Help me to speak

I was thinking about how frustrating it would be to have an uncontrollable stutter, after I had a word at the tip of my tongue but that wouldn't quite making out in the midst of a presentation.

I searched for information about stuttering (stammering in British English) and found this documentary. It's very good. Great if you need a good cry.

I am grateful for being able to say my name without any trouble. (Seriously, that part just about killed me!)

Meet my roommate

Meet my roommate. Let's call her BIG-ASS FLYING INSECT for anonymity's sake. She moved in Wednesday night. We are not on good terms. In fact, I left for the weekend, the door was kept ajar. She was still buzzing around when I came back Saturday night. Take a hint!

I think she loves me.

I hate her and hope she dies (soon!).

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EDA: As of Sunday afternoon, Big-Ass flying insect, whose name was changed to Kalba towards the end of our relationship, had moved out of my room. Her whereabouts are unknown. Good riddance, Kalba, I hope to never see you nor your kin ever again.

Mirror,mirror: Litmus test

Name the five people you interact with most. Not the ones you like most, not the people you'd like be around more...the ones you actually interact with most.

Someone (actually I think it was Ahmed Shugairi) told me that they reflect who you are today.

I've been counting my virtual friends (people I know in real life but live far away) as one person.

On another note, it's a really good test to see if you are where you need to be to become the person you want to be.

I'm happy to say that my life is better today than it was a year ago. I actually like the people I interact with. Yay!

You know you have siblings when...

1) You can't walk up the stairs with someone behind you without running and looking back.

2) You keep the remote control hidden while you're watching TV, and if you have to leave the living room for any reason you either hide it in a better place or take it with you.

3) Whenever your parent's call your name, you scream "It wasn't me!"

4) The home phone rings right next to you but you won't pick up because it's probably for someone else. (And if you do answer, you always say they're out...afterall if they wanted to be on the phone they should've picked it up themselves.)

5) The bumps on your head are a witness to the many times you were a moving target for whatever game they were playing.

6) You can keep embarrassing stories about each other from the public. You know enough that most of the time no one says anything because it's mutual assured destruction.

7) You find the most creative hiding spots; you know someone's going to snoop.

8) You can eavesdrop on conversations happening two floors down; potential blackmail material.

9) Self-defense classes? who needs those...you mean the rest of the population doesn't know that when you're being attacked you grab on tight and scream with all your might? You learned this before you learned to walk. (And you have the 'locking grip' where no one can take anything from your hands.)

10) You're very skeptical of requests like, "Put your hand over your face..." Your response is always "no way, get away from me..." a.k.a. "wa5er...yoooooma!"

Pass go, do NOT collect $200

Parliament dissolved (surprise!) Elections to be held May 17, 2008.

I love elections in Kuwait; it's very festive and there's always a lot to do. (And this time my voting district doesn't suck! Yippppeeeeeeee!!! )

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This is what we wanted two years ago (barely) when the bill was passed to have the number of voting districts reduced to five from 25...hopefully this next Parliament will be better equipped to serve the country :) Also, let's give the government time to grow a pair...

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الكويت مازالت جميلة... تفاءلوا

Today marks 100 days in jail for Saudi Blogger Fouad Al-Farhan.

Next up: HOPE for Kuwait

If anyone's paying attention...Hope is a good campaign slogan.

Future candidate if you're reading this...saying this to me will get you my vote...(in so many words):

This was one of the tasks we set forth at the beginning of this campaign - to continue the long march of those who came before us, a march for a more just, more equal, more free, more caring and more prosperous America(read:Kuwait). I chose to run for the presidency(read: parliament) at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for of children and our grandchildren.

In case you missed it, that was part of Barack Obama's speech on race he made in Pennsylvania yesterday.(Nerd alert: 38 minutes of powerful themes and eloquent delivery.)



His speeches are inspirational, healing in a way. I'd like to hear that here.

Call it whatever you want: political maturity. Theatrics. Speech writing. Flag-filled backgrounds. Impressive Orators. Well-groomed people. Cheesy sound bytes. I want it here.

I'm sick of the childish antics of the cabinet, our juvenile representatives and our moronic voters.
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In other news, on the other side of the globe, yesterday I bought mascara. My choices were a "blacker black" and regular old black; who knew black came in "light" and "dark"?! Good ol'black...you'll always be black enough for me. (And yes my lashes are as important as the American election/Kuwaiti political mess if not more.)

Look Baba Sabah! NO HANDS!!!

USA - Santa Monica - Pacific Park Rollercoaster 2
Originally uploaded by darrell godliman

The Kuwaiti cabinet resigned.

Chances are the parliament will be dissolved soon.

