song, she thought sarcastically as she waited for the CD to load to the words of Maw3ood. The roads were a blur to her but it didn't matter, she just kept on driving.

Lost in her thoughts, the phone rang and she jumped. She looked at the number and smiled bitterly. She remembered how excited she would get when she'd see his name on her mobile. The mere VIP ringtone she gave him was a sure way to get butterflies in her stomach. Now she felt sick.

After the fourth ring, she finally picked it up giving herself permission to let it all out and give him a peace of her mind.

"Why did you leave like that before I could explain? I wanted to show you something so you would understand. I asked you to be understanding." He sounded irritated.

"You listen to me. You stay away from me. Pretend that you don't even know me" her energy was coming back to her but her heart began to race as she yelled the words from the top of her lungs.

"I can't pretend that I don't even know you. I love you and I want to marry you," he blurted.

"WHAT?" she screamed. Why was he saying that? She suddenly felt confused. What was he trying to say?

The last time she'd heard that was from a guy who she'd caught with another girl.

She was losing her nerves.

"That's sick!" she yelled. "Why do you men resort to that? What? I'm supposed to be grateful now? I'm supposed to be jumping up and down and saying "HORRAY. He wants to marry me?" Is that what you think? That all us women care about is to get married regardless of how screwed up you men are?" She took a another breath and imitated a man's voice "Honey, I know I'm an asshole but let's get married anyway?"" she said sarcastically.

"I think you need to calm down," he said. "You still haven't heard my explanation and you're already calling me an asshole. Could you please just listen?"

She closed her eyes for a second and then took a deep breath. All that screaming had taken the last drop of her energy.

"Fine! I'm listening. Bring it on!" she said.

To be continued...

All That Matters....

2006-03-08T00:28:00.000-08:00

Nothing can beat the feeling of being loved....and the best time to analyze how loved are you is on your birthday....:)...I woke up on the sounds of messages sent from all parts of the world..some were sent at exactly midnight...(cute!)...and thanks to the time difference between us and the States...some were actually sent at 04:00 am!

Phone calls from childhood friends that I haven't seen in years, ex-collegues who still remember me, ex-boyfriends who don't hate me (LOL!) and of course new friends that I've been blessed to meet lately...

Speaking of new friends, in particular...the blog world, I'm happy to have met such wonderful people within the blog world and I'm grateful for that...somewhere in the summer of July 2005...I somehow landed here...and I've met the most fabulous people...either cyberly or for real...and they've been great...as hard as some have tried to tell me that evil is out there...I've been blessed to have only seen the good...and I thank God for that...may it always be so...:)

There are a few special people out there in the blog world that know who they are...here's a big mwaaaaaa from me and I wuv u...:)..Thank you for letting our paths cross...I've learnt so much from all of you and I thank you for that..

As I blow out the candle on my birthday cake..I know that life just couldn't be better...emyat alf al7amdillah....Happy Birthday to meeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!..:)

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode Fourteen

2006-03-01T10:11:00.000-08:00

From last episode

"You looked so sad in the cafeteria and I just couldn't leave you. San Francisco will have to wait!"

Whatever it was that was holding onto her heart and lungs, it suddenly let go. She could breath normally again. He didn't leave, she thought to herself. How sweet it is!"

It had taken him another three trips to the airport before he actually left and by then she had gotten used to the idea of him leaving. They had enjoyed the extra days and she felt content at last. Her training was coming to an end and she was heading to Kuwait at last.

When the plane finally touched down on Kuwaiti soil she actually smirked to herself for having the need to clap as they did in the olden days. She was just thrilled to be back. It had been too long and she was glad to be home.

As soon as she switched on her mobile while waiting for her bags to arrive, she began to receive messages and calls from her friends. It was good to be back, she thought.

She knew that she needed to collect her thoughts and analyze her relationship with this man that had such an affect on her. He was beginning to take over her mind and she was worried that she was becoming obsessed. She didn't like herself when she became obsessed.

She'd noticed it when she was on the plane. Every time something happened, she'd think to herself, "I wonder what he would think" or "I have to tell him about this". It was as though it was a duty that she had to keep tabs on everything so she could report back to him. She wondered, what it was like before he had stepped into her life. She usually shared her stories with her friends but this was different. Everything seemed more important. She felt she had to tell him everything even about the tiniest, silliest details of her day.

He called her later on the night upon her arrival to check that she'd arrived safely and told her that he'll be coming back soon. She felt her life was on hold until his return.

"Are you free tonight for dinner?" he asked the day after his arrival. He sounded stressed.

"Sure," she answered.

She'd taken her time getting dressed. She wanted to look extra special since she hadn't seen him in a long time but her mind kept wondering why he sounded so serious. Something about this just didn't feel right. She wanted to look romantic so decided to wear her light green chiffon dress that flowed when she walked. Putting her final touches of her make up, grabbing her incense holder and filling her hair with bekhour, she finally dashed out to her car and drove downtown. She hoped the traffic won't be too bad. She hated being late.

He had reserved a cabin at an Asian restaurant and was waiting for her when she walked in. She noticed a large package on the floor.

"You look so pretty," he said.

"Thank you." she answered feeling awkward that they were meeting again under different circumstances.

"I was hoping you won't look this good so it'll make what I have to say easier."

She didn't like the sound of that and her heart began to pound.

"What is it that you want to say?" she asked reluctantly. Part of her wanted to know and the other part just didn't want to handle any bad news. She was way too attached now.

"I got something for you," he replied, ignoring her question.

He reached down to the package and past it to her as he gestured that she open it.

She noticed the Tanagra box and slowly began to open it. It was of a beautiful statue. A young women holding on to a tray with two fish, the symbol of Pisces by Lladro. It was a piece of art and she adored it even though her mind was working overtime.

What is it that he wants to tell her and why does he look like the life has been sucked out of him. He hadn't shaved and looked like he'd lost weight since the last time she'd seen him.

"Thank you. I love it! You knew I'd love anything related to my horoscope! That's very sweet" she told him.

He looked pleased with himself although still not at ease as she was used to him being.

"There's something about me that you need to know and I hope you'll be understanding about it" he explained.

She held her breath, looked into his big blue eyes and waited.

To be continued...

Parents Day At The Movies

2006-02-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

I really hate posts that are full of negative stuff..but sometimes one just can't help what he/she feels...so here goes...

The other day, as I was sitting with my parents, my Mother asked me what was playing in the cinemas..she was thinking of taking my Dad to watch a movie since they haven't done that in ages...I was pretty excited for them...so I slowly went over the steps on my Mom's PC to show her how she can reserve her seats and pay for them through KNCC.

The whole process took some patience but I enjoyed it thoroughly since my Mother gets very excited when she learns something new that is internet related. I explained that once she got to the cinema, she'll have to put her credit card through the machine and blah..blah..blah...I told her that if she had any problems to ask anyone there since they're pretty helpful.

Two days had past since then and I had gotten pretty busy but kept wondering why my mother never mentioned the movie which wasn't like her...

When I finally walked into work today, I asked her.

"I didn't want to tell you" she said.

My first thought was that they missed the movie because she couldn't figure out getting the tickets but that wasn't it.

"I got the tickets and I was very proud of myself when the tickets came out and we went and sat on our seats. Unfortunately, we sat infront of two women with a ten year old boy who kept kicking our seats and finally grabbed and pulled at your fathers gutra!" I sat as I listened with my mouth wide open. It looked like it was about to get worse.

My Mom is never one to let such behavior pass so she apparently turned around and told the mother to tell her kid to stop bugging them. The woman ignored her and this continued until the movie ended.

As they came to leave the movie, my Mom went to the ladies room and as she came out, she found the two women standing around my Dad and screaming their heads off at him.

She said the whole scene was so ugly and my Dad being the quite type just wanted to go home (which is something I appreciate though I often want him to go out more which was the whole point of my Mom taking him to the damn movies!)...

My Mom said the women kept yelling and screaming and saying profound words that neither of my parents felt comfortable dealing with.

"Entay mino emfakra nafsich o yaya wiya raylich ba3ad"...she

"Laish ma etgolee 7ag wildich ena ye7terum nafsa" my Mom

"Laaaaa...wentay shakoo?"...

Apparently, it went on and on for a while until it got so bad that my Mom and Dad finally walked away. The weird thing is when my Mom called out the driver's name, the other woman had followed them and started calling out our driver's name too...

esh hal ta7'aluf!!!

etc..etc..etc...we've all seen enough drama of that sort...but I was so upset that my parents who were looking so forward to such an outing for a change yet had been faced with such ugliness..I tell you....is there no running away from such people...UGH!

The worst part is that my Dad is such a peaceful type and I just couldn't imagine any younger women being able to behave like that towards him...partly because he looks distinguished and partly 'coz he's an older man....3aib...walla 3aib...ma buga 7aya fee el balad!

All I regretted was not having taught my Mom how to take pictures from her mobile..that way she could've taken a picture of that stupid B@#$CH and I'd be out looking for her now!...or at least posted her damn picture with this post...ARRGHHHHHGHHH...

Blogger Birthday Bonanza!

2006-02-24T23:27:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I was about to have the same old birthday...Judy Abbot takes me by surprise!

"Are you doing anything next Thursday?" she asked

"Nothing than I know of yet" I said

"Well then don't. You're invited to my house."

This morning I check the Kuwaiti Cosmopolitan and there it is...Judy is opening her house to all Female Bloggers to celebrate Judy Abbot, mine and Unknown Enity's birthdays...

Now that's just about the sweetest thaaang I have ever heard...

It had to take be a beautiful Aries to get us all excited...I can't wait..so Ladies...sign up with Judy.

P.S. If you're looking for gifts (not that you have to!)..allow me to recommend the best gift shop in town...our very own blogger Samboose Just visit her website Bassinet World and you'll be happy that you did!

See you there!

P.S.S. Sorry guys...maybe you'll be included the following week..:)

Birthdays & Me

2006-02-20T03:56:00.000-08:00

Two weeks right before my birthday and the questions begin "What would you like to do on your birthday?"

After last year's mega success of a surprise birthday party perfectly managed by sister dearest..it was THE perfect birthday...and too hard to topple..we're talking about finding crushes I had in high school that she somehow managed to locate and convince them to come! It was a BLOODY BLAST!

This year..I'm lost and can't decide what I'd like to do? I come from a family who is a great believer in the importance of celebrating birthdays...I mean I could put on this show of "Oh..no..not another birthday...who cares..I'm not going to celebrate" but I'd be lieing...'coz I do care..It's my very own New Year..it's the day that I was born..only me...at that exact time..I came into this world...nobody was born at that moment..that second...but me, that exact day...that exact year except ME...so I'm gonna celebrate it damn it!

The question is...how? Do you stick to your nearest and dearest and have a cozy dinner and end it just like any other dinner except they tell you "Happy Birthday" and give you a few gifts?...Do you attempt to break the routine and invite people that you haven't seen in ages...frantically looking for a DJ who has an extemelly funny name that you can't even pronounce and who shows up with only half of his stuff because some other big party was going on and the rest of his stuff is "over there"...Do you pretend that it's not even your birthday and secretly feel sorry for yourself that nobody cares! OR...and this one is my favorite...Invite all the bloggers to celebrate with you at a Starbucks that's been especially reserved for you then watch who actually does show up with a gift knowing that they're giving the gift to a total stranger that they know so well?!:)

I have two weeks to make up my mind and I'm so tempted with the last choice..what do you think?

