Posted By Mishary.

Remember the coconut I bought the other day? I posted about it? Today i decided to cut it open by myself. (Rajoo used to cut it for me before) so, I went to the kitchen, took my “sa6oor” (a big knife) i don’t know it’s name in English and I started hammering it, and kept hammering, hammering and hammering! For about 10 mins!

THE RESULT:NOTHING CHANGED!!

Guys how do you crack it open?? ThankGod I’m not in a secluded island!

We were there by the shuttle buses location around 5:30pm and in less than a minute we were on the bus and on our way to the concert venue. everybody was excited and brought their picnic carpets and little cushions. Me & loco went with just our tickets in hand. the shuttle took 5 minutes and we were there. the place didn’t look crowded, actually it looked empty! it didn’t fill up until the last 5 minutes.

As we entered, we noticed lots of people carrying their cameras and no one was stopping them. so loco volunteered to go and bring my camera from the car. and I promised him to keep an eye on his little spot on the grass until he comes back. he went on a bus back to the parking area, lost the tickets, got yelled at by the bus driver and lost 3 kilos from a very long walk. meanwhile, i was being mocked and yelled at by a lebanese witch. she came with her husband and wanted to spread their carpet on loco’s spot!

i just said: my friend is sitting here, he’s coming back.
Husband: he’s gonna take this whole place?! this whole place?!
Me: No, just this spot *points to the spot near me*
Husband: ALL of this spot?! all of it?!
Me: NO NO JUST THIS LITTLE 0.5 meter by 0.5 meter!
Witch: so your friend is going to sit next to You RIGHT?
Me: YES.
*the witch fell to her knees, almost breaking mine, and sat EXTREMELY close to me and said*
Witch: so this is how your friend is going to sit??? *and then looked at her husband* OK, now spread the rug next to me! *looks at me* ARE YOU HAPPY NOW!?
Me: isloobich raw3a.
Witch: *gave me a patronizing look and looked away*

I couldn’t say a word. i was really angry, but i could say anything, which made me even more angry.

less than 10 mintues later, her husband went away, called her on the phone and she started packing and then left. just before going away, she said “you can have this whole place for yourself now!”

loco came back 45 minutes later with the camera! hurraaay!

we waited until 8:20. The crowd stood up and were pushing us against the barrier when some lights and smokes were flashing on stage. by 8:30 Celine appeard! just on time

The concert started with a little clip. then she bursted into “I drove all night.” it was a nice song to start up the concert. she was amazing as ever!

The Setlist:

I drove all night
The Power Of Love
Taking Chances
Its all coming back to me now
To love You More
Because You Loved Me
I’m Your Angel (with her background singer)
Eyes On Me
Alone
We Will Rock You
The Show Must Go On
All By Myself
Pour Que Tu M’aimes Encore
Its a Man’s world
Love Can Move Mountains

And some other Covers and songs from her catalog.

She rocked each and every song and gave it her all. It was all great. The Audience was into her and her songs. She said “Ana Ahebbak” and “Shokran.” She took a moment to thank us, and told us how a great an audience we are. She also talked a bit about Dubai, and that she’s been here for 3 days and already know why everybody talks about Dubai. “its the city of tomorrow, its the city of the future” she said.

She sang a song and then said her goodbyes and left. The audience were still not satisfied and some were angry she didn’t sing my hear will go on “The Titanic Song.” loco looked at me with an face, and I said “she’ll come back for an encore.” and She did! she came back and sang The “Titanic Song.”

It was an amazing night. lots of pushing, shoving and witches, but totally worth it.

Draw Their Sympathy!

I was hungry and the guy from KFC told me why not try their new wrap sandwich. I foolishly fell for it.

Its a star shaped wrap sandwich. It tasted like chicken, twister sauce, marinara sauce, beans (don’t ask), lots of cheese, tortilla chips… lots of flavors came together to form this disgusting sandwich. Oh and it was soggy too! Just the way I like it

0.5 out of 5

Posted By Yousef

I walked into a Zain branch today with dark clouds hovering over my head, I wanted to complain. I wanted to make, whoever ignored the phone and let it ring forever, Suffer the wrath of an annoyed customer! All I wanted was to ask if they had eGo Devices in stock and nobody was picking up! But I decided to finish what i came for first, then do the complaining. So, I went took a number (#222) and waited inline. There was a very huge group of people (taking up all of the waiting area) ahead of me and only 1 hour left for the branch to close.

