yazeez's feeds » Kuwait Hubris

« Expand/Collapse

Kuwait Hubris

February 06, 2008
13:07
Thank You, Amazon!
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris
Chirp's post about books reminded me that I should stop watching DVDs and start reading the books I recently received. When I order stuff from Amazon I really go overboard. I got a bunch of books and DVDs to tide me over the WGA strike (which will hopefully be ending sometime soon!). Here are some of the books & DVDs I got but certainly not all.

Books
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
I didn't expect to like this book. I only bought it cuz I kept seeing it on the best-sellers list and I was bored enough to give it a shot. I actually enjoyed it very much. It's a fantastic read. I don't want to spoil it by saying too much but basically it's about a guy's experience working in a circus.

I still have these two books to read:
- The Thirteen Tale by Diane Setterfield
- Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism by Muhammad Yunus and Karl Weber
DVDs

Lately I've been watching British shows and for some reason I ordered a bunch of BBC/British DVDs.
- North & South
Based on the novel, this BBC production was filmed well and has some amazing actors. I'm in love with Richard Armitage!

A couple of the other DVDs I ordered are:
- Bleak House
- Our Mutual Friend
I also FINALLY bought an anime that was my childhood favorite - Saint Seiya! I used to watch this anime in French when I was a kid but forgot its name. I kept searching for it, especially when the anime & manga craze hit the US but I didn't find it until I randomly saw it on a website over a year ago. Apparantly they retooled it and renamed it Knights of the Zodiac when they aired it on tv. I avoided buying it because I was scared that it really wouldn't be as great as my memory made it out to be but finally couldn't resist. I've only seen one episode so far so I won't judge it yet...None of my Kuwaiti friends seem to know this anime (it's all about Grendizer for them)...Bueller? Anyone?
January 07, 2008
9:47
Save the Cheerleader! Peter Petrelli and Pranic Healing
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris
My cousin has been calling me a lot recently trying to convince me to take a Pranic Healing class. I had no idea what Pranic Healing was and after having her tell me about it, I was still a little cynical when it came to believing the things it could do. That said, I was still interested in attending because it could be something that changes my life. Imagine if you had the power to heal yourself! Okay, I am totally imagining being Claire Bennet & Peter Petrelli now...

It's a two day class on Friday January 25th and Saturday 26th from 9AM to 6PM. Unfortunately the days of the class conflict with my mock exam for the CVA.

Here is more about Pranic Healing from their blog.
Everyone has the innate ability to heal and relieve pain. With PRANIC HEALING, you can easily learn to cultivate and awaken this power within you to help yourself and others in a very short time. It is easy to learn. Any relatively healthy person with average intelligence, the ability to concentrate, that has an open but discriminative mind and a certain amount of persistence can learn PRANIC HEALING. Pranic healing is a no-touch method of healing using energy. Learn how to interact and feel energy by healing yourself and others. It can treat anything ranging from a headache, allergies, arthritis, asthma and much more! Its very simple and very effective :)

Some of what Participants will learn:
- scan the energy field
- cleanse and remove stagnant energy that blocks the natural flow, to maintain and retain the energized state,
- how the eleven major energy centers relate to internal organs,
- the basic seven techniques of Pranic Healing,
- pranic breathing and self healing techniques.
So what do you think? Should I look into attending another Pranic Healing class when it returns? Are you interested in taking the class? If you are, there is limited seating so you have to quickly reserve a place.
January 01, 2008
22:21
Starting the New Year with Tennis
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

It's finally 2008! I thought 2007 would never end! One of my resolutions for 2008 is to share my days through photographs I'll be posting on this blog. So to start it off here's what 2 girls did on a cloudy day on the first day of the year.

Take 2 cheap tennis racquets...

...6 tennis balls...

...sneak into Kuwait University, locate their tennis courts...

...and pretend you're at Wimbledon (despite the lack of proper net, grass, audience, ball boys, talent, etc.)!
December 30, 2007
21:58
September 19th, 2005
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

A friend of mine asked me why I didn't write anymore. This caused me to dig into my archives again and I found another piece that's as true today as it was back in 2005.

B., we haven't had a conversation about the state of our friendship, I never felt I had to. The last six sentences say it all. I know the circumstances differ but it explains why I don't bother making an effort on my end.

"Welcome anything that comes to you, but do not long for anything else."
-André Gide, The Fruits of the Earth

Truth: If you came to me tomorrow and told me our friendship is over I wouldn't have a problem with it. I'm quite adept at walking away with no questions asked. It seems only courteous. I will miss you after a few months and think of the happy moments we had..I may wonder what went wrong, but I wouldn't obsess over it.