Interesting time to be in Kuwait; one of the few times I'm glad I'm here and not living somewhere else.

This is like being on top of a roller-coaster ride and having that anxious feeling about going down full-speed.

Can't get off now.

Hold on tight.

It's gonna be a fun ride.

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Dear Diary,

The craziest thing happened to me today. Standing in line at a Starbucks, a girl in front of me keeps looking at me and looking away. I was smiling at her. As we waited for our drinks, the girl comes up to me, smiles, and asks if she could ask a personal question.

"Maybe," I said with a smile.
"Where do you usually get your makeup done for weddings," she asked.

I was really confused because I'd just left a 3aza (paid my respects to a mourning family, aka wake without a body) so I had no makeup on.

"I do it on my own," I said with a puzzled look on my face.
"This is really strange...right? But here's my number, I love your face! I feel like I could do wonders with it. I'd do it for free."

"Aaaaah....mashkoora (thank you). Do you have a salon or something..?"
"No, I'm just starting out...but I'm crazy about makeup"

I'm not sure if that was a compliment or someone trying to tell me I'm in desperate need of a makeover.



I am a magnet to weird situations. I guess that's why people around here don't smile at strangers.

Not Summer is officially over.

Heating up in Kuwait
Originally uploaded by yo ghurt

"Not Summer" is over. I've turned on the A/C for two nights now.

Welcome to Kuwait, where it's either Summer or not Summer.

That's to say it's not fall (absolutely no foliage), not winter (not cold enough and I don't care what Kuwaitis say about their winters getting through to the bone), and not spring (maybe a little spring in February).

I hate Kuwait's summer (which lasts from late March to November). From November to early March it's "not Summer".

The only redeeming factor to Kuwait's summer is that it's dry and not humid. Stickiness is the only thing I hate more than heat (sorry Jeddah, Dubai.)

Now I'm off to make sure I have my car's summer gear in it: driving gloves, shades and an extra pair of sunglasses. Oh the joy!

Things to look forward to: swimming, jetskiing and icecream. (And feeling the "not Summer" breeze again in November.)

Spell Rich.

Inspired by both this and this post:


1) What does being rich mean to you? "How do you define richness?"



2) What motivates you in life?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since I asked it's only fair that I answer first,

1) Money to me means more options. So rich is having a solid house and car, i.e. not falling apart, having enough to travel or be pampered--not necessarily extravagantly) every once in a while. (If I have children it would include not worrying about children's schools/tuition.)

Rich is not a new car every two years, a new purse every week and expensive restaurants everyday. It's just not in me. (If I was a billionaire, I'd probably ride an old boat to my private island.)


I guess even without a full-time job right now I'd consider myself rich.


2) I'm not sure yet. But I know that money is not a strong motivator for me. As long as I have my needs met* and can meet a few wants every now and then, I'm fine. I think serving some sort of purpose is a stronger motivator, but I can't say that with certainty because I haven't really found a "purpose" to serve.






* There seems to be some confusion about my job situation. At one point I said I'm a reporter, at another place I said I met with a client...I've been getting hate-mail calling me a liar (someone needs to get a life rather than trying to find holes in my frivolous blog.)

I'm freelancing right now but I worked as a reporter for awhile. I'm thinking about going back to news writing part-time. We'll see. But I do meet with clients every once in as part of my freelance stuff. I am looking for a full-time job though...Hope I cleared up the confusion?!! I hope this doesn't come up if I ever decide to run for office...yeeesh people. get a life.

My heart goes out to every PLRB

I ran into someone I know a few days ago.

The dude, let's call him Yo!Yo!, is the son of a self-made millionaire.

Poor little rich boy.

The dude, who's a couple of years younger than I am, is graduating university this year. And that is the only thing going for him. (Actually, I think his father could be the only thing going for him...but whatever.)

Yo!Yo! is rich, not particularly good looking, doesn't have a great personality, has a horrible attitude towards life--very entitled, yes even more than "normal" in Kuwait--and thinks every girl is dying for him to look at her. (They might be...but, seriously, once he opens his mouth...it's all gone.) To put it kindly he's a very tall "little" person.

Anyway, I stopped to say hi and asked what he's been up to and all those niceties... and he goes,

"Wallah, mako..." (nothing.)

He's going to graduate and do nothing. He might work with his father (his father is the Chairman of a publicly traded company). He might not. We'll see. He's definitely going "to breathe some fresh air" after graduation somewhere.

His words have been steeping in my mind for a few days now, infusing with my quarter-life crisis.

No, I still don't really have a clear idea of what I want from life. But I'm glad I'm not in Yo!Yo!'s position.

