Coffee Chocolate Malls

What I miss about Saudi School....

2012-02-13T17:15:00.000+04:00

This year I moved my daughters out of a Saudi school and enrolled them in an International school that's walking distance from my house. Honestly, it's impossible to say what kind of school is better and it's impossible to gain one advantage without losing another.

For example, the Saudi curriculum recently updated their math and science books to the translated and Arabized McGraw-Hill curriculum. Teachers have been undergoing trainings over the past year or longer. The textbook content ensures that our children in Saudi schools are on-level with international standards in the subjects of math and science.

My kids' international school books are also on-level...but what I really miss is the online gateway to all the books for grades 1-12.

Your kid forgot the book at school? No problem, the pages are all online!

Your kid needs extra help understanding the lesson?.....Also online!

Your kid needs ideas for a project? Extra practice before the exam? Ways to improve your study habits and skills?

Pretty much anything you could need or imagine to need is on the site. And it's all free and easy access.

We have soooooo far to go before we can say we have a solid, comprehensive academic foundation in this country. But hats off to Obeikan for this huge step to improving our educational system, and I'm waiting to see what they'll come up with next!

remind me to lie

2012-02-13T15:57:00.000+04:00

remind me to lie

in each breath I taste death

remind me to lie

pale ghost gruesome reminder

remind me to lie

eyes of age rage swift turn of a page

remind me to lie

swept off my feet to crash in a crush of skull

remind me to lie

deception of the sweet song of the patient caged bird

remind me to lie

patience itself is a dishonest destruction dehumanizingdysfunction

remind me to lie

but not the lies I’ve lied all this time

not the cheek turning accommodating lies

not the seeds of flowers that rot before they bloom

not lies that try to save but ultimately lead to doom

more like a fresh take on fictional reality

free my diction to commit myself to sanity

build walls around me with words

to shut out those who obscure clarity

counterfeit life to distract

sleight of hand, vaudeville act

shadow puppets I control

starting now, no one can enter this lost soul

I alone deal with the real

find my space to heal

Parenting 101

2012-02-11T07:38:00.000+04:00

Parenting 101

More parents should hold their kids accountable for what they do or say online. More parents should enforce chores at home, it's neither abusive nor exploiting them for labor, it teaches social responsibility. You're a member of a house, a family, a neighborhood, a community, a species... and you MUST GIVE BACK to these systems which sustain you. Children are raised these days to just take, take, take! It sickens me.

I love this type of fathering.

Look at me now!

2012-02-06T08:06:00.002+04:00

Who's got music on her blog? Moi! That's who!

http://www.mixpod.com/user/23466913

And, as if I'm not already dancing around...time for a special touchdown shuffle....

now I'm on Pinterest... http://pinterest.com/widadh/

Yes I am showing off. I hardly ever do. So just let me.

...In other news, I just finished my chamomile that was supposed to help me sleep yet it's time to get the kids ready for school. How do I do this to myself???

junkgarden: Now this is my kind of business...

2012-02-05T03:02:00.001+04:00

junkgarden: Now this is my kind of business...: {via pinterest}

This blog is currently how I'm spending the hours when I should be sleeping. Followed by Petit Elefant and the usual Twitter business while simultaneously watching Community.

Note to self: buy more concealer and try blog-trawling at work.

Letter to the Editor

2012-02-03T03:41:00.001+04:00

Letter to Arabian Woman magazine 2004

I was talking to Watfa last night, one of those talks that literally cover every topic under the sun, and something came up that reminded me of this letter to the editor I wrote ages ago. And yes it was scanned and saved to remind me that I won a perfume set for my effort...

Point is, why don't I write letters to editors anymore? So much less commitment than writing an article, which I've never completely done despite my intentions. Then I checked the date I wrote that letter and it was in 2004!

Before I had a blog, before I moved to Jeddah, before I had Jourie, before I taught at Dar Al Hanan, before I had Facebook, before I had a Blackberry, before I had Twitter...

It was a simpler time. Between Leyanne and my MA, I still had lots of time to write to editors.

I guess I can just buy myself my own perfume set each time I post a blog. But it's nice to be appreciated sometimes.

I heart art.

2012-01-23T02:34:00.004+04:00

While attending the Edge of Arabia Art Symposium, "Jeddah: We Need to Talk", on Wed. Jan. 18, I started thinking about art as I know it. I'm not an artist or a designer and I don't even have the slightest artistic flair. But I love being around art, the process and product, and of course artists. Being in the company of an artist makes me feel uplifted and enlightened.

Since high school, through college, and til today, an art hero of mine is Haya Al-Hossain. She piqued my interest in art, music, film, philosophy in ways she probably never realized. Her sister Lama inspired me through her writing and deconstruction of mainstream ideas. With them, I experienced Dharma Cafe, Jeff Buckley, Sarah Mclachlan, Qari'at al Finjan and the sublime pleasure of tea (before that I strictly drank coffee).

Being around Haya, Lama, and our group of friends was fulfilling spiritually, mentally, emotionally. After getting married and moving to Dubai, I lost that part of me. I went to a few galleries and read a few articles but, ultimately, you need a group of people, dialogue and debate in order to feel thoroughly ensconced in the subject.

The emptiness was soon distracted by my graduate studies, having my first daughter, moving to Jeddah, and having my second daughter. When I came here to Jeddah, I never expected to get a refill.

I'm related to many artists in my extended family and I have the pleasure of being close to my cousin, Watfa Hamidaddin. A senior at Dar Al Hekma University, she is able to quench my thirst for details in her descriptions of her classes, professors, projects and the processes she goes through to complete her work. Her storytelling ability must be related to her sister Wameed's talent in relating information that triumphs in both form and content. Through our circle (usually at Cilantro sipping warm cinnamon apple cider), I get to sense that exhilaration and buzz I felt back in college.

I know I am a better person for being around art. I heart art.

Kids Yoghurt Challenge

2012-01-20T21:00:00.000+04:00

So I woke up the other day with my mind set on eating more yoghurt because I read somewhere I should. I peeled the top off my low-fat yoghurt and after a few non-comforting spoons, my eyes wandered to the tea biscuits on the kitchen table. After a small test of crushed biscuits, my good dairy intentions went rogue.

Feeling guilty about the added calories (especially cuz my kids saw what I did) inspired a new food activity. My girls weren't well enough to go outside and play and a new distraction from TV was desperately needed. When I'm not up to doing arts & crafts, I usually default to a food activity because it hits two birds with one stone (I just realized how violent that sounds).

And so the Kids Yoghurt Challenge was born!

I put together a bunch of ingredients that seem to go well with yoghurt and explained the rules: Put as many of these ingredients into your yoghurt and eat it all. The yoghurt with the most ingredients AND is edible wins. The winning chef gets a scoop of ice-cream (okay, so its a crappy reward for a health food challenge, but I'm sure you've figured out I'm not so much healthy as I am healthy-curious).

Well, the competitive and older Leyanne easily won by using 6 ingredients. Jourie just added brown sugar, apples, honey and crushed tea biscuits.

I wanted to give Jourie a chance to win, so I added a Bonus Round with different ingredients.

Jourie added the white chocolate shavings, chocolate chips, marshmallows, brown sugar....Leyanne I think put everything in, but lovingly explained to Jourie, "I'm older than you and I really want to win. If mommy was playing against us she would win, so don't feel bad."

I promised Jourie 1 scoop and Leyanne could have 2 as long as they both finished up their bowls. My sister came home and reminded me that kids with a bad cough don't get ice-cream. So she made them brownies. Later on that night, I went out Abaya shopping and succumbed to the street-fries in Makarona... at least my kids didn't see me :)

From Annie to VeggieTales

2011-10-22T23:30:00.001+04:00

http://www.moviescreenshots.blogspot.com/2006/12/annie-1982.html

Last week at work, the moms in the office were discussing TV and the kids who worship it. So later on when my kids came home from school, I decided to go back to my strict no-Disney no-Nickelodeon no-animation rule.

Going through what was available, I found Annie. I was overcome with feelings of nostalgia and thought, "What better good clean screen fun than little orphan Annie?" .. and I immediately hit PLAY.

Don't get me wrong, I think Carol Burnett is extremely talented. I just don't think she's playing to the Little Einsteins audience....

Please understand that my daughters Leyanne and Jourie, 8 and 5 years old, love musicals and think they're obliged to get up and copy every dance routine they see while pausing and rewinding to memorize the lyrics. During this lovely clip Jourie had the wisdom to say, "Leyanne, we can't do this. We need a man to do this." She said man not boy.

So why didn't I just shut it off if I didn't like it? It'll just attract more attention to it and pique their curiosity further. I just feel it's better to watch it with them, then immediately immerse them in 3 continuous hours of VeggieTales, " a collection of animated home videos for children that encourage moral behavior based on Christian and biblical principles.

VeggieTales is on the shortlist of animated shows I love my kids to watch, like The Backyardigans, Sid the Science Kid and a few others. This show is a great opportunity for my kids to be exposed to something positive while learning about interfaith similarities.

And no, I don't really let them watch 3 hours of nonstop TV to rinse out images of alcoholic women throwing themselves at rich men.... just 2 episodes per day for the next 3 days.

(Read more about VeggieTales and how NBC ripped religion out of it for network television... talk about a culture of disbelief: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215266,00.html#ixzz1bXSJpODY )

5yearoldisms

2011-10-17T20:55:00.000+04:00

Jourie: Mom I want my pancakes now.

Me: You'll have to wait.

Jourie: I'm not a waiter so I don't wait.

holding up her winnings!

(coming home from school)

Jourie: Look what I have mom (She holds up 3 riyals).

Me: Oooh that's your change from the cafetieria, what did you buy today?

Jourie: No it didn't change! The mayor(?) in the place we buy food gave it to me.

Me: Huh?

Jourie: When I buyed food, I gave her money and then she gave me more money so I can come back and buy food tomorrow.

Jourie: The girl I made lives in Gloss Angeles.

Me: You mean Los Angeles.

Leyanne: No mom, in one of the Barbie movies it's called Gloss Angeles.

Me: Oh okay.