I don't make a habit of walking away from people..I've only done it a couple of times in my lifetime, but I've found that I don't have a problem with it. I can hit the OFF button anytime. Maybe it's because in most friendships I keep a certain distance. So few people break through the barrier, where they have the ability to hurt, that all in all it's like they were never there to begin with. Among my girlfriends here I count only a handful as true blue friends that will be there for me no matter what & vice versa. They're the only ones with the power to devastate me if they chose to end our friendship.

I never understood the whole fighting-for-your-friend thing. I don't feel threatened when I introduce friends to each other and they hit it off. Quite the opposite, actually. I love it when friends get along because it happens so rarely with me. It does suck though when a friend works at getting between you and your friend because they need to feel they hold a greater importance to that person. In these situations, I usually take a step back and wait it out. This is how I find out who my true friends are. Of course, the risks are that if the friendship wasn't secure, doubts and insecurities kill it. My friend may wonder, "If she's really my friend, why doesn't she care?" I do care. I just don't want to influence the outcome. Let's see what we can weather and decide to take it from there..

If you were in a relationship, and another person came and tried to steal that person away from you, how hard would you fight for them? Is it any different from fighting for your friends? Would you fight harder or less to keep them? I wouldn't and don't bother. Maybe I've never cared for anyone or anything so much as to fight for them. If they were truly mine, I believe nothing anyone ever did could change that. But if it works and they manage to steal them, it shows that there was something wrong in the relationship. To me that's the OFF button right there. I don't believe in the "let it fly and if it returns to you it was yours to begin with" bullshit. I wouldn't want them if they returned..hell, you walked away & that's it. Accept the choices you made and move on. Your walking away has changed things. In time I could forget it but it's doubtful. Engrained in the back of my head is the memory of your walking away. That, right there, has created a barrier that will stop us from getting close again.
December 22, 2007
19:38
Friday Market
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris
19:34
Freej Swaeleh: Kuwaitian Foods
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

Recently I was invited to have dinner at Freej Swaeleh, a restaurant that offered Kuwaitian food. It was a fun experience. We were seated in cabins that resembled traditional Kuwaiti homes, complete with sadu & windows that could be opened to call the waiters. Belatedly we realized there was a button to press which would light up outside the cabin calling the attention of the waiters. The company was great, the food was good, and the laughs were many.

I've included pictures of the menu. How many dishes would you try and how many typos can you spot?
19:22
View from the Room
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris
December 09, 2007
9:53
LOfat
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

Where are you having lunch from today? Lofat?
December 04, 2007
10:17
Axis of Evil Comedy Tour
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

Yesterday I went to the 9:30PM showing of the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, hosted at AUK. Of the three comedians, I had never heard Ahmed Ahmed and Aron Kader before. I recognized Maz Jobrani from an appearance on 24 and a couple of movies but had no idea he did stand up. My friend talked me into going and got me tickets and to her I'll be eternally thankful 'cuz I had a blast!

It's been a while since I've laughed that much. The guys were amazing and the crowd was great! I ran into a lot of people I haven't seen in a while, before and after the show. The friends who'd seen the show at 7 raved about the performances. There was such a positive energy around the place, it was great to be part of it.

Ahmed Ahmed was on stage for most of the time. To me, he was the smoothest member of the trio. I liked his delivery the most. He also introduced their Korean friend, One-Ho (sp) who they got to complete their Axis of Evil. Never mind that One-Ho is from the wrong Korea...Ahmed invited One-Ho to speak a few words, and One-Ho responded in Korean...or what sounded like it (hell, what do I know what Korean sounds like?). Then he was invited to stick on stage and talk and so he was left with the mic. After looking bashful, squirming and looking uncomfortable, One-Ho opened his mouth...and sang beautifully in Arabic. Turns out he's fluent! *sound of shattered stereotype* I loved his comedy routine. His brief appearance was my favorite of the night (Habby Birzday to you Zeina!). I hope he makes it into the Showtime hour!

Aron Kader started off with the dabka and had to be the most energetic member of the trio. Lots of Pakestinian jokes, guy/girl differences and fun President Bush impressions. Gotta say too he's so cute! I have a crush on Aron.

Maz Jobrani was the last to come on stage but I think he may have gotten the most laughs. We Arabs like the Iranian humor. My friends are already getting tired of me repeating, "I am Persian, meow!"

The guys were really nice. They kept wishing Zeina a happy birthday and thanking their sponsors. They inserted some Kuwaiti jokes in there and our blinged out Hummers. For the record, I hate the Swarovski crystals all over the cars!

