The first time I came near drowning was way back in 1990 in a swimming pool in Spain. My older brother ‘saved’ me. The second time was just 2 months ago, in Sharm AlSheikh, while in full diving gear.

We were diving in Shark’s Bay. The Shark’s bay’s name sounds dangerous, but I’ve never seen a shark over there. The dive was a shore dive, which means you wear your gear and walk to the sea and slowly get submerged under the waters as you walk further in. Cool place to dive since even when your feet could still touch the ground, you can see all the corals, fish, and lovely blue depths ahead. The water’s beauty over there is intoxicating.

It was an early dive, the bus was coming to pick us up and we were still in our beds. Sulaiman being the most disciplined person in the group passed by our room earlier and woke us all up and headed to the breakfast buffet. The breakfast was essential prior to every dive. You had to have something to eat before a dive, that’s what we were taught. That morning however, we barely had enough time to pack our gears and wear our shorts. There was always a time shortage when we’re in Sharm. We walked out of our rooms and headed to the car, Sulaiman met us half way. He was coming to yell at us for being late, as always.

We got to Shark Bay in 10 minutes, wore our gear and were in the water soon after. I was hungry and excited, my excitement totally overshadowed me being hungry, and that, my friends, is rare in my case. We walked into the water, wore our masks, then walked in a littler deeper, and finally peeked under the surface. It was beautiful down there. The Corals, colored fish, crystal clear waters.. You could see that we were excited about this place as soon as we looked back up. The guide ordered us all to empty the air in all of our BCDs (vests) and start the dive. We happily did.

The ground’s slope at this location is amazing. You can touch the ground with your feet one minute, and the next minute you’re 15 meters under the surface. Amazing. We started going deeper and deeper, I had a weird feeling going through me only 10 minutes after the dive. I didn’t know what it was. I ignored it cautiously. The dive was getting better, we were nearing a canyon, and I haven’t seen this canyon when I came to this same spot last year. As we were taking our time to get to the canyon, that weird feeling started to bother me and I felt that something bad was about to happen. I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know what that feeling was, It just felt like my heart have just received some really bad news; I felt heavy hearted.

I was looking at 2 of my friends infront of me, they were beginners. I was observing the air bubbles coming out of their mouths. Aziz was getting better at controlling his air intakes, while Mohammed was only getting worse. Unbroken chains of bubbles were rising from his mouth. He was basically draining his air tank, and at this rate, we’ll be forced to end our dive and get out in no time. We hate that. I, on the other hand, was great at controlling my breathing.

While observing their bubbles, That weird feeling started to get the best of me. I felt I was being suffocated.

There is something you learn instinctively, as you get into diving, and it’s really important: You don’t get into the water or plan a dive unless there is someone around who you trust 100% and could count on. That someone that day was Sulaiman. I motioned him over, he came close immediately. I took his white board and wrote ‘Madry Shfeeny’ on it (I don’t know whats wrong with me). He took my hand and we swam together. I didn’t want to ruin their dive, it was a nice one and everybody seemed to enjoy it, so far.

You shouldn’t bother trying to be unselfish when you’re under water. This was something I learned the hard way.

That weird feeling didn’t leave me for one bit, and it started to really take over me in a suffocating way. We have reached the canyon.

The canyon was narrow; it looked like a narrow crack through big sharp edged walls. The walls on the insides met at the top, forming the canyon’s cracked ceiling. Claustrophobics worst nightmare.

At that point, I was carefully observing my movements, my reactions, and overall the way I was thinking. I was told that nitrogen intoxication (sikir la3maq) have specific symptoms: You don’t think straight, you get dizzy, you’re reactions get slower, and you end up taking off your mask and regulator (oxygen) in frenzy. I feared that. That was why I had Sulaiman close, so I could have someone taking care of me in case I go crazy for a minute. On top of that, I was paying close attention to myself. That was also scary in itself. That you had to observe your ‘self’ and stop it from doing something crazy.

We went into the canyon, the guide first, followed by Aziz, then Mohammed, then Me, and then Sulaiman. Mohammed was slow, he was holding me back. At that time I was officially suffocating. I couldn’t breath. There was air coming in and out of my lungs, but for some reason it wasn’t registering, like I wasn’t getting enough air in. Somehow water got into my mouth and I swallowed.

I was drowning.