Speaking of Kissing...

2006-02-14T01:10:00.000-08:00

According to today's Herald Tribune, a study conducted in 1980's found that men who kiss their wives before leaving work live longer, get into fewer car accidents and have a higher income that married men that don't!

So kiss away people!

Mwaaaaaa!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode Thirteen

2006-02-10T00:35:00.000-08:00

From last episode..

"Without thinking, she found herself running towards him and jumping on top of him, nearly knocking him over. That moment in time, years later, when asked what was her most romantic moment in her life, she would remember that scene often wondering if it was a dream or if it was real.

"Where would you like to go?" he whispered in her ear as she hugged him tightly, afraid he'd disappear."

She'd made up a list of all the places she wanted to go but never did end up going because the thought of doing them alone was too depressing for her. Now, the list was a gold mine!

They did exactly what a fast replay of any movie would do once they wanted the audience to know that they were having the most romantic week of their lives. They visited museums, attended plays and walked in the park. Just like any romantic movie but this time it was real. She was on top of the world.

As he sat next to her in the theatre watching "Beauty and The Beast", she wondered if he was enjoying it. It was not often that she would find a Kuwaiti man that would appreciate such an outing. She was happy that he hadn't suggested going to the London Casino or clubbing even though a part of her was curious to go but sitting next him watching the play seemed much more appealing.

They left the theatre and hailed a cab. It was raining heavily and she was suddenly feeling the dread that time was running out and they would be saying good bye soon.

His voice brought her back to reality and she heard him say "I got you something". He took out a key holder from his pocket. It was a Beauty and The Beast key holder they had been selling at the theatre as souvenirs.

She took it from him and said thank you. She couldn't recall the last time she'd met someone who was so thoughtful. She wished he'd stay longer but she knew he had an important meeting in San Francisco and there was nothing she could do about it.

"Will you come with me to the airport?" he asked.

A part of her didn't wanted to because she simply hated goodbyes period, let alone say good bye to him! Then again, she would probably just stay in since it was a Sunday and she hadn't made any plans.

"Sure," she replied.

The next day, she took the journey to London from Canary Warf by taxi to pick him up. She stared outside the window and admired the Thames. Tourists were taking the boat and her mind drifted to the past week. All those memories! What was she going to do with them? They had taken the same boat trip for a dinner cruise. It was a night that she would never soon forget. Dinner was a three course meal with a live band playing all those romantic songs. She had been dyeing to know if he was comfortable enough to dance. When the song "Crazy" by Patsy Cline came on, she looked at him and he smiled, like he knew what she was thinking. He grabbed her hand and lead her to the dance floor and they slow danced to the music. She closed her eyes wanting to capture that moment forever.

"We're about to cross under the bridge if anyone would like to watch it, they can go to the upper deck for a better view," announced the Captain.

Although it was chilly, the night air seemed fresh and inviting. The bridge was getting closer and just as they were about to go under it, he turned around and kissed her for the first time. She thought she'd stop breathing.

"Do you have your passports and tickets with you?" she asked him as he placed his luggage in the taxi. He was looking miserable but so was she.

The ride to Heathrow was a long one and she couldn't figure out if that was good news or bad news. Good that she'll have more time with him, bad that it was prolonging the agony of the whole goodbye issue.

They settled into the backseat of the taxi and he grabbed her hand and placed it in his lap. There were no words being said but there was no need. They both knew what the other was thinking.

Finally, they arrived at Heathrow and her heart began to pound. He stepped out to grab a trolley for his luggage and she stood there watching him, not able to move.

"Let's grab some breakfast, once I check in," she heard him say.

She walked next to him taking very slow steps as though she could stop time by walking slower.

"Are you going to be ok by yourself?" he asked as he sipped his coffee. He'd ordered her breakfast but she just stared at it. She just didn't feel like eating at that moment.

"Yes, I'll be fine." She wanted to continue to say, but I'm gonna miserable without you but thought the better of it.

The cafeteria was crowded with every nationality she could think of. Heathrow airport always fascinated her. She could sit for hours just watching people but today was different. She only had eyes for him and "people watching" didn't seem as entertaining.

"Last call for BA flight 078 bound to San Francisco" came the announcement. She could feel the lump in her throat. She was not going to let him see her cry. "Control yourself" she thought to herself.

He paid for the bill and grabbed his carry on bag, telling her that he's going to have to rush. Maybe it was better that way, the longer she lingered here the more miserable she became.

"You better run for it, take care of yourself" she said.

He kissed her on the forehead and she remained seated in her chair. She didn't have the energy to stand up.

"Bye then" he said.

"Bye," she replied as she watched him make a run for it.

He could no longer be seen and she turned to stare at the TV screen in the cafeteria. It was a soccer game between Italy and France. It reminded her of him. He loved soccer and had told her his favorite team was Brazil. She cursed herself for being so pathetic, everything was going to remind her of him now!

It was time to face the loneliness. She stepped outside the airport and stood in line to get a taxi. A couple infront of her began to hug and kiss. It looked as though one of them had just arrived and they couldn't keep their hands off each other. It was the last thing she wanted to see.

The line was a long one and she felt that she couldn't hold herself together anymore. She needed to be alone. She needed to have herself a good cry and then take a warm shower to make herself feel better.

"Where to Miss?" asked the taxi driver.

"How about hell", she wanted to say but instead said "Isle of Dog."

"I believe your phone is ringing" said the taxi driver as she stepped into the taxi.

She looked at the number and realized it was him. More torture she thought, just leave.

She finally answered.

"Hi, have you left already?" he asked.

"I'm just getting into the taxi," she replied miserably.

"Oh good. Wait." He answered.

Confused she asked "Why?"

"You looked so sad in the cafeteria and I just couldn't leave you. San Francisco will have to wait!"

Whatever it was that was holding onto her heart and lungs, it suddenly let go. She could breath normally again. He didn't leave, she thought to herself. How sweet it is!

To be continued...

Good God..Not Another Tag..Paleeeeeze!

2006-02-06T10:25:00.000-08:00

For some reason..out of the blue...suddenly there's a wave of tagging going on in the blog world...but that's not what amazed me as much as what was being written by the male bloggers...when having to describe their ideal female mate...quite a number of them had this to say:

- not afraid to be herself
- A "who cares what they think" mentality
- Stands up for what she believes in without being dogmatic or narrow-minded.

Wow...YOU THINK?...'coz if you ask me...it's the first damn thing they wanna change in you once you're the fiance...God..I hate that! Guys...as much as I admired that...gosh I wish you'd stick to it!..:)

*********************************
Tagged by NUNU

Too many tags...such little time:

The rules of the game:
1. The tagged victim has to come up with 8 different points of their perfect lover.
2. Need to mention the sex of the target.
3. Tag 8 victims to join this game & leave a comment on their comments saying they've been tagged.
4. If tagged the 2nd time, there's no need to post again.

Sex Target: MALE!!!

1) Extrovert
2) Sense of humor
3) Honest
4) Street Wise
5) Responsible
6) Emotionally expressive
7) Intellectual
8) hopelessly devoted to me..:)

Tagging 8 persons:

Based on what I've seen...everybody's already been tagged!

P.S. Deadline to sign up for the female bloggers gathering is February 13th!

Ladies Night?

2006-02-03T06:15:00.000-08:00

Yes, ladies, it's that time again when we all ask ourselves..should we go to the fabulous ladies bloggers gathering? :)

If the answer's yes, just send an email to either my good friend Delicatelly Realistic or yours truely!

To the ladies that have attended before...WE MISS YOU and hope you'll decide to join us again to welcome the new ones with us. We'll make sure that we don't plan the night on Valentine's Day...since we all know that you Fabulous, Fearless, Females will have your hands full....right?..:)

So go ahead...start the New Year by doing something out of the ordinary...I dare you!

With Bazaar's fantastic dining and delivery guide that lists all the hot spots in Kuwait, it's hard to chose where we should all meet...so suggestions are welcome!

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Deadline for sending your email is February 13th so sign up soon!

Someone To Watch Over Me....

2006-01-25T23:11:00.000-08:00

The lyrics of this song came to mind and were inspired by Papillona.. So girl..this one's for you:

There's a saying old
Says that love is blind.
Still we're often told
"Seek and ye shall find."

So I'm going to seek a certain lad I've had in mind.
Looking everywhere,
Haven't found him yet;

He's the big affair I can't forget
Only man I ever think of with regret.
I'd like to add his initial to my monogram.
Tell me, where is the shepherd for this lost lamb?

There's a somebody I'm longing to see
I hope that he
Turns out to be
Someone who'll watch over me.

I'm a littLe lamb who's lost in the wood;
I know I could
Always be good
To one who'll watch over me.

Although he may not be the man some
Girls think of as handsome,
To my heart he carries the key

Won't you tell him, please,
to put on some speed,
Follow my lead...Oh, how I need
Someone to watch over me.

Negativity Brings Bad Weather...

2006-01-21T21:54:00.000-08:00

It isn't easy to go around Kuwait without noticing how there's a sense of insecurity and negativity roaming around. No doubt the words "Allah Yaster" has been said over and over again. Which in and of itself is proof that everybody is on high alert...waiting...

If we were to take the concept of spirituality...were they say that we are all connected in the universe...and therefore connected to the weather...one can see how bad the negativity is just based on the weather!...It SUCKS!

And so I ask you dear blogger..to stop for a moment and meditate...let go of all negative thoughts...sit crossed legged...close your eyes and affirm to yourself..."Kuwait will be fine...Kuwait will be fine"...whenever a negative thought comes in...push it out gently and affirm again..."Kuwait will be fine"...

If all bloggers spent ten minutes doing this...mark my words..the weather...both literally and emotionally would improve...and that is exactly what we need...positive affirmations for a peaceful tomorrow...

No doubt..."Ala be theker Allah tatma2enu el guloob"...and that is highly recommended of course...but also..don't forget to meditate and let go of any negative thoughts and affirm..."Kuwait will be fine"...

We seriously can't afford to entertain any negative thoughts these days...and the crappy weather agrees with me...so now...close your eyes..breath deeply...affirm.. and watch the sun come out...

Kuwait will be fine...be ethen Allah...wa tafa2alu 7'airan...tajido...

Bloggers & Colors...

2006-01-18T22:37:00.000-08:00

Having met a few bloggers lately..I was pretty surprised to find out that they were expecting to see someone that looked completely different than what I do in real life.

"Your blog is pink!" I wasn't quite sure what that meant but later found out that it gave the impression that I was a 22 year old, Betty Boop lookalike. The fact that I didn't quite look like that made me, as they put it "more serious looking".

I couldn't help but be amazed on how the colors of our blogs were actually giving away an impression of who we may or in this case may not be.