I waited for 45 minutes and still the board read 221, my number was 222. more than 45 minutes have gone by and that board still showing the same friggin number! I saw the lady at the desk and she was NOT busy and to make matters worse, she stood and started walking away from her desk. She talked on the phone, walked around, chatted with her friends. I wanted to yell at something. There was a guy with a ZAIN badge walking around making sure everything is running smoothly. “AHA!!” I thought.

Me: Excuse me! I’ve been waiting here for more than 45 minutes now and i’m still waiting for that number to change! i’m holding the number next to that one!
Him: ok ok.. no problem, let me…
Me: You can’t treat customers like this! i’ve been calling this branch for hours and no one answers! and now you make me wait for almost an hour here!
Him: whats the number you’re holding?
Me: 222!
Him: But Sir? We’re on 225 now.
Me: whah? where??? that board is showing 221!
Him: thats just the desk’s counter, and the lady is taking a break. we have many other desks and they’re still taking customers.
Me: err… uhhh… well you should’ve put a bigger board!
Him: we have a bigger one, its right —> there.
Me: oh.. hmm… aa…. *looks around for the nearest black hole*

Moral of the story: Look around before you open your big mouth. Or better yet, STAY QUIET!!

Need I say more?

Thanks loco. Source.

Posted By Yousef’s Mom

Mom came to me again with another piece of paper. She surprises me with her knowledge of what’s going on in Kuwait and politics. aren’t Moms supposed to be with limited knowledge? lol or atleast know less about politics than their children! i hate it when I know less than Mom! me feeling not goods my deyar feryends.

Mom’s post:

“There is an old Kuwaiti Saying “ily filjidir i6al3a ilmillas.” the literal translation will sound ridiculous but here it is, “if there is food in a pot, a big spoon should take care of it” which means no matter how big complicated the issue is, it’ll come out eventually. Every issue boiling up in a certain society should see the light of the day. But someone should speak up, someone should recognize whats important. It seems that nobody is brave enough to speak up, and that our pot finally started to burn and the food in the pot is no longer savable nor safe for human consumption!

A lot of the problems Kuwait is facing nowadays has not been dealt with properly, and were left to stack up, to crowd our mind and hearts without any recognition, let alone solutions. We have plenty of slogans in our country “ilhoon abrak maykoon” and “turn the other cheek,” all slogans indicate incompetence. they encourage us to keep receiving slaps after slaps! until its no longer clear why we’re being stepped on and why we no longer matter.

To make this post light (and to keep my son out of trouble) I’ll give a light example. The Government finally thought of removing the illegal buildings, diwaniyas and other violations. Then, and all of a sudden, we hear that there are ministers and some members of both parliaments among the violators! and not only that, but they also were among those who insisted on not passing the bill against the violators until other “socially Big” (and rightfully so) people remove their violations first!

Now, what intrigued me in this whole issue and the question i can’t answer is, Why do these parliament and government ministers think they’re not among the socially big people? aren’t they voted by the people? aren’t they big enough? why do they still have issues when it comes to who’s big and who is not? is it a Nouveau riche syndrome? or are they really small but appear bloated because of the high chairs they’re occupying?

Lots of issues crowding my mind. violations, racism, segregation, nonexistent national security, people faking patriotism… etc. And they’re ALL yet to be seriously recognized and studied by the Government and the parliament to avoid all the crisis coming our way.

The pot is burning people! iljidir 7akkak wi7tarag! the pot is in a desperate need of immediate sterilization to keep the people from deadly poisonings!”

The picture’s source.

Posted By Yousef

Remember Mom’s First Post? Well, Yesterday, the 21st, Mom showed me an article posted in AlQabas’ newspaper by A Kuwaiti writer (won’t mention her name). The article was a bit too similar to Mom’s post. Actually, it looked as if the writer was reading our brains! Either that or she read our blog.

