Plushness

The week has been different. Went with Grandma to Hussein M Jumaa Cancer hospital to meet with her doctors. The experience you get there is truely amazing. Old man wailing, in a stretcher, was at the main door that is also the ER door; old woman with dayram lips (traditional, natural, semi-permanent, burgandy lip color) in a wheel chair with her girls pushing her; children running around oblivious to what they have; teenagers in sun hats; forty something handsome athlete in his tennis shoes and baseball cap- alone; and thirty-something old aquaintance of mine in a chic headscarf. Being the only cancer hospital in Kuwait, it felt like i am seeing a picture of what a grave yard would look like, that is, like death, cancer is non-descriminatory.

The staff see this and feel this everyday, and are truely perhaps the most helpful and the most patient i have ever encountered. From the porter at the door to the head of the hospital. God bless them all.

Sh. Salim al-Ali says that the people will have more power and big changes are coming ahead. Thank you, but first of all we're a minority (Hathar Upwardly Mobile Kuwaities: HUM-Ks), so even if thats true, it will not include us. And second of all, Sheikh Saad has been put on the plane to London the day after the Royal family's decision makers meet. Stock market is down, so someone knows something that i dont, or its the fear factor!

On top of all that, LEBANESE is up again! It was stuck stubbornly at 280, until i sold, and started creeping up to 345 fils.

NMTC, largely owned by none but the PM of Kuwait is down now. Do i smell liquidation of assets?

I think its about time that women join men in their diwanias on certain days. For example: Eid between a certain times, where we can come to pay our respect to the elderly in the family diwanias; or during 3aza in the last 1/2 hour before Maghreb prayer (end of Kuwaiti 3aza day) so that we can also pay our respects and condolences to the males members of the family; during election campaigns (i know some candidates invite us, been to Richard Pryers of Bayan, Al-Rub3y's, al-Naibaris, & Al-Sane3's (yes before the invasion of course), only because they are the only ones that women are welcomed in as far as i know.

It would also be nice in a next step to have an hour for women during the official weekly day of family diwanias. Its time we join that part of Kuwaiti life and economic and politial decision making, if ever we're to take part politically, don't you think?

So why do Global write about a company's performance right AFTER it hits a new record? Are they dumb or do they think readers are dumb?

BMI is 23.88 :)

Managed to do some shopping this weekend (good therapy)!

Oh the hypnosis doc that i wanted to go to turned out to be a perv.! Figures! So i have to sort out my carb addictions solo.

Big debate over new years: ski trip or sun trip.

Lots of good forgotten places in Kuwait:

Cafe Najjar (Le Maison du Cafe) at laila gallery. Excellent 'Turkish' coffees and yummie cafe food.

Persian Restaurant at Crown Plaza. VERY YUMMIE. Try the house kebab!

The Sheraton's Al-Hambra. Breakfast is the best (saj lady there for the best saj in town). They are open all day ala cart incase you need to feed yourselves or a guest past lunch time.

Sleepy.

This is a topic ignited by wasma and here is what she wrote (this was her reply to Mosan in 'Whispers' Blog):

...As far as girls being teasers and spoiled - yes I have to admit we do have a certain breed of girls whom never fail to ruin our chances of meeting decent ppl you know why? because they reached those "decent" ppl before us and f*ed em up mentally that WE "decent" girls have to go thru crap cleaning "their" crap and left up residue of crapness until theyre all nice n tidy and civil again then WHOA - he goes and marries the girl after us in line (I decided to name this the "bridge" factor) Decent girls occasionally become bridges (and I mean very stable nurturing (detoxing? one might say) bridges that link men (come to think of it, friggin spoiled for not recognising OUR FUTILE EFFORTS) to their , whats that word Sheba.. Trophy Wives (or Knafa wives*, according to Sheba and I)...

...A knafa wife is a Trophy wife (however the formula is irriversible) She is a wife manufactured to cater to her spoiled husband's needs (Stepford wife) however, Sheba and I came up with the term AGES before the Step. Wives movie. Those species live for the comfort of their spouses. You can easily detect a Knafa Wife...'