The question of the day was...so which one was I really like...was I deep down a 22 year old, Betty Boop lookalike...(pink background)...or was I a black background that presented my darker, deeper side...If I had a green background..would that have made the impression that I was older? Does loving pink mean that I have to be 22? Can't a 30 something chick like pink?

Come to think of it, does our icon give the impression that we really are those people?

True everybody loves certain blogs...who doesn't like A3sab? Is it the fact that she's a "frustrated Kuwaiti woman/Mother" and we love her stories or is it the beautiful icon that we see?

If Jazz Central feels like an older person, is it 'coz the colors of his blogs give that impression or is it the saxophone that gives it away?

Who doesn't love reading Temetwir's controversial blogs...his icon created a whole debate...and the black background definitely gave the impression that you were entering "at your own risk". If he didn't tell you his age...wouldn't you think he's definitely over 40?

In my case, I personally don't mind being thought of as a 22 year old, Betty Boop.

Afterall, everybody had a crush on her when she was around! Now, having said that..is that something only a 22 year old is aloud to say?

Oh well, who cares...I like being pink and I'm sticking to my grounds..Pink Rules!

Ena Lilah Wa Ena Elaihee Raji3oon...

2006-01-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

Kuwait will never be the same again...Allah yer7amah...Jaber Oboona min 3omer 3arafna...

So much history and so many memories..May he rest in peace...

My condolences to el sha3ab el Kuwaiti..3athama Allah ajerkum..

Bored And Bewildered!

2006-01-08T23:18:00.000-08:00

As hard as I tried to get on a flight during this Eid holiday..it just wasn't happening for one reason or another...Now that I'm not traveling..I keep getting these panic attacks...What am I going to do for the next five days? Granted I love not being at work..and being able to relax is a good idea...but FIVE DAYS??...Of course you would have to pay me to go to Marina Mall...Souk Shark or anywhere near the maddening crowd..so Help me please...I'm feeling overwhelmed with all this time on my hands...Go to the gym you say or chalet...well...What's new about that?? I need something refreshing..new...exciting.....ANYTHING!..Just don't leave me facing these four walls of my bedroom socializing cyberly while being anti social in the real world!! It's not healthy..HELP..I need suggestions...oh oh..I think I feel another panic attack coming about!...oh...and thinking of people starving in Africa is not an option...so please save any form of advise that tells me that I oughta be grateful...walla I am...but for now..about me being bored...any suggestions what do I do or where do I go for the next five days??

Kuwait's Weekend Edition Classifieds..

2006-01-04T20:43:00.000-08:00

What is it about the P's and B's?? Preasts?? Bepsi? etc..This was published on Wednesday, January 4th in Al-Rai El Aam...I wonder if the conservative writers realized their articles were just two pages away from this Ad...Preasts any one?

To All The Blogs I've Loved Before....

2005-12-31T04:40:00.000-08:00

Conversations That Make You Puke....

2005-12-27T01:45:00.000-08:00

Ring...Ring...Alo?
Gossiper: Halla...shonich? Haaah...ma daraaitaay?...eflana en7'a6bat 7ag wa7ed ajnabi?

Lady: Sij? Mabrook...Allah yewafigha...ajnabi min wain?

Gossiper: Yubba...7'athat amreeekee...shlon 3ayal...e3yal abu 3abdulla..tadreen Bush ensamee Bu 3abdulla..

Lady: La...amreekee?...7asabt shay thanee...

Gosspier: Shino..inshallah 7esbalich ajnabi e3robee...laaa...fal Allah wala falich...yuba amreekee...tadreen hathaila asyadna...Alo?...Alo??...weee china engi6a3 el 7'a6...gameetha....

**************************************************************

Ring...Ring...Alo?

20 year old: Alo...hala 7'altee eshlonich?

Lady: Zeina habeebti...sha7'barich?

20 year old: Walla zeina...tadreen 7'altee...bagolich shay...shift wa7ed wayed e7law..bass 6ala3 mo a9eel....hada 7asafa...

Lady: A9eel?...wentay eshfahamich ebhasewalif?....entay et3arfeen shino ya3nee a9eel?

20 year old: huh?...la....madree....asma3 rab3ee killa yegoloon chithee...7eta mara....7'altee....ma t9adgeen...kent bel jam3a wagfa asolif weya wa7ed eb 9afee...chan yegoloolee rab3ee entay eshlon etsolfeen ma3a hatha...ma tadreen enah shee3ee.....Alo?....7'altee?...Aloooo?..7'altee?...oh shit..chinha 3a9ibat we saqat el telifoon eb wayhee...

**************************************************************

Ring..Ring...Alo?

Gossiper: Aloooo...haa? wainich? ta3alee bagolich salfa thanya...daratay...eflan fasa7' 7'e6oobta min eflana?

Lady: LAISH??? 7arram...3ad tawa kan mistanis 3alaiha...esh9arr?...la 7awla wala gowata ella billah...

Gossiper: Ma et9adgeen....ohwa wayed kan ey7eb shakilha...bass elebgara..ra7at ew sawat 7'ashimha...ew youm shafha...ma 3ajbita...egool...etha ehya mo wathqa min nafisha..3ayal ma abeeha....

Lady: 7arram...bass hal ayam asma3 kel al banat ga3deen yesawoon e7'shoomhum..sij ma 3enduhum salfa...bass 7'ashimha we kaifha...

Gossiper: laaa...eshlon? mo 7'a6eebha...eb9ara7a ma3a hag.....weee gabel ma ansa...daraitay....eflana 6aligat....

Lady: LAAAAAAAAAA!...Laish...3ad esh7alathum kano ma3a ba3ath...laish?? harram!

Gossiper: eee...bass...kila kan bel 7'shaishee fa ma adree shisalfa..bacher ye6la3 el hachee...we afa 3alaich...ayeeblich el 7'abar killa...

Lady: Agool..tara 9arr 3endi 9uda3 fa sim7eleee...baroo7..

Gossiper: Laaaaaa...salamtich...laish?...eshfeech?...akeed 9ayer shay.....goolay..esh9ayer...tara wallah.....sirich ebeer..

Lady: Yeah...right!

Gossiper: shino?

Lady: La salamtich...Allah ma3ach....ma3a al salama....

Tagged...Dr. Lost's Controversial Tag!!

2005-12-23T10:28:00.001-08:00

So you wanna see our bedrooms huh? Dr. Lost is onto something...you know Doctors have their own way of dissecting things..so I suppose he's into dissecting our personalities...Well Doc...What do you think? Messy aren't I...and incase any of you didn't know about the Tag...check out his post, he's tagged just about everybody! Shouldn't the Doctor be disecting a frog or something?!!

Sense & Sensitivity....

2005-12-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I remember watching movies with my parents and the moment there's a sad scene, my Dad would giggle in an attempt to cover up his tears. My Mom would then pat him on the back, roll her eyes then shake her head and turn to us to say "Obookom wayed 7assas". The fact was my Mom was just as sensitive but being a Scorpio, she did a great job at covering it up.

As I observed other family members, I realized that the sensitivity was actually in all of us but each one expressed differently and depended on the subject. For example, one sister is very sensitive about her career. She can talk passionately about it for hours and if she had an issue at the office, you might even see her cry about it!...I call her the Drama Queen, she actually cries just about everything but the career is what really triggers her.

On the other hand, I have a sister who I call the Ice Queen. Throughout my life I've never seen her cry. I knew she was sensitive but miraculously would store the information for future reference while holding herself together with not one tear. Amazingly enough, fate would have it that the day she had kids, a waterfountain was born! She became so sensitive to her children's needs/wants and so forth that the moment someone didn't comply to her children she'd cry a river! Who would've thought? An Ice Queen turned Mother Goose!

Then there's my independent sister who takes after my mother; sensitive but you'd hardly know it. She's been labeled the "Oh Well..Whatever" sister unless it's related to something she was organizing. Though she keeps her sensitivity in tact and bottled up where she believes it belongs, she'll freak out when things are not going according the way she visualized it. Ever heard of a bride who carried a color coded file on every step of her wedding including assignments for every family member?! If things didn't go her way, you know it meant a downpour. Well, to be fair the other time you'd see her cry is during some sappy commercial! (Sister dearest if you're reading this don't get mad, I love you just the way you are!..:)

She kinda reminds me of The Don. In one his posts he'd complained things weren't going his way lately. He realized he was trying to control things and that he should take things day by day. I totally agreed with him but I never did comment. Know why? Ever since he hurt my feelings by saying something silly to me on one of his posts, I never comment there anymore. That's how sensitive I am!

I've been labeled MissCosmo, The Sensitive One! Although it used to bother me when my Mom would accuse me of being "too sensitive". I've realized that it's nothing to be ashamed of. Afterall, I'd rather be "too sensitive" than INsensitive. Wouldn't you agree?

Oh...and speaking of you, what issue would trigger your sensitive buds?

Quote of the day "Only a fool knows everything. A wiseman knows how little he knows"

New Year's Eve Dilemma..

2005-12-17T05:01:00.001-08:00

Back when I was in High School, life revolved around whether you'd be invited to the coolest parties for New Year's Eve and "what the hell am I gonna wear"! dilemma...Pathetic really when you think about it...but at sixteen it was important!

Nowadays, I look at the countdown to New Years Eve with dread and just wish it would fast forward to the first week of January. It's a constant reminder of various issues that include asking one self if they accomplished what they said they would..i.e. Never did end up taking French classes...It's also a moment of rolling ones eyes and saying "Oh My God...not another year!"...and finally..the million dollar question..Where and with whom am I going to celebrate New Years?!

I can't help but be envious of the Senior Citizens who actually still get to go to their social parties and celebrate New Year. I'm not as old as they are yet I'm already dreading it!

The sad part is even if I was to go to some party, I'd probably be considered a Senior Citizen myself! Most of them would be half my age...true that some of them would be mature but once I start talking to a guy, I can't help but feel guilty that he ought be chatting up some younger chick that he can get somewhere with since he's got zero chance with me! Then again, if I did bump into somebody my age at a party, I can't help but think "WHAT A PERVERT!" he's here to pick up naive girls half his age and have his way with them! Ok...Granted that I'm being judgmental...afterall...I'm at the party too...but I can't help but think that it's a different case entirely!

Half way through the party, you'd probably find me standing outside having my cigarette and enjoying my solitude...thinking to myslf "Damn..I could've been home reading a good book or blogging..what the hell am I doing here!"..My friend who happens to be my age but with a lighter attitude would then lecture me on over analyzing..."Just enjoy the party and who cares!" she'd say...I would then snap back and say "You think I enjoy being an OVER ANALYZER...the moment I hear of a workshop that says "How Not To Be An Over analyzer And Just Have a Good Time"...trust me..I'd be the first to enroll!" She'd then go back in and chat up another younger guy who's drooling can be noticed a mile away...!..As I look pathetically at the scene, I wonder to myself, where did my generation go?

When I was in college, Christmas and New Year meant a trip back to Kuwait...and going to reunions to bump into High school friends and catch up on the latest gossip...so the excitement still remained...Now that I'm working...it's either call up all the High school friends and hang out with them or attempt at finding colleagues who share the same background...and how rare is that! The problem with calling up High School friends...I end up seeing the same old faces, who behave the same old way, having the same old mentality and I end up thinking the same old thing..what a bunch of losers...with all due respect to my High school friends!