Alqabas’ Article

Mom’s Article

“It was no easy duty to go and condole a woman on her loss, It wasn’t easy for other relatives to see a member of their family suffer and go through those horrible days. It was a simple gathering where everything revolved around the family and their grief. it was simple yet very heavy, intense and somber experience. Therefor not everybody was allowed to go, only the eldest of the family would go and represent the rest and do the necessary (wajib).”

Again Alqabas’ Article

Mom’s

“Even little girls are brought to the 3azas. With their hair on their shoulders, Their little plated jewelry and their dazed eyes. The grownups haven’t spared us either, they attend wearing their topnotch abayas, filled with swarovski crystals and what not. Abayas suitable for weddings rather than 3azas!Some even went as far as wearing makeup. The new type of makeup, the “Sad occasions” makeups.”

Coincidence? Or plagiarism? Either way, I’m glad she agrees with Mom.

Posted By Yousef

I was looking around for hotel rooms in Dubai in the range of $300 a night. and it seemed as though I’ve asked for something out of the ordinary! Even when I called the travel agency the guy almost didn’t take me seriously. I checked expedia for hotels’ rates and got shocked! Rooms are going for $500 and $850 a night?! regular rooms not suites! This means If I stayed for the 5 days, I would’ve spent 2 Macbooks worth of money!

I lived in this country for so long and asked for rates so many times for friends and relatives, but never really thought about the prices. Prices are very real when I’m the one on the spending end! lol

Anyway, finally the travel agency found me this nice new hotel. Copthorne Hotel, Located near Deira City Center, over looking Dubai’s Creek. the hotel is part of Millennium Hotels group.

This is My room (Booked a junior suite coz all the rooms were gone)

This is the sitting area (not allowed to sit in the bedroom.. gotta follow the rules)

The pool area

Overall, and up to now, For 80Kd per night, I think it was an excellent choice and (Father’s) money well spent. The staff are friendly and attentive. Spacious rooms. Big Plasma screens and free high-speed internet.

I give them 4/5. I would’ve given them a better rating if it wasn’t for the Hotel’s ugly exterior and lobby.

Posted By Yousef’s Mom

For all of the Kuwaiti and maybe Arab Girls out there, Mom got something to say about the way the Kuwaiti 3aza has changed and how the 3 days that follows, where women gather in the grieving family’s house to offer condolences, is no longer about offering support and consolation!

Mom wrote this next part:

“It was no easy duty to go and condole a woman on her loss, It wasn’t easy for other relatives to see a member of their family suffer and go through those horrible days. It was a simple gathering where everything revolved around the family and their grief. it was simple yet very heavy, intense and somber experience. Therefor not everybody was allowed to go, only the eldest of the family would go and represent the rest and do the necessary (wajib). The place where the guest would be seated was never big or specially set up for the sad occasion. It was a small hall where the guests would stay QUIET for awhile, Read some Quran, Offer their support and condolences and then leave to make room for other guests. The atmosphere used to be filled with silence, Sadness and above all Respect for the grieving women and her family.

Fast-Forward to present day’s 3azas. Things have changed a lot since people had feelings and consideration. Nowadays Everybody goes to 3azas (not for the right reasons). Even little girls are brought to the 3azas. With their hair on their shoulders, Their little plated jewelry and their dazed eyes. The grownups haven’t spared us either, they attend wearing their topnotch abayas, filled with swarovski crystals and what not. Abayas suitable for weddings rather than 3azas!

Some even went as far as wearing makeup. The new type of makeup, the “Sad occasions” makeups. And we find the supposedly grieving family now setting the place up so that it can seat as many people as possible, going out of their way (and sadness) to make the people comfortable and make sure they “enjoy” their say. We find them renting chairs and filling up the place with as many chairs as possible, turning the place into a little cinema, a little show, a shameless masquerade.