<----This is a Scratch Magic Sticker set, my kids' cousin Maryam got it for Jourie. It provided the 3 of us hours of fun :)

Have I mentioned my obsession with Graydon Carter?

2011-10-10T04:40:00.003+04:00

I'm a big fan of Vanity Fair magazine. I'm not a fan of censorship. So I can't ever buy VF here in Jeddah. I've bought magazines, gotten really into an article, only to be left hanging by a torn out page that probably had a Tom Ford perfume ad on the other side. Or even if they black-marker out just the ad, I know some freak has gone through MY VANITY FAIR! That's so off-putting.

So I just wait for people traveling to Europe or the U.S. to buy me a copy, and when it arrives I devour the issue hungrily. I don't have a big collection as you can see...... But I'm so protective of each one. Mainly because I have young daughters who don't need the shock-and-awe inflicted by depictions of women. I'm not saying that VF in particular hurts girls' self-esteem, in fact I think Snow White, Cinderella and Ariel are much worse for my kids than Graydon Carter! Which gets me to my favorite part of each issue.

Reading the Editor's Letter is the high point of my archeological dig through the magazine.

As soon as I get a VF I weigh it as I take in the cover, reading each headline. I then flip back and check to see who's featured in the Proust Questionnaire on the last page. If I won't have time for the "Extended 1st Inspection" I actually read the Proust page first. The "Brief 1st Inspection" starts with the questionnaire, then I scan/flip through the magazine pages cover to cover (with my heartbeat accelerated). Then I put down the magazine in a safe place until I can give it my undivided attention.

In the "Extended 1st Inspection", I just "look" at the Proust page, then turn back to the front...and turn each page, one by one, examining every ad, every image, title, subtitle. I scan the table of contents, the VF Agenda, but the rest of the pages I just look at until I reach the end. Then I read the Proust page. And finally, I open the Editor's Letter and dive in. Now, I've inaugurated Widad's Vanity Fair as my very own.

Reading Graydon Carter's introduction to the magazine provides background for the articles which I need to fill me in about whatever I've missed by living away from the U.S. It sets the mood for the articles I'm about to read and their's a flavor to his writing and shwing in his matter-of-fact expression of opinions that gets me feeling like I wanna agree with whatever he says.

But only my daddy can sway my "big" opinions about politics, the economy, and religion.

And with that thought, my next favorite part is Christopher Hitchens' section. He's just a writer you want to read. Even when he writes about things you don't want to read (cancer, dying). His meta style doesn't feel self-important, self-pitying or self-anything. He just slaps his cards down on the table and says, this is me and this is what I'm going through and this is the only honest way for me to write. I adore that. In fact, I took a [feminist] ethnography course where we were forced to write a brief autobiography of our own experiences, prejudices or anything that may tint/taint our writing. So reading Hitchens is a purifying experience in its own right.

Once I'm done starting with dessert, I read the articles that are of urgency or great interest (between 3 to 5 usually). I scan the fashion pages like I'm actually gonna drop $10,000 on a tank top. I read the contributors' pages and imagine what my blurb will look like as future VF writer. Then I go back again, page by page and catch the rest of the articles. I usually find 1 or 2 articles that I think are completely "not my thing" ....Then as if I'm going to be graded for it, or as if Graydon himself were waiting disappointedly, I read them. Worse case scenario, I learn something new from the article, best case, I'm totally enthralled by a new topic.

It takes about a month to complete an entire issue. It's like the magazine people know that mom's have to contend with raising kids, upkeep a marriage, working, and overall preservation of sanity. God Bless them for waiting a month before printing another one!

The Pixar Blog: Bob Iger statement on Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T07:19:00.000+04:00

The Pixar Blog: Bob Iger statement on Steve Jobs: Walt Disney Company president and CEO Robert Iger released had this to say regarding Steve Jobs' passing: "Steve Jobs was a great friend a...

Who ONLY Eats when hungry??

2011-10-06T04:26:00.001+04:00

Except when I was pregnant, I can't remember eating simply because I was hungry. Apparently there are 5 eating patterns we should avoid.

Don’t you dare do this…	Because….
1. Speed Eating	You don’t feel satisfied You end up eating more Food won’t digest properly You’ll have problems with #2
2. Secret Snacking	You feel shame and label yourself “bad” The guilt makes you stressed Stress slows digestion & calorie burn No pleasure from what you ate (ya ur supposed to enjoy it in broad daylight, it’s not heroin) You’re still emotionally hungry & eat more
3. Starving & Stuffing	When you starve, your body goes on strike “No food, No burn baby!” Starving all day leads to.... (I’m dying of laughter cuz I didn’t know they had a name for my problem) NES: Night Eating Syndrome NES causes major weight gain (la ya shei5ah???) NES usually steers you towards bad foods (ya cuz I was waiting till everyone slept so I can finish the chocolate chip cookies)
4. Stress Feeding	When you’re stressed your body craves sugar and fat Eating while stressed means your body won’t digest or burn the calories (I feel like we’ve said that already) Stress reduces the body’s ability to absorb the good stuff in food AND the body’s self-repair action
5. Mindless Munching	You grab the full bag of Doritos to have just a few while watching Glee, a few minutes later the bag is empty (who ate my chips??) Those few M&Ms you were going to eat while checking your email suddenly become 100,000 M&Ms If you don’t pay attention to what you’re eating, you WON’T stop eating till you’re done with the other activity you’re doing

So tell me, who doesn't eat for all the wrong reasons?

Well, the solutions for all of these "problematic eating patterns" are in the article Tangled up in Food; that's where I got all my facts from. But I wasn't actually writing this to teach anyone anything...I was simply distracting myself from the grilled cheese sandwich I've been craving all day.

Off to butter up some bread!

Everybody Hurts

2011-10-04T11:40:00.001+04:00

Okay so this is sorta old news by now, R.E.M. have called it quits. I didn't really know about R.E.M. until the 90's, after living in Riyadh for 2 and a half years then moving back to New Jersey. Before leaving Riyadh, a Pakistani friend had introduced me to Edie Brickell & the New Bohemians and talked to me about the "straight edge" movement, hardcore music and basically ended my New Kids on the Block phase which lasted 7th and 8th grade. So when I got to Freehold, NJ (during Gulf War '91) it was the middle of 9th grade and I identified with the "straight edge" kids who (for the most part) didn't drink or do drugs and believed in abstinence.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/rem-breaks-up-after-three-decades-remembering-the-greatest-hits/2011/09/22/gIQAkIWNoK_story.html

Kevin, an 11th grader (or was it Ian from my grade?) and member of hardcore band, Iconoclast, sang R.E.M's "The One I Love" while playing guitar during a school event. His acoustic performance wasn't the kind of music Iconoclast was making, but it seemed so heartfelt I got goosebumps from what I thought was a love song. Then someone mercifully explained what I cluelessly missed: The one he loves is just "a simple prop/ to occupy [his] mind". Despite or because of the sarcasm (depending on your perspective) it's a great song.

Then I heard "Losing My Religion" on the radio. It was so different than the music I grew up with (Madonna, The Jets, Gloria Estefan) and it had shades of meaning that I suddenly wanted to understand more of.

http://www.cdvinyl.de/cdpic/00CV/cdoh/cdoh7454.jpg

On the next trip to the mall I bought Automatic for the People. I had only heard one song from the album, Drive, and seen the video on MTV. But I had to be a part of this music, what it represented...now that I think about it, maybe R.E.M. weren't as counterculture as I thought. But I felt that as a fan, I could escape the mainstream for a reason OTHER than being "the only Muslim/Arab girl in school".
Looking at this CD cover and back (okay mine was a tape) takes me back to when I would listen to each song over and over in my bedroom and think my life was so depressing because my dad never let me go out with my friends, go to parties or concerts or even attend homecoming. I really sunk deep into every song on this tape. The lyrics sweet for capturing my sadness .... I will try not to breath I can hold myself still.... okay so I was a drama queen from back in the day.

Then one day I found one of those Columbia Records envelopes that says you can get 12 cassettes for a penny (plus shipping and handling) if you buy one at full price. So I ordered some compilations and "best of" R.E.M., New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Depeche Mode... "best of"albums are a cheaters way of catching up.. but I had those 2 years of New Kids coma so you can't hold it against me. Then came the Seattle/grunge invasion and I started to feel that I had blossomed musically (though, again, someone had to clue me in to the meaning of "Smells like Teen Spirit").

I'm really bummed about their break up, but I'm glad for the trip down memory lane:
Everybody hurts....

On Letterman in '83, I was 7 and Michael Stipe had hair..

Stand....on Arsenio Hall.

What's the Frequency, Kenneth.

Okay I'll stop now.

OH the Joys of Before & After

2011-09-25T07:31:00.001+04:00

New York Times T Magazine has this supercalafragalistic page where you can move the cursor like a curtain across a model's face and see her BEFORE and AFTER.

Usually, these provide hours of evil fun where us normal folks sitting at home in our leggings and ponytails feel better when we see the not so fabulous BEFORE pics.

Nope. Not this time babes. Check it out for yourself. You'll notice that some of the befores look better than the afters.

Even that simple pleasure has been robbed from us housewives. What will they take next? Our homes? Our children? Our chocolate frosting?

Watfa Hamidaddin, وطفاء حميد الدين: 23 september , national day

2011-09-25T02:37:00.000+04:00

Watfa Hamidaddin, وطفاء حميد الدين: 23 september , national day: معرض السلام في بيت نصيف في البلد some designers and I participated in an historical exhibition called (the Messengers of Peace) sponsor...

Last delight | Abrar: Inside scoop of Almakkeyah

2011-09-25T02:14:00.000+04:00

Last delight | Abrar: Inside scoop of Almakkeyah: Yesterday, on the national day was the opening of the exhibition "Messengers of Peace" , sponsored by Prince Faisal bin Abdullah, Ministe...

The Sleep Industry Exposed!

2011-09-24T08:28:00.002+04:00

Remember how I exposed the hair product industry ?? Bet I solved everyone's problems with that post. Well now I'm here to expose the sleep industry conspiracy.

Twitter, Facebook, Wikipedia, Hulu, Word Mole, YouTube... what do all these have in common?