I could match what my parent's have achieved and if I work hard enough I could have my parent's quality of life. People aren't always comparing me to my parents because many don't know my parents. (Aside from me being a girl and people not expecting much from girls anyway...)

His father is a well-known man. Although Yo!Yo! will probably inherit seventy times as much as I'll ever make but he'll always live in his father's shadow. If he messes up, it's public. That's a very high benchmark for a very "little" person.


I know...it's hard to feel sorry for very rich people. But I do.

My heart goes out to every little rich boy (and girl...but mostly boys).*




* How sexist...girls can be frivolous air-headed underachievers but not boys?!

Wanted: a sweet family to adopt me

I'm looking for a new home.

If your family fulfills the following criteria please consider me for adoption:

1) Your family doesn't watch Al-Watan TV. Especially not Khalid Al-Abduljaleel and Taw Illail.

2) Your family has a wasta at the traffic department to get me a permit for my tinted car windows.

3) You do not have children between the ages of 0-16 living at home.

4) The food served is delicious.

5) Your laundry room is accessible. (I'd like to be able to do my own laundry.)

6) Your family doesn't discuss celebrity gossip around the dining table.

7) You have an endless supply of Arabic coffee.

8) People answer the phone when it rings.

9) You have highspeed wireless internet.

10) You promise to appreciate my humor.

Bonus points if you're house has a view.

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I love my family. I'm not looking to replace them, I'm looking to--errr--supplement them. We're just not a good match (Part of being a Third Culture Kid, I guess.)

علل ما يلي

photo courtesy "Kuwait Police" courtesy of chek chak, flickr

I got pulled over by a cop* yesterday for having my car windows tinted, yes it's illegal here.

My car, a black sedan, has tinting on all four windows but the tinting is not dark at all. It's the lightest shade of tint available. But it's still illegal.

I've had it tinted since last summer when I had nausea problems and was getting extremely carsick during the day.

The darker windows somewhat helped the nausea and are a relief in the summer when it's a million degrees out.

Anyhoooo, so I get pulled over by a cop on a highway as I'm going about 10 km's above the speed limit but so was everyone else.

---------------
The cop walks up to my window to tell me that my tinting is illegal.

"I know but honestly it's not even dark," I tell him as I pull my window up to prove how light the tinting is.

"I know it's light but it's illegal," he says.

"Bes wallah, Allah la yableek, I can't handle the sun," I say, which I realize as the words come out that I sound like the Kuwait's biggest dalooo3a ditz,

"like medical concerns not dala3."

"If that's the case you should get a permit," he says.

"I tried the black window sun shades, but they blocked my side mirrors,"

" which ones...the ______ (insert word I didn't recognize).."

"oh, is that what they're called?..I just call them malooot imwa3ad.." (the ones used for dating) HOW INAPPROPRIATE! I can't believe I said that...

"Eee..."he says with a chuckle, "bes tarra it's illegal and I should give you a ticket but I won't...at least tint your back windows and keep the front ones clear"

"why would I do that? I drive from the front seat :/"

"I saw you driving past and I was surprised, a girl driving a tinted car...and you look respectable... ya3ni madree...3aib"


Then he adds, "darb ilsalama yuba...tuwakalay 3la Allah and take the tinting off." And he walks away.














* The cop wasn't a shady guy at all. I've dealt with a LOT of cops in the past, for many reasons including some work-related, and I can tell a decent cop from a sleaze-ball (most of the time).

This guy seemed more amused by/concerned for me, than bored/looking for a good time. And he's not in the picture above.

Sugar and Pshshshshshshshshsh!

Since the birth of the new nephew, Lizard, we've had people over several times a week.

Every few days I run out to get something to serve these people. Usually, since they don't stay very long, it's just savory pastries to serve with tea and something sweet to serve with coffee.

I usually go to Sugar and Spice, a bakery at the Shuwaikh Co-op, for the food. It's conveniently close, delicious and generally not crowded.

I never had a problem with their customer service till today.

My sister's having her friend's over today. So I drove to Sugar and Spice.

I walked into the bakery with two dishes to be filled with bite-sized dessert. Each plate would fit about 1/2 a kilo of these desserts (which are sold by weight) I look around, select two kinds, one for each platter. (The caramel brownies and the raspberry bars -- chocolate and non-chocolate as you'd typically serve.)

Both desserts are available.

But, the Filipino saleslady tells me, I can either buy a kilo of each, which is clearly waaaayyy more than a need. Or a split platter with the two kinds of dessert I chose which would total half a kilo; about half the amount I need.

"So I can only buy one kilo or a quarter kilo from each kind?"I asked.
"Yes," the saleslady said.