Sad part is I just don't have the energy. The loud crazy music that I don't connect to...(whatever happened to real dancing music..none of that head banging stuff)..come to think of it..nobody really dances at these parties anymore and much prefer to hang out by "the so called bar".....BORING....hate to sound like a party pooper but back in our days...we didn't have to drink to have a good time...the music and dancing did it for us!

So what's my ideal New Years Eve?

I suppose being picked up by Antonio Banderas but it's not really Antonio...he's a look a like and smells of ba7'oor and dehen 3ood..(yeah baby!)..and as he stands leaning against the white limo...his eyes look up to see me and they tell me that I'm the love of his life...His black tuxedo blends perfectly with my long black sexy dress and as we enter the fancy restaurant..He leads me to the dance floor while Frank Sinatra sings "Fly Me to the Moon"....As he twirls me around...he whispers in my ear..."You look lovely tonight"....Dinner is a full course meal with oysters, crabs and caviar...and under the table my Antonio look a like is playing footsies with me...Just as they announce that midnight is around the corner...he leans over to kiss me and I can hear the bells ringing in the background announcing the New Year...

ok...hold on..need to catch my breath....sorry...

Ah yes...Life as an over analyzer who prefers to live in la la land..is never easy..but that's a different story entirely..in the meantime...What's your ideal New Year's Eve?

Once Upon A Flirt...

2005-12-13T09:26:00.000-08:00

OK...I have a problem...I love flirting...not in THAT sense..I mean innocent flirting..You know...like for example...On my way to work...whenever I see the policemen trying to control traffic...I know that he's either freezing his butt off, boiling under the sun or desperately needs the bathroom..and so...in order to cheer him up..I usually wave to him and smile...Granted I shock the hell out of him..but I know he's smiling from inside...

at restaurants..if I feel the waiter is having a hard day..I have to end up saying something to make him feel good...i.e. I've seen you before..I never forget a person with a kind face...I end up making them feel good but in reality..it makes me feel good...so my secret's out.. I love flirting...

There's something about flirting that makes everything seem ok...and the great thing about flirting..it's not illegal...it just leaves you feeling good all over...The other day as I stood next to one of my lovely friends while she admired a good looking guy, I told her to go talk to him...she said "I don't know how to flirt"...I couldn't help but think that she was being modest...i believe it's a women's instinct to know how to flirt...we were born with it...A mother flirts with her new born baby, a sister flirts with her brother, a daughter flirts with her Dad..a cousin flirts with her male cousin...I mean we were born to make everyone feel good about themselves...that's what makes us women so special...

Of course if I'm ever in any form of danger...I also have the ability to make myself invisible..and I believe all women have that ability too...if we don't want to be noticed...we put on our invisible caps on and poof...no one knows we're there..it was created for our safety and it's a wonderful tool to keep us safe...

Lately, life's got me so frustrated that I have this deep need to flirt with good looking men...the type of men that flirt wittingly not arrogantly...(it kills the fun!)...the kind of men that won't be threatened that you're flirting with them because you want something from them i.e. he thinks you're dyeing to marry him...the kind of men that won't presume flirting must lead to something else..the kind of men that appreciate you flirting with them to make them feel good about themselves...and can therefore return the favor...the kind of men that know the difference between confidence and arrogance...the kind of men that are mature enough to know that innocent flirting can be fun and not turned into something perverse!

So...now that my secret's out...could somebody please tell me where in Kuwait can I find a good looking guy that looks like any of these guys? My craving for flirting has taken over me and I'm desperately seeking a guinea pig..:)
Besides..flirting has been scientifically proven to improve one's health...and I love improving my health..don't you?..
I mean, Gawd...just look at this guy's face...how can any women resist!! "Antonio, my darrrrlinnnng! I'd do the dishes for you any day...and knowing me....that is sooooo BIG OF ME!"

ANTI-STRESS KIT

2005-12-11T02:53:00.000-08:00

Just had to share that with you....anybody wanna join me while I bang my head??

Bitter Hearts Beating On A Sunny Day In Kuwait...

2005-12-08T23:28:00.000-08:00

It's Friday morning and the weather is fantastic..Nothing like a sunny day when you know the rest of world has to shovel snow! A perfect day to fall in love, be with the one you love or listen to stories about love.

My thoughts are interrupted by the comments received by bloggers who think Romance/Love is Dead! How Sad!

I am forced to wonder, have they lost hope in Love? Did they ever believe in it in the first place? If not, why not? Where they born not believing in it or did someone go out of his/her way to make them stop believing in love?

I ask you, would you ever marry a marriage of convenience? Can you wake up in the morning knowing that you don't love the person sleeping next to you? Have the crazy stories of failed love in Kuwait made you believe that love no longer exists?

Are men and women in Kuwait so bitter towards each other that the ugly head of vengeance leaves no hope for love? If mind is over matter and the loss of belief in love is everywhere, does love even have the chance to exist?

Realistically, when you wake up in morning on a sunny day in Kuwait, do you think today I might fall in love or are you one of those who bitterly sits at Marina Mall bitching about the opposite sex with not an ounce of ra7ma in your heart?

Did the battle between Love and Hate in Kuwait mean that Love has lost the war?

Journal of A Single Gal In Q8 - Episode Twelve

2005-12-05T06:54:00.000-08:00

From last episode..

"He reached for his drink as his big arm nonchalantly brushed on her left breast. She could feel herself freeze then quickly pushed herself further back into her seat. Great! This was going to be a long and extremely uncomfortable flight, she thought in dismay."

Luckily she'd chosen the aisle seat. She always preferred it for many reasons, one of which was easy access to the toilet and the other was so she could get up and not get stuck. She decided to roam around the plane and see if there were any free seats and there they were three empty seats she could sleep on. She grabbed the static blanket, put the tiny pillow on the first seat, curled herself like a ball and slowly began to doze off.

Her neck was killing her when she finally woke up from the desperate plea of her bladder. She looked at the time and realized that there were just a few hours left when they would be landing in London. Just in time to watch an inflight movie, she thought to herself after returning from the toilet.

She knew that she shouldn't watch anything romantic but hard as she tried, the most one that attracted her was an Indian movie that she hadn't seen. Though some of her friends made fun of her love of Indian movies, her nearest and dearest always appreciated them and shared her love of it. The passion, the music, the wisdom and the subliminal messages left her and her friends arguing for hours and she loved every moment of it.

When she'd finally settled in her chair with the crummy earplugs, she completely lost herself in the movie. She hadn't realized how involved she was in the movie until she was interrupted by the stewardess "Are you ok?" asked the stewardess. She took her headphones off and nodded. "Are you afraid of flying?" she asked worriedly. Giggling, she realized that the stewardess thought she was afraid of flying because she'd been crying! "I'm sorry, I really am fine. It's just the movie. I'm really fine," she answered feeling quite embarrassed.

When the stewardess left, she berated herself for having depressed herself by watching the movie. She should've known better. She was heading for London and with the wrong attitude, London could be a very lonely place.

"Please fasten your seatbelt" announced the stewardess. As she did so, she felt butterflies in her stomach. She mentally prepared herself for the smell of London. It always took her back to her younger days when her parents would leave her and her sisters there at summer school. She had both a love and hate relationship towards London but all in all she always found herself going back to it.

She decided to be the last one to leave the plane to avoid seeing the President again. He gave her the creeps and she just didn't feel like dealing with him again. When she finally stepped out on solid ground, she began the long walk towards passport control. The chill of London ran down her spine and the smell of smog made her smile. God, I love London, she told herself.

The Headquarters of her Company was on the outskirts of London and luckily she was provided with a beautiful apartment right on the river Thames. As she stood outside her balcony, the cold wind hitting her face, she could hear the music coming from the tourist boats sailing by. She giggled when she heard the song being played, "Ah, Freak Out!" How typical of a tourist boat to have oldies blasting away, next she'd be hearing Abba, she told herself. Crossing her arms as though to hug herself, she wished she had someone to share her thoughts with. She was beginning to talk to herself and she wondered if that was healthy!

She checked her email and began replying to each one of them and was touched by the email she received from her so called new beau. Was he? She wondered. His email was short and sweet in which he'd asked for her mailing address and she forwarded it to him.

When a handwritten letter had arrived by post a week later, she was so excited to find a tape of Arabic music that he'd made for her. "This is a sure way to gain browny points with me" she said out loud as she began to read his letter. She couldn't remember the last time she'd read a handwritten letter in Arabic that also had a few verses of poetry. He was definitely romantic and she appreciated it. Listening to the songs, made her miss home and him and she began to feel nostalgic.

When a month had gone by and she had slowly gotten into the routine of things, she couldn't help but feel sad and alone. She'd grab her breakfast in the morning, rush to the station to catch the tube, watch the strange people on the tube, reach the office and finally attend her training classes with hardly anyone speaking to her.

The worse part was watching couples kissing on the tube or at the park close by her apartment or in the movie theatre when she would sit alone and watch with envy as they whispered sweet nothings to each other. She always wished that she could go up to them and tell them to stop and have mercy on a lonely girl. It just wasn't fair and she didn't need the heartache. She knew she should be making the best of this experience but she was beginning to feel home sick and she still had a long way to go.

As she stared outside the window of the training center watching the rain, she wished she'd remembered to take her umbrella. She hated umbrellas. She loved wearing hats but sadly, she'd forgotten that too. When it was time to leave the office, she decided to stand by the entrance of the building until the rain subsided. Knowing London, it would be hard to predict, she thought to herself. It was a long walk to the train station and she knew she'd get soaked.

She took her first step out of the building and noticed a man standing with his back towards the entrance carrying an umbrella. She wondered if he'd mind sharing his umbrella. Just then, he slowly turned towards her and she noticed he was carrying a bouquet of flowers. As she looked up, she realized that it was HIM!

Without thinking, she found herself running towards him and jumping on top of him, nearly knocking him over. That moment in time, years later, when asked what was her most romantic moment in her life, she would remember that scene often wondering if it was a dream or if it was real.

"Where would you like to go?" he whispered in her ear as she hugged him tightly, afraid he'd disappear.

To be continued...

Hello Darkness...My Old Friend...

2005-12-03T21:07:00.001-08:00

If anyone remembers this song...you know you'll always go back to it when things are down...I woke up this morning singing it in my head..another proof that I need a break from life's continuous challenges....

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left it's seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
'neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.

Fools said I,you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that I might teach you,
Take my arms that I might reach you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.
And the sign flashed out it's warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the signs said, the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whisper'd in the sounds of silence

True Kuwait Hollywood Story...

2005-11-29T09:25:00.000-08:00

The only time I ever get to read Arabic magazines i.e. Al-Yaqaza (as spelt by them) is when I'm sitting at the hairdresser waiting for my henna/7ammam zait to dry....so there I was picking one up the other day. On the cover and to my surprise was the actress Zahra 3arafat (the Ramadan icon who was in various programs simultaneously) dressed up in a wedding dress next to her groom, the actor Khaled Ameen.