They are the source of many sleepless nights. Throughout your busy day you may only have a few minutes to check your social media sites, usually you're busy replying to phone calls, text msgs, bbm chats, un-tagging yourself from ridiculous photos, etc.

So before bedtime, you tell yourself, "Self, let's just spend 30 minutes online to check emails or whatever." Self, innocent as she/he is, agrees with this diabolical plan.

Next thing you know you've tweeted, facebook stalked, read about the Tudor dynasty while watching 5 episodes of The Tudors, slammed your laptop shut promising God Almighty that you'll sleep, only to notice you have new blackberry messages to check, then you update your status and play word mole till your vocabulary runs out and your fingers cramp.

I know you want to blame yourself. This is what "they" want. "They" don't want you to find someone else to blame when you've had your 3rd cup of coffee or had to drink RedBull just to take care of your kids during the daytime. "They" want you to feel guilty as you run to the pharmacy to buy bottles of melatonin or Panadol Night and pretend to have a tickle in your throat just to take some more antihistamines.

But, ladies and germs, I've uncovered the truth once more. "They" are a secret council of board members from those same consumer goods companies you have grown dependent on. Coffee growers, RedBull, Panadol, GNC, and all their dastardly affiliates are endorsing your sleepless nights.

Remember the good ol' days when you had to wait till next Friday before Family Matters and Full House came on again? Now you can watch an entire season of any show within a week.

Guess who pays the video streaming sites? Those nasty trashy ads can't cover the bill.
Did you think donations were enough to keep Wikipedia alive?
And has anyone ever seen an ad on Twitter?
Let's not forget sweet little Mark Zuckerberg who just can't say no to a few extra millions.
When "The Council of Sleep Deprivation" comes with the big money, you'll need more than milk and honey to get your zzzzzzzzz...

"They" are out there keeping you up at night. Now you know, and....

i'm obsessed with...

2011-09-21T08:17:00.000+04:00

xkcd webcomic

here's an example of a real life situation:

Jourie's Time Out: A Photo Essay

2011-09-19T19:26:00.001+04:00

I came home from lunch with friends to find this scene.

Apparently, Yahya had put her on a timeout.

Upon close inspection I find the picture frame empty.....

...and Yahya's picture on the floor.

When I asked her what happened, she said half-sleeping:

Ana za3lana min baba cuz he gave me timeout.

So I put my husband's photo back in the frame.

I woke her to show her and tell her that timeout is over.

She dealt with it pretty well, don't you think?

Leyanne Reducing our Carbon Footprint

2011-09-19T04:29:00.000+04:00

To update you on what happened with our recycling bin that was overflowing (if you know anyone in Jeddah municipality, tell them it's about time they pick up our recycling)...

We picked up the bin, put it in our car with my husband saying "I can't believe we're taking trash in our car." The skeptic Yahya saw the trashes in front of Panda and asked, "How exactly is this gonna work?" I said, "Just snap a pic with your bb and watch."

Of course Leyanne & Jourie are too tiny to just dump from our bins into theirs, and all the plastic bottles and paper items were dry and clean..so they did it bottle by bottle.

Yahya was impressed with the kids' determination but slightly impatient. So he joined them and Voila! Carbon footprint reduced.

I no longer feel guilty about buying all those water bottles that we go through at lightening speed. Thanks Leyanne, you made a difference.

Hoarders

2011-09-13T05:36:00.000+04:00

When my kids and I want to watch something on TV we all enjoy, the pickings are slim. So one day we saw an episode of Hoarders and I'm not saying it's the best for emotional development, but my almost 8 Leyanne and I were riveted. The almost 5 Jourie disappeared into the bathroom and emerged with newly shaped abstract art soap bars.

I'm inclined to hoarding, and so is Leyanne. She saves, stores, organizes and enjoys re-organizing things that others may consider trash. I love my old magazines, I may fit into my old jeans, gifts are an ethical dilemma when it comes to the trash or charity especially if given by a special person. I never keep things that expire, but i'm still sad that I threw away my MAC New York Apple lipstick which was my wedding lipcolor. Especially sad when I learned I could have recycled it at the store :(

Speaking of recycling, Leyanne started saving recyclables in plastic bags and toy boxes under her bed. So when I found a recycling bin at IKEA I got it for her. Keep in mind there isn't a recycling pick-up service (not that I know of for residences, maybe for schools and businesses). I'm so glad she took this initiative and just today I found a recycle drop off point in front of Panda Supermarket on King Street. What a relief because the recycle center in our home is over-flowing. For now we're sticking to paper and plastic, and I'm only allowed to handle the glass and aluminum.

So now I'm going through all my old magazines and clippings, trying to convince myself "My Oprah magazines can be recycled into something more useful than sitting on my shelves and me referring to them every few months." I'm trying. Of course, I never EVER throw away Vanity Fair, Vogue, and some InStyle, Elle, Glamour etc. Mom just called from the states to ask permission to throw away my Rolling Stone magazines from the 90s. Now that I'm a mom, saying "no" to mama is so freakin hard. So I mourn the loss of articles on the Chili Peppers, REM, Nirvana...wait, I'm gonna call her and see if it's not to late. I'll pay for the shipping myself. WTH was I thiiiinnnkkkkiiinngg???

CommonSenseMedia

2011-09-11T23:59:00.001+04:00

intro:
so i have this serious to-do list that i shan't share here...(too many trivial things and a few serious things)
being the procrastinator that i am and thoroughly unable to stick to the adage, "don't put off till tomorrow what u can do today".. here i am blogging.
now, if i had absolutely nothing to do, i'd be complaining about writer's block and how much i'd love to blog if only i had time and something to say. but now that i have some serious business to attend to, i'm ready to blog.

the actual post:
I am religiously devoted to the website www.commonsensemedia.org and my daughters rarely watch a movie or tv show that hasn't been screened through this site. I even rely on the site to find iPad apps and websites for them. I trust their ratings, and if I need to know for myself, they give detailed break-downs about everything from violence, positive messages, smooch scenes and consumerism. You can also read reviews from parents and kids.

If I want more scene-by-scene details I can go to www.kidsinmind.com, but for the most part Common Sense Media is enough.

Sooooo, why on Earth am I letting them watch Kangaroo Jack? Was I fooled into thinking a talking animal necessarily means its a kid-appropriate show? Was I too lazy to check out the ratings?

The answer is, there's an itty bitty part of me that feels like I can't always be there with the ratings sites, and I can't always choose the programs or turn off the TV. I felt like if they chose this idiotic movie based on the kangaroo with sunglasses, I may as well sit here and watch with them and if something happens (obscene flatulence, implication of fondling, etc) I discuss with them what's appropriate and what's not. (The accidentally fondled girl punched the guy's lights out. That's a good lesson right?)

I can't say I'm happy about this movie, but at the end of each Common Sense rating/review they have something called discussion points. I've read a few so I'm improvising with this movie.

Overall, it was a huge mistake, (here's the rating for kangaroo jack) watching without pre-screening is like walking a tightrope without a net. I learned something, but I also need to do more active watching with them, rather than pre-screen and leave them alone with the TV.

not about slavery. well not exactly.

2011-09-11T06:05:00.000+04:00

re-read old blog post on #mbc4 & the stylish hijabi tv ad models from '05...6 years later a shock is now standard!!!!

http://coffeechocolatemalls.blogspot.com/2005/12/mbc-4.html?spref=tw

haute hijab is now common and some people still disagree about it. they say either wear hijab "properly" or not at all. as if properly is such a clear-cut term. it all depends on what u think the purpose of hair-covering is. and what purpose do u serve in being fashionable. whether u wear hijab or not, devoting yourself to ur own vanity thru fashion, etc is a problem.

a well-rounded person with various interests can carve out some time for her swag or style or fabulousness and that's just fine. but being a slave to anything is a disaster... slave to internet, slave to tv, slave to fashion, slave to gossip, slave to music, slave to drugs, slave to a man, slave to your job... all these r bad bad bad.

slave to coffee, that's good. now let me sleep so i can wake up to a glorious cup of coffee. ciao!

TOP 10 reasons for widad to be mad (read like david letterman)

2011-08-24T11:29:00.000+04:00

#10. i'm still awake at 10 am cuz i spent hours online, starting with fyunka, the alaa balkhy bag collection and blog then it spiraled out of control to a bajillion other sites

#9. i have a google plus account and have zero clue what to do with it

#8. there was an earthquake on the u.s. east coast where my parents live, they're fine 7amdellah but i hate being far away

#7. i still don't have an 3eed outfit

#6. i don't think i could ever write in English exclusively ever again and i'll have to use 3araby numbers-for-letters forever

#5. YET i don't think i'll ever read in arabic other than religious texts or when i forget my earphones at the gym and have to read the arabic subtitles to watch the Apprentice Celebrity edition or whatever its called

which brings me to number 4!!!! I haven't gone to the gym since last wednesday, when i took the most amazing aqua aerobics class ever and swore that i'd take it 3 times a week.

#3. if it takes me more than the time it takes to type this sentence to come up with 3 more reasons then i'm ending it right here.

OOOOoops, wait, here's number 3: I keep sneezing like a hurricane and since i'm fasting i can't take an antihistamine so i feel miserable but i deserve it cuz today at fajr i decided to be brave and try sleep without my usual cocktail of antihistamine, panadol and melatonin. bravery is just stupidity in men's clothing.

#2. the sneezing is accompanied by droopy eyelids and tickly-nose, and the sneezing is so violent my throat feels like Jeddah roads

AND the number 1 reason for widad to be mad is....

i have no idea what i want to accomplish in life. wait that's a lie. i want to publish. like a book or articles that inspire people, or children's stories, or a "habla's guide to being a Jeddah mom".... but i have writer's block or a hyper-excuse-making-gland and don't know how the heck to get started ...

Breaking point

2011-08-09T18:44:00.000+04:00

Sometimes I just get fed up with Jeddah. I love this city, don't get me started defending it. Anyone who puts down J-town gets a lecture from this mama.

That said, there is so much that is lacking. Every time I get an idea of how to improve life for moms and kids (that's the demographic i'm most worried about)... I get caught up in the technicalities, lack of resources, and lack of faith in my ability to follow through.