I should keep it together; I should pay attention to what I’m doing. I should all do that.. while suffocating. Also I shouldn’t cause any freak out. We’re in a narrow canyon; we’re nearing its end. We’re going up to its exit. Hold on a litte more. Wait your turn to exit. It’s finally my turn to go up. More water swallowed. Mohammed is too damn slow! I rush behind him.. and thats when I received a major kick from Mohammed’s fins. My mask goes off and I can’t see. Uncontrollably I start swallowing more water. I try to keep it cool and not freak out. I’m going up behind Mohammed, I’m swallowing even more water, I’m adjusting my mask, I try to navigate away from the sharp edges of the canyon, all that while suffocating and gasping for air. For one moment there I was ready to put an end to it all, shove them all and climb my way back to the surface and take in all the air and just BREATH IT ALL IN. But I couldn’t.

Mask is back on, we’re out of the canyon, the guide is checking on all of us. He’s checking on all of my 3 friends, and I’m just waiting for my turn to be checked on. It was just getting crazier and crazier. Imagine someone drowning, and is trying to be polite and wait for his turn to be checked on. That was me. Stupid. When it finally was my turn, I couldn’t keep together any longer; I raised my thumb pointing to the surface, while my other hand on my throat making the ‘kill/dead’ gesture, and started to kick my way up. The guide came rushing, and stopped me from acting on my own. I wanted to go up. I’m not kidding, I’m drowning, and I’m not getting enough oxygen! Maybe there is something wrong with the tank! I need oxygen! Get me out! yup I reached that point after many attempts to stay cool and act professional. I was held down in spite of all what I was feeling. I had to comply and stop in my place. I rested and took as many inhales as I could, air was rushing in and outta my lungs.

40 minutes later, we were sitting in a cafe that overlooked the beach. We were discussing what happened. The guide asked whether I had something to eat or not? That was one of the 2 possible reasons for what happened; I was diving on an empty stomach. The other reason was: I was too conservative with my tank. I tried to be economical and control my intake until I literally suffocated myself. I managed to prolong my tank’s life till I reached a point where I had too little oxygen in me to keep me going, that’s when I had my “Hyper ventilation.”

Lesson learned & Reaffirmed:

1- Have a great buddy around.
2- Eat properly before a dive.
3- Being polite could kill you sometimes.
4- Live, Learn, and don’t let bad experiences affect your future ones.

 






مجاناً : تيس
تيس عمره 7 شهور،أبيض بدون قرون أليف و مرح.خذه مجاناً بشرط واحد:لا تذبحه ولا تبيعه بل احتفظ به. 66111988

Free: Goat (male)

7 month’s goat, white, without horns, fun around the house. Take it for free, but under 1 Condition: Don’t kill it and don’t resell it. Just keep it. 66111988

A lot of heart in this little ad.

Source

 





Remember this? Its the limited edition 1KD that was issued for the second anniversary of Kuwait’s liberation on 1993. Its almost 20 years for this 1KD. It was a gift from my grand mother (RIP). For more pictures click below.

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10
Oct

postedby

In world best countries, I dont know if its a good rank or not but they measure it based on Education, Health, Quality of life, Economics and Political environment. The good news is we’re ranked first among arabian countries on the list. LINK

 





Johnny Depp is filimg the fourth installment of Pirates of the Caribbean (yes!), in the south east of london. He received a letter from a lucky little girl, 9 years old Beatrice, in primary school in Greenwich saying she wanted to arrange a mutiny against the teachers and needed help from Captain Jack Sparrow himself.

Johnny Depp decided to respond to the letter in person, and visit the girl in her school. The visit was unannounced until 10 minutes ahead of arrival, and lasted a good 15 minutes. He arrived in character, with make up, wardrobe and all.

How cool is that?

Watch the video

Source

 





Just got this piece of info that soon Ribs & Rumps will be opening up a branch here in Kuwait but not yet decided if it will be in the Avenues mall or 360 mall.

Thanks INM

PICTURE

 




09
Oct

postedby

I love Friends and love everything about it. I landed on a wesbsite that had pictures of some of the show’s mistakes. Great find if you’re a fan. Watch the rest here

 





There is a football court being built in AlZour. I think it’s one of those little football fields you rent by the hour/game. It’s right across the street from Sultan Center. And looks like it’ll be done and ready soon.

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I’ve been inspired by Mishary’s posts about mobile’s best prices. I’ve done some research and this is what I’ve got for Kuwait. The newest iPod touch prices are as listed below:

So far, in Kuwait, the best deal would be found at We-Sell-Them.com Kuwaiti online store. They have the best prices and Free Same-day delivery.