Ok...so it's no big deal..I was just surprised 'coz they made a cute couple in the picture but I just felt that Zahra was more of a wild girl underneath it all and she wouldn't go for a traditional guy...but what do I know...I only know these people in Ramadan and that's just once a year..so who cares!

Fast forward to the next week...I'm standing at our booth at the book fair and I see Khaled Ameen walking around and coming towards our booth!!! I was pretty amazed with the coincidence since I never read magazine and I only just saw...etc..etc...

As he approached our booth, I whispered to my friend "Only in Kuwait is a famous actor walking around in public and nobody gives a shit!"....just as soon as I'd finished the sentence...he was standing right next to me asking about some books...

Now me...being the forward person that I can be sometimes...and sometimes forget about the preconceived ideas people get about forward people...I bluntly said..."Enta mo tawak tizawajt?" (didn't you just get married?)...he laughed and said "la...mo 9a7ee7...hatha bass chithy 7ag el nass"...so I looked at him curiously and he continued "e7na emsaween chithy 3an qa9d...ne6ray....fee ba3ad juz2 thany we fee thalith!" i.e. this story was actually BS and was made up for the fans... a three series story for the hell of it I suppose...

By now the disgust is clearly showing on my face so he smiles to me as I turn to talk to my colleagues and ignore him...so he finally leaves....

Ok...it's two things...either what he was saying was actually true and therefore very stupid...how silly to play Hollywood..what are you..Tom Cruise and whatever the hell his chick's name is...next he'll be standing on Haleema Boland's couch shouting A7IBHAAAA!!....OR....this guy actually did get married but wanted me to believe that it was only a story...which in reality....in both cases SUCK....what's up with that dude???!!!

Do you really think they figured they could play a Tom Cruise on us?

This post seems silly...who bloody cares about this...but it pissed me off...or is it just me? Why am I getting pissed off about the darnest stupidest things...ok..I need a vacation...and if I end up at the Spa..I'll make sure I don't pick up another Yaqaza....(I mean what kind of spelling is that??!!..Yaqaza..sucks..write it Yaqatha or something...ooff...Whatever!

TTJASI

2005-11-27T04:19:00.000-08:00

I'm having a bad week...actually partly a depression mixed with...de-appreciation (if there is such a word)...first I work my ass off to please my Boss who not only didn't appreciate the work I did...she is now setting up a meeting to critisize a wonderful event I pulled off! Next, I go to the bookfair and I'm standing there reading an English book when this American women wearing a burgu3 is standing next to her Mulla husband with his short dishdasha and long beard..SHE says to me..."they're taking people away from their religion" and begins to spit at me and the book!...WTF! God I need therapy to get over this one...

My personal life is non-existant 'coz I'm working all the time...I'm not being paid enough even though I work 24/7...my Boss calls me at 1:30 in the morning to ask me about something that could've been handled tomorrow morning....ARRGHGGHH....I'm about to have a nervous breakdown....I'd like to reshuffle my life but I don't know how...I can't do anything without a plan....are there any islands where normal people live 'coz I'm sick and tired of the dysfunctional people that I have to deal with around me.....and this stupid stuff..St. Johns Wort herb that is supposed to make you feel good...well...IT SUCKS...doesn't do jack shit...

Ok...I just took a deep breath...I need to go back to doing Yoga more regularly..I need lots of TLC to make work irrelevant...and God...please...please..let there be a grand opportunity that falls in my lap so I can tell this crazy women Boss of mine to TTJASI.....(you figure it out!)

Journal of A Single Gal in Q8 - Episode Eleven

2005-11-22T21:57:00.000-08:00

From last episode...

"No, I'm ok, thank you," she told her Boss. "Just not feeling very well this morning," she felt so bad that she wanted to cry. Why would she want to leave for six months now? All those adventurous plans she had planned to do in London now seemed irrelevant. Suddenly she felt that London was going to be very lonely.

She looked at the proposal and realized that she only had two weeks to leave. She slowly began the process of convincing herself that this was good for her career and maybe it was better this way. If he really cared about her, he wouldn't forget her and in some way this would force the relationship not to move too fast. God knows she needed plenty of convincing! This was so depressing, she decided she'd go walking on the beach that evening to sort out her thoughts.

"Can I come and join you?" he asked when he called her, just as she was parking her car by Fridays.

She smiled to herself and told him that he was more than welcome if he wanted to.

When he finally joined her, they walked in silence for a while. She took a deep breath as they walked side by side. His smell was intoxicating. He smelt clean and fresh with a mixture of manhood. To distract herself she finally blurted out the news.

"You're leaving so soon?" he said with a hurt look on his face "but we only just met! You're not running away from me, are you?"

She just laughed and said "Don't be silly!"

When it was finally time to walk back to their cars, she noticed the swings and told him that she always had a love for swings. Walking towards the swings, she casually sat on one of them and without hesitation, she realized he was right behind her as he pushed her slowly!

It was night time and there was hardly anyone around but she felt slightly awkward. In the distance she could hear the music blasting away at Fridays and the honking of the cars passing by the Gulf Road.

For a moment, she didn't feel like she was in Kuwait, it almost felt unreal. If it wasn't for the moon light, it was almost pitch dark. All she could see of him was his white training suit that he was wearing. She wanted to see the expression on his face but she couldn't.

A few joggers past by and she wondered what they might be thinking? Strangely, they turned to look once and didn't look back. At first, she couldn't understand why they hadn't looked back and then suddenly it dawned on her. The scene was that of expatriate, not locals. It was funny that once they'd made that assumption that they wouldn't be Kuwaitis they weren't interested anymore. She smiled to herself. She liked getting away with this. She felt like she was traveling and there was no one around to judge her. It was a relief.

She could never quite understand why that invisible pressure always existed in her head. At the end of the day, she was a person who never did care what people thought. Yet, she hated to be in situation when she knew exactly how people were going to judge or misjudge her. She always felt that way when she was in Kuwait. As though this imaginative giant sat on her shoulders telling her what she should or shouldn't do. Actually, part of the reason she'd wanted to travel lately was due to that imaginative giant that had put extra pressure on her shoulders lately. She was beginning to feel like she couldn't breath.

The weird thing was the minute she was on an airplane, fastening her seatbelt, that feeling would slowly melt away. It would take only a few days when she'd wonder if that pressure even existed at all! The irony was that the minute she'd realize that, she'd suddenly feel like it was time to head back and the circle would continue.

When she'd finally be on her way back, she'd begin the observation period of the same old weirdness and irritation. The moment she was in the waiting lounge heading to Kuwait, it would all begin; the rude staring, the standing by the ramp endlessly waiting for the luggage, the loudness of people yelling at the Sri Lankans to grab their luggage as though it would disappear, the passport control guy throwing in some comment when he stamped her passport, the shoving and pushing at security control, which never seized to amaze her! They had just arrived, so what was the hurry, it's not like they were rushing to catch a flight!

Maybe traveling was not going to be too bad afterall, she thought to herself. She needed to breath lately, she needed civilization and getting away may be the right answer.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard him say "Even though I'm going to miss you, from what you tell me, this training course is really going to be good for your career and I admire your ambitions and independence. I think that's what I like most about you. Some girls just want to get married and stay at home."

She didn't comment. Although she liked the fact that he thought that, she wasn't sure if it was entirely true. Partly it was. She was ambitious but like it or not, her gender was born to feel that life would not be complete without the continuation of the circle of life. To start her own family and settle down. If she didn't want to admit it to herself, her body would remind her once a month. Her biological clock would force her into a depression and she would stand in the conference room and deliver a perfect presentation to Management and yet deep down feel worthless. If it wasn't the feeling of continuing the circle of life, it was at least to have someone be "a witness to your life", she'd heard that quote from a movie and could never forget it. It was the perfect description to what she was looking for.

As she took her seat on the British Airways flight heading to London, she felt a mixture of feelings. The two weeks had past too quickly and she couldn't believe that it was time for her to leave! She was too excited to sleep and her mind was working overtime. She forced the feelings of sadness out of her head and thought of being in the here and now. At least for now!

She was just getting comfortable when she found someone standing in the aisle waiting for her to move so he could take his seat. She looked up and she couldn't believe her eyes; it was the President of the Company that she worked for!

What was he doing on this flight and why was he seated right next to her? The simple fact that he was the President of the Company made her nervous but there was always something else that bothered her. The way he looked at her. It was the kind of look that made her suddenly feel like he'd stripped her of her clothes. He suffered from what she diagnosed him with the bona fide "Older Man Pervert Syndrome" OMPS for short. The kind that popped viagra in their mouths like it was banak!

As they did the usual greetings that went on and on i.e. How are you? How's your family? Then another ten more of "How are yous and How's the family" hardly ever listening to the answer, he finally settled his big body onto his first class seat.

No sooner had he done that, he gestured to the hostess to bring him a drink. The man couldn't wait to get his hands on the hard liquor.

He reached for his drink as his big arm nonchalantly brushed on her left breast. She could feel herself freeze then quickly pushed herself further back into her seat. Great! This was going to be a long and extremely uncomfortable flight, she thought in dismay.

To be continued....

Who Is Mohammed Makdasi?

2005-11-21T08:05:00.002-08:00

After a long, hard day at work, I threw myself on the bed too exhausted to do anything. The only energy I had was to pick up my remote control and switch on the TV.

My favorite channel MBC 4 had "Days of Our Lives" and since I'm not a fan of soap operas, I switched to my next favorite, MBC 2. Sadly, the movie "Spice World" was on and I was not about to waste a precious hour to watch a rerun of the Spice Girls. Thank you very much!

In desperation, I decided to see what's up with Kuwait. reruns of Ramadan programs...not in this life!! Sports...nope..news..I don't think so....finally, I landed on Al-Ray TV, I let go of the remote.

Sitting on the couch, surrounded with five young presenters was a young man that I couldn't quite tell where he was from. His hair was longer than average, stylish with blonde streaks, his skin was flawless and his features were precise. In fact, his overall demeanor was too elegant. His voice soft and rhythmic, calm if you will. He seemed so perfected that one would secretly wonder if he was gay but then again artists always looked that way. As I concentrated to hear his accent, it was Kuwaiti.

I listened intently to figure this person out. He..impressively rarely switched to English which some Educated (seen the world people) artists tend to do.(not that I would complain..considering I tend to switch disappointingly myself!)

As they returned from the commercial break, the presented said.."We continue our 7ewar ma3a Al Doctor was al fannan Mohammed Al-Makdasi...I was stunned...a Doctor?

I later heard them say that he was also a painter and a singer...and they presented us with his video clip...funny enough...it turned out to be in English...and not bad..he also had a blonde chick with him who..if I'm not mistaken was named Charisma!!!..

The presenters asked and asked question after question...clearly impressed by this man...and I have to say...the whole thing raised my curiosity...anybody out there know...Who is the real Mohammed Makdasi and what is his story?

P.S. I am happy to report that my friend did find her dog, he was found inside the fences of the Bayan Palace...I guess he wanted to be Royalty for a change!!