Just this afternoon I'm annoyed with: (list may be different if u ask me in a few hours or days)
1. organic food is neither accessible nor affordable
2. recycling is difficult
3. no healthy activities for kids here
4. there isn't a comprehensive website to point mothers to what little IS available for kids
5. no viable public transportation
6. schools generally suck, or suck your life savings

okay. enough of this angry rant, I have an 8 year old whose nails need trimming and a ramadan iftar that needs supervision (God bless housekeepers. bless bless bless)

The Salooninati - The Beauty Industry Exposed

2011-08-06T05:21:00.000+04:00

If you've been hearing about the illuminati and all their potential hazards to social health, I propose this new threat: the Salooninati.

This is how it works: as long as you have damaged hair or skin, you will constantly visit salons and spend thousands on hair and skin care products. The hair/skin care industry sucks your soul through your wallet and vanity. No one ever listens to a record backwards, but we all have to look at the freakin mirror!

Their three-card monte cons you like this:

Card #1 Salons--while pretending to be helping you look your best they use products and methods that have long term damaging effects. Ever gotten a facial you didn't need then suddenly had breakouts and blackheads like never before? Or gotten a hair color that burned your hair beyond all recognition?

Card #2 Home-use products--products you buy from salons, grocery stores, specialty stores, pharmacies, luxury department stores all have ingredients that fix one problem while creating a whole new one. Need a post-color shampoo? It will either give you dry scalp or cause hair fall. Skin Toner, dries your skin or barely cleans it so you need a separate make-up remover. You get the idea.

Card #3 El Diablo.... our life's essence... Tap Water!!! The very water we brush our teeth with is the primary reason for all our hair and skin ailments. The beauty industry pays millions in bribes to stop the ministries and municipalities from correcting our water system. By contaminating our water, they guarantee billions will flow back to them every time we go to a salon or shop for products. I've read about celebrities who brag about rinsing their hair with Evian after every shower. Who knows, the bottled water industry could be a by-product of this conspiracy!

Buyers Beware!!! They're out there killing our skin and hair!

I love being asked my opinion.. don't u?

2011-07-28T08:58:00.000+04:00

lili with the bag- march 2005

My cousin recently asked me about the baby bag I used for my 2 daughters. Apparently it was that memorable. It was a Petunia Picklebottom apple green super delicious bag that I loved so much when I had Leyanne, I pulled it out a year after I packed it up to use for Jourie.

Anyway, so after I tell her what my bag is, I also offered some advice on baby bags in general. She loved my advice and when I re-read it I thought why not copy and paste it here since I currently have nothing better to say :D

Here's my babybag advice. The ideal bag should...

start out light, imagine how heavy it will get after adding bottles, diapers baby wipes and various other items u swear u will but never use...
be able to be cleaned with a just baby wipe, (okay my petunia was like dry clean only, but wateva)
be able to close completely (u don't want it to close on top with cute ribbon then it tips over and ur life is HELL)
has detachable diaper changing mat,
did I mention it should be easy to clean
easily fit in back seat foot area even of small car, some bags don't, like every mom has to own a mini-van 8-|

after u buy this bag, the number 1 item to carry in the bag is tiny plastic garbage bags so when ur stuck with a poopy diaper u put it in a plastic bag b4 u throw in garbage when ur at someone's house so ppl don't smell the baby's poop... also used for dirty clothes when ur baby has diahrea or vomit... And if ur arab, carry a hat in any weather cuz there will be an aunty who makes u feel like ur a loose immoral woman cuz the baby's head is naked and she/he may catch cold.

and now off to bed....

Shopping

2011-07-20T03:51:00.000+04:00

so as i read my old blog posts i remembered my pre-kids days and even my single child days, i realized how much i used to spend. its mind boggling. now i'm far more money-smart. which is still very very very not money-smart at all.

my point, kids change u.

but still, i won't get a job. my 5 and 8 year old need me more than i need a billionth bajillion riyal bag. and that's the goshdarn truth. and my husBANK can still get me all the silly things i need :)

Decisions...

2011-07-18T04:55:00.000+04:00

I just wrote my first blog entry in 3 years and mentioned that i quit my job, and i've been preachin the stay at home mom thing.... then i woke up today after-afternoon and realized, crap, without a job, my life is a deconstructed mess.
and not the good deconstructed where i get all meta and start analyzing and synthesizing .. no i mean like ass-numbing tv watching and cutting out little stars to create nail art for my 5 yr old. holy crap. epiphany. i'm doing more with my kids. i mean yah, duh, i knew i was stay-at-homing for my babies but when i think of the small trivial stuff i do for them i guess its worth it.
i have a really great opportunity and i have to respond to it tomorrow. and just now while writing and thinking about the star-nail-polish bonding i had with Jourie, and watching She-Ra (yes i show my kids 80's cartoons) with her wrapped in my arms... i don't know what to do :(

Trying to move back to the blogosphere

2011-07-17T06:23:00.003+04:00

So I quit my teaching job, got on Twitter, maintaining my blackberry addiction, sticking to my minimalist facebook diet, and now I want to blog like I never blogged before. Who will read? Maybe just me. But goshdarnit I neeeeeeeeeeed to write. I need to fight my complacency. I just turned 35 and I want to be my own hero.

Its been ages

2007-05-15T15:21:00.000+04:00

i miss blogging....its been about 9 months

so much yet so little has happened, depends how u look at it...

Inshallah i'll start writing more...i plan to write some short stories and articles and need my ppl to motivate me (threaten me)

8 months later...

2006-08-11T14:52:00.000+04:00

It's been ages. Since I last posted.. I completed my master's thesis and graduated, moved to Jeddah, and now I'm 8 months pregnant.

If it wasn't for a certain individual not answering my phone call, I wouldn't have been updating. (Thanks T).

At this very moment I'm not sure if I have anything relevant to say, I'm watching BBC Food and having my morning coffee. Leyanne is still asleep so I'm somewhat relaxed but feeling guilty nonetheless...(letting her sleep in so late is sorta selfish but this 'me' time is indispensible).

Peace to all and prayers for Lebanon and Palestine

3 parts

2006-01-04T15:46:00.000+04:00

H2O

so how am i supposed to explain to a 2 year old that you can drink some forms of H2O but not others?

how is she supposed to understand that water from a bottle or in a cup is ok, but water in the tub she's taking a bath in is not ok?

babies and hygiene are practically mutually exclusive...i've had to get over so much of my OCD with this kid around.

Complaints

Chili's: bad service almost always. they bring the appetizers, soups, salads and main dishes within seconds of each other. thank god i don't order dessert at the same time as everything else or they'd probably bring that at the same time too.

so i naturally thought that these bad experiences were exclusive to the City Centre Chili's....but the Mall of the Emirates Chili's topped that.

after waiting 25 minutes for a "10-minute wait" table...we're finally asked to follow a waiter to our table which was positioned so that I have room to put my daugher's stroller, and have an extra seat for the bags. when we were 10 steps away from our table, some (white--in case it matters) people sitting nearby annexed our table to their's so they could have more room. Within a second the waiter leading us has a quick discussion with their waiter, and soon we were being lead to a table smushed between two tables full of people that would require us to be crowded.

i'm annoyed just typing about it. we waited extra time for a specific table...and because the waiters can't coordinate with each other, we were expected to go sit at some other table.

we ended up eating at TGI Friday's with a great view of the pseudo-slopes and the food was better than Chili's anyway.

Next complaint: Close-up toothpaste! I used to think something was wrong with my new toothbrush--I'm taking a brake from my electric Oral-B, so I thought that regular toothbrushes just don't clean ur teeth as well as electronic. Well that's partly true. But Close-up toothpaste is horrible. It doesn't do a quarter of the job Crest does.

Now, this complaint I feel bad about because the service was good, the waiters were nice, but I'm just trying to help out by saying....when you go to the marina, and get hungry, and decide to try out the italian place Basilico, don't order the calamari...
...or do order the calamari and let me know what u think. maybe my taste isn't sophisticated or something.

Current web waste of time:

Bricks and Stones

I don't actually read this seriously, but I do tend to look at the pics and hope to find some hollywood diva who thinks she's the sh*t say/do something stupid.

blog my brains

2005-12-29T10:39:00.000+04:00

my amazing sister is in town to help me with leyanne while i work on my thesis. so far we've gone shopping, to salons, visited relatives, and i've even covered some decent ground in my journey to finish chapter 2.... (i haven't even started chapter 1: its the intro and u can't write it till ur done with the whole paper)

so i've been reading people's blogs and i found one that completely is driving me crazy. this girl makes me laugh, cry, i can relate to so much yet find so much utterly frustrating (mostly because i can relate to somethings i wish i didn't relate to). she has views on religion that are similar to views of lots of people i know, and while i don't agree with her, i find myself able to understand why she has come to her conclusions.

she lives in dubai, which she never actually mentions but she talks about a "plastic city where people come to make money and leave" and a few other references in case the first one wasn't obvious enough.

i'm refraining from adding her link here. i'm not a friend of censorship but i'd rather keep it a secret.

MBC 4

2005-12-23T03:57:00.000+04:00

In a milieu where media portrayals of women range from tease to sleaze, the Arab world is hard pressed for some semblance of positive female representations.

Amid the flood of TV women selling a desensitized sensuality to the masses, a few modestly dressed women float around like unwanted debris because to the adolescents and adolescent-minded adults, they seem like boring dead logs compared to their more sultry counterparts. In such a bipolar media landscape of womankind, the role of religion plays a crucial yet delicate role.

In the Arab world, media execs push the image of the woman with covered-hair playing the role of wife or mother—washing dishes, washing her husband’s clothes, feeding her children, or some other form of domestic activity—or the image of the woman without covered-hair playing domestic roles as well as a variety of other roles. While the impact may not be in-your-face, the inevitable impression is that Muslim women who choose to dress according to traditional religious codes are best suited for domestic roles, while women who shed their Islamic identity are capable of living a multi-faceted lifestyle encompassing their families, work, social life, as well as fashion and romance.