If you get the chance to see the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour, I'd definitely recommend it. The guys are hilarious! They're going to be in Beirut from the 5th - 7th. I'm looking forward to seeing their perfomance again on Showtime. If their performance at AUK makes it on DVD I'd be one of the first in line! As a show of support, I bought their DVD last night. I won't be part of the Middle Eastern Distribution except for telling everyone how fantastic their comedy is.

Thank you Axis of Comedy Tour for coming to Kuwait & thanks to all who made it happen!

If you were there, what did you think of the performance and what did enjoy the most?
December 03, 2007
8:31
Happy Teeth
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

Did you brush your teeth today? Remember brushed teeth are happy teeth!
December 02, 2007
20:17
You
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

Have you been curious about the "You" ads splattered around Kuwait? Do you know what the ads are for?

After parking at a red light for far too long I wondered if they just might be Zain ads. The angle of the oval seems right.

Random question: Is the Zain logo meant to look like a fingerprint?

Red lights make me overthink stuff.

Update: They're Burgan Bank's work. Burgan Bank, It's all about YOU :P
15:28
Career Slogan of the Month
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

I saw this hanging on a bulletin board at AUK and I laughed at the answer scribbled in pencil. I feel the same way. How about you?
15:17
Discovering the Zooming Capabilities of the G9
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

I've been having a lot of fun with my Canon G9, which also doubles as a spy cam. Before it went off to Syria I managed to take these two shots which demonstrate the zooming capabilities of the camera.

I spy with my little eye...

...a window cleaner!

Pretty crazy, isn't it?
November 26, 2007
7:01
A Historic Moment
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

For the first time in years, I am without a camera.

Canon G9 is in Syria.

My older Canon Ixus is in Portugal.

I wish they had taken me along with them!
November 22, 2007
11:50
Hectic Schedule
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

I don't know why every time my schedule becomes insanely busy I feel a compulsion to blog. Here are some of the highlights:

Three weeks ago my friend came to stay with my family. I took a two week vacation so that I could spend as much time as I could with her. The last time I had seen her was in 2003 and it was great reconnecting again. Since she's never been to Kuwait, I got to see it fresh again from her perspective. One of the strangest observations she made was appreciating the artwork on some of the local dumpsters. That's something I never even noticed, have you?

A week ago she left the country and I returned to work. The readjustment to being at work took a toll on me. Add to that having to spend the evenings searching for a dress for a wedding I'm attending this weekend. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate shopping? I've still got to buy a pair of gold/silver shoes.

This weekend will be a little crazy, with a few birthdays, a wedding and general errands that I won't be able to take care of during the week.

Next week, I'm going to be taking a Financial Modeling for Corporate Finance course from Sunday 'til Thursday from 4PM to 9PM immediately after work. Sounds fun, doesn't it?

It's been one thing after the other but already I'm making plans for December that include traveling to Cairo for a conference and revisiting Azerbaijan. When will 2007 end? I want the insanity to be over, but in January I've already commited myself to taking the CVA course.

I keep having to remind myself being busy is better than being bored.
October 23, 2007
17:13
Burger Hub
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

A conversation at Burger Hub.

Tooomz: So what sides do you want?
Friend: University of Miami fries.
Tooomz: What?
Friend: University of Miami fries.
Tooomz: Huh? Where is it on the menu?
Friend: *points* Here! U.Miami fries! University of Miami fries!
Tooomz: Umami fries?! UMAMI! Not University of Miami!!!

I'm going to start laughing like an idiot the next time I see the word Umami.
October 22, 2007
20:35
Sugar & Spice and Everything Nice
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

Oct. 22nd was supposed to be the day of the Meet Up but something came up at the last minute for one of my friends and so it was postponed to tomorrow. Instead I decided to visit Chirp because I haven't seen her since her return from Roma. She sounded blue so for good measure I took along some vanilla cupcakes from Sugar & Spice, her favorites.

Chirpizzle finally learned how to download torrents. Of course, the first show she looks for is MTV's The Hills for the LC vs. Heidi drama. As if our lives didn't contain enough drama.

The goody bag from Roma contained magazines, sugar-free Mentos and Lush Sex Bombs.

Have you ever gotten the chance to check out the Sex Bombs by Lush? They smell fantastic and turn the bath water pink. They're for a friend but I still enjoyed their scent.

I'm still playing around with the Canon G9. I hate how the images start looking strange when I resize them here from 640 to 500 pixels.
October 20, 2007
21:40
Introducing the Canon G9…
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

...my new baby.