Ace Ventura - Kuwaiti Style

2005-11-18T10:15:00.000-08:00

Have you ever walked into a Kuwaiti Police Station asking if they've seen your dog?

In any other country, this would sound perfectly normal but when the three Bedouin policemen sitting at the reception having their tea looked up to see us (two women asking them if they'd seen this dog as they showed them a picture) the site of the men's faces was to die for! I just wish I had a camera at that moment to share their expression with you!

Here I was with one of my closest friends, an American who calls her dogs her babies at the police station trying to find her lost dog. He'd disappeared from her house for the past two days.

We had casually walked into the Bayan Police station wearing our jeans and T-shirt and with a voice to melt even the coldest of hearts I said "Low sama7t rifeejti al amreekiya thaya3t chalbha...tigdiroon tesa3doona?"

Granted I knew that my actions were ridiculous but being helpless in this situation, I felt it was necessary to leave no stones unturned. Besides, had they'd been saving a life rather than drinking tea, I would not have considered such extreme measures especially with a country that may not care too much for a man's bestfriend. Ok..I know not all...but on average! Not to mention the fact that I sometimes have been pleasantly surprised by the help of government employees so why not try.

The three stooges stared at us in disbelief and as always the sense of humor kicks in and the first young policemen says "Taboon terfa3oon kathiya 3ala al chalb?"

I giggled and turned to the older policemen who looked at us with distaste as he said bluntly "la walla ma nigdar nesa3ed".

Patiently, I said "e7na ma nabee shay, bass may 7'alif tegoloolna etha shoftooh?" as I handed the younger one the flyer that had the dog's picture. The Middle aged policemen who had been silent as he watched the whole scene suddenly said "Afa 3alaikum hathreen."

I could finally feel my tension release as we thanked them and walked out. At least one guy was kind enough to save me any more embarrassment! The main thing was that we tried. Whether they come through, only time will tell.

We then decided to scan the streets of Bayan with the three other dogs in the backseat as we stuck posters at jam3iyas. Of course being that we wanted to be professional, we'd ask for the manager of the jam3iya if we could have permission to hang the posters up. One Kuwaiti Manager looked at us and said with the typical sleazy smile..."El chalb hatha akeed 3azeez 3alaikum"..as he curled the end of his moustache....YUCK! Naturally I wanted to clobber him but we needed his help so I said the "ya366eek el 3afya" stuff and for once in my life I hoped this sleazy guy would actually call!

Next was to find the boys of the fareej, you know, boys of the hood kinda guys. Though I know some can be trouble but based on my experience, as soon as you ask the boys of the fareej for help, they come through in flying colors. Some said they'd never seen him, some cracked jokes that we're looking for a dog who's 15 years old "Oooollllla..min sijkum?!".they'd say..and some actually were on their bikes showing us were they'd seen the dog last.

Six hours later and still no dog as night time had sunk in as well as my friend's depression.

Though the day was full of adventures, sadly we have yet to find the dog so if you happen to have a heart, please help a lady find her baby...her blog is Rants and Raves please consider yourselves Ambassadors on a mission and make her feel that Kuwait has a heart...she's also mentioned a reward...but you bloggers don't look the type that care much for that...you'd simply do it 'coz you've got a heart...right?

Calling All Goddesses...Yes..You!

2005-11-12T10:13:00.000-08:00

Have you been feeling bored lately? Frustrated? Stressed? Running around so much, you'd qualify for the marathon? Has life been one thing after another and you wish you could just take a break? Worse, has there been nothing going on in your life that your mere existence is questionable? Maybe you just need a change or something different to do? Maybe you just need some girl power to get you grounded...Whatever it is...Never fear....The Female Bloggers are here..!

To register for the next Female Bloggers get together, please email Delicately Realistic our Goddess Coordinator to let her know that you're interested. Deadline to register will be Sunday, November 20th.

For the ladies not wishing to go that extra mile and attend, not to worry, we totally understand!

For the ladies who will be attending, don't forget to have your brag ready to be shared! All new female bloggers will be given a full training on the art of bragging so you definitely won't be alone!

Looking forward to hear some good old fashioned brag stories!

Until then...May the Art of Pleasure be with you!...ok..ok...so I got carried away....what can I say! Sue me!

Journal of A Single Gal in Q8 - Episode Ten

2005-11-11T00:52:00.000-08:00

From last episode...

"She stepped out of her car and walked slowly towards the entrance of the club. "Slowly, slowly, don't look rushed" she heard herself say.

From a distance, she could see someone standing at the reception and he looked like he was waiting for someone."

The closer she got to the reception desk the faster her heart beat and the louder it got. She kept telling her self to breath but even her thoughts could hardly be heard over the pounding of her heart.

He was leaning on the desk when she saw him slowly turn and finally they made eye contact. She nearly tripped when she saw his eyes. Her heart skipped a beat as she realized that they were baby blue or greenish-blue, maybe even light grey, she couldn't quite tell, all she knew was that they were beautiful.

"Hi" she heard herself say.

He smiled as he turned towards a small table in the corner of the reception area that had a coffee maker, a tea pot and some plastic cups. He gestured towards it as she followed him in a daze. She'd worn her flat boots and as she walked next to him, she realized that he was tall in comparison.

"Tea or Coffee?" he asked.

"Tea" she mumbled even though she wasn't even sure if that's what she wanted!

"Milk and Sugar?" he asked again.

"Yes" she replied. She hardly ever took her tea with milk or sugar. What was the matter with her? It was obvious that making a decision at that moment was too strenuous so she was blurting out whatever came to mind.

She suddenly realized that she'd been standing far too close to his broad shoulders. They may have chatted for over six months cyberly but in reality, he was practically a stranger. She stepped a feet away only to find herself moving closer to him again. It was as though a magnetic field was forcing her to stand closer to him. Finally, she crossed her arms in attempt to physically hold herself from moving any closer to him.

If this isn't chemistry then I don't know what is she thought to herself.

After her terrible experience with her first love, she had tried to feel that "chemistry" but it was never to be found. Her friends would constantly joke about it whenever they heard or saw her talking about a male friend. "Yeah, yeah, we know. No chemistry!" they'd say sarcastically. "So what's it like, this chemistry of yours?" her friend would ask curiously.

"You know when you're on a roller coaster and the deepest drop is just about to happen and then suddenly it's going so fast and you're laughing and crying all at the same time. You've lost all control but you're so happy it doesn't matter. Well, that's what it's kinda like." she'd reply as her friend would listen intently hoping to one day feel that feeling too.

What was it about this person that was making her feel like she was literally flying? Her entire physical being was being shaken to the core and she wondered if the outside world still existed.

Standing now, next to her blue eyed friend, she knew what she was feeling was out of the ordinary. In the distance she could hear him speak and she knew she was going to have to bring herself back to earth soon and hopefully utilize whatever percentage of brain that was left untarnished by this emotional invasion.

"I wasn't expecting you to look like this. I thought for sure that you'd be fat!" he was saying.

"Fat? Why?" she asked in surprise.

"Well, when we chatted, you always sounded cute, funny, smart and.." She interrupted him with a giggle and said "So you have to be a fat person to have those qualities?"

With an apologetic expression he replied "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it to sound like that. It's just that I was so worried. You're attractive and I was taken by surprise and it's making me nervous."

She was about to give him a lecture about being superficial and about being judgmental but then she quickly changed her mind. She did feel that people's appearances shouldn't matter but she realized she'd end up sounding like a typical double standard woman. Afterall, she'd been thinking exactly the same thing when she was driving to see him! She hoped he'd be cute too. At least he was being honest about his feelings, she concluded.

When she'd finally left and was on her way home, she was a bundle of emotions, part of her was on cloud nine with the excitement and part of her was feeling very depressed and worried. Her thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her mobile.

"So?" asked her sister.

"Oh my God. He's so nice and sweet but I'm depressed!" she said.

"Why?!" asked her sister in alarm.

"I don't know. I'm scared. Do I really want to fall in love again? It's scary" she replied. She didn't want to get hurt again and the thought was petrifying her even though she knew that falling in love was exactly what she wanted!

"You can't go on living in fear like that. It's a risk one has to take. Would you rather not know if he is THE ONE? Besides, whatever's meant to be is meant to be so stop looking at the glass being half empty, look at it as half full. You were hoping that something like this would happen so enjoy the feeling" said her sister passionately.

She knew her sister made sense but she couldn't help but feel worried. It was in her character to always worry about the unknown and she was always amazed when she stood in front of a crossroad in her life. How by taking one step to one particular path she would end up somewhere and how if she took a completely other path, she'd end up somewhere else entirely! She supposed that was the test that life was all about but she always wished if she could know the end result. Life would've been so much simpler! Given it would take away the excitement of the unknown but still, it would've been safer. Here she was at a crossroad. She could take the path that would lead her to love with the possibility of getting hurt or finding THE ONE or the other path of safety but lonely. The latter was definitely sounding less attractive.

Before she met him, she felt her life had been so redundant. Now that things had changed, she was happy that this turn of events was making her life a lot more exciting. She became quite aware of the difference when she'd walked into work the next week and found that the irritating people that used to bug her at the office didn't seem to bother her at all. It was like she was suddenly immuned to them and she loved it.

In fact, a few months back, she'd been so bugged at work that she'd submitted a proposal to go on a long term training at the office's headquarters in London to "enhance my skills" as she put it. She hoped a change of scene and getting away from all the weird people at the office would help her get rid of the feeling of redundancy in her life.

Her thoughts were interrupted as her boss walked into her office with a big smile on his face.

"So what are you going to give me when I give you the good news?" he asked with a smirk on his face. Her boss was a chubby short old man who looked exactly like a Bedouin Santa Claus. He treated her like his daughter and always loved to tease her.

"Bu Youssef, today's news is for money, tomorrow it's for free" she teased back.

"Ok, I'll tell you but I expect sweets from you tomorrow. Upper Management have approved your proposal and you're off to London in two weeks!

Her mouth dropped and she was lost for words.

How ironic were her last thoughts.

To be continued...

3eed with AbdulMajeed

2005-11-08T08:51:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Ramadan is finally over. It took me a while to actually absorb this fact and realize that life does actually go on once it is over! For a while I was having my doubts!

This Eid, I decided that I was going to celebrate it in some way that I can remember it i.e. to be able to remember it as the year I did this, whatever this may be! With that in mind, I decided to go with my family and friends and attend the Abdul Majeed Abdulla concert at the Sheraton.

With a3ab taking her kids to the park and seeing that side of Kuwait, Commercial Delight meeting up with relatives she hardly knew, I figured this other side of Kuwait was worth checking out.

Tickets were being sold for KD 100, KD 80, KD 60 and KD 40! I couldn't believe it but then again...desperate times called for desperate measures. If people were limited for choices, the business people took advantage. Typical!

Frankly, I do love Abdulmajeed but KD100 was ridiculous so we ended up going for the KD 60 which was still ridiculous but then again I wanted that something special so what the hell.

I started getting ready early. I knew such an event would require the extra make up to be part of the norm. I'm not an eyeshadow person but I enjoy being a chameleon and if the crowd was going to paint their faces tonight so was I! Besides, all those MAC and Bobby Brown products had to be used sometime!