This ultimately has a direct influence in the decision-making processes of the most impressionable women: whether they are eight, eighteen, twenty-eight, or forty-eight, women who are seeking to define their identity tend to find guidance from the media.

Just as complex is the response that men have to these images. While a majority finds comfort in the domestic religious image of women, they find just as much gratification in the image of the quote-unquote western modernized image of women.

It is this precise comfort and gratification that was interrupted by the women of MBC 4. They are completely covered, they are not shaking anything, they are not cooking anything, not one is flashing her white teeth to melt the heart of a man, not one is efficiently removing coffee-stains from her husband’s thowb, and not one is posing as an Arabian Marilyn Monroe to sell an air-conditioner. Just girls having fun, socializing, laughing, relaxing, and looking glamorous while all covered-up.

Someone just pulled the rug out from under all the guys watching TV, and oh boy are they upset. How dare they make a fashion statement out of hijab? How dare they show women not revealing skin or hair but somehow seem attractive?

And it is this precise black and white male-constructed division between the modest yet unattractive wife/mother and the video-clip vixen that drives impressionable women to abandon traditional religious ideologies and go for a wholesale import of the most immodest fashion statements.

The MBC 4 girls seem to depict the best of both worlds: neither trashy nor boring, both modern and modest. Finally, a media portrayal of women that women can find comforting and gratifying. So what if the MBC 4 girls interrupt the comfort and gratification of men? Let them worry about their own clothes, we’ll worry about ours.

Change

2005-12-17T02:27:00.001+04:00

for those of you that haven't seen ChangeBy, what are you waiting for...?

untitled - work in progress

2005-12-17T01:00:00.000+04:00

so i'm sitting here on the outskirts of dubai trying to mind my own business and work on this little disaster known as my thesis....you know the routine:

1. lamenting the block of flickr by drowning myself in brownies
2. replying to emails that don't actually require a response
3. learning to bake new things (which somehow results in me dialing nando's or pizza express for a delivery)
4. chatting endlessly on msn
5. checking to see if flickr is back
6. pretending i'm too busy to blog so people think i'm working on my thesis
7. reading over movie reviews on rolling stone
8. did i say chatting on msn?
9. becoming a member of Hi5..which i canceled 48 hours later..

so u can imagine my excitement when i received a much needed break from all this hard work....my cousin fishy came to town, along with the Dubai Film Festival and of course, the HyperReal show at the Thirdline!

first, fishy and I went to HyperReal with my babygirl...we all loved the show..Pink Sushi offered nothing but the sweetest eye candy: threads that rock this world, and photo-trippin voyages (click on polaroid transfers...just to start) , she even snatched a care bear off her clothesline to give to Leyanne! Gold's prints and brooches tune u in to her master detail to attention..and Lamya Gargash had an awesome animated self-portrait. It was all good in the art hood...

then me and fishy rolled out with my girl (who shall remain anonymous for now) and we had ourselves a mini-crisis on Jumeira road in the form of me not bothering to look at the gas gauge on the rental car...i really can't say more...

i also saw non-film festival movies: the family stone (laughed and cried and though about a bunch of issues) and just like heaven (laughed)...and then on sunday my sister and zizi are arriving from the states...i wonder what will become of my thesis..

jed-lag

2005-11-22T07:47:00.000+04:00

okay, so my first excuse was that i came back from the states with jet-lag and during Ramadan, so it was way too impossible to fix my (and leyanne's) sleep schedules.

now i'm back from jeddah and the time difference is only 1 hour. but considering that during my last week there i never slept before 7am....i'm definitely suffering from jed-lag...

then again, to be completely honest...this is the story of my life.

so what was it that kept me up so late in Jeddah??? first it was playing board games all night long with cousins, then after fajr we'd debate/argue any issue possible that would always end up in heated discussion regarding women's rights or some other feminist rant....(i'm not trivializing it, i'm more upset with us girls for letting them push our buttons so far...its not like the men make any real decisions anyways)

and when i say board games, i'm not talking monopoly and clue...which are plenty of fun but hardly controversial enough for this group. we also played other games we made up including the TV/remote game invented by suki's husband. i can't really explain it b/c its so beyond weird that its too much fun. and of course there was the compulsory 6 hour risk game...no i didn't play, me and the girls sat and watched and made fun of the guys going crazy while sipping ruru's chai latte (well...shay wa7aleeb) and noshing on her famous date cake....mmmmmmmmmm....i want....it was sooo amazing

then during my final weekend there we went to Durrat al3arous...the beach villas. Like, oh my God, that was so much fun. the beach was gorgeous, we had a big group of people but not too much that things got too chaotic. after sunrise there was the dodge ball game where i took pics from the sidelines and had some sheesha. there was a bunch of other stuff but my time is up....

i can't really post the pics i took b/c they're mostly faces...i'll see if i can crop some of the scenery for y'all

peace out

long time, no blog

2005-11-21T05:17:00.000+04:00

after my 3month trip to the states, i got back to dubai for 2 weeks, then off to jeddah for Eid...and i stayed a month there.

now i have thesis work piled up so high i can't see...

pray for me...i hope to be back on blogging soon

for now, i just want to say how much fun i had in Jeddah...something i never expected. but with my girls suki and ruru...i should have known. we spent the last weekend with 20 cousins at the beach...leyanne jet-skied, ate sand, and overall had a blast, and so did her parents! i'll try to post pics ASAP on flickr...

peace ....

Papa do teach

2005-08-20T22:21:00.000+04:00

I thrive on debates, I'm probably having the most fun when playing devil's advocate and I can usually argue any side of an issue. But it's been ages since I've had the time to read as much as I'd like and as much as I need, so when I confront someone well-read on an issue that is close to my heart, I feel uneasy.

Religion is an especially delicate topic. I find myself disagreeing with everyone, and not just for the sheer love of disagreeing. Most people are either too liberal or too conservative in my opinion. The only person I completely agree with is my father, who is extremely well-read in practically every field. So when I'm in a religious debate, I try to defend my case as best as I can, but I get caught on specific points where my information is lacking. I end up wishing I had my dad's brain because I know he could effectively convey my views with the pertinent historical context as well as the relevent chapter and verse.

It's so sad for me to realize that my entire existence--which hinges on my identity as queen of the great debate--is being threatened by my inability to read. I wonder what my dad would charge for his brain...and if it's not for sale, I guesss I'll have to hit the books.

Oprah

2005-08-11T11:35:00.000+04:00

I think Oprah's going to heaven. She does so much for people it's amazing....I wish we had such a role model in the Muslim world. Maybe I'm too sleepy to think right now, but I can't think of a single role model in the past 100 years that came out of the Muslim world.. except maybe Mohammed Ali...Malcom X, but even he is mainly remembered for his Nation of Islam activism.

Where is our Ghandi? our Mother Theresa? our Oprah????

a whole month

2005-08-10T11:25:00.000+04:00

i haven't been able to write in ages...i'm on vacation...back home with my family, chillin with my peeps....

leyanne isn't giving me as much down time as i'd hoped i'd get...but my mom and sis and bro are doing more than their share so I get to hang out with my girls...the funny part is, my friends usually just want to come to my house to see leyanne while i'm trying to get out of the house!

i want to send a shout out to my people in Dubai.... u know who u r......

Leyanne at the movies

2005-07-09T01:22:00.000+04:00

Today we watched Madagascar...Leyanne loved it and sat well behaved throughout the whole movie. Of course, this was aided by the presence of popcorn which she totally loves. This wasn't her first film, her first was The Incredibles, then a few other movies we dragged her to because we couldn't find a sitter. But today we went to Grand Cineplex specifically with Leyanne in mind.

The sad part was that during the previews they bring the worst ads. One ad included several men and women, mostly women, shaking their derrieres while being compared to the backside of a new car. I was in so much shock, I didn't notice the name of the car. I just turned to my husband who had Leyanne on his lap, and said, "I'll be right back". So I marched out of the theatre on a mad campaign to find the manager. When I turned to follow one of the ushers to the manager, I realized my husband walked out behind me with Leyanne in his arms. We must have looked like the funniest people.

Finally, after a 5-second debate, I convinced my husband to let me do the talking.

I started with a reminder that the film we were watching was mainly a children's movie and that the time was barely 7:30pm, and so the audience would comprise of a large number of young people. Then I realized how difficult it would be for me to explain the ad (thank God he wasn't Arab!!!) but as soon as I started explaining, he said "I will cut it immediately". Then I said that there should be careful screening of the ads of products as well as film previews (like, no horror previews before a kid's movie), and that ads and previews should be better suited to the rating of the feature film. Overall, he was understanding and handled it well.

We got back in before the film started, thank God. And I loved the movie and laughed through the whole thing. I definitely recommend to everyone.

p.s. u may have noticed my trip to saudi was cancelled. so for now, i'm chilling in dubai...

Bittersweet

2005-06-29T03:43:00.000+04:00

you know my fave chocolate is dark...so no wonder most things in my life are bittersweet...

although i feel bad about not blogging these past few weeks, not even noticing flickr was blocked (is it still?)....i'm so happy because the reason is that my cousins came from saudi, then after they left my mom came from the states...

please be patient with me...i'm going to jeddah soon Inshallah, followed by Riyadh, then maybe just maybe to the East...East USA that is! Virginia, DC, New Jersey...and maybe i'll snatch Purplette so she can show me around Boston...

ok, off to sleep...my mom STILL doesn't accept waking up late...now i have 2 generations of human alarm clocks!!!

Ch-Change?

2005-06-12T12:42:00.000+04:00

When I can't think of what to write, I play with the template.... well, actually Opal pointed out (accurately) that the previous template seemed like a site waiting to fully load. So I picked out this new one.

My sweetie Susu is in town so I'm elated. She's busy with a conference for work (woo-hoo ms. big shot!!!...yes I'm jealous, but in a healthy way).

Wow, I just realized that writer's block isn't always the result of having nothing to say, rather the result of having too much to say that all the ideas crowd against each other like several people mushed up trying to get through a door...and at the end no one can get out. That's me right now.

Plus Leyanne is like a swinging axe in front of the door....she's such a distraction (God bless her) that even if an idea was ready to run out and make its way on to my blog, it would see the axe and run back inside scared to death.