The once feared and respected occasion has become just another place for gatherings. For relatives to see each others and pass their hellos. I often hear the salams and the sowalif (chitchats) now. oh and the salams are not passed with soft-voices either! And the nerve on some of the women… I personally heard a woman say to her friend one time “I’m so happy I ran into you on this wonderful occasion!” –> “monasaba sa3eeda o imbaareka iny shiftkom!”

fa hal hatha min mazaya taqadomna?
am min masawe2 ta2akhurna?”

I tried my best to capture Mom’s words and this is the best i could do. she was much more eloquent though.

Posted By Yousef

Yes, we should lighten up. We should take things less seriously. We should always compromise and accept new questionable things into our lives. What’s with the people nowadays always clinging to their traditions and what they believe in? Don’t they know we’re in the grey age now? Don’t they know that the less you standout the better it is for everyone else?

Lets be less opinionated and more with the flow…..

So what if we celebrated a pagan occasion?
So what if we celebrated the memory of a Christian priest?
So what and so what again?

We can always go with the flow…

Its easier…

So lets just go with the flow until we are so far away we can’t even look back to where we were.

*yes i’m being sarcastic and i have a headache*

The picture above is taken from Here.

Posted By Mishary.

Today INM passed this question to me and i figured out the number. i just want to share it with u guys. Now lets see.. There is a bus with 7 children inside, Each child has 7 bags, Inside each bag there are 7 Big cats, Each big cat has 7 small kittens and ofcourse each car has four legs. Now, How many legs are there in the bus?

Please answer the question in the comments section and I’m gonna provide the right answer in the next couple of days, just wanna know how many can solve it

Answer:

Touché was the first to answer correctly!

And here is the explanation for those who need it:

7 kids x 7 bags = 49 bags

49 bags x 7 big cats each = 343 big cats
343 big cats x 4 legs each = 1372 big cat legs

343 big cats x 7 kittens = 2401 kittens
2401 kittens x 4 legs = 9604 kitten legs

7 kids x 2 legs = 14 kids legs

1372 big cat legs + 9604 kitten legs + 14 kids legs = 10990 legs.

There is no driver on the bus.

Posted By Mishary.

My friend just called me and said that all of the three highways to Kuwait City (Fahaheel, Almaghreb and Alma6ar highways) are jammed with cars! he said coz the belajat (gulf) road is closed. Even INM called me and said it took him 1.5 hr to come back home.

i dont know why they r closing it? preparation of Hala Feb.? Maybe.

UPDATE:

Ali just sent me some pics that shows how crowded the streets were. According to him the blajat (Gulf) street was closed due to constructions from Al abraj (kuwait towers) to Marina Mall, there for, it will remain closed for the next 72 hrs.

Here are more pics.

Thank You Ali for taking these pics.

Posted By Mishary.

Whats wrong with the internet guys!? my connection is SO SLOW! i cant even check my blog!

I understood from K.theKuwaiti’s post that the internet cable got damaged and its effects were noticed all over the GCC and they will repair it within 1-2 weeks “wallah tawny 3ad less than a week meshterek eb Zain 7.2″ mamdaney tahanait feeeh

Yesterday I went to Shuwaikh’s port near Kuwait University. I wanted to tell everything in details, but that proved to be impossible… so many little annoying details.. most of which were intangible.. you’d have to go there once and know what i’m talking about. Anyway, i picked just 3 incidents, here we go:

1-I had to get a visitor badge so i can enter the free zone area to check-out my packages.. we went to an office’s window (we were not allowed to enter. just wait by the window for the officer to finish your documents and hand it out to you). there were 2 groups of people waiting at 2 different windows, The first window (officer) told me that in order to get the free pass badge, I had to get my Civil-ID and Package-documents photocopied and stamped. i left him and went to the other window (officer) and he told that all i have to do is give him my civil-id in exchange. and i did, i gave him the id and he gave me the badge.

2 employees, 2 different rules. within 5 meters of each other.

2-I went in (the badge of honor in my pocket) and went straight to the warehouse where my stuff was put into a pile. we searched for the mas2ool (the guy in charge), no one was there… only an indian guy (who was a bit moody). turned out the guy in charge (the egyptian guy) is not available right now.. we were asked to wait for about 45 minutes.. (the people at the customs will leave within the next 30 minutes).

