Is not following someone on Instagram -or any social media application- considered as a personal insult? Should we read too much into it?
I’m not really sure how to answer the above question for I myself have conflicting feelings towards it. Do we expect people to follow us in the virtual world if they knew us in Read more »
Yesterday we hosted the first Ramadan ghabga in our new apartment and we had so much fun! There is nothing better than a cosey home gathering with good food, good company, and laughter. The best thing is that it didn’t take much effort at all, just place Read more »
The other day I was in Sultan Center looking at Koziol’s quirky stuff when I noticed these. They said they were a cup carryall that can be attached to a cup of something to hold snacks. Read more »
In the 80’s two things were a big hit: Rambo and the MSX. It is no wonder that MSX had a Rambo game back then and given that I was -and still is- a Rambo fan I loved the game so much. So much in fact that I think the cartridge was fried from being overly used and it stopped working a short while after we Read more »
I was browsing Instagram yesterday when I saw a comment by New Q8 Bride on one of the pictures regarding her sister. Minutes later and I realized not only her sister is the spitting image of her –twin likes, really- but she is young, married, and has a small little boy Hamoodi who is adopted.
Yes you read that last word right, adopted. I had to do a double take at the pictures on Instagram and her blog. If she didn’t use the word “adopted” I wouldn’t have though for one second that the boy wasn’t their own biological son. I saw the huge birthday party they had for him in her father’s house, the gifts, the way the boy is hugged with all the love in the world, not only by the couple but also by her father. I was so touched that a child in Kuwait can find a family to welcome him and give him a life he deserves with adoption.
That baby is so lucky to have found you, Um Hamoodi & Bu Hamoodi. This is not brave, this is beyond brave! She is the first person in Kuwait that I know of who had adopted a child to be frank, shameful to say the least given that Islam doesn’t ban adoption, on the contrary. What is banned in Islam is giving the adopted child your last name but not the actual adoption.
To be quite frank I don’t think the families in Kuwait have the emotional sophisticating needed to love a child who is not their own. People are barely tolerant of their own children, throwing them for nannies to raise or letting them scurry off as they please just so the responsibility of raising them doesn’t become a burden. Or if there are multiple siblings they don’t divide the love and attention fairly among them. Of course this can be found all over the world not only in Kuwait per say but again I think times are really changing indeed.
By the time I asked for the girl’s blog address I had tears streaming from my eyes. There is even a youtube video which made me wail. I would understand a woman wanting to adopt a baby given the maternal instincts some women have can become unbearable but for a young man to go along with it and actually want it? For them both to face society with the baby and have to answer to their looks, disdain, prejudice, and sheer leqafa? It’s the bravest thing a young Kuwaiti couple has done so far.
Um & Bu Hamoodie, you and your families have my full respect. You showed me that even though we feel like the world around us is falling apart, there is still hope with people like you who actually make a difference. May Allah bless you o Allah ybal’3kom ib Hamoodie me3res insha2 Allah 
You can know more about her adoption journey on her blog (link).
Someone who obviously loves Ramadan very much has made the world know today that Ramadan is only a 100 days away! Horray!
I love Ramadan. I think its the best time of year. I love the fatoosh on futoor table, the tea estekanas after futoor sleeping on the couch with the droopy eye lids. I love our pre-futoor ritual of watching the IT Ramadan show and commenting on it on Twitter. Even though this year we might watch it via Instagram etha Allah 3a6ana 3omor o 9a7a o 3afiya insha2 Allah.
Ya rab et3oodna ya rab. This year its going to be on 19 July! 2 days after my birthday which I suppose I can disguise as a friendly graish 😉 I was actually born in 5 Ramadan in the year 1980 so next year insah2 Allah my birthday will be during Ramadan. I wonder if it will be on the fifth 3ad? Allah y36ena 3omor o y3oodna!
Are you excited? I am. I truly am. I think I will start fasting now just to start living the Ramadan atmosphere.
Its been a while since I did a do you remember this cartoon post! I suddenly remembered this cartoon that I’ve seen in 1992 or 1993 maybe and I googled it. In Arabic it was called Seeta El7anoon -don’t ask- but it turns out that its a Japanese anime movie called “Grave of the Fireflies”. I’ve seen this movie twice maybe only. One of my cousins gathered me and the rest of my cousins one day in their living room and showed us the video, with a box of kleenex nearby. By they end we were all bowling uncontrollably, crying our eyes out! Its the 2nd hardest thing I’ve cried over. The first is Titanic and the third is Devdas :p
Do you remember watching this anime before? In Arabic as Seeta el7noon? Or if you watched it in Japanese or English? If you did how hard did you cry :p
P.S. Yes. You reminded me.
My Bu Tootee’s birthday falls right before the National Day & Liberation Day celebrations. This year however he wanted me to bake him a cake but since we still have no kitchen he refused to have a cake from any where else! Nevertheless I wasn’t going to let his birthday pass without anything so I got him a cookie -he cannot resist cookies and biscuits- and a box of mini cupcakes decorated like Kuwaiti Flags from little treats. Its not only his birthday we are celebrating after all!
Maskeen when he saw the cupcakes and the cookies he was so happy! No birthday is a birthday without some sort of cake! The candle I used was supposed to be letting sparks out but it failed and barely a spark was there 
Happy birthday my Bu Tootee o 3oqbal 100000 senna :*
Today is Thursday! Happy National Day and Liberation Day holiday! Today is also my Bu Toote’s birthday, happy birthday sweetheart :* So its a happy happy day and lunch should be a big deal! Where are you having your lunch? At home? at work? In zwara? In the chalet? On the air plane going somewhere?
I confess that I have a bad weakness towards something really unhealthy: Fried Mozzarella Cheese Sticks. I cannot resist them. I could eat my self a dozen’s worth of those stringy chewy deep fried cheese sticks and I would still want some more I am craving some for lunch really badly!
In my humble opinion the best cheese sticks around K-town are the ones in Chilli’s. Really chunky and flavorsome. I used to make them myself from low fat mozarella cheese and grill them in the oven instead of frying them but now I don’t have the time. Chilli’s would do. Maybe with a vegetarian fajita and a