Well, I'll just say one thing before I sign off...I saw the movie "Mr & Mrs Smith"...too funny and the most realistic depiction of marriage that I've seen on film!

Comic relief

2005-06-07T16:49:00.000+04:00

"Tomorrow I will rise with the crack of noon"

I almost fell over laughing when I read that on Caffeine Codeine Nicotine's blog. How many of us out there refer to 10 am as early morning? Noon as morning? And think it's normal to start your day at 1pm? End your day after praying Fajr? The "crack of dawn" is when you consider shutting off the pc, tv, dvd or when you say good night to your friends on the phone or msn?

If you already think there's something seriously wrong with me, please stop reading :)

Of course, I don't exactly sleep till noon these days. My daughter has me up early, but when she naps, I nap too. No matter how tired and sleepy I am all day long, as soon as my prime time starts (12am) I am wired. Usually this burst of energy goes untapped because this time of night is my only chance to veg out...so i watch tv, email my peeps, browse flickr, or when I really don't feel like disturbing a single brain cell, I play solitaire, spider solitaire, minesweeper, and hearts.

Well, my baby is napping now, so this is my chance to make-up for lost shut-eye...Or should I be responsible and work on my THESIS PROPOSAL...which if you know me you've heard me claim to be working on it for the past month.... oy vay!

Bedouin Chic

2005-06-06T04:19:00.000+04:00

Today my little rugrat went to a costume party. My aunt offered to dress her up in a bedouin outfit. Check her out at my flickr site. You'll notice I'm not good with titles so I'm open to suggestions!

Also, today I was thinking about "caring what people think". I remember I used to fight so hard to prove that I don't care what people think about me, but now I realize that isn't 100% true. Although I am argumentative and enjoy instigating fights, I only do so with people that I already feel confident in their unconditional love for me. (I know, so sad but I tend to be my worst with the people I love the most.)

But you wouldn't find me committing acts of road rage, or yelling at a waiter, or giving rude strangers a piece of my mind. In fact, I tend to be passive and non-confrontational. Doesn't this mean that I care what these people think? I don't want to offend them, not just because I'm a nice person (since I know very well that I can be not nice) but because I don't want them to have a negative opinion of me.

This is bothering me because I always thought I was some sort of nonconformist rebel...Turns out I'm just a tiny fish swimming with the flow.

Time for a change

2005-06-05T14:05:00.000+04:00

I haven't been doing what I intended for my blog. I wanted to either write everyday small insights in a free-writing style, or to write less often but produce decent and well-thought out articles. Since the second option is by far more complicated, I think I'll go back to the first.

But of course, now with Leyanne climbing on the sofa trying to play with the A/C, I can't write anything at all. But I will change my template...that doesn't require any concentration...

Peace

Shout Out!

2005-05-31T04:28:00.000+04:00

Aliens have abducted my brain, but apparently that's not a good enough excuse for not blogging.

So here I am for those of you who have been subtly dropping hints...This is my shout out to mellowing mom, fashionista, AZ, and others.

I'd also like to call your attention to my girl Purplette. She's new to the blog world, so welcome her with open arms. The purple text is a shout out to Purplette.

You know how they say "don't bother with excuses: your friends don't need them and your enemies won't believe you anyway". Well I'm ignoring that wisdom to tell you my excuse for not blogging (aside from the alien thing which is totally true). I had finals. I am now done with all my graduate courses....thesis here I come.

Ok, I'm outtie.

Peace and love y'all.

Coffee Maker

2005-05-03T03:00:00.000+04:00

When I was asked for my opinion on the best coffee maker, I realized I should have called crazycatlady because she's so the coffee connoisseur and she's got the 411 on coffee beans, types of roasts, how and when to grind, and other relevant info.

So why don't I have a coffee maker? I'm into the whole coffeeshop scene, plus, with Leelee, I really haven't had a chance to consider getting one. I already feel like me and the kitchen are too familiar with each other and if I had a coffee maker I'd either neglect it or need to spend too much time with it. You know how I'm an *all or nothing* kinda girl.

Alas, I am not a connoisseur, just a devoted consumer.

Instead of calling crazycatlady I decided to embark on a little research project for the sheer love of the coffee game. Here are my findings, (of course, design plays a major role):

Siemens, I don't know if they're available in the States, but if you're in Dubai, they have them at Carrefour
Fully Automatic Coffee Center
Porsche Coffee Maker

Illy... simply gorgeous, I couldn't pick just one. Not distributed in the UAE.

The Rolls Royce of coffee makers, Limited Edition Jura Capresso Impressa F9.

Bodum, my favorite for all coffee and tea appliances, here are just 2
Granos
Santos

Okay, that's all I got for now. Crazycatlady, tell me what you think....and I'm counting the days till I'm back in your kitchen waiting for my gourmet cuppa joe!

Um...

2005-04-27T03:00:00.000+04:00

Um...

Dictatorship of Relativism

2005-04-25T16:51:00.000+04:00

Honestly, I don't know much about Pope Benedict XVI , and everything I know about conclave I can proudly say I learned from Dan Brown's novel, Angels and Demons. But when I heard a statement made by the new Pope (when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger), I was riveted.

"A dictatorship of relativism is being built that recognizes nothing as absolute and leaves only one's ego and desires as the ultimate measure."

I cannot say exactly where I stand on this. This is an onion statement, the center is the Pope's actual agenda, but around that are several layers of meaning that are open to interpretation. If I accept one or more layers of meaning, it doesn't mean that I am in line with the Pope's intention.
In fact, the whole concept of relativism is complicated. Here is an explanation by a blogger:

“The doctrine of relativism is basically that there is no absolute truth; in other words, no doctrine, no belief, no value is ever true always and everywhere. Everything is subject to one's own personal opinions. Of course, the problem with relativism is that it is, itself, an absolute: it holds absolutely that there is no absolute truth. … It is the mentality that we are all okay…”

http://nnelson.blogspot.com/

Of course, this definition simplifies the issue. The attitude here is against relativism--it's always easy to simplify an issue when you are clearly for or against it. Making an issue black and white is easy, the problems start when you have hundreds of shades in between.

Personally, I think relativism is ....RELATIVE!!!!!!! OH MY GOD, I just realized the irony! It's okay to have an absolute view against relativism, but you can't have an absolute view for relativism since relativism opposes absolutism by definition...

Well, in that case, I'm comfortable with my indecision on the Pope's statement and about life in general! I can't believe I've found a way to justify my indecision!

Now, if only I could justify my use of the word 'irony' a few lines back...I have a degree in English and I still can't say that I know exactly how to use the word. For sure, Alanis Morissette messed me up big time in her song, "Ironic"...

http://www.mellowfellow.com/ironic.shtml

http://www.geocities.com/eirig/

2005-04-20T04:38:00.000+04:00

I have been without words...well if you ask my husband or anyone I talk to on the phone, or anyone I send emails to, they'd say different. But I haven't been able to put words together coherently, and I've become this paranoid blogger who can't freestyle anymore. I have an unhealthy obsession with trying to make things sound..well...ugh.. See what I'm saying? But I will go ahead and post my senseless words about how all my words are senseless...

For now, I leave you with some writing done by a woman who always seems to know how to weave her words, Suheir Hammad--I had the chance to attend her reading at Five Green and later met with her at Zyara [for an article that never got published :( ]

This is from her poem about 9/11, "first writing since"

1. there have been no words.
i have not written one word.
no poetry in the ashes south of canal street.
no prose in the refrigerated trucks driving debris and dna.
not one word.

today is a week, and seven is of heavens, gods, science.
evident out my kitchen window is an abstract reality.
sky where once was steel.
smoke where once was flesh.

fire in the city air and i feared for my sister’s life in a way never
before. and then, and now, i fear for the rest of us.

first, please god, let it be a mistake, the pilot’s heart failed, the
plane’s engine died.
then please god, let it be a nightmare, wake me now.
please god, after the second plane, please, don’t let it be anyone
who looks like my brothers.

Purge

2005-03-31T07:09:00.000+04:00

I’m home with studying to do. Three cups of Turkish coffee and 2 phone conversations later, I’m in no mood for homework. So I go to my room, curse myself for not having a JBL on Stage iPod speaker, (all the good tunes are on my iPod mini) and decide to do some spring cleaning, well, just some closet inventory. It’s too fun to consider it cleaning, but it is a responsible task, so I get some guilt-free procrastination!!

First things first: I take out all the nasty hangers that come back from the dry cleaners. Instead of taking the hangers straight to the garbage, I opt to return them to the cleaners because it’s better for the environment. Imagine all the poor cats looking for chicken bones in the garbage dump getting stuck in wire hangers. Masakeeeeen.

Then, I take out all clothes that get haphazardly thrown back in after chaotic wardrobe changes (think: “these pants are too tight” “this won’t go with my bag” “too hot for this top” “too cold for this skirt” “if [name of friend/cousin] sees me in this one more time she’ll remember I borrowed it from her a year ago”). These all go on my bed for proper hanging or folding.

During this process, which takes forever, I also figure out what needs mending or going to charity. Here’s my index for what goes to charity:
1. I never wear it
2. It hasn’t fit since I got married
3. The tag has been on it for over 7 months
4. The recommended waiting period has passed for gifts you hate (based on who it’s from and if they’ll ever find out)
5. It is out of style/hasn’t fit and has no nostalgic value and even if it ever came back in style/fit again, why deny myself the pleasure of going out and buying it all over again?

If you know it's your nature to prefer shopping and wearing new things rather than recycling clothes you feel ‘so-so’ about, then give them to people who will really need and enjoy them. I understand and even practice saving a few things that don’t fit if they have emotional value, or just to feel victorious when they do fit again. But I know that when I do drop some pounds, the impulse to buy new clothes is so compelling, I wouldn’t want to wear my old clothes over again. Trust me, after I got back to pre-pregnancy weight it was nice to fit into a few jeans…but it was much nicer to go out and shop.

Unfortunately, even after taking out a few things, my closets still look too full to warrant a shopping spree (which I’d totally deserve after next week’s midterm!) My eyes begin to wander towards my husband’s clothes...

