Christmas in Kuwait

I've done something similar two years ago, nevertheless, here are some pics of signs of Christmas all over Kuwait from this year :o)
Although I think because Eid and Christmas were so close this year, most public places only have Eid decorations.

Fanar

IKEA

Mughal Mahal Restaurant

Avenues (although this is more the Eid decrotation, nevertheless the stars could pass for giant snowflakes :o)

Home :o)

I'm back :o)

For two weeks at least :o)

Home sweet home :o)

PS: عيد مبارك

Nikon D40X

Does anyone have any experiences with the new Nikon D40X digital camera?

<link>

How much does it cost in Kuwait?

Thanks for your feedback!

مأجورين

BBC: Kuwait royal sentenced to death

Reports from Kuwait say a member of the ruling family has been sentenced to death for drug trafficking.
Correspondents say it is thought to be one of the first times that such a sentence has been given to a member of the ruling Sabah family.
Sentencing Sheikh Talal Nasser al-Sabah to death, the judge said he had "willingly walked the path of evil".
It was not immediately clear how closely related Sheikh Tala is to senior members of the ruling family.
The judge in the case said Sheikh Tala's crimes had "threatened society... especially young people", a Kuwaiti newspaper reported.
He was also fined US $35,000 dollars.
Sheikh Talal was convicted of trading in hashish, money laundering and the illegal possession of weapons, press reports said.
The court's verdict can be appealed.
Another three people were sentenced to life in jail in connection with the case - including a Bidoun (a stateless Arab), a Bangladeshi and an Indian. Two others, a Lebanese and an Iraqi, were sentenced to seven years in jail each.

[link]

Is this so? Are they really going to hang him?

I was mentioned in Kuwait Times :o)

A friend of mine brought my attention to this article in Kuwait Times about bloggers (it doesn't say when it was written)
(please note the bold part especially :o)

By Velina Nacheva

One of the world's most famous bloggers got sacked this summer because of her online postings: a train of events inconceivable for Kuwait's bloggers. The news of the 33-year-old British secretary working in Paris known to muse under 'La petite anglaise,' who had been fired by her company because of her personal blog, served as testament to the almost recently developed cult following for the anonymous online diary.
Gone are the days when every diary scribbler would keep the events of the day well-hidden under the pillow or locked away from the world for years. Now everyone be it conservative or liberal, men or woman, rich or poor, available of PC and hooked to the Internet, could put his/her thoughts into the WWW for the whole world to see in an instant.

Bloggers in Kuwait - bold women and men alike- are growing in numbers by the day. They blog in English and Arabic and are au courant, outspoken and unafraid. Having no censorship and willing to express themselves young professionals blog reflecting on the most pressing issues of their days. Others turn to blogging as a therapeutic means. It is like seeing a shrink, one blogger once posted. A third group would blog to inform others. In Kuwait's blogs some diarists show empathy with the suffering of children in Ethiopia and Somalia, others ponder on the journalists' murders around the world while a third group feels and writes about the social responsibilities a society has to its people and the world. The wasta phenomenon has its stand in bloggers' write-ups, too.
A week's review of the country's most recent blogs feature discussion stretching from types of music, exotic places to visit to a myriad of personal critical decision to be made; or talk about what is hot and what is not.
For instance, a 21-year old female Kuwaiti apparently shuttling between London, US and Kuwait, posts on her 'Kuwait femme' anything and everything from slogans, comedy clips to poems, landscapes from abroad and depicting strong nostalgia for London. I for one, caught a glimpse of the words this Kuwaiti blogger uses when focusing on the twists of life captured in verse. Similar feelings grab you when riveting on the excess of images Anything Goes blog features.

The shtick 'A Kuwaiti Online' blog takes the lead in the rank of popularity among journos and those readers and fans of Big Brother who want to be informed on the spot. The bloggers of Kuwait provide numerous tips from the so-called "school of experience." Predictably, from traffic and lack of parking lots to the wasta phenomenon, HR challenges and recently published books.
Blogger, self-identified merely as kwtia (no gender attached), has focused on spreading the word of assistance for Lebanon in the aftermath of the crisis by providing links to a couple of relief organisations. Evidently expressing an inclination to the British media, A Kuwaiti Online, blogger in English is concerned with a South African newspaper tagged 'controversial phenomenon.' Another muses on the death of journalists abroad while on the job.