Coming from a family that is always on time, we naturally arrived way too early! The ticket said 9:30 and we walked in at 10:00 and there was hardly anyone there. The buffet was open and people were asked to eat before the performance which ended up starting at 11:30 with Isma3eel Karam. We yawned and yawned, not that he wasn't any good but all we wanted was actually Abdulmajeed!

When he finally showed up, it was 12:30 pm and I did my ritual of complaining why do us Arabs always believe that the later the show the better. If you're in Egypt, the best part of the show would most likely start at 2:00 am, if you're in Lebanon, it's the same thing. What is it about this ridiculous habit, I just don't understand! My friend contributed that it was a great way to brag to your friends who didn't get to go that "we didn't get home till dawn!" hence it meant that we had a much better time than they did..sick excuse but I think she had something there!

Although I was there to watch Abdulmajeed and he was great as usual, the best part was actually checking out the crowd. This side of Kuwait was an absolute blast to watch. Everything glittered! Glittery vests, glittery belts, glittery skirts, glittery make up, glittery jewerly. Having put on that extra layer of make up, I thought I'd really out done myself but I lost terribly compared to the amount of make up that was on display on the ladies faces. All in all it was a lovely fashion show that showed me what was in and what was out!

In the end, we had a wonderful time. The only real problem was that we had to share four chairs with two other couples who looked like they'd just had a fight in the car and were totally miserable. I was very much tempted to ask if someone had beaten them up before they arrived. It felt odd to be clapping for Abdulmajeed while they sat right next to us looking like statues.

Both girls were very pretty but had such a miserable look on their faces, I actually felt it ruined their beauty. The two guys with them spent most of the time giving us girls a look that said "hey, check me out". So much so that I was very much tempted to tell the girls "could you tell the guy with you to stop staring" but then I figured she looked miserable enough so there was no need.

In closure, I was happy that I'd done something different this year and got to check out what that side of Kuwait was doing. I stored it in my files of experience that I hope to utilize the next time round i.e make sure no one gets to share our table, dress up like a Christmas tree, add an extra ton of eyeshadow and sit like a statue! On second thought, I think I'll stick to attending Arabic concerts in Lebanon, bet you a million you won't see one person sitting on their chair let alone being a statue!

3eedkum Embarak, Happy Birthday Samboose..Tagged

2005-10-31T14:25:00.000-08:00

With a duplicate of a Marlyn Monroe voice...please join me as we sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our special Godess blogger Samboose...Have a wonderful birthday and may all your dreams come true...

Also a very warm 3eedkum Embarak to all the special bloggers out there..and speaking of special bloggers...I have been tagged by our Godess Delicately Realistic..yet again...so here goes:

Seven Things I Plan To Do:

1. Win a Million Dinars
2. Get married for love
3. Have children for the same reason
4. Own my own property
5. Make a difference in the world
6. Have a position in this world that will help me to achieve number 5
7. Get a nobel prize for having created the ideal method that saves the world from war, disease and poverty...(now if I can just think of what that method would be!)...

Seven Things I Can Do:

1. Write poetry
2. Do Yoga and meditation
3. Wake up at 5 o'clock in the morning and drive one hour to see the sunset on a remote beach south of Kuwait all alone
4. Stand in front of a large audience and give a speech, rap or say a poem
5. Stand infront of a video camera and talk for hours
6. Dance endlessly in front of my mirror in my room
7. Ball my eyes out crying when watching the news especially when related to kids

Seven Things I Can't Do:

1. Lie (God I wish I could!)
2. Stay mad at someone I care about for too long
3. Be rude
4. Be cruel
5. Take a decision without asking someone close to me their opinion
6. Be controlled
7. Socialize day in and day out without having any "me" time

Seven Things I Say Most Often:

1. How Exciting!
2. Exactly!
3. You're kidding!
4. Ba3ad Chabdi
5. Aham Shay!
6. Wanaaasa!
7. and the new one I'm begining to use...Liman Yajru2 faka9...comes in handy when you're pissed off at someone!

Seven People I Want to Pass This Tag To:
1. Samboose..our birthday girl!
2. Salted Caramel..the..now you see her..now you don't girl
3. Enterprenuer...the shopper in strange places..
4. William...the guy who hangs out with the guy bloggers
5. Unknown Entity...the gal that hangs out with the girl bloggers
6. Waterlili..the lili with the plant that has a baby face..
7. Sou...the one with the cute purple icon that sounds like fun..

Have a wonderful 3eeed!

Female Bloggers Gabga Results

2005-10-28T17:19:00.000-07:00

Pssst....wanna hear about the Female Bloggers Gabga...you've come to the right place!

First, allow me to send a warm bloggers hello to all the Ladies who I was honored to meet! Ladies, it was a pleasure meeting you all and as agreed, you are now part of the Godess Clan so don't forget your brags for next time!

The restaurant was dimmed just the way we liked it, lest we are recognized..;)...(FBI meeting??)

The darkness didn't stop bloggers from recognizing each other. Some arrivals on the scene walked in nervously to the table. They were, however, welcomed by all with laughter and warm smiles. It took only two minutes for everyone to feel like they've known each other for years and nervousness went out the window.

We had two pisces, two scorpios and a few others. The table was indeed full of passionate women all happy to be bonding with each other. Time flew by too fast as it normally does when you're having fun!

Ladies, thank you for sharing your time and wonderful personalities with me.

I can't wait for next time!

You ROCK!

P.S. Names of Bloggers have remained anonymous...what? You didn't think I'd tell all did ya??

Journal of a Single Gal in Q8 - Episode Nine

2005-10-24T15:37:00.000-07:00

From last episode..

"Maybe she should've known that they may not end up together based on the way they'd met. Sometimes it was hard to believe that they actually met that way.

It all began a few summers ago when she had been visiting her sister in the States."

It had been a fun summer. Her sister would attend her classes while she discovered that cooking for someone you love was actually fun. She was not one to cook but knowing that her sister would come back hungry from college made her motivated to actually enter the kitchen and make an attempt. She would read from her favorite Kuwaiti cook book knowing humuoursly that it was actually written for expatriates but it was perfect. She'd found it at the Kuwait Bookshop at Muthana and she loved the picture of the cover with the Dallah and coffee cups.

Her sister, who was a great cook would often compliment her on her cooking which used to make her laugh. She just couldn't see herself as a great cook. She believed her cooking was an expression of love and that was the only reason she was in the kitchen cooking. Other than that, she knew that cooking was just not for her. When her mother would ask her what she planned to do when she got married, she'd smile and say "Catering from my sister, of course!"

During the free hours she'd have, while she'd finished cooking and waiting for her sister, she'd often log on the net and explore sites. On occasion she'd even visit chat rooms. She would judge her interest with the people she chatted with based on the first three sentences. If they asked the right questions, she'd continue chatting but if they asked lame questions, she'd just disconnect. It didn't take long that she found one particular nickname that caught her interest.

They'd discuss various issues like politics, music, career and everthing else that she felt passionate towards. They would agree on so many things and argue for hours on other things and she loved it. He was intelligent, patient and interesting. A combination that no doubt caught her attention.

When it was time for her to leave the States, she'd shared her secret admirer story with her sister. They were driving down the highway heading to the airport as she spilt the beans.

"I told you never to give up, someone is out there for you. Maybe it's him," said her sister with a smirk on her face. "Like I said, I believe that story about the coins. You know, the one that God threw half coins from the sky and for every half coin there's the other half that you have to find. Maybe he's your other half, who knows" she comforted her.

Her sister knew that lately she'd been feeling very down about finding someone special in her life and that she was on the verge of giving up. It had only been a few weeks ago that she'd given her a lecture about never giving up. "He's out there somewhere," she'd say but that was always her, the optimist.

When she'd finally reached Kuwait, she kept roaming the streets wondering what he looked like. They continued to chat on line for six months when they'd finally agreed to meet. Luckily, it was Christmas time and her sister was home for the holidays and they were both excited that she was finally going to meet him. She needed the comfort of her sister.

"What do you think I should wear?" she desperately asked.

"Just be yourself, wear what makes you comfortable," answered her sister.

"Then it's got to be jeans," she replied.

She stood infront of the mirror as her heart began to pound. She wore her stone washed jeans, a black top with a black blazer and her favorite black cowboy boats.

"You're going to wear your cowboy boats?!" asked her sister looking horrified.

"You said wear what makes you comfortable and besides, if he doesn't like my style then he aint my style! Right?!" she replied.

Her sister smiled, nodded her head in agreement and finally added "Call me as soon as you're heading home. Oh and where are you meeting exactly? How are you gonna know each other? Shall I follow you, just in case?"

"We're meeting at the club by the Squash courts so it's a public place and so I'm safe. He told me he'll be carrying a red rose with him. Oh my God, how cliche! I can't believe I'm doing this! God! Ok, one more question and I'm gonna chicken out." she replied.

It was time she was on her way and she quickly kissed her sister goodbye and heard her yell out behind her "Good luck!".

As she drove to her destination, she could hear herself think. "Oh God, what if he's ugly? Looks aren't everything but what if he's gross? Looks aren't everything. What if he stinks? Looks aren't everything. OK. I can't breath. Damn it. Please God, let him be cute. Don't be so superficial for heaven's sake. I know. I know but please, make him cute anyway!" Her mind was going so fast that she couldn't keep up with it.

By the time she parked her car outside the club, she was a bundle of nerves. She took a deep breath and had her final conversation with God. "Whatever happens God, please don't let him be a psychopath!"

She stepped out of her car and walked slowly towards the entrance of the club. "Slowly, slowly, don't look rushed" she heard herself say.

From a distance, she could see someone standing at the reception and he looked like he was waiting for someone.

To be continued....

Far From the Maddening Crowd

2005-10-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Right after Fu6oor my friend past by to ask if I felt like going out. The thought of all that traffic gave me a headache so we came up with the idea of heading South. We drove down highway 40 as the Americans would call it and ended up at Al-Kot Mall in Fahaheel. I honestly felt like I'd travelled out of Kuwait. It was amazing. We sat infront of the singing water fountains, the weather was brilliant and the sound of music was the perfect addition to an Arabian night. As I watched the fountains dance away, I could see the reflection of the moon on the water and what a lovely sight that was. Picture perfect, right out of a postcard.

The amazing thing was everybody was so civil. There were no loud kids you'd normaly see walking around Marina Mall. Just everyone going about their business and nobody hassled us or stared at us or anything. It was an enlightening experience that I highly recommend for anyone wanting to get away from it all. Oh and in case you needed to shop for Eid, they had some nice shops too without the crazy crowd.

And they say you have to get on a flight for a change of scene...hey...it took 25 minutes and I came back refreshed...much cheaper...wouldn't you say?

Female Bloggers Gabga

2005-10-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

After surfing a few blogs and noticing that most of my favourites are bored, frustrated or depressed...myself included..I feel that something's gotta give..so Ladies...anybody interested in getting together for a female blogger gabga?...(no dara3as necessary). I know that there are some female bloggers that wish to remain anonymous...so the rule is that you can show up but you don't have to give your bloggers name..nor your real name...just show up and we'll have a table reserved under the name "female blogger"..we all vote on a location and time...we all meet without saying who we are..what do you say? and sorry...no men allowed...female bonding bloggers only...Ladies...you game?