Hmm, tapered jeans—gone, he won’t even notice. Fading t-shirts, pullovers and random things from before we got married—gone, I wouldn’t want him holding on to anything with emotional value that doesn’t involve me. Hmm, should I give him some veto power? Do I hide these clothes in storage for 6 months and if he doesn’t notice, they’re outta here? Okay, I know! This will TOTALLY WORK!!! I’ll tell him that nothing stays unless he tries it on to see if he still likes it. He won’t feel like trying anything on, and out they go to people who truly need them. (As I write this, I still don’t know which plan to implement, but they are in one big heap in the corner of the room.)

After spending too much time considering how to cut my husband’s wardrobe by one-third, I realize that I somehow have clothes strewn all over the floor worse than the worst chaotic wardrobe change. So I run downstairs and grab the house phone and mobile (I had banned use of all phones till I finished my task, but oh well.)

While gabbing to my cousin in Jeddah, I sit on the floor to do make-up inventory. Please note that my precious brushes have been on my desk waiting to be washed for a few weeks, and in the meantime, I’ve gone through an obscene amount of q-tips for eye-shadow application. So after spreading my make-up all over the remaining parts of my bedroom floor, I almost get sidetracked by the task of washing my brushes. But I kick my ADD tendency, and sit back down to address the main task (well, the second main task).

Make-up rules are quite simple:
1. Mascara: 6 months maximum (some say 3 months), if you hardly ever use it or alternate between several, you may have more time. The true test is to smell it. Yeah, do you really want that foul gook so close to your eyes? Didn’t think so. (Oh, and that mascara in your purse that someone borrowed before asking permission, label it as ‘borrowed’ and never use it again, save it for people who don’t worry about sharing mascara. And if you still share mascara, one word: Conjunctivitis).
2. Pencils you can get away with longer and if you like to walk on the wild side, you can share, because you sharpen them thereby shedding all the nasty gook.
3. Face stuff like powder, foundation, blush, concealer: one year maximum.
4. Lip gloss: if you’re a true gloss girl, you’ve gone through one tube and gotten a new one while reading this list.
5. Eye shadows and lipsticks are tough, I especially get attached to funky names, but seriously, most experts tell you nothing should last over one year.

So I cheat by keeping some shadows, my wedding lipstick (MAC’s New York Apple) always slides through, but I throw away some stuff (especially eyebrow pencils; apparently they make my scarce eyebrow hairs fall out) and pack away my humble collection before I hang up the phone.

Ooofff, now I have to get back to my clothes before my 18-month old daughter wakes up from her nap. I decide to put all my “keep” clothes back in as neatly but as quickly as possible. Of course, my husband’s side looks much neater because there’s much less stuff. In fact, I realize that the shelves allocated for his clothes are practically empty, whereas my shelves are overflowing and you couldn’t hang air on my side of the closet. This leads me to the only logical conclusion: I need more hanging space.

Who decided that my husband’s jeans needed to hang in the first place? I take them all, fold them, and organize them on the shelves. The mystery is why I insist on hanging my jeans instead of folding them. When I figure it out I’ll let you know, but in the mean time, I need more closet space. If it were up to me, I’d fold nothing. All my clothes would be hanging.

Once my man’s closet is half-empty, a breath of hope fills my lungs and a new surge of energy picks up the momentum. I quickly take all my dark clothes and hang them on his side—I wouldn’t want him to immediately notice the encroachment. If he pulls out a bright pink Betsey Johnson dress I can't say, “ooops, I thought that was yours". All the unisex colored garments migrate from one closet to the other, making room for the immigrants from my over-populated shelves. Of course, I don’t hang any of my jeans on his side. Way too controversial.

Gradually, the bedroom floor becomes more visible and I begin to think I can even tackle my handbags, perfumes, nail polish, hair stuff, skincare, accessories, and jewelry. But before I can complete my un-hostile takeover, my daughter wakes up. As I haphazardly shove the rest of the clothes in, I wonder what implications my behavior will have on her. Will she become a superficial clothes addict who selfishly tries to colonize other people’s closet space? Is that really what I am?

think pink

2005-03-28T04:26:00.000+04:00

Warning: totally girlie post

So it’s 2pm Thursday and when I call N-Bar and Nail Spa to ask for a same day appointment I can tell they're trying to suppress their laughter. One lady actually let out a giggle (N-Bar at Palm Strip Mall). Fine, I’m a big girl and I admit it’s my fault, but I had to get a mani/pedi today and I couldn’t resort to Sulis at Paris Gallery, sometimes I give in for hair appointments, but it’s the salon/spa equivalent of Carrefour (Costco for my usa peeps). So I reluctantly called Giovanni’s, the nail salon at the basement level of City Centre.

Good thing because in my rush I left the house in closed-toe shoes, so at City I had time to pop into Milano for instant sandals. You should know that for some reason I’ve always had an aversion to Milano, thinking it simply wasn’t me. You should also know that for the past 7 months or so I’ve been adamantly trying to do things that aren’t me b/c I’ve gotten sick of the rigidity of being me. So I immediately pick up these slip-on sandals (I usually would go for something with an ankle strap b/c it’s more supportive). They have these little straps and a tiny (excuse me while I barf) bow. Not like a bow-tie, more like two pieces of leather tied in a bow. Whatever, icky. Almuhim, they don’t have them in black, and I’m not sure of white so I go for this shade of pink.

How can I explain this shade…if fuchsia was pink on ecstasy, neon pink was on acid, baby pink was a vegan greenpeace activist, then this was pink after a long night of drinking beers and smoking cigarettes at an underground pool hall stumbling into the morning light with a headache. I’m not sure what I mean, but, that’s how I see it.

I’m not loving them yet, so I don’t wear them out of the store, opting to keep them in the box till I’m all polished up before the final assessment. Of course, I get to Giovanni’s late, so I can’t get into a pedicure chair, meaning simultaneous treatments are out of the question. By the time my French manicure is done, a pedi chair is free and the true bliss begins…sometimes getting your hands done at the same time as your feet takes away from the whole pampering process. But, after I wake up from the foot massage, I realize that I actually have to be somewhere and a French pedicure would take a bit longer. For me, especially with pedicures, it’s either French or some variation of Chanel’s Vamp, or Opi’s Malaga Wine.

So as I begin to explain to my pedicurist that I don’t have time for a French, the manager (at least I think she is because she works only on certain clients, is the only one not wearing a uniform and the only Arab working there) interrupts her account of her Romanian vacation with another client to tell me she just came back from Romania (duhhh, I was listening to your whole story, my eyes were closed but the whole salon is like 4 square feet) and with her she brought all these great Jessica spring/summery colors and she’s so excited about them. I internally roll my eyes because I’m so over the “new and improved” sales tag, but I bring out my stoned pink sandals to determine the best color. The manager, who turns out to be so damn nice, sets 5 shades of pink in front of me, and not being of the bright and bubbly Barbie pink variety…I go for the palest of the pink spring/summery shades.

How is any of this relevant? Even if you haven’t thought to ask, I’m definitely wondering why I went through this whole story………oh yeah. So like, here I am with my pink toes, a few days later, and I’ve worn every pink thing I own (except dresses but including earrings of which I discovered I have many in pink). And seriously, pink IS a mood enhancer, whether it’s a drunk pink or a high pink or a PETA pink…even Barbie pink ain’t all bad. I've run out of things to wear and need to go get more pink stuff before my polish (and mood) wears off...

To get your daily recommended dose try Jessica, OPI, Pink Sushi, or go straight to the source: Crayola.

I WANT...MINE MINE MINE...GIVE IT TO ME NOW

2005-03-18T00:52:00.000+04:00

you people in the states, get together and and buy me a "we miss her, she works so hard, and has a cute baby we all love" present... i want this Anna Sui Samsung mobile click on this link and go through all the links and think about how much i love purple, & how much i love butterflies.

thanks in advance, and i already have a u.s. number so don't worry about that part...

ain't life grand?

2005-03-13T23:50:00.000+04:00

My Interpreting class starts at 5:15pm on Saturday, so when I got to the AUS main gate at 5:20 yesterday, I was already late. As luck would have it, I didn’t have a car that afternoon, and I had to find a babysitter. After sorting it all out, my cousin drove me to school—and for those who don’t know, driving to the university requires maneuvering through sudden detours which seem to spawn new detours every week. So when they say education is jihad, I kinda feel it.

As we approached the main gate I was relieved not to be in my husband’s car because, although the guards should have memorized me by now, they always feel compelled to give me a hard time about the tinted windows. Ok, I understand that undergraduate students can’t get it in with serious tint, but graduate students have been granted special status. For the past five semesters, each time I explain that I’m a master’s student, they usually say something nice like Allah yewafgich and wave me in. But this week I was already late, so I was grateful to be in my cousin’s tint-less car to avoid any unnecessary delays.

A guard was standing in front of the gate and gestured for us to stop. My cousin took out his ID in case he was asked to leave it at the gate. Then the guard asked what our business was at AUS. I answered him from the passenger side and said that I’m a graduate student and that my class has already begun, and I handed him my student ID. Then the guard slowly looked from the ID, to my face, and finally to my cousin. The guard asked what the relationship was between us.

(The anger is rushing back in as I recall the incident.)

Unfortunately, we both spoke at the same time. My cousin said “heya bint 3amty” and I said “huwa ibn 5aly”. The look on the guard’s face was that of utter confusion. He simply could not reconcile these two concepts. We tried to explain the relationship again, and he was simply dumbstruck. The guard extended his hand to my cousin’s ID, which at this point was futile if he was searching for matching last names. Then he asked my cousin to pull over so the long line of cars behind us could get through.

All the things going through my head that I wanted to say were colliding with the fact that I was so late to class—the class that was so important that I couldn’t fly to Jeddah to attend my cousin’s wedding party over the weekend. This class was so important that I didn’t want to risk being waitlisted for the return flight. I was not going to miss this class under any circumstances.

After explaining to my cousin that I would walk and convincing him it was okay (you know guys don’t let things like this go down easily) I got out of the car and marched to class after yelling at the guard about how much I go through just to get to class and how AUS has problems to address that far outweigh a girl getting a ride to school with her cousin.