"Why can't you open the kilo plates, since they were going to put them in my platters anyway, put half in my platters then repackage them as half a kilo?" I wondered because I've pre-ordered before and it was done with ease.

"We can't ma'am," she said.

"Okay, then do you have another mixed platter like this one? With another 1/4 kilo each that way I can buy two?"

"No."

"Is there another kind of dessert that you do have two platters?"

"No."

"What can I do now?"

"Buy the one kilo each ma'am or buy the quarter kilo each ma'am."

"But the one kilo's too much and the quarter kilo's not enough."

"I'm sorry ma'am."

"I don't understand why you can't open the one kilo plates, since its not a food safety issue, and you're gonna open it to put it in my platter anyway?"

"We can't ma'am we have to write it down. What do I tell them when half of it is missing?"

"That you sold it to a regular customer that only wanted half?"

"No ma'am. I can't do that."

"Fine. Can I have my plates back please? Bye."

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Was I being unreasonable? Or is customer service so bad in Kuwait that I had to take what she was offering.

Anyway, I figure there's a bakery for every 1.34 person in Kuwait. I doubt I'm going back to Sugar and Spice again anytime soon.

They lost a regular customer because of...well, either a lazy saleslady who doesn't want to be inconvenienced by repackaging, or a store policy.

Either way, I think it was a reasonable request and I left quite annoyed at the inconvenience of driving somewhere else to get something that this store was carrying but refusing to sell.

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Oh and I got the desserts and the pastries from The Danish Bakery in Yarmouk where the store clerk happily filled my small order without any problems :D

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It's been a weird day, on my way to Yarmouk from Shuwaikh, I saw a really crazy car crash at an intersection.

And got pulled over by a cop for tinting my car windows. (I'll probably blog about that later.)

V Questions.

1) Why do Kuwaitis have a thing about Qatar? What is it about? When did it start?


2) Why do older sisters assume that you're at their beck and call? (And then get pissed at you when you say no?)


3) Why do "enlightened" 7athar make fun of bedu then saying that they're all for equality and have nothing against them in the next breath? (If you're gonna be racist, at least acknowledge that you are!)


4) Why do people refuse to use their turn signals when they're turning? (And they turn at full speed...so no brakes either.) Oh while we're at it....why do people drive expensive cars when they can't afford to fix their burnt-out brake lights?


5) Why do girls pin their hijab's on both sides making a straight-edge across their foreheads? How is it cute?

I have a dream. and it sucks.

Oh Allah save me from my stupid brain!


I've been having sleep problems for the past few months.

Last night I went to bed at around 2:00 a.m., I woke up this morning tense from an intense political dream.

Can I have no peace in my sleep? Am I destined to have crazy dreams forever?

My dreams are sooo tiring. I wake up feeling worse than I did when I went to bed.

A few of my dreams include huge to-do lists. So I'd drop stuff off at people's places, pick food up, cleaned after people...all through my sleep.

Last night I was rallying for MPs Abdulsamad and Lari, hello! I'm not even supporting them in real life...(I haven't made up my mind about how I feel.) When I woke up my whole body was tense.

Remember my Adel Al-Sarawi/my conscience dream?

How can I stop MP's from ruining my life?!

Maybe it's just easier if I don't sleep at all.

Single-sex vs. Co-ed education

Do single-sex schools provide environments more suited for learning? Should boys and girls be taught differently?

A New York Times Magazine article discusses single-sex education in the U.S.

"Among advocates of single-sex public education, there are two camps: those who favor separating boys from girls because they are essentially different and those who favor separating boys from girls because they have different social experiences and social needs. Leonard Sax represents the essential-difference view, arguing that boys and girls should be educated separately for reasons of biology: for example, Sax asserts that boys don’t hear as well as girls, which means that an instructor needs to speak louder in order for the boys in the room to hear her; and that boys’ visual systems are better at seeing action, while girls are better at seeing the nuance of color and texture. The social view is represented by teachers like Emily Wylie, who works at the Young Women’s Leadership School of East Harlem (T.Y.W.L.S.), an all-girls school for Grades 7-12. Wylie described her job to me by saying, “It’s my subversive mission to create all these strong girls who will then go out into the world and be astonished when people try to oppress them.”

I wonder if a single-sex education could be beneficial at the University level as well. I get annoyed by the argument both for and against co-ed education because the educational benefits are never considered.

All their arguments revolve around morality, on one hand, and logistics on the other. Which to me represents our collective feelings about education and women.

Despite the student population being 60% women at Kuwait's only public university, we aren't really concerned with their education as much as their "morality".