Quick blog, inspired by Zaydoun's comment of dihn 3ood in summer and my insistence that its fall (even though its 50 C outside). I got out my colder weather oils and perfumes and dabbed a nice oil mixture (Al-shaye3's khal6a mu3ataqa, KD 130 per tola). Then i saw Fawah's perfume & sprayed some on my wrists too.

Fawah is an amazing shop in Jeddah & Riyadh, owned by umm forgot her name, but a nice Saudi princess. She mixes her perfumes at home and sells them at Basateen. Each mix has a number (which makes you want to own the whole collection like a deck of cards). I am using 'Duna' (forgot the number, but roughly SR 2500 per tiny spray bottle, but all u need is a spray to smell fabulous). I would imagine her sexiness, Balqees (Queen of Sheba) would wear it if she had it too. Next month (when its 40 C) i would mix the afore mentioned scents with bukhoor and Lalique.

Alright, interest rate is going up .25% tomorrow, stock market is down and i'm blogging about expensive Arabic scents. Yes i do see irony in that. If the stock market continues to go down, i will probably go on a shopping spree in Paris. Don't ask for logic please.

So whats your favorite perfume/scent?

Central Bank will increase rates on Thursday.
KGL has won a bid in Oman, was told this morning, but couldn't buy. However, i will listen to my informant once he calls me again.

BAYANINV maleeqeen, they leeked the news of their orgasmic profits so that they can sell. Price is resisting at 390 fils. However, their performance proves that this price is undervalued.

IPG traders find this one amusing, rumours still not confirmed but price moved today.

KPAK is the plat du jour or should i say plat du ete of some big time Investors who have made it their mission to buy 20% of the company at ANY price.

Tantheef (CLEANING): nice and will be nicer (rumours of a new bid to fall on them).

Have info? Care to share?

Guys: If you like a girl, don't try to act cool & don't beat around the bush. A. We like direct men who know what they want and arent shy to say it, and B. we might NOT understand your hints & then its too late ;)

Girls: be nice & be yourselves & if that aint enough then its NEXT!

All: have you ever tried to pray (du3a2) min galb min galb? Never fails to work, and just knowing that your request is being worked on up there is very calming & reassuring.

I am almost euphoric today & this is why and how:

1. Deprive yourself of sleep as to not be able to function properly all day.
2. Enjoy the smell of autumn, if you can, try to be as outdoors as possible!
3. Remember that Ramadan's a6ayef, & duwah (fire place Kuwaiti), loyat ilyahal, short working hours, & sahar are around the corner.
4. You have 3 more weekends in the warm sun. Enjoy them.
5. Going out after work to sit outdoors will soon be possible in good weather.

I am so glad that insider trading is not illegal in Kuwait! I personally look at the under 1 KDs, because i simply cannot afford to buy the PWCs & the telecoms.

So the group that ownes SABLE is being traded on the KSE (Kuwait Stock Exchange) for the 1st time today. Ticker is UFIG i think. Doing well for its 1st day, what was the IPO price per share?

BAYANINV had a big buzz, but that is fizzing out, any idea why?

KPAK still going strong, any idea till when?

KCEM is one of my favorites, i think its undervalued, so whats the deal on that today?

What was the excitement about IPG all about? Any truth in the rumours going around?

www.kse.com.kw

And for any of you bored with this talk, i highly recommend the Dior gambler bag (to die for!)

I don't know about you, but for me, any extra time on my hands and i get into trouble one way or another. Either that i have too much time to shop and get into trouble with Uncle Visa, or i start to think & rethink on past issues, or that i have time to actually watch SWAN on channel 2. What a horrible show! They have made a business out of ugly and ordinary looking women, as if its a big sin to be less than average! Where are the human rights activists?