Expats blog too
The blogosphere of Kuwait is not restricted to Kuwaitis. An expat living in Kuwait blogs, mostly on cuisine and family matters, in his 'Indian in Kuwait' posting. Adrian is Taurus and sounds writing exclusively for friends and relatives as he has ignored the downside of no longer being anonymous in his blog by posting the picture of his daughter Sabu who just had a Bday.Words of homesickness also draw bloggers closer together.
A fan of Silence of the Lambs and Snatch (thumbs up for that one), a 28-Lebanese who lives in Kuwait, blogs on 'Fonzation in Kuwait' about missing home and the disapproval of having cars parked on sideways. Referring to himself as Fonzy, the blogger sounds workaholic juggling three jobs - one being in the field of corporate banking. He recently had a Bday surprise put together by his closest people living in Kuwait. One thing about Fonzy is his constant questioning of the irregularities he comes across and his meticulous capture of them with a skilled eye for detail, a camera and a great doze of sense of humour.

Social netting
Kuwait's blogs resemble a mini society of followers who discuss, criticise and learn from each other. Originally from Hungary 25-year old blogger writing at "Q8 Sultana's" posts beautifully selected illustrations of sightseeing spots in Kuwait. Her blog boasts words of encouragement - by fellow bloggers of Kuwait- for posting a mini tourist guide online.
Behind 'Beyond Q8iya' blogger stands a 22 avid poetry reader with an occupation "in the works" who thinks that a blog "gives you the chance to say whatever you want and to hell with it.. it's almost therapeutic to say everything you wouldn't normally say." Listing finance, investment and politics as her top three interests it is hard to take her "in constant evolution" motto as a clean slate.
"Your people want to make a statue in your honour. What will it be made out of and what victory will it commemorate? Ice, so that it melts, because by the time it's done I would have changed my mind..." she posted.

[link]

Q8Sultana M.A.

I just found out I passed all my MA courses as well as my dissertation...

so I even allowed my mom to talk me into attending he graduation ceremony. So it will be back to Exeter in January for 2 days...

:o)

Chador Etiquette

I came accross this article today, and it made me smile...

Chador Etiquette
Kuwait
By Christine Michaud

Darkness had fallen on the quiet bay almighty Saddam once set ablaze for months on end. All across the city, muezzins perched atop neon-lit minarets were calling believers to prayer, their blaring chants echoing off into desert and sea. The timing was perfect. Hugging a black cloak around me, I slipped out into the warm winter night.

A few blocks from the nearest mosque, four women walking closely together passed me by. In addition to the standard chador – a large black cloak and head covering – they wore a black gauze that completely covered their faces and gloves that forbade any sight of their hands. Like black ghosts, they silently floated away down the narrow alley, leaving but the scent of their expensive perfume to be remembered. Tonight, I had decided to be one of them. Having similarly concealed my alienating fairness under silky veils, I could be just another black ghost in the land of Allah.

Or I could make an all-time fool of myself.

[the rest of the story]

So is the word chador used in Kuwait? I was under the impression that a chador was something like an abaya that they wear in Iran. But the word is all over the place on the internet, books, articles, so maybe I just never heard it used in Kuwait or something...

Weekend trip

This past weekend, a friend of mine suggested we check out this Islamic monument we have here in Hungary, called the Tomb of Gul Baba. Most of Hungary was under the occupation of the Ottoman Empire for 150 years after 1526, and so we have a few minarets and other remnants of Islam all over the country.

I took some pictures, and here's some info about the place, that turned out to be the only site in Europe that some Muslims come for piligrimage to (Sufis I think).

Gül Baba was a Bektashi dervish poet and companion of Suleiman the Magnificent who took part in a number of Ottoman campaigns from the reign of Mehmed II onwards.

He is thought to have died during the first religious ceremony held after the Ottoman victory at Buda in 1541, or alternatively to have been killed during fighting below the walls of the city on 21 August. Suleiman declared him patron of the city and is reputed to have been one of the coffin bearers.

In Hungary Gül Baba is known as the "Father of Roses" and is said to have introduced the flower to the country. However, this is probably a misunderstanding of the metaphorical use of the term which most likely refers to the dervish's status derived from his deep mystical knowledge of Allah, which made him a notably "fragrant" member of his order.