P.S. It's proven that female bonding can relieve women of stress, depression or boredom...(given that you end up liking the women of course!) What say you?

Journal of a Single Gal in Q8 - Episode Eight

2005-10-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

From last episode..

"She found the whole episode embarrassing and told her friend that it was time to leave so she said her goodbyes as she and her friend went inside the nearby mall. She didn't need to turn around to figure out that he was following them as they entered Liz Claiborne. She had just grabbed one of the shirts on display when she sensed his presence right next to her."

"Excuse me, I believe you dropped something," she heard him say as she turned to face him. Her heart began to race. She hated embarressing moments when she just didn't know how to act. He quickly handed her a pen with a piece of paper attached to it then turned and walked away. Her friend had been eyeing the situation from the other side of the shop and paced hurridly towards her to ask her what he'd said. She slipped the pen in her bag and told her that she'd forgotten her pen and he'd past it to her. She didn't like to lie to her friend but she'd just been complaining about Mr. Big and she didn't want to look like a hypocrite.

It had been two weeks since she'd last spoken to Mr. Big. The year was coming to an end so she'd told him that it was time they dealt with reality and that they should break up.

"What do you mean you want to break up?" his voice aggrivated "People "break up" when they're teenagers which we're not. Besides it takes two people to break up and I'm not agreeing to this." She knew it wasn't going to be easy. Maybe she should've just made up her mind and stopped answering his calls but she knew that everytime she'd see his number, she'd pick it up.

If her Mom hadn't yelled and screamed when she'd first approached her about the idea of getting married to him, things might've been different but ever since then, her Mom had changed with her and she just didn't feel happy about it. The stress had been too much for her and she just wanted to stop feeling guilty and the only thing she could do was try to leave him.

She needed something to preoccupy herself from calling him and maybe this guy could do that. These were her thoughts when she finally was alone in her room and was staring at the number.

"Hello. Thank you for returning the pen that was originally not mine" she told him. Let's hope he has a sense of humour she thought to herself.

"Hello! No problem" he laughed. (So far so good, she thought)"You're very pretty by the way," he continued.

"Thank you," she could feel herself blush.

"I also like you're style," he said and she thanked him again.

"Do you know any other words besides thank you?" he asked.

He was being sarcastic and she wasn't sure whether to be sarcastic back or just ignore it.

"Sorry but I don't know what else to say when someone compliments me. So tell me more about you. I noticed that you gave me two numbers; a mobile and a house number" she answered.

"Yes, I live alone. I used to be married but I'm divorced now and live by myself. My ex-wife and kids don't live in Kuwait."

"I see" she said.

"I'd rather talk about you and I'd like to give you a few words of advise. I do like you're style but it needs a bit of work. For instance, I noticed that when you were sitting down that you had your handbag on the floor. That's very bad" he said.

"Excuse me?" she asked. (WTF, she thought to herself)

"Yes, it's not becoming at all. How can you put your bag on the floor. First, it's a very uncivilized thing to do, second it's bad luck." he retorted.

"Uncivilized?" her blood was begining to boil but her curiosity was getting the better of her and she wanted to hear more of what he had to say.

"Yes. I mean you spoilt the entire image of yourself when you put your bag on the floor and even though I liked what you were wearing it was more wintery and it's not even winter yet. I know you'll appreciate my advise. I think it's important to take care of your image and of course I'm letting you know what I like in women. The most important thing for me when I'm sitting with a woman is the way she carries herself. Image is everything," he said quite frankly.

That was all he needed to say.

"Forgive me for interrupting your session of consultation but first, I believe you've mistaken me for a bimbo, which I'm not. You know, the ones that put their teeny weeny prada bags on their laps and need someone like you to run their lives. Second, I'd much rather be sitting crosslegged and I mean like my ancestors used to sit, yoga style than to sit like the "little lady" your describing. Third, I'm not your ex-wife for you to advise me on anything and I am definately not surprised you have an ex since you have issues and definately need therapy yourself. If you'll excuse me, I believe I have much more intelligent things to do than to scrutinize my personality based on where I put my bag. Thank you and good bye".

She hung up and threw her mobile on the bed. "Of all the rotten, peice of crap," the swear words weren't coming out as fast as she'd wanted them to. "Who the hell did he think he is." She'd been so angry that she finally realised that she'd forgotten to breath. She took three deep breaths and suddenly began to smile. The whole thing was too funny. Talk about a guy with controlling issues! Poor ex-wife, no wonder she left him!

"They're sick. they're sick. They're sick" the mantra was making her feel better but she still couldn't believe it.

Two weeks later, she'd bumped into him at an exhibition and she hoped he wouldn't approach her but he did.

"You look very pretty" he said. Sick, sick, sick. Her mantra was coming back to her.

She nodded to him as she walked away. She wanted to be at least one million miles away from him. Sick, that he'd say that she looked pretty but that was so typical. It didn't matter that she'd given him a piece of her mind and told him to go lay an egg. All that mattered was that she looked pretty and the look on his face of "let's try again." made her even angrier. Idiot!

When she'd finally closed the phone, she'd weakend and called her Mr. Big. He was so excited to hear her voice and told her that he was hoping that she'd call.

"By the way, you remember when I told you that we have to break up because I need to meet other people?" she asked him.

"Yes" he replied reluctantly.

"Well, I want to tell you about something that happened to me that you're not going to believe" she was still angry about the incident and wanted to get it off her chest even though she knew that he was not going to like it.

"I have a feeling that I'm not going to want to hear this so please don't tell me" he said.

"Don't you want me to be honest?" she asked.

"That's the problem. You are too honest and it drives me crazy. I really think I'd rather not know." he said.

"Ok. Forget it," she replied.

"God, I hate this. Fine, tell me. What have you done?" she could tell he was already upset before even hearing the story.

"No. Forget it. I don't want you to get mad at me but the story is kinda stupid and funny at the same time so that's why I thought you'd find it funny," she replied.

She told him the story without mentioning how she'd actually met him. He was furious.

Although her sister always advised her that she should never be too honest when it came to the opposite sex, since it would backfire, she still wouldn't listen because telling him always made her feel better, regardless of the outcome.

"I hope you're happy with yourself that you let a nobody who knows nothing about you or about who you are to tell you all that," he yelled. "You know, I don't blame him. He probably thought you're one of those girls who likes to be treated that way. How would he know that he's dealing with an independent and intelligent girl that doesn't like to be pushed around. Sometimes I think you enjoy it! You enjoy taking people by surprise by letting them think that you're one thing and then showing them something entirely unexpected. I know you told him that he needs therapy but in reality you need it too," he continued.

He went on and on and then suddenly went quite and told her that he had to go. He needed to be alone. She tried to argue with him but it was no use and so she reluctantly told him that she was sorry and then hung up.

She began to wonder if her image did imply that she was a bimbo. Maybe that's why the type of men she kept encountering were so weird. She felt confused. Was it her image that needed fixing or was the society so superficual that they presumed a pretty girl must be stupid or the type that likes to be pushed around? She couldn't get it.

Thank God, this Ramadan she knew nothing of the sort would happen again. She'd promised to stay away from all the crowded places and to stick to just seeing close friends. The only similarity was that she'd told her Mr. Big that she was breaking up with him all over again and this time she hoped it would be for real.

Maybe she should've known that they may not end up together based on the way they'd met. Sometimes it was hard to believe that they actually met that way.

It all began a few summers ago when she had been visiting her sister in the States.

To be continued...

Tagged by Delicately Realistic!

2005-10-12T17:03:00.000-07:00

Yes, I've been tagged by Delicately Realistic and for some reason I get the feeling that delicately realistic is actually delicate..:)..Here goes:

1. Last movie you saw in a theater: Oh my God..it's been so long that I can't remember..too bad...life's just been too busy to go to the movies..I hate that!

2. What book are you reading? "You, Your manual to a healthy life by Dr. Oz"

3. Favorite board game? Too many...Pictionary...scrabble...Trivial Pursuit..etc.

4. Favorite magazine? Cosmopolitan baby!

5. Favorite smell? The smell of my house just before my parents are about to have a party, Bakhoor, de7en 3ood kambodee and Stella McCartny

6. Favorite food? by countries...Japanese (sushi), Kuwaiti (Em6abak Ezbaidi & Machboose Diyay), American (Hotdogs and french fries), Lebanese (homous, mutabal and Riyash), Palestinian (Emsakhan), Iranian (khoboz Iranee), Egyptian (Dagag ma7shi)..have I missed anybody out...oh..Chinese (Shrimp on toast)..ok..I'm getting hungry now!

7. Favorite sound? When I double click on "My connection" to get connected to the internet...you know..the 6ee 6aaa..shhhh...and finally..I am connected.:)

8. Worst feeling in the world? To be afraid...very afraid..

9. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up? I ask myself if I'm on the right track in my life..(I hardly ever am!)

10. Favorite fast food place? McDonald's.

11. Future child's name? Girls: Dareen, Hind, Boys: Fahad, Tarek, Faris

12. Finish this statement. If I had a lot of money I'd quit my job, start my novel and buy an apartment building and rent it out to have more money to share the wealth with the rest of my extended family

13. Do you drive fast? Nope...my friends bug me about it when I have to follow them somewhere...(I like my life and don't like scarying myself silly..thank you very much)

14. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? No..I prefer my stuffed pillow

15. Storms, cool or scary? Scary...I always end up reading the Quran during it

16. What was your first car? Golden Honda Prelude

17. Favorite drink? KDD chocolate milk and the Toffee Nut Late at Starbucks (served only in December for the holiday season)

18. Finish this statement, "If I had the time I would...": Write my novel, do yoga more often, do more of massages, pedicures, facials, etc.

19. Do you eat the stems on broccoli? Yes but only since I discovered that they're good for me.

20. If you could dye your hair any color, what would be your choice? Blonde...I'm actually considering it these days...madri laish..just tempted to go from Henna coloured hair to blonde...talk about a change!...(dunno if I'd do it in reality though...bass 7achi!)

21. Name all the different cities/ towns you have lived in? Surra, Jabriya, Los Angeles, Bahrain

22. Half empty or half full? On a good day...have full...on a bad day..half empty

23. Favorite sports to watch? Ice Skating

24. One nice thing about the person who tagged you? Like I said..I believe she's delicate...and she's also intellegint and sweet

25. Morning person, or night owl? While on vacation..definately a night owl...for the rest of the year...definately a morning person...:)

26. Over easy, or sunny side-up? The egg or me...if it's the egg I prefer sunny side up...if it's me...well...with my moods being so unpredictable..I can't answer that!

27. Favorite place to relax? Mina Al-Zour beach...my room...my sister's house

28. Favorite pie? Sorry...I don't like pies...I'm more into cheese cakes...warbat...kunafa...

And now for my tag list:

I would like to tag commercial delight, Samboose and Stallion....Enjoy!