I ordered the Canon G9 last week after realizing that, although my Canon PowerShot SD700 IS Digital Elph was my baby, it was time to move on. Okay, it wasn't really like that. I finally dropped my baby one too many times and the body was slightly dented. I took the camera body apart and tried screwing it back together again but it didn't fix the problem. So I went to the Canon dealership and they told me they could fix it (after the initial horrified "WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT?!" reaction) but by that point I was already emotionally detached from my baby. It's awful I know, but I like shiny new things.

The Canon G9 isn't as shiny, since it's black, but it has more features. According to the little tag that was attached to the camera, it's 12.1 mega pixels, 6X optical zoom, optical image stabilizer, 3.0" LCD and can save images in RAW format (I have no idea what the point of that is). It's also got face detection, red-eye correction, ISO 1600, 1cm/0.4in macro and a print/share button. Again, I haven't played with any of these features.

To my friends, I'm sure there is one issue you're concerned about and the answer to that is YES! It does the "Liiiike thiiiiis and liiiiiike thiiiiiis" just like my old camera so YAY! Oh speaking of which, the iPhone also does that...is that reason enough for me to buy it?

So far I haven't had the chance to test the G9 out properly. I don't understand the first thing about shutter speed and aperture except for a crash course I had from a photographer friend over lunch. The conversation bored my brother, who has been the subject of many portraits, and so my friend promised we'd take it out and test the different settings.

The pix below are the first I took with the camera. I went to Shuwaikh beach but the sun was setting so I didn't have enough time to play with getting different shots. A butterfly posed for me and I got a few pictures of it. I think the people walking past me thought I was a little touched in the head because it looked like I was crouched down taking pictures of sand. The wings camouflage the butterfly so that it blends in with the sand.

To any photographers out there have you got tips for me? I still haven't been to Bayt Lothan to enroll in a photography course. I think it will be more fun learning with my friend at first, so I'll probably enroll later.

I've been itching to travel since I wrote the Travel 2008 post and now with this new camera the temptation is stronger than ever! I guess I have to work on creating a portfolio of Kuwait before I think of traveling. I'm half tempted to turn this blog into a photography blog and post my progress in photography.
October 14, 2007
0:58
1, 2, 3
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

#1 song on my playlist is David Guetta's Love is Gone.

#2 shows I'm enjoying this season are Dirty Sexy Money & Pushing Daisies. I don't know where either one is going but I'm enjoying the Priest full of hate & the whimsical touch of Ned.

#3 people I had fun with tonight were ARR! "The Thursday before Friday," thank you for the laughter.
October 10, 2007
16:57
Are You Missing a Book?
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

For the past few weeks I've been transporting my massive mountains of books to the basement onto the pretty new bookshelves I bought. I even had the patience to alphabetize them on each shelf. During my room purge, I unearthed 3 books that aren't mine. I have no idea who they belong to. Are they yours?

Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom

Man and Boy - Tony Parsons

The Devil Wears Prada - Lauren Weisberger
October 04, 2007
12:19
Mind Your Language
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

I've nearly made up my mind on which language I want to take. I'd love to try Italian with Ansam but other languages sound more exciting mainly because I'd be writing in a different script. I'm leaning towards Japanese.

I've wanted to attend Japanese classes since my days in university but it never worked out because the beginners classes always clashed with my core classes. After a talk with Purg I realized it's what I want to take. I wouldn't mind learning Farsi, Tagalog, Turkish or Russian in the future but my heart's set on Japanese for now.

Has anybody tried taking Japanese courses at KU? Classes start from October 20/21 to December 25th and cost 60 KD. I already have someone I can converse with and plenty of anime to learn orally from.
October 03, 2007
12:42
Extracurricular Activities
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

Ramadan's nearly over and it has me thinking of what I want to do when it ends. Work hours are going to return to normal, 7 hours compared to the paltry 5 hours workdays we have now, which means I'll have less time to do stuff but I really need to have an extracurricular activity.

I've pretty much withdrawn from people this month so one item high on my list is to reclaim my social life. I'm interested in meeting new people. Despite my anti-social mood, I managed to make some new friends during Ramadan and I'd love to meet more. Ideally I'd like to meet people in a learning environment, so I want to take a few classes. I've been pretty indecisive about what I want to pursue. I'm interested in taking a language but don't know which one to study. My friend and I were meant to take classes together but she wanted to pursue French or Spanish and I've already taken those so I'd get bored.