Gül Baba's tomb was built between 1543 and 1548, on the orders of the third pasha of Buda, and has a shallow dome covered with lead plates and wooden tiles. It was left undamaged when the Habsburg armies captured Buda in 1686, but was converted into a Christian chapel by the Jesuits who renamed it "St. Joseph's Chapel".

In 1885 the Turkish government commissioned a Hungarian engineer to restore the tomb and when the work was completed in 1914 it was declared a national monument. The site was restored again in the 1960s and ultimately in the 1990s and is now the property of the Republic of Turkey.

The mausoleum is the only site of Islamic pilgrimage in Europe. [Sorce]

Ramadan Mubarak!

مبارك عليكم الشهر

Happy Ramadan to all!

By the way, why do Sunnis and Shias start (and end) Ramadan on different days?

Ana Khalaaaaaaaaaaaas!

I'm done with my dissertation (well, I've been done for a few days, but couldn't get myself to spend another minute infront of the computer after weeks of not leaving it.)

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay

It's title was: Social Closure and the Exclusion of the Stateless Bedoon in Kuwait.

Yaaaaaaaaaaaay

Hello blog-o-sphere, and buh-bye Tonsils

When I decided to take a break from blogging, I was sure by the time September 1 rolls around, monumental changes will have taken place in my life.

Well, it's already September 2, but no monumental changes in sight...

I’m still working on my dissertation
I still don't have a job
I still don't have a clue about my future
and I still get anxiety attacks about this every day

The only thing that changed is that after two winters of constant throat-aches, I had my tonsils removed a week ago.

I was prepared for the worst, expecting to be hovering near death for weeks, but the operation wasn't half as bad as it is drummed up to be. It was more unpleasant than painful, although I always had painkillers handy.
They put me to sleep, and I was out of the operation room in 20 minutes, and out of the hospital after one night.

So, all in all, anyone who’s been putting off getting their tonsils out, don’t be scared, it’s no biggie.

Flood

When you look out the window in the morning, and this is what you see, you just *know* it's going to be a shitty day....

(I'm in Hungary now, and our street was flooded last night because of a broken water pipe...our car was also almost completely submerged)

Arrested

So, just a few hours ago I complained that my life was boring and stuff, and just now I witnessed my neighbor getting arrested...

My window overlooks the back garden and street, and about 20 minutes ago these two men were rattling hte back fence, so I pooped my head out the window asking if they needed some help. They were looking for house number 18, so I informed them that this was number 17, so it must be next door.

Then a few minutes ago I hear much shouting, swearing and look out again, and lo and behold, the two beforementioned men are just in the process of handcuffing this guy I've seen going through trash in a drunken stupor a few times.

I had my camera handy and caught all the action, without being seen...

I might ask the landlord to refund some of my rent now that it seems I live in a bad neighborhood...

Anyway, I'll be back in September... :o)

The Wonders of Nature

Isn't it amazing how life sprouts in the most unlikely places?

English sunset

My life is really uneventful lately - it's just the dissertation that takes up my thoughts and time...

However, I do manage to take pictures from time to time, although I'm not very inspired to even do that...

I don't want this blog to completely die, so here's an English sunset...not as nice as a Kuwaiti sunset, but not bad nevertheless :o)

I'm English Til I Die....

So, I'm not neither a big soccer/ football fan, nor a fan of bars/pubs, but nevertheless yesterday I went to see the England-Portugal match, and I have to say I'm glad I did because it was definitely an experience.

Of course througout the match there was much excitement and buzzing in the place, people arrived wearing flags, red hair, and wearing football T-shirts was a must.

As more and more beer was consumed, people got louder, randomly singing the British anthem, and several football cheers, like the one I have as a post title:

I'm English till I die
I'm English till I die
We will win the Worldcup
and the Germans will cry

Well, that won't happen. As soon as Portugal scored the final goal, the whole place went quiet, and even a few tears were shed. It was a bit sad...

Anyway, I think I'll definitely go watch the final, and maybe even Italy-Germany, considering I have an Italian and a German friend, so it'll be interesting :o)

Greetings from the English Riviera...

A friend of mine came down from London this weekend, and we had tons of fun. Caught up on a lot of girl talk :o)

On Sunday we took a little trip to Torquay, the so called "English Riviera" :o)

It is my favorite place in England so far. It has somewhat of a Mediterranean feel. It's wonderful.