When did we lose faith? Does the loss of faith come with civilization? Is it a survival technique? Are we sheltering ourselves from all the questions and answers that having faith brings with it? Is the reality of life too real to swallow when its laced with faith? Is that why we choose to live without faith in everything real? So that we can confuse whats real with what isn't to avoid whats really real? Do we keep ourselves busy with whatever it is that we spend our weekends and weekdays doing to stop thinking about what our existence means and where we go from here?

And what if we go back to being faithful? Does that mean that we will see the triviality of our being? Is that what we fear? That we actually have to do a lot more to have worth in life?

Having 12 hour days at work, but i guess its a blessing. Grand ma got diagnosed with cancer, saddest thing since the invasion. A lot more happening on every front. This week will change the rest of my life.

Why do all singers in Arabic video clips act horny?

Galaxy commercials are good.

Still fat (BMI 24), but looking good i must say.

Went to neighbor's engagment. Poor girl looks up to me. Why, i don't know?

Bitch of a relative threw a comment i cannot understand, but basically that she is happy that i am single!

Seems like I gained 4 Kg in 1 day! I am so upset & depressed! I hate those skinny bitches who munch on crisps & kakaw all day. P.S. If you are one then you're not allowed on this blog!

What is Quality of Life?

Yesterday I met a second cousin who I never knew existed, and he's not the type of cousin who you wish you wouldn't share your last name with. Its a lot of fun, like finding 20 Kd in your jeans' pockets. I know future generations wont have this experience, and thats why i think birth control should be banned. PLUS i am sure women would be less bitchy too if they had nothing to mess up their hormones. SO BANN THE PILL I SAY!

Just had another debate with a married man (won't say cousin ;) about the different lives that he & his wife lead. He was confessing that he has a place of his own because he needs solitude and he wants to party. Yet he tells me that his house is built to enable solitude and the best parties, but that his wife is not part of that life because she is conservative! So i asked him when did we become that society where the husband and wife have different lives? I have pictures of mom & dad partying together, so why do younger generations acquire this separate life credo? I asked him why did you marry her if she is too conservative for you? His answer: to many whys now.

Ok this is what i see the problem is: compatibility in marriage is too simplified to "good girl/guy, right family". This is not bad, but whats missing is what are the indivual compatibilities of the couple? What kind of life will they have together? Will they agree to raise their children in a certain way(s)? In the "olden" days the woman would follow the man's life style, he would make the decisions for the entire family and that would be that, but not anymore.

Hello all, no i haven't been lazy, just very busy. Ok this is my week in summary:

1. Dubai kicks our ass' BIG TIME & more than ever in food & beverage & entertainment & ambience :((((((

2. I had a fight with a very important client (the Tony Soprano effect). I have lost my shame or inhibition to show anger. Which is good & bad i think. Talking to 2 different friends about this, they expressed that they have been showing anger too. Madri shesalfa yemkin its the stars?

3. I have decided to play cupid this week also, but so far i haven't been successful :/ ABI BEIT FIL YANA!

4. Oh & this is for purg: The ex speaking to a common friend said that i have a good sense of humour! Dunno what that means, but kinda pissed me off because i can be described in nicer ways than that. hmmm!

5. Discovered that Atkins plus fruit & milk works too!

6. Rediscovered walking again now that the weather is milder. I stopped walking because a guy grabbed my "derrier" then hit me in the face when i ran after him to hit him. AHHH yal qahar!

Something to think about:
*What is the definition of a gentleman in 2004?

*What is the definition of a lady in 2004?

Busy day but i've been wanting to write about Suma my cousin. "Suma" is obviously not her real name. Suma is 9 years my senior & my earliest memories of her are beautiful:

Suma in her dara3a (aka jalabia or "kaftan") with her cleavage almost showing, shoulder-length, wavy, black hair, abaya on her shoulders and sha7a6a (clogs), getting into her black BMW coupe (635i i think they were called at the time), dragging us (my skinny cousin & my chubbiness) to the co-op to buy her dose of weekly Arabic magazines, then to Nugra before the shops opened to get videos for the rest of the evening. Note: this was pre satellite.