I complained, I yelled and I argued… and at the end, the indian guy got sick of me and gave me the egyptian guy’s phone number. i did the same when i called that guy, complained, yelled and argued…

Me: where are YOU!!!
mas2ool: ana 3and almo7akik… (mo7aqiq) ana mash’3ool delwa2t! meen idaak ilrakam dah!
Me: doesn’t matter! just come back now! i’m in a hurry!
mas2ool: i’m with the mo7aqiq!! i can’t come now! give me 30 minutes
Me: what are you doing there? why are you there and not here where you’re supposed to be!? even if you had something important there, you can’t just go and leave your place without anyone else in charge!

10 minutes later my problem was solved and we took the packages and went to customs…

3-I took many pictures in that warehouse. of classic cars, big boxes, my boxes and some random dusty stuff..

on our way to the customs (i’m in my car, and my packages in the other big car). as we were driving, the sea was on my left. the port looked very nice and very bloggable.. i opened my window and took out my mobile and started taking pictures.. of the sea, the port, the dock, ships… etc. and then I WAS STOPPED!

G.i.Joe: what are you doing!
Me: taking pictures?
Joe: i got a tip that someone was taking pictures of the dock! give me your id and your visitor’s pass.
Me: (oh the badge! he’s going to take my badge!)
Joe: you know.. if you weren’t kuwaiti, i would’ve had to inform the maba7ith. and they were going to send you to the niyaba, then transfer you to the national security department! bitroo7 ibdahya kint!
Me: shdaaaaaaaaa3waaaaaaaaaaa
Joe: i’m not joking (angry face). you don’t think you’ve done something illegal?
Me: actually, no i don’t.. all i’ve done was take some pictures.. and not good ones at that, since i was driving and shooting at the same time…
Joe: thats illegal!! you can’t take pictures of ports! just like how you can’t take pictures of the airport! same thing!
Me: what are you talking about! there are 2 music videos shot at the airport!! (abdulkarim and ruwaishid’s).. its not illegal!
Joe: look, i think your intentions were pure.. and therefor i won’t be sending you to the police (maba7ith)..
Me: if you want me to delete the pictures i will.. i don’t care..
Joe: well, if you don’t delete them now infront of me, i’m gonna take you to the police myself.

can you believe that!! i mean what kind of a sick, stupid terrorist would use mobile shots to plot an attack! i mean when you have something like this:

the mouse cursor is showing the place where i was stopped

why would you need poor quality, mobile pictures… i guess i’ll never know the answer..

all in all, the experience was an awful and sad one. Kuwait’s system and the guys working in our biggest and most important ministries are stupid and incompetent. i had to race an officer with my car just to get his clearance signature. thats telling!

Thanks to Google Earth for the picture above.

[video 6329 w=300]

Mom bought this toy for my nephew who’s less than a year old! The cow makes loud scary noises, walks fast, it has RED eyes, and shakes it head like a maniac….. bs nagi9ha tel7ag wet3eth!!

The other day i was in our local co-op (jam3iya) and there was a big billboard in there thanking the area’s people and contributers. as I was reading, i noticed that there was a new area name in there… “mbarak al abdullah al jaber” (A.K.A. ‘3arb Mishref).. i stood there reading the billboard.. but i couldn’t really finish it! i stopped and asked mom about that new name and what it supposed to stand for? and why?? why would anyone name a nice man6aqa with that name?

the first thing i wanted to know was “what did this, i’m sure honorable, guy did to deserve such honor?” mom thought for a moment and then said “well, he did nothing aside from that he once lived in a nice house in the area.”

Mom and me continued discussing this subject, and she came to the conclusion that “some names are being used for the sole reason of them being from the royal family and that they’re dead now”. thats the only reason.. they’ve died and by being dead they were entitled for an area named after them…

We talked about another issue as well.. it is very difficult for the non-Kuwaitis (like expats), I’m sure they’ll find it very difficult to pronounce the areas names, let alone knowing the difference between them! its very confusing to them.. i mean think about it (jaber al ali, ahmad alfahad, abdullah almbarak, mbarak alkabeer… and so on).. can you see how its confusing? the whole thing is reaching a point where its failing to serve the only purpose it was intended to serve!