During my march I kept wondering about the hundreds of girls who pass through the gates with their drivers or in cabs. What’s the relationship there??? I cursed the fact that I was living in the Middle East. I cursed the fact that our society has its priorities all screwed up. I cursed not being back in D.C. or back at Mason. I cursed people who don’t mind their own freakin business. And I cursed the 3abaya. Something tells me if I wasn’t wearing one the guard may not have cared.

I have nothing else to say on this topic.

anxiously anticipating comments

2005-03-11T13:39:00.000+04:00

I was recently made aware that making comments on my blog required membership. Oops. I changed that setting now, so hit me with all you've got.

Discoveries and Disappointments

2005-03-08T23:46:00.000+04:00

Long day, I covered all the bases: coffee in the morning, chocolate at night (in my shake with my #12 burger at Johnny Rocket’s at the Marina), and mall stops at The Village and Mercato. In between, I carried out a Jumeirah expedition. Collected the following data:

Leyanne loved the ducks in a dirty pond outside SK’s (Indian boutique),
Leyanne loved sitting on the ants outside the Dubai Ladies Club,
Leyanne loved getting attention in The Village parking lot by screaming and kicking while I tried to put her in her car seat. This incident represents a recurring pattern throughout all Dubai parking lots.

A purchase of a lomo Action Sampler camera was also made. Suspects are being questioned.

In the evening, my cousins and I went to the International Women’s Cultural Forum in the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. I expected (hoped/prayed) to see a bunch of feminists condemning the status quo around the world and in our region in particular. Not to say it wasn’t informative, but a healthy dose of male-bashing and pissing on the patriarchy would’ve been so refreshing. The closest thing was Dr. Sheikha Hind Al-Qassimi saying that women are half of society but also give birth to the rest of society, therefore they are all of society. She then joked that she may be met7ayyizah (prejudiced). I call her a feminist, and thank God at least someone was there to represent.

If you know where the 3baya burning committee is meeting, give me a call.

Here Comes Trouble

2005-03-05T23:29:00.000+04:00

Today is my brother’s 24th birthday. But he’s still 16, my sister is 13 and I’m almost 21. And that’s the way it’s gonna be from here on out.

When my brother was about five years old, he had a t-shirt with "here comes trouble" emblazoned across the chest. We all had that shirt stored safely in our memories, but what actually happened to it is a mystery. No problem because the thoughtful folks who recycle fashion made that same shirt now for adults. No doubt my brother bought it the second he laid eyes on it, and once again we have a sign to remind us of something we can never forget... that beneath the enigmatic tranquility that is my brother, trouble is lurking….I love you man…

I found an amazing gift in my inbox today from a fellow Cancer Dragon. My girl Nadoo emailed me to say she created a blog, and as if the fluid and stunning prose wasn’t enough, the title of her blog blew me away!!! Caffeine Codeine Nicotine—layers and layers of meaning that can never be deciphered, but let’s just say it has to do with Nadoo being the seat belt and airbag for my brain during the final weeks before my wedding!!

Nadoo, I’ll meet you at Border’s….or we could just drive around for hours, oblivious to the D.C. traffic, content with NPR blasting in the background…

Bite Me Nigella Lawson

2005-03-04T03:18:00.000+04:00

Today I had some family over for dinner. I love entertaining…though I can’t say that I cooked. We got Indian from Shamiana. I know I cannot be a domestic goddess…it’s just not me. I am fascinated by the process of creating a meal for loved ones and watching them enjoy it, but with our housekeeper gone for the weekend and me having to obsess about the details (candles matching towels matching soap), I just couldn’t do everything AND take care of Leyanne. Of course, her daddy is very helpful but he doesn’t believe in doing anything ahead of time. He refused to let me talk about “Thursday” till it was Thursday afternoon. So on Wednesday, instead of planning and stressing, I went to the Global Village. Leyanne had a new encounter with donuts and I had an old encounter with shopping.

I have one question: Why isn’t the U.S. at the Global Village? I’ve been going each year during the Dubai Shopping Festival for the past 4 years and this is the first time I ever noticed. I’m sure several clever people have several clever responses to this question, so do enlighten me. Hit the 'comment' icon right here...

Immune to Al-Jazeera

2005-03-01T02:36:00.000+04:00

Sipping java green tea + lemon & ginger tea + honey. As they say, I’m chillaxin…….

This is odd because I do have lots to stress about. Well at least I’ve paid my tuition. I’m taking my last class before the thesis. It’s interpreting, which means instead of having the professor read my embarrassing translations, the whole class gets to watch and listen as this most humiliating semester unfolds. Oh, and it’s being taped. So why did I opt to pursue a masters in translation and interpreting?

No, I’m asking you……I don’t actually have the answer.

I’ve decided to watch the news in Arabic so that I might learn something. You should also know that I don’t even watch news in English (this works better than prozac, you know what they say about ignorance...). So I put on Al-Jazeera and watched the news for a whole 10 minutes before going online (not to read news). Later on, my husband comes home and says, “Can you believe the Lebanese Government resigned?” And I’m like, “whatchya talking about?” He looks at me, looks at the tv and says, haven’t you been watching the news for an hour (you see I called him as soon as I turned on the news, it’s news if I watch the news).

It’s official, I’m immune to the news. Can’t I interpret cross-cultural dialogue about shopping? I’m not sure there’s enough demand for that. Maybe I could work for E! I’m sure “Live From the Red Carpet” could use an interpreter…

The Village Girls

2005-02-28T00:06:00.000+04:00

I just came back from S*uce down at the Village Mall. Definitely my favorite mall in Dubai. Actually, each mall serves a special purpose. Like I can’t deny that City Centre is a substantial mall: Carrefour, Ikea, Magrudy’s, Mothercare, Virgin, all in one place. And when I was nursing my daughter, the leather recliners in the mother’s room were indispensable. On the down side, the crowds, the parking, ughhhh. I have given up on the food court unless I’m truly desperate for New York Fries. The restaurants upstairs are okay, Coco’s being the best choice for Leyanne because not everything on their menu is deep-fried.

Then there’s Wafi. Forget the food court, actually I’m not even sure it’s still there. It’s all about Biella. I can’t claim to shop at Chanel or Tigerlily but it’s a chill place to meet friends—God knows you can’t have a conversation with anyone at City Centre. Of course the hushed ambiance at Wafi isn’t great when Leyanne wants be loud…which is always. Burjuman also serves the window shopping and meeting purpose and the novelty has yet to wear off. The problem with Burjuman is that there’s usually traffic around the area. Mercato is great, but I finish my rounds quickly left with nothing to do but watch in horror as the preteen boys and girls behave badly. Being a new mother, this troubles me immensely.

For me, I’m not the Oasis Center type; can never EVER find parking at Palm Strip; poke in and out of Villa Moda before you can say T Junction Chai Latte; Ghurair is just where N-Bar is, and Warba who? I haven’t gone to Reef and I only stop by Hamarain for the odd jallabiya. Lamcy lost its novelty after 1 and a 1/2 visits, and I may drop by Mazaya just for Make-Up Etc. (don't know where else to get philosophy).

Within less than a one mile stretch on Beach Road there are Town Center, Jumeirah Plaza, Jumeirah Center, Beach Center, and the Magrudy’s Shopping Mall…and if you told me that these names where interchangeably used for just one place I might believe you if I hadn’t struggled to park in one place, spent 15 minutes getting Leyanne and her gigantic stroller out of the car, just to realize that the shop I was looking for was in a mall down the street.

I’m sure that I’ve missed many, including Souk Madinat Jumeirah, which has only distracted me on my way to a restaurant and gotten me lost from the group I'm with.

Which brings me to The Village. Here are the perks:

1. Peekaboo- the play room for Leyanne
2. S*uce, aka Sauce- funky threads, the most amazing gifts stacked in one corner, Diptyque candles, lomo cameras
3. Shakespeare & Co-I get the English Breakfast at any time of day
4. Cadorim- cute gifts and color-crazy gift wrapping stuff
5. A book store, a deli, a spa, a pharmacy, and if need be doctors’ offices
6. And when Leyanne agrees to sit quietly in her stroller, I go to the upper level and sit on a bench outside and stare at the sea

So when I want to go to a mall just to chill with Leyanne, I go to The Village.

After the village I went to Spinney’s and discovered that I’ve become something of a tea fanatic. In my cupboard I currently have Lipton, Twinings Earl Grey and English Breakfast, Twinings Lemon & Ginger, and the Twinings mixed pack of 5 types of Green tea. In fact, I’m off to make myself some now….what to choose what to choose…

Okay I mixed Sencha green tea with lemon & ginger…it works..

Clean house, Messy hair

2005-02-20T10:58:00.000+04:00

Leyanne has taken to cleaning the whole house with a single baby wipe, which on occasion she also uses to wipe her nose…at least she’s also learned to blow her nose. She also has just come out of her garbage phase: her favorite activity was pushing around a grey Ikea trash bin that comes above her waist, finding things to throw in and take out, then dragging the bin behind her, repeating the process over and over. The vacuum attraction has been going on sometime and I feel it will continue and I refuse to give in by getting her a house cleaning set from Toys R Us. Almost as bad as guns and barbies, and don’t even get me started on Bratz.

Last night Leyanne tried to put on her own pj’s. She managed to get one foot 90% through with her heel peeking out. Then, as expected, the other foot went into the same leg. Nonetheless it was a momentous experience. Yahya and I got all glassy eyed…well, maybe me more than him…

Today is supposed to be Leyanne's haircut. She won’t let me hold her hair back or if she does, she pulls out the hair band and usually this will be when her hands are full of spaghetti sauce or banana mush. I’m paranoid that if her hair is always in her eyes this will damage her vision or at the very least she’ll get used to the disheveled hair and end up with 12 years of messy hair and pictures she’ll regret when she’s older. Of course my mom always had my hair neatly cut, but I hated having it brushed or tended to in anyway. This wasn’t a problem until my smooth straight hair gradually became frizzy and curly. I've been medusa ever since.