I'd love to start piano classes. I'm also considering photography and tennis lessons. I have a week to figure out what I want to do. I could try all of them, I just need to choose which one to start first. I probably won't know what to do until Ramadan ends, I'm so freakin' scatterbrained all the time!
September 26, 2007
17:30
Blast From the Past
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

After a conversation with Jazz, I realized that I never claimed my blogs after Blogger was taken over by Google. I had several blogs prior to Tooomz.com and Blog X was the primary one that documented my last semester in the States.

I went and claimed the blogs that same day. Bored, I started reading Blog X and I realized how much my writing style has changed over the years. I wrote about personal thoughts and feelings and shared candidly what was going on in my life. Although I've begun sharing more here I still haven't recaptured my former style of writing. Not that it's a bad thing, some of my writing back then was absolutely mortifying!

Rereading Blog X I came across a post I'd written in October 2003 and (this is going to sound really stupid) I reconnected with my former self. Below is the full text:

The last time I wrote in this journal there were leaves on the trees outside my window. Now they've all transformed into a crispy golden hue and fallen below to collect in piles for children to play in.

This year autumn is making me sad. I can't help but realize that this period in my life will soon cease to be the present and will morph into the past. Inshallah in a few months I will be back in Kuwait starting a new chapter. For the past few months I've been stressing this, a concept foreign to me. I usually have a laissez-faire attitude towards life, remaining a bystander watching the pieces fall into place. I never worried about the future. I've dreamed yes, but never stressing out about it always having the faith that it will all turn out right in the end. Now I've reverted to this former self, but understanding that I have to take a more active role in making things happen. For now I'm trying to enjoy every second of the time I have remaining here and stopped worrying about the future. Que sera, sera.

As always, I'll try to overcome my writing demons and share more frequently.

Okay, maybe I was a little dramatic but doesn't it sound familiar? I'm glad that I haven't changed too much.
September 25, 2007
12:11
Ramadan Musings
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris

For about six months now I've been avoiding chat clients. I stopped logging into my MSN account and rarely use GTalk. They are such time wasters and despite the fact that I'm an awesome multi-tasker I don't have the patience to sit at a computer anymore. I'd rather be out and about.

I've also avoided interacting too much on Facebook in the past few months, but now I've got a renewed interest in it. I think I did one of the stupidest things ever and removed everyone off my Limited Profile list. I blame it on Ramadan.

Ramadan makes me stupid. And forgetful. And stupid. Every day after work I wander around the parking lot searching for my car. I've lost my car every single day of Ramadan. I always remember what floor I parked on but which section? Forget about it!

The one thing on my mind constantly is my friend's visit in November. I'm scared I'm jinxing it because it's all I talk about. I've already told most of my friends to be free those 2 weeks in November so that we can show her a good time. She's visiting from Ghana to see me, relax and also to job hunt. I'm such a nerd, I even made an Excel table of our schedule. It's color-coded and everything!

I think one reason I'm excited is because I hate going out in Ramadan and so I avoid all activities. I've been to two birthdays and I've only had fu6oor out once. I hate the traffic during this month.

Is it Gergai3an? I thought it was yesterday, but I didn't hear the doorbell ring. No "Salem Tooomz" this year?

Weird Fact: I don't watch television or listen to the radio in Kuwait. So I never know what the latest commercials or television shows are or advertisements on the radio.
September 23, 2007
10:41
Travel 2008
» ‎ Kuwait Hubris
2007 isn't over yet and I'm already thinking of where I should vacation in 2008. I have a few destinations I'd like to visit but I can't seem to make up my mind. I've got friends and family all over the world but I've narrowed them down to five countries. Of the 5 locations I've listed below which one do you vote for?
1. Canada - Toronto
2. Greece
3. Taiwan
4. United Kingdom - London
5. United States - Las Vegas & Los Angeles
Why Toronto, Canada? My friend lives there and I haven't seen her since 1998. I've never been to Canada and every time I plan on visiting it falls through.
Why Greece? My friend is spending the summer there and asked me to join her.
Why Taiwan? I've never been there and I have friends who live there that I'd love to visit. It's more about the people than the country. Parental veto, which I must respect, removes Taiwan out of the running.
Why London? The last time I was there was when I was twelve. I've been avoiding the city for years but I think I'm ready to go visit. I've got family and friends there.
Why Las Vegas & L.A? My friend wants to travel there together and I miss Vegas! I hate flights to the U.S. though and I admit that's a big part of what's holding me back.

Have you decided where you want to vacation in 2008 or is it still too early?

← K.TheKuwaiti.com KUWAIT UNPLUGGED →

yazeez's feeds » Kuwait Hubris

Feeds

Kuwait Hubris