If you know of any better deal in Kuwiat, let us know.

Note: I couldn’t get any info from Eureka coz their employee seemed to have no clue whatsoever. And Digits are expecting them within 2 weeks.

WeSellThem

 





Just got an email from Aramex saying they’ve changed their working hours to 8:30 am to 9:00 pm, in one go. I like the new flexibility in schedule. Good move Aramex!

UPDATE: It seems they got the same timing but now they made Friday off for them.

 





Liveview by Sony Ericsson, is a tiny little thing you put on your desk, and it’ll sync with you mobile, facebook, twitter, and so on. It’ll display messages, tweets, calendar and what not. It hasn’t been priced, yet.

From The Sun:
“Basically, it’s a receiver that hooks up to your handset via Bluetooth and displays information on the screen.

Why, you may well ask.

Sony Ericsson says it allows people more freedom because they don’t need to keep checking their phone’s display.

This little gizmo will show the latest Facebook and Twitter updates, calendar information and text messages.

You can also see who is calling.”

To Sony Ericsson: You may have missed this, but my mobile doesn’t look like this, and it’s on my desk right now and it does all that already. Or am I missing something?

Source

 





AN Australian inventor has taken out one of the world’s most prestigious design awards with a bazooka that saves lives, rather than claims them.

He won for his modified Bazooka, which shoots a tablet that inflates the moment it touches water into a life saving foam unit. There shouldn’t be any concerns when it comes to debris or sharp stuff, coz this unit is made of expandable foam.

Click to watch video & more pics

 





 

غيب الموت فجر اليوم شيخ الكتاب، الأستاذ المحامي محمد مساعد الصالح بعد معاناة مع المرض عن عمر يناهز السادسة والسبعين، وكان الراحل قد أدخل المستشفى الأميري الأسبوع الماضي وبقيت حالته حرجة بالعناية المركزة، وسيوارى جثمانه الثرى عصر اليوم بمقبرة الصليبيخات كما ستقام مراسم العزاء بديوانية الجناعات بمنطقة الشويخ.

Source via Frankom

 





October 6, 2010 Dubai: Zain, the leading mobile telecom network provider in the Middle East, won for the second year in a row, the award for the ‘Best Brand’ at the 4th Annual Telecoms World Awards, Middle East held in Dubai and organized by Terrapinn. Zain’s mobile operation in Jordan was also rewarded by taking the Best Arabic Application prize.

In presenting the Best Brand award to Zain Group the six member judging panel commented, “Within just three years of its launch, Zain has not only created a compelling brand for its products or services in one or more branches of the media, but it has raised brand awareness that has made a positive impact on the company’s market share, valuation and bottom line. With ‘A wonderful world’ slogan and core values of Heart, Radiance and Belonging, Zain is a brand that has caught the imagination of the whole region and perfectly reflects the aspirations and thinking of its customers and the telecom industry at large.”

Read the rest here

 





Male model Brad Koenig walked the Spring 2011 Chanel show with his 2-year-old.

 





I’ve been in love with Vaja Cases company for a long time. The company specializes in mobile cases, like Blackberry, iPhone, and even Ipad cases. Almost 2 months ago they announced that they’re ready to for the iPhone 4, so I went ahead and made my combination; I like dark gray and red, and placed my order. I had to wait for 45 days for the process. A couple of days ago it arrived via Fedex (I paid KD10.5 for customs and clearance). Check the whole unboxing through the link below.

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Times square failed bomber was a Muslim. They can’t seem to stress that enough, everwhere, the bomber was a Pakistani Muslim. A Muslim. They have the worst intetions, some of those papers. So Biased. Here is why I think some are biased: 

A Pakistani Muslim was behind the failed plot to bomb Times Square, and a Senegal Muslim was the first to report the smoking car, which contained the bombs, to the police, and helped stop the the whole thing.
Now guess which Muslim isn’t going to be mentioned nor given credit for helping the police on the media?

I hate that Bad Muslims always win the fights against the Good Muslims, and get to bask in the limelight of biased media.

Anyway here is a little interview they did with the Senegali Guy who helped the police, he’s a simple man with simple english. It’s an interesting read. Read the rest of this entry »

 




05
Oct

postedby

 

Two major newspapers covered the exact same event: Welcoming back our Kuwaiti National Football Team (reserves).

AlRai wrote that there was no proper attendance by the officials, nor the football fans, and most of the people gathered at the airport welcoming the players back, were actually the players’s families.