One of the reasons why I changed my template was to be able to display the photos in a larger format.

And now the fun is over, so back to researching :o(

Made over

This is turning out to be a pretty good year, as far as long-time dreams are concerned. I got to drive a Ford Mustang in March, and today I got a make-over, something else I’ve been wanting to do for ages.
It all started when in February a girl stopped me on high street and recruited me with a “special offer” and before I knew it I was singed up.
So, first a beautician gave me a facial to ‘prepare’ by skin for make-up. Then she put on a lot of MAC make-up and then did my hair and nails. This lasted a bit over an hour, and I left with big, poofy and somewhat wavy hair.
Then I went to the studio where the photographer took about 60 pictures of me in different outfits and poses with a variety of backgrounds and lights. Even though I don’t consider myself photogenic, and hate getting my picture taken, I was surprised to see that almost a dozen pictures turned out really good. Although when I was told how much each picture costs, I very quickly narrowed it down to two shots, one being free as part of my package. The girl hinted though that I can get more copies of the picture in like Boots for a pound, especially if I want smaller sizes. Of course I won’t get the negatives. Anyway, I’ll get my photos by mail in two weeks.
So, that was my adventure for today :o)


After the shooting I went to explore Bristol a bit (that’s where the studio was – about an hour train ride from me).
Here’s some random pictures:

Help with Arabic Grammar needed....

Here's my Arabic Grammar question of the day:

Let's take the verb هاجم (to attack)
Please correct me if Im wrong, but the مصدر of this verb is مهاجمة (the attack)
The اسم الفاعل is مهاجِم (the attacker)
The اسم المفعول is مهاجَم (the person being attacked)
The الوزن is III فاعل
My question is, what is the الجذر ??

If someone could answer that that would be really nice, and I'd be really thankful!

And PS: No, I'm not planning on attacking anyone...yet... :o)

The black sheep of the family :o)

I got this from my aunt in the mail (the sheep, not the phone) :o)
Isn't it adorable? :o)

Used books shop in Kuwait city

Did anyone know there's a used books bookshop in Kuwait? On Fahad Al Salem street in Kuwait city.

And best of all, they have a website where you can search their book collection and even reserve books you like. You just have to go pick it up within 5 days.

Here's the link to Q8Books.

Has anyone been to the shop?

The site is cute, although it seems somewhat like a hobby rather than a real hardcore business.

Buh-bye classroom

So, today was my last class EVER. I know, never say never, but I'm not planning on being a full time student ever again.
It've spent 18 years in school/college/university/whatever...it's definitely an end of an era...:o)

I'm not 100% celebrating because I still have a paper due, an Arabic exam and two dissertations to write, so the real celebration will be sometime in August :o)

But as a mini celebration, I'm going watch The Da Vinci Code tonight at 1 minute past midnight :o)

Woooohoooo

Got milk?

I thought they only had this in Tom & Jerry cartoons :o)

Imagine if milk was left out like this in Kuwait, it would turn into Labneh :o)

Water Towers

Back in the day, Fadibou had a post about the blue-white striped water towers that can be seen in various parts of Kuwait:

Well, today in the library I found a book called Kuwait: The Making of a City by Stephen Gardiner, and here's the bit it had about the the blue-white striped towers as well as the Kuwait Towers. Apparently there were 4 sets of the blue-white striped towers complete by 1977, and the Kuwait Towers are the the fifth set of water towers.

Water tower design in Kuwait is unique, revolutionary and more remarkable than any in the world. How did it happen?...
In 1965, the Swedish firm of VBB, headed by the architect, Professor Sune Lindstrom, was called in to provide this complex and ambitious work of engineering and design. By 1977, it was complete, and what we see if it are five groups of marvellous forms, standing about at various strategic points like enormous pieces of city sculptures. Constructed of concrete, coloured, or pure white, or, in the case of the country’s Islamic symbol, the Kuwait Towers, partly decorated, these giants have strong associations with the abstractions of geometry that brought order to the disorder of natural forms…
Together with the Kuwait Towers, the four groups of water towers won the Aga Khan 1980 Awards for excellence in design.

Stephen Gardiner, Kuwait: The Making of a City (p 121-123) (1983)

There's a whole lot more about how Islamic architecture was applied to the towers. What I don't understand is why they call the Kuwait Towers "the country's Islamic symbol."