She would only leave the house after lunch time so that her boy friend (her husband now) would be sleeping & wouldn't call. Even after pagers & mobiles that was her schedule. In the evening we would pass by her boy friend's diwania to make sure that he was really there, this process was called "techeyek". At one point in their 11 year relationship she had 1 of the cousins talk to the guy to see if he would date her & he did, of course we all went & Suma came along to see in her eyes. God bless them!

When i turned 18 i decided that now that my baby fat is off and i have bloomed, that it is time for me to allow a guy into my life, to experience what other girls have had since they were 13 and to have the experience to judge correctly when my time of marriage comes! Of course i was not allowed a telephone in my room, nor was i allowed a "car phone" nor a pager, so what to do? Of course i was too scared to use the phone at home, and had constant paranoia that my parents would find out. SUMA came to the rescue of course, i skipped my classes at university and spent hours in her room chatting on the phone with my first boy friend. It lasted 2 weeks, got my heart broken by the chicken nuggets first bf who wasn't interested in virgins in the medium to long term but fell in love with me later. Why? i don't understand. But it was sweet sweet revenge.

Back to Suma. Suma insisted that like all men the chicken nuggets only broke up with me because he had someone else who did "satisfy" him (quiet accurate i must say). This was her philosophy.

There is something very romantic about Suma, i idealized her in her dara3a and 3abat. I still love her to pieces, as weird as they are as a couple and as a family of four now, i must say that in the end everything worked out and they lived happily ever after. Suma still has her amazing sense of humour, her 2 smart-ass daughters are as cute as she is and shes an amazing mom and wife.

Question: what do you think of the dara3a and 3abat? And why does our 3abat only come out for 3azza?

Why do u frown upon my emotional blogs Purg? Its okay to express! Here is a post you may like:

1. Fat girl at gym wearing Christian Dior bermudas & had her limited edition LV doctor bag next to her. LAISH?? And why dont fat girls wear thongs?

2. If Atkins kills, then can i eat darabeel & chai 7aleeb?

3. Every1 on the Sopranos has good sex-- Why? Because they're gangsters? Because its HBO? Or because they're Catholic?

4. Why do wives take back their cheating husbands?

5. What do you tell a married friend who is seriously attracted to his/her colleague?

6. I get nervous around cute guy, still! WHY??

7. When do we stop getting zits?

Love AnastaCia! Btw, what happened to Alanis Morriset? Where did her hair go and why is she always happy like she ODed on PROSAC??

LEFT OUTSIDE ALONE - ANASTACIA

ALL MY LIFE I'VE BEEN WAITING * FOR YOU TO BRING A FAIRY TALE MY WAY * BEEN LIVING IN A FANTASY WITHOUT MEANING * ITS NOT OKAY*I DONT FEEL SAFE * LEFT BROKEN EMPTY IN DESPAIR WANNA BREATH CANT FIND AIR * THOUGHT YOU WERE SENT FROM ABOVE * BUT YOU AND ME NEVER HAD LOVE * SO MUCH MORE I HAVE TO SAY * HELP ME FIND A WAY * AND I WONDER HOW IT FEELS TO BE LEFT OUTSIDE ALONE * WHEN ITS COLD OUT THERE * WELL MAYBE YOU SHOULD KNOW HOW IT FEELS * TO BE LEFT OUTSIDE ALONE...

I am appalled, disgusted, revolted, saddened, ashamed, angry, at the mass rape of the childrens' innocence at the Russian school. I hope the psychopaths and all their supporters burn to death. Before i knew they were ARAB i was disgusted to be human, of the same species as these animals. Now that 13 of them were Arab, i am disgusted that my beloved Kuwait is in the Middle East, i am disgusted that we are part of the Arab League and I don't think we should continue to take part of it (since their cowardice stand during the invasion). Abu Al-Hassan should denounce and send condolences on our behalf, but i will go to the Russian Embassy to express grief and support myself. I hope i will not be alone.