Thursday, September 27, 2007

اعتذار إلى صديق

كان صديقي الدائم، رفيقي في كل الأحوال.. في سعادتي وحزني، في ضحكي وبكائي، في فرحي وتعاستي. كان أول من ألجأ إليه عندما تشتد حيرتي.
وفجأة ظهر الآخر، ووجدتني أنظر إليه نظرات إعجاب... ثم أتقرب إليه. كان أكثر جاذبية وشعبية.. وكان صديق لأناس محددين، فهو لم يكن متواضعا مثل صديقي. وكان الناس ينظرون لأصدقائه بنظرات احترام وإعجاب.
وبدأت علاقتنا تتوطد... وشيئا" فشيئا" بدأت أنسى صديقي القديم... وهو بدأ يبتعد عني وينزوي وحيدا".
ومرت سنين، لم أحادث فيها صديقي إلا قليلا... ولكنني كنت دائما" أذكره، فصديقي الجديد لم يكن يفهمني ويعبر عني مثله.. ورغم أنني حاولت إلا أنني كنت دائما" اشعر بأن ثمة فراغ بيننا.
وتساءلت، لم تخليت عن صديقي القديم حتى أصبحت علاقتنا ركيكة هكذا؟
أكان يجب علي أن أختار بينهما؟
وأدركت خطأي. لم يكن خطأي أنني حصلت على صديق جديد، بل أنني تخليت عن صديقي القديم....
وأدركت أيضا" لماذا حصل ذلك الخطأ... فأنا بالتأكيد لم أقصد أن أتخلى عنه، ولكن صديقي الجديد بهرني، تماما" كما يبهر كل جديد، وتسرق أضواءه كل انتباه.. فانقدت وراءه ولم أعد أعر صديقي أي انتباه يذكر، كأنني كنت متأكدة من أنه لن يذهب إلى أي مكان، وسيبقى معي رغم إهمالي...
وفاجأني صديقي مرة أخرى... فأنا لم أتوقع أنني سأجده بعد هذه السنين.. توقعته أن يرحل لأنني لم أحافظ عليه وأعتني به.. ولكنه كان هناك، حزينا" وغاضبا" ووحيدا"، ولكنه موجود، فأدركت أنه صديق حقيقي..
لقد تعلمت الدرس. سأحافظ على صديقي الجديد، ولن أضيع صديقي القديم...
سأرفع الغبار عنه، وأحاول إصلاح ما أفسدته بإهمالي كي تعود علقتنا قوية كما كانت..
قلمي العربي...... عذرا"

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

SaReem... To move or not to move?

I have thought of moving our blog to wordpress long time ago. And I have actually created and account there. At that time, it didn't support importing blog posts and comments from new blogger.

I have visited wordpress again, and now I was able to import my blog. So technically, I am ready to move the blog. But I am giving it a second thought. I don't find wordpress as usable as I thought it would be. And I couldn't the option I wanted to move my blog for in the first place. The option I am looking for is sending notification emails to those who have commented on a post when further comments are being put on that post. Is this option available?

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Blog Reem - Say something!

I thought coming to live in KSA would give me all the time and the motive to blog more. Changing towns, exploring the new city and culture, and being semi-jobless!

But it didn't happen! Have you ever heard anyone saying that when you are busy and have a full schedule you actually do more? That is absolutely true! In my case, at least!

I am leading a lazy life. Yet I am loving it. If anyone knows about my sleeping addiction, it wouldn't be at all strange, and if you know a bit more about me and know how much I love eating…. It's all explained why I love Riyadh (let's not mention the dark side, weight!) Well honestly, shopping as well makes it so enjoyable!
I think this lazy life is contagious. I am having a lazy mind as well. So I am keeping my mental activity to its minimum – No blogging! Bad! But at least, some reading is there!

I discovered a bit more about myself lately. I am a lazy housewife, and a bad cook. However, I am not so naggy (is that the right word? it does not look like it, the red line is flashing here) and easy-going person.

So it's been almost 6 months now. And I am not yet bored from Riyadh. I actually like how much it got me closer to Sari, and how much quality time we spend together (and quantity as well, there is no one after all!). I think Saudi is a great start for newlyweds, it is the case if you start your life anywhere other than your hometown, but Saudi has an extra advantage, you have absolutely nothing to do but spend time with your spouse, even if you are doing grocery shopping.

Speaking of shopping- I love it here. Sales are always there, almost every time of the year!! At this particular time, it's the best, 50-70% off everything! I thought that in sale I wouldn't really find nice good stuff – all would be gone. But I was very mistaken. I have a new digital camera now. I love it. I should be posting more pictures.

Speaking of which, I have a story that I will die to share!
Before I went to Amman, I bought my nieces some clothes. It was on sale -50% off - because that was the old spring collection and they were just putting up the new collection. Cool!
It happened that I bought a skirt for Judy, but couldn't find her size for the blouse matching. So in Amman, almost two months later, I happened to pass by the same shop and find it has 30-70% discount. Cool, I thought. I can get the blouse.
- Hello, How much are these discounted?
- Hello Madam, well, these are only on 30% discount, just "dyafeh" for our customers. Because these are the newest collection this year!!!!!

Friday, April 20, 2007

Saudi Arabia, heaven or hell?

It's been almost three months for me now in Saudi Arabia. And I can tell you it's not bad at all, Thank God. I have decided that I will be using this blog to tell people more about Saudi Arabia, and try as much as I can to prove the stereotypes, that we hear and come to unintentionally believe, wrong.

I will start by saying that no place is perfect. Just as no one is. So as we start weighing the good and bad of Saudi, we should not be comparing it to the perfect image we have in our minds about the place we would wish to live in, which might most resemble heaven.

Saudi Arabia is a place of a special culture that is initially derived from Islam, from the fact that Saudi Arabia was the land in which Islam was revealed to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), and from being, up till the very moment, the land the hosts Al Kabaa and the mosque of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) among many other holy places.

Saudi Arabia is mostly accused for being too conservative, where women are almost "jailed" in their houses. I don't deny that KSA is a conservative country, where they TRY to abide by Islam to the pieces. I agree as well that some of their "traditions" are not purely Islamic; an example of this is forbidding women from driving. This contradiction here is not a fault of Islam. It comes from the fact that there are 2 sources that dictates the traditions, habits and behaviors here. These two sources are the religion, and the inherited culture of the Saudis. What happens that while we TRY to abide by Islam we mix it up with what the culture dictates. And here comes the contradiction and the confusion.

Here in KSA, (and I am talking about the current time not any time in the past as things are dramatically changing here) they don’t claim that it is an Islamic decision to forbid women from driving. But they know that for the time being, this is the best to be done. Why? Because this law has been stated long time ago, so drivers are not at all used to the idea of a woman driving. Hence, in meantime, it would be a dangerous decision to allow women to drive as they will be attacked and pushed to accidents by other drivers (bear in mind what crazy drivers they are). Therefore, since great changes in culture and mindsets can not be achieved overnight, a transition period is needed, until minds are shifted and it becomes socially acceptable,. This is not to say that the as-is situation is perfect. I am just trying here to make things a bit clearer about the reasons why things happen the way they do.

I still have so many things I would like to discuss and much more positive aspects of the KSA. But it will become a very long post and might turn into a boring one. So I will cut it into multiple ones. Hopefully the next one will include some pictures.

In the upcoming posts, I intend to speak about the "Abaya", things you can do in KSA, faces of technology that is applied to make life easier, women's work and many more. To make this a comprehensive exercise, I will as well speak about the weak points that can make your life miserable.

The one point that I will try to remind you about in this series of posts is that no place is perfect. And wherever you come from, you were not in heaven. You were in another place which yet has its pros and cons. And since you left it and decided to live in KSA, then it's because you have seen that at least for the time being, and in one or more aspects, KSA is better for you than any other place you could be in.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

From KSA

So It's been one week today!

It's pretty cool. So far I am enjoying my time very much. I know it's still early to judge.. but so far,,, I like it!

I'm still not 100% setteled.. I'm not yet cnnected to the internet.. so it will be a while till you hear from me again. But I can brief you a bit!!

Jordan planet, Allah ysahel 3aleeh :), actually did us smething good. Yesterday we visited Hani Masoud's Family.. They are soo nice and we were so happy to meet them, Thanks JP for introducing such nice frends!!

The other day we visited Sari's friends.. and you know how small the world is.. His wife's uncle is my Dad's best freind, and she herself is a former student of my mother!!!!

what else can I tell you about KSA? I'm leading a lazy life,, which I love!!!!
And yes, I cook!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Off to KSA!!

Yes, FINALLY!!

Today I got my visa stamped on my passport!

I'm leaving to KSA tomorrow!!

SO this is my last post from Amman!!

Wish me luck!! You are more than welcome to visit us anytime! If you insist!

Did you grow in Amman in 80's and 90's|

then you can relate to the following:

>>- You watched Al Manahel everytime it's on, and you know what does
>>"Aqwa men
>>al Shadda, Ahda2 men Al Sukoon" means!
>>
>>- You can recite the theme songs of Jongar, Grendizer, Al Rajol El
>>Hadidi,
>>Lady Lady, Sally, Adnan Wa Lina, Al Haddaf
>>
>>- You watched: Captain Majed, Sandy Bell (even if you're a boy),
>>Judy
>>Abbott, Bell wa Sebastian, Al 7oot El Abyad, Lady Oscar (bass
>>balash lady,
>>abu el shabaab), Labeeba (who we never tend to know she got hair
>>for hands
>>or hands for hair), Sonbol, Tamtamm, Jazeerat El Kanz, Maymouna, Al
>>Ra7alou
>>El Sa3'eer, Flona, Sindibad, Tom Sawyer
>>
>>- You watched Eftah Ya Semsem, and later on in your life found out
>>it's the
>>Arabic version of Sesame Street.
>>
>>- You know the two flavours of 'Shokalatet Moody'. Yellow and Pink
>>
>>- You bough from Dukkaneh:
>>Dam3a, Zaki, Double Wheel, Tootoo (Tweety), Raas El 3abed, SB
>>3elket
>>Ma5addat, Roco, Tiger Chocolate, Shebs Ringo, Askimo, Shukala
>>3ammar, 3elket
>>Mentaad, Halawani Shebs, Baskoat Marie, Katakeet, Mr Shebs (not
>>CHIPS, SHEBS
>>- haha), Petra Ice Cream (the 'expensive' one with double layers),
>>the red
>>ULKER chocolate with the cubes.
>>
>>- You know the tune the Cotton candy man does (Sha3r El Banat)
>>
>>- You played Ghommayeh, 6ummayeh or whatever you call it and when
>>you touch
>>the 'place' you say "Kummesteir" and 'til now you don't know what
>>the hell
>>it means!
>>
>>- You know "Al 7ezam El Azraq" and you own at least one VHS or
>>Betamax (â)
>>by them. WWF wrestling matches
>>
>>- You had a crush on 3aroob Sobo7 (if you're a boy) with her show
>>"Waqt El
>>Mara7" and if you're a girl, you had a crush on the
>>always-wearing-a-cap
>>goalkeeper in Captain Haddaf.
>>
>>- You sang "Happy Nation" and "All That She Wants" and thought
>>you're
>>dead-on cool!
>>
>>- You drew Fido Dido at a certain phase of your life
>>
>>- You had a pair of big white sneakers, and most of you had Reebok
>>Pump.
>>
>>- Atta-Ali and Jabri were the best restaurants in town.
>>
>>- You ate "7alaqaat El Basal" (onion rings) in Funny Bunny
>>
>>- You had a SAKHR AX170 Keyboard and you played on it night and
>>day.
>>"Masafa" was written next to "Space".
>>
>>- You had an Atari, and somewhere in your house you still have that
>>Joystick
>>somewhere in the house.
>>
>>- You know Abu Yousef, and you can at least sing one of the three
>>songs of
>>his
>>
>>- In the back of your mind there's a song called "Tgool Ahwak" by
>>an ancient
>>Jordanian band called Mirage
>>
>>- You know that Atta Ali has 46 Ice Cream flavours! Beat that
>>Baskin Robins!
>>
>>- You attended weddings in Jabri, at Knafeh from Jabri, ate actual
>>food from
>>Jabri and ate the Nestle-Lion-Imitation Tiger Chocolate (by Jabri
>>bardo!)
>>
>>- You know the tune of "Fares El 7alqa" from Yes3ed Saba7ak, every
>>Friday
>>morning on Jordan TV.
>>
>>- You thought that "Ya Ayoha El Maleko El Ajal" by that Sofia woman
>>was the
>>new Anthem for Jordan, haha
>>
>>- You remember the bookshops in Amman celebrating "Al 3awda Ela El
>>Madares"
>>with you buying stationery.
>>
>>- Your family had a workshop in the house, laminating your books'
>>covers
>>with what is called "Tajleed Contact"
>>
>>- You took ages to pick the 'suitable' name labels for your books
>>
>>- After laminating the books, you go to school with some having
>>bubbles in
>>them. And you know what you did in class with these
>>
>>- You never called the Jordanian sole channel Jordan TV, it was
>>always
>>"Amman"; and you watched American movies on "3amman El Tanyeh"
>>
>>- "Yahya El Thakaa2!"
>>
>>- You know three bees: Zeina, Nahool and Sewar el Asal.
>>
>>- "Ayaseeeedi, Romo Yalla Hat"
>>
>>- "Bestek Bestek Bestek NAW, Shukalata Jersey makla el GAW"
>>
>>- You Had nightmares about Abu Shakoosh
>>
>>- You wore "Boat Amigo Bedwi w Betfi", and walked proudly in the
>>Jordanian
>>streets
>>
>>- You know "Go Ninja, Go Ninja Go, Go Go Go Go", Ferkat Sala7ef El
>>Neenja
>>fee Mat3am Garfields.
>>
>>- You actually saw a Monkey in "7adiqat al Tuyoor"
>>
>>- You know the song "The Final Countdown" as the theme for Dehanaat
>>National
>>(National Paints)
>>
>>- You actually called Abu El Dahab center "El Dobb" cause there's a
>>big
>>Panda there
>>
>>- You consumed Zeit and Za3tar sandwiches in school that could feed
>>50
>>families for 10 years
>>
>>- Your local Disney Land was Mujamma3 Bank El Iskan
>>
>>- Your other Disney Land was Luna Park
>>
>>- You cut your classes in school to go buy Falafel sandwiches from
>>the
>>restaurant next to the school.
>>
>>- You had (and may still have) "Kharabeesh 13, 14, 15 and 16"
>>cassettes.
>>
>>- Your third Disney Land was Da3saan Lel Tarfeeh
>>
>>- Shebs Disco, colored fingers. And Shebs Bitza, rings for your
>>fingers
>>
>>- You watched the Quran in the morning, just waiting for it to
>>finish so
>>you'd watch morning cartoons.
>>
>>- You watched "Sameed" before school, and wondered how tyres
>>actually taste
>>like!

P.S I got this by email and made my laugh so hard... thought it's worth sharing. I had no time to check other blogs so I don't know if anybody did before me!

Monday, February 05, 2007

My scarf.. My fathers hat.

Remember I told you I bought wool to knit!! As I started to knit, my father decided to knit a hat for my nieces!! Here comes the results!!





Thursday, February 01, 2007

Petra - Voting through SMS

Many bloggers have already discussed the issue of voting Petra. Some agree with the idea of voting, some are uncomfortable with selling the idea the way it is done..
As I read all the posts about the issue, I couldn't decide where do I stand, am I for or against voting Petra this way? And I'm still not sure.. Until the other day, I was talking to Sari when he drew my attention to this..

There are two ways to vote, the first is through the internet, via the official website www.new7wonders.com. Visit the website, register as a member and vote. That's cool.

The other way is through SMS. And here comes the question:
When you are encouraging people to vote for something, you should give them all facilities to do. Not ask them to pay money for doing what you are trying to convince them to do! The SMS costs 10 piasters, not even the normal price for SMS. Why do I - or anyone- have to pay for voting Petra?

Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Blogger VS. Wordpress

I thought of moving my blog to wordpress..
But Word press importer doesn't work with the new blogger :(

Sunday, January 28, 2007

The farce of Arabs and Muslims..

So now Hamas and Fateh are killing each other and fighting over sovereignty. Palestine is no longer occupied; Israelis are not killing and humiliating our people. Peace is all around. We are done with all our external problems and so we are ready to start fighting between each other.

Wake up, please wake up.. you are supposed to be fighting for liberating Palestine. Why do you forget your original mission and get busy with minor issues? Why don't you get done with the Palestinian- Israeli conflict then start fighting over who will run the country? And what kind of sovereignty that is under occupation that you are killing each other for? Fight over it when it is worth it,, there is no true sovereignty under occupation!

I'm so disappointed. Not that I haven’t been for ever.. And it's not only Hamas and Fateh, all Arabs and Muslims are disappointing.. Sunnis are killing Shiites, Lebanese are fighting among each other.. Muslims are struggling amongst each other.. What happened to you people in charge? Can't you see that you are more than satisfying your enemy this way? Can't you see who your real enemy is in the first place? Haven't you ever heard of the famous "divide and conquer" principle?
Please, let's get American's out of Iraq, let's liberate Palestine, and let's make sure Israel doesn’t attack Lebanon... And then we can start resolving our internal conflicts.

The problem is that I am sure they know they shouldn't get into civil wars because this is exactly what Amreica and Isael want. Such people are clever, they wouldn't miss such a point.. it's the hidden agenda's…

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Sports In Jordan

I was really proud when Fastlink basketball team won Asia cup last year, it was maybe the first time Jordan wins cup over so many good competitors.. I know we won a cup in some Arabic football tournament… But I still thought it was a great Achievement.

However, I was really disappointed yesterday as I walked in Prince Hamza court to watch a basketball game. It was almost empty.. I wondered why.. The ticket is really cheap – 1 JD- affordable by most I would say.

Was it lack of advertising for such activities? Or is it little awareness from people’s side?

I think it was both, along with the minimal interest in sports we have in our society. (Put aside the world cup!)

As I was watching the game, I was thinking more and more about it. Wouldn’t this be a better activity for youth to do than sitting in coffee shops having “argeeleh”??

One thing made me really smile. A man in his late forties accompanied his 5-year-old son to watch the game. All through the game he was talking to his son about how he can join his school’s team and maybe later some professional club where he practice and become a good player. Then after the game finished, they decided to stay to watch the one coming next!

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Hashem!!!

Yesterday I went with my mum to the downtown. I wanted to buy some wool to knit a scraf! Yes, me, Knitting!!

We ended up in adventure. As we passed by Hashem, the smell of the Flafel was irresistable. So my mum give me that look and said: "Wanna eat Sandwich Flafel??" and of course I said yes!! I can't say no to 2 things: Food and sleep!!!

So we went there and order some sandwiches and some Flafel "fare6"! As we walked away my mum asked me: "Were are we going to eat them?" So we ended up sitting on a table in the middle of Hashem's small corridor!! Then ordering tea with mint!!

Ofcourse we were the only women! So full of myself, I took my mobile out and started taking pictures, while everybody around was looking at me with shock! and to make it better my mother asked the guy working there: "Where did you seat his majesty the king when he came??"

The pictures are not so clear, my hand was shaking! I wasn't too comfortable taking pictures while everybody around me is staring at me!! I will publish them anyhow!

After we ate the delicious Flafel, we proceeded to buy my wool.. Later in the night, my mum was checking her email on the laptop and reading blogs here and there, and I sat next to her knitting!! I thought that was ironical!!

Enjoy the pictures!!







Friday, January 12, 2007

A reflective look on my blog.

For the last couple of days I have been constantly thinking of my blog, its layout and its content. And I decided that it’s not up to what I want it to be. For the time being, I am the least concerned about the layout. I will find sometime when I am in the mood to play around the template or even moving the blog to somewhere else.

I’m constantly thinking of the content I post on the blog. I came to note that it’s more of journal of personal updates, which is not really bad. But I would like to write more about my thoughts and opinions about every aspect of the world. Many times I encountered issued or situations I wanted to share but for some reason I didn’t. I should have a more critical eye on my daily life.

For some period of time, having a huge number of visitors and comments was my main concern. Now I look at my blog from a different angle. I still want my voice to be heard and commented on. However, when I looked back and went through all the posts I have written, I felt that my blog is a perfect documentation tool for my life. It’s like I am keeping a diary for myself (I always wanted to do, but never really did). It was good reading what I thought about certain issues and how I felt at different occasions. I discovered that I forgot how I felt at certain occasions and it was nice to find something to remind me. I realized as well that our way of thinking changes and evolves over time. It’s good to have something documented to help us track it.

Another concern I had while thinking about this was my style of writing. I don’t like it. I don’t feel I am expressing myself the way I want to do. I don’t feel I’m navigating about the subject I want to discuss the right way. I think I need to concentrate more when I write. I tend to write my posts quickly without much concentration and I publish them without sleeping on them.

Yet another concern is the language. I only write in English. I would like to start writing in Arabic as well. I love Arabic and I express myself better using my mother tongue. Some subjects are meant to be written in Arabic. My problem here is the lack of Arabic typing skills. The first step is practicing Arabic typing.

So, I have so much to work on.

Thursday, January 11, 2007

فليقل خيراً أو ليسكت

People tend to give negative feed back on whatever you are planning to do. If you are planning to get married, they will tell you that you are very late in arrangements. They will tell you how hard and unhappy your life will be one the honey moon finishes.

About our plans to move to KSA, they can't stop convincing me how hard it's going be to live there. How boring, reminding me that I can't drive and assuring me I won't find a job.

In the process of finishing my papers to move there, they keep putting me down telling me that it will take very long time. Narrating stories of people who stayed apart foe years!!! Before EID, they assured me that there is NO WAY that Sari can get his papers done to come!!!

Why do people like to close doors in your face?
Why do they try so hard to kill every hope you have?
Haven't they heard our beloved prophet saying: "فليقل خيراً أو ليسكت"??
Why do they look to the empty half of the glass?

The problem is, they talk to you as if they know your stuff better than they do!
If I see anyone who has lived in KSA 15 years ago, they will act as if I know nothing about my own issue or about rules and they are the only ones who know!! I haven't asked them for their opinion in the first place!

Why are people so negative? Why do they interfere so much? Why do they assume that you are an idiot who can't plan his life without their intrusive input?

I'm not going to listen to any of them. I will actually tell them they are wrong, I will tell them they don't know better than I do. And I will tell them either to say something good or shut-up. I don't want to hear any depressing opinions!!!

Monday, January 08, 2007

Use the pedestrians' bridge, PLEASE.

I hate the law that states that it’s always the driver's fault to hit any pedestrian. It's unfair. It shouldn't be fore granted. The accident should be investigated and then decided upon.

Some drivers are extremely crazy and do not abide by any rules, they speed and they don't allow pedestrians to cross at the zebra crossing so they deserve to be punished.

But what about ignorant pedestrians who cross from places they shouldn't? What about those who cross a main street with continuous flow of cars right beneath the pedestrian's bridge? Shouldn't they get punished for causing themselves and others troubles? Shouldn't they be aware of their own safety?

I faced this problem myself a couple of times in the main street of Safeway – Shmeesani. Where a new bridge was installed to deal with the heavy traffic a couple of years ago. Being aware of how dangerous that street is for pedestrians, the government built a pedestrians' bridge. People are too lazy to go up the bridge to cross and so they cross between the cars. Sometimes drivers do not see them, other times it's too hard to stop when you are in fast moving street, even if you managed to stop, the car behind you will hit into your car!

Why do they do this? Are they sure they are not going to get themselves in a terrible accident? Do they rely on the law to punish the driver? What about their own safety?

The law should be adjusted to hold pedestrians responsible for such acts. And a new law should be stated that impose a fine on them.

Friday, January 05, 2007

Jordan planet hibernates!!

JP blog said that it will keep a page linking to all blogs in JP for some time, to make sure that readers can still reach blogs. But when I checked it, I didn’t find any updates after the 27th of Dec. 2006
How am I supposed to follow up on my favourite blogs? So far, I find Qwaider planet the perfect solution!

It’s been a long time since I last connected to the internet (I say this sentence so frequently!!). But this time it was a very pleasant time off. So, lets start from the very beginning!

Happy Eid. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year to you all.

I have to thank God. I actually can’t find words. Sari Came and spent Eid here. And this was why I disappeared. And you know what? It was definitely worth it!!

Sari is on his way to KSA now. He left today at 11:00 a.m by bus :( because we couldn’t find a booking! Wish Him a safe journey...