AlRai Newspaper:
لم يحظ لاعبو منتخب الكويت الرديف لكرة القدم بطل دورة غرب اسيا بالاستقبال اللائق عقب عودته للبلاد ظهر يوم امس رغم عودته الى سلك درب الالقاب بعد ان حاد عنه لمدة 12 عاما وتحديدا منذ فوزه بلقب بطولة كأس الخليج الرابعة عشرة في البحرين عام 1998، حيث لم يشارك في الاستقبال سوى نائب مدير الهيئة العامة للشباب والرياضة جاسم يعقوب و نائب رئيس اتحاد كرة القدم (غير الشرعي) هايف المطيري و الشاعر الشيخ دعيج الخليفة و رجل الاعمال وليد الجاسم و جماهير قليلة اغلبها من ذوي اللاعبين.

AlWatan on the other hand had a completely different experience and reporting. They thought that our national football team got an unprecedented reception, something Kuwait haven’t witness nor known before yesterday’s event. All the officials, fans , ect.. were there.

AlWatan Newspaper:
شهد مطار الكويت الدولي ظهر امس استقبالا لم يسبق له مثيل لابطال الازرق الرديف عقب عودته الى البلاد قادما من العاصمة الاردنية عمان بعد ان حقق انجازا كبيرا بفوزه بكأس غرب آسيا السادسة على حساب المنتخب الايراني صاحب الصولات والجولات في هذه البطولة.
وكانت قاعة التشريفات قد اكتظت بكبار المسؤولين عن الرياضة يتقدمهم عضوا الهيئة العامة للشباب والرياضة محمد المسعود وجاسم يعقوب وامين سر اللجنة الاولمبية عبيد زايد ونائب رئيس اتحاد الكرة هايف الديحاني وسكرتير عام الاتحاد سهو السهو والاعضاء مانع الحيان وطلال المعصب وجماهير غفيرة غصت بهم الشوارع المؤدية الى المطار واستقبلت تلك الجماهير ابطال الازرق بالاحضان والورود والاهازيج وحملت بعض اللاعبين على الاكتاف تقديرا للانجاز الذي حققوه كما قام الاتحاد بتنظيم حفل مميز صاحبته اغان وطنية واهازيج شعبية اعادت للاذهان العصر الذهبي للكرة الكويتية.

You can’t have 180 degrees different opinions about an attendance of an event. What do you think?

Thanks Mohammed

 





I have 2 games that are totally addictive, I mean seriously, I’m rediculously addicted to those 2 games that I couldn’t help but promote to every friend with an iPhone or iPad. Though I think games at 666casino are so much fun to play and in fact allow its players to win real money, we a re not talking about it today. Make sure to only use approved gambling sites when playing online. Apart from the Best singapore online casino, you should not consider other sites. I’m recommending them to you now.

Bees VS Ants

You’re a swarm of bees, you have your castles, but you’re greedy and evil, you’re an evil bee (it’s cute already), so you need to invade the ants territories and take over their castles. Everything happens real fast, it’s kill or get killed. You’ll love it. Also you will love playing at daisyslots.com, many online casino games that you like awaits you. play your favorite classic casino games and relax.

Crystal War

This one reminds me of old AMEGA games, it’s 2D and it’s a war game. Your commander is on the far left, sending your troops over to theirs, to kill their way till you reach their commander and take him down. It’s simple. Low on graphics but addictive. I’m taking a break from this one coz I think I overplayed it a bit. There are other type of games like these, check the best ones at mp1st.com.

If you’re a MOBA gamer then get your league smurfs for a better ranked gaming experience at UnrankedSmurfs. These 2 are addictive so be warned. While we’re on the subject. If you prefer playing MMOs like RuneScape but want to skip all the time-consuming grinding and get straight to playing with the items you want, you can buy osrs gold in this website. I’m almost done with those 2.. Do you have any really good iPhone games?

 





We were sent a package of pretzels by the nice people over at Auntie Anne’s for dinner. We went for tuesday coz thats when we have our family gathering at our home. It arrived around 7:30pm, which was perfect. it was hot and smelled wonderful. I was almost too hesitant to wait for the dinner to be served coz the smell was that good.

Anyway. We were sent the following:

Original Pretzels.
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels.
Cheese Stix.
Mini Dog Pretzels.
3 Kinds of Dips.
2 Kinds of Lemonade mixers.
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