Plushness

• Acne after 30 sucks
• Went to Ras Al-Khaima last week for a meeting, it looked like Dubai in 1995. I think their biggest obstacle to growth is the reputation of their rulers (they confiscated many Kuwaitis’ land bought there in the 70’s).
• Jane Fonda is still gorgeous.
• Kuwaitis master the art of inappropriateness
• Palms on Saturday SUCKED (too many musbena, had 2 fights), must find another club.
• I bought a shop with the intention of turning it into a flower shop, but I haven’t had the time. Its up for sale. KD 3,500 key money. Rent is KD 450 to owner of the building. Prime location. Size: 4m x 4m. Any one interested?
• I’m losing my tan.

Jihad is an easily manipulated concept to the ill informed or the ‘un enlightened’. First, you must show the potential terrorist that they are victims, that there's a grand enemy, and everyone who is not with them is the enemy. These people then believe that they are dieing for the rest of ‘their people’ and by terror they will awaken humanity to their cause. They now believe in a cause, which renders their worldly existence trivial and unnecessary.

They are most likely not part of the economy, nor are they part of any decision making process, and thus justify murder as just because they feel they are taking justice in their hands, because they have been convinced that there is no other way and the system is corrupt beyond return.

Terrorists probably have no sense of belonging to the community which they plot against, nor much belonging to any other community, so it’s easy to ‘take them in’ into any creed.

Terrorists or potential terrorists usually have no one else to listen to except for their masters. Counterbalanced or opposing arguments are far from their reach. The voice of reason is barely audible. The only visible action against terror is violence, manifested in wars, killings, torture, etc. All which buries the terrorist further in their dogma (belief).

And the solution is? Stronger support and exposure to reasonable or moderate Islamic figures. These can be from the head of Al-Azhar to young, calm, and well-respected religious personalities like Dr. Tarek Suwaidan. I have not mentioned Saudi religious figures because they are now seen as to speak in the voice of the government, which to the terrorists is the cause of all that which the Islamic nation is in.

Of course there is not ‘A’ solution, but many, and the approach should be holistic, which should cure the disease by reforming the socio-economic and political environment which the virus thrives in. But to remedy symptoms of religious brainwashing, you really need to talk to them in the same language which has allowed them to forget their humanity.

'Let's jump', he said. Her eyes twinkled; she’s been waiting for the day that she can be on earth with him. She was tired of all the motion sickness. Hearing him utter these precious words made her blush. All of a sudden she felt she was a woman again, she felt his masculinity.

She was ready.

As she got up to prepare her self for the dive, her muscles failed her. It has been years since she had last moved from the corner of the cabin. She peaked into his cabin from the cracked mirror reflection and she saw him fighting with his body, trying to make it listen to him as he urged it to move.

She shed a tear, but she tried to sound strong as he called her name out.

‘Eve’
‘Yes darling’, she uttered with her usual strong willed and loving voice, as a tear dropped onto her lap.
‘I didn’t get my daily dose of skittles today’
‘Oh don’t be silly’ she said as she smiled and thought ‘Oh how I love you’
‘Yes, that is silly, because we have each other.’

Hearing that, she managed to stand and walk up to the cabin’s door.
In his cabin, Adam etched his way to the door as well.

‘I made it darling!’
‘So did I!’
‘Yes, we made it’

Then a silence. A long pause. The vehicle was moving too fast. She wasn’t sure they would make it if they jumped.

Adam realized the danger of the dive as soon as he saw how fast the earth was moving under them. He feared for his life. He feared for hers.

What if they did not survive? What if he took the dive and Eve would see him weak and soiled after many years of imprisonment? He wanted to be strong again for her. He wanted to take care of her. To love her.

They both sat down again. Trying to reason with their fears. Trying not to curl back into their wretched corners. She needn’t ask him how he was. She knew. She could feel his fear. She could taste it. She could smell it. It saddened her as she realized that this fear might take a decade to reside. But she decided to take this opportunity in making the best of herself, for Adam.

Do people still make out (kiss) for hours and hours?

1. Bu Hamdoun, Lebanon, I was 3: My mother used to take me to play with Haider (Lebanese) everyday, and he would wait for me on his door steps holding his mother’s hands. He would watch me go up the steps, probably adoring my curly hair and my chubby red cheeks. I would look at his beautiful brown hair, cut round, and falling straight on his tanned face. I wish mom was as understanding now :p

2. Mogadisho, Somalia, I was 6 or 7: I thought Danny, half Persian half Italian, was terribly cute, but too preppy. I liked a boy who liked to get his hands dirty. So I diverted my attention to Osama, Saudi. They were both in fourth grade and Osama always saw me as the kid that was with him in school but not old enough to date! So I switched to his elder brother, Jehad. Jehad was 16 and very cute, and was very into the ABBAs. He gave me all the attention a 7 year old could wish for. But then I realized that he was interested in my 15 year old sister!

Thursday: Watched Nip Tuck 2 with me girl friends (amazing).

Made sure all my friends & loved ones in the UK are okay.

Friday: Went to 3omra with W, her sis & their friend. Jehazhum Allah khair. It was beautiful. W was my mentor, she was reading out the du3a2's (prayers for good stuff to happen to us, like get rich & skinny) and i would say 'Ameen'. I tried reading, but we started to laugh so i handed back the book to W. Miss you W. & love you lots :*

Saturday: Went to office in our Jeddah plant. Kicked ass. I love going there. The tea boy was Saudi. I was so embarrassed asking him for tea & i couldn't do it myself, i was in a meeting with clients (plus, i don't know where the tea is). We have 9 Saudi labors in the company there, wayed iksaraw kha6ry :( I know ina il shegel mu 3aib & all that, but still, you can't help but think of the opportunities these young men would/could have had in this oil rich country.

Later, i met with W & her friends. We chilled out in 1 of her friend's houses (who had just came from the states after a year abroad- did her masters). We later had to leave because her fiance had come for a day from Riyadh to visit her. The girl (who incedentally initially came across to me as very prudish, was wearing a very revealing top). I told W if my dad ever saw me wearing that infront of my fiance he'd chop my head off (dad is not a taliban, but he has something about too much skin, if you're not swimming). I think its a cultural difference.

Sunday: Meetings Meetings, then got on plane & went to my cousin's wedding, she's an orphan so it was very sentimental.

O salamatkum.

1. Chethee Laish

2. Gam adres

3. Mallah

My teen niece & nephews use these words, and i'm not sure if this has become standard teenage slang or is it gender/school/shillah specific.

Are you familiar with these terms?

1. Live 8 was great. I was dancing all night to Madonna, A-HA, Will Smith, Destiny’s Child, Snoop, etc... Loved it, but it was just not Live Aid. It lacked soul. Was too commercial, and Madonna did a good job wearing her diamond M pendant, diamond rings, and diamond bracelet (all beautiful btw) but very inappropriate. Appearing in a Jean Paul Gaultier beautiful, off-white, tuxedo would have been enough glamour for the cause. Sting & Dido, my chocolate mouse, and memories of 1986 concert (Phil Collins performing in London then flying to NY by concord to perform there), were the high lights of my evening.

2. It is SO SO SO passé to be hairy. Men & women, please get your shaving, waxing, laser(ing), in a timely manner or STAY AT HOME!

One week ago I went to a reception with my sister. I was wearing a black & grey brocade skirt from Whistles and a bubblegum pink crepe blouse from M by Missoni. Shoes were very high healed Gucci’s, matt gold.

I saw a well dressed lady (in Missoni and a hijab), in her mid to late thirties, very pretty, checking me out. I thought she looked familiar, but couldn’t place her.

As we were leaving, the hostess whispered in my ear ‘someone was asking about you’. My reaction, ‘who?’ Hostess ‘I’ll tell you later’.

I totally forgot about that night, until yesterday, my phone rings and it was the hostess. I ignored the phone call, only because I had just woken up and didn’t feel like being socially polite (ajamel). So, the hostess text messages me a few minutes later that she wants the address of my work place!!

So I did well not answering.

A few hours later, she calls back, I apologized for not calling her back, and she asked me again for my work address, claiming that someone wants to do business with us. (Note: the hostess doesn’t even know what our company does). So I told her ‘tara if this is a trick, I don’t meet people without prior appointment’. It sounded bitchy, I know, but I couldn’t help myself. She said ‘I will make sure they call for an appointment’. I was going to say ‘but I do not handle local clients’, but I bit my tongue, deciding that she’s too sweet.

I HATE SET UPS, they feel like you’re on display (a.k.a. meat market) especially when they’re one sided (i.e. when I don’t who or when someone is going to walk into my office- AND it doesn’t help that my office is 1 big mess and I rarely bother with how I look when I go to the office). And from experience, the guys who ask to be set up are on top of my reject list, along with many other girls before me and after me (until he finds THE ONE).

Shraykum? What do you think of such set ups?