Now, don’t get me wrong, i’m all for being patriotic and rewarding the people who made a difference in this country. but I wish we’d cut back on this type of area naming.. we don’t need so many names from one family, be it the royal family or any other family! we need to to be true to ourselves more often, and we need to keep the names of those who helped shape todays kuwait alive… and not by naming the areas after people where their only contribution to kuwait is there death.

I really want to go into the road and highways’ names (shari3 ilmalik fahad, shari3 ilmalik 3abdelaziz, shari3 ilmalik faisal, they’re shari3 ilma’3rib, shari3 f7ai7eel and shari3 ireyath respectively). but i think what i wrote up to now is enough for now..

Here is a list of Kuwait’s areas with royal family members’ names. and you judge for yourself who’s worthy of such honor and who’s not: (I kinda like some of the names but DEFINITELY not all of em):

-Ali sabah alsalim
-Fahad Alahmad
-Sa3ad albdullah
-Jabir alahmad
-Sabah alahmad
-Sabah alsalim
-Abdullah asalim
-Mbarrak al abdallah al jaber
-Salwa
-Alahmedi
-Sobahiya
-Alde3eya
-Aljabriya
-Mbarak alkabeer
-Alahmedi
-AlSalmiya
-Sabah alnasir
-Jaber al ali

You can check this Thread to find the meanings behind some of the names.

The picture was taken from Cajie.

I’m currently having problems keeping up with my study plan. The finals are here! 3 down and 3 more to go.. Fun is not an option for me until the end of the next week. Inshallah I’m going to be done with the exams by the 5th of january.

My friend INM is coming over on the 6th to help me out with some stuff, and we’re going to head back to Kuwait Via land transportation for a change we’re going to drive back to Kuwait! this should be interesting! 2 guys with not so many things in common, locked in a car for 12 hours… I can’t wait!

My internet problem is not going to be fixed soon. I called and complained many times, but today the nice lady ba6at’ha and told me to adjust to life without internet, she said “problems like this one never get solved quickly, its going to take up to 20 days to be solved”. yafar7ety! i’ve been having low connection for about 10 days before it stopped working, so, i’m guessing it’ll need another week to get fixed..

I’m in a cafe (pic shown above) in city center dubai. i just had lunch in the noodle house (yes again). Mishary, hold on tight! i’m gonna be posting a lot more.. SOON!… just wait for 10 more days

we were still in sheikh zayed’s road at 7:25, so obviously we weren’t going to catch the check-in’s dead line (7:30). I told my sister in law to call the airport just to check if there were any delays on their plane’s schedule.. we were desperate! and my brother prayed for their flight to get delayed by 1 hour. and what do you know!! his prayers got answered! their flight was indeed delayed until 9:30! which means their check-in’s dead line was also pushed an hour to 8:30!

We called the airport again to check if the check-in too was open for an extra hour, just in case, and they said YES. so, now that we can finally breath better and take our time, we thought of using the extra time to go for a quick dinner at The Noodle House in the emirates towers. that plan was immediately shot down by my brother, “we don’t have much time!” he said.. saj wallah! lol *i don’t know what we were thinking, I guess we were just so happy with the delay*

at 8 o’clock we were at the airport saying our goodbyes. I called loco on my way back and told him all about the deadlines and how it all worked out at the end. 20 minutes later I was very close to my apartment and then.. BANG! I got this sms from my brother “we missed the plane”. I immediately called him and it turned that although the plane’s departure time was pushed back for an hour, the checkin time stayed the same!! it stayed at 7:30! the guy in the Jazeeraairways said that they should’ve checked in by 7:30 no matter how many hours the plane gets delayed…. can you believe this? I mean what if it got pushed for 4 hours?? why on earth would I want to check in and then wait in the duty free for HOURS to board the plane? jazeera airways suck. BOYCOTT anyone?

anyway, I turned back and picked them up. we wanted to waste some time until their 2am flight (on emirates airways this time) so we ended up having dinner in The Noodle House afterall! 3ala ra’ey ilmasal, “God works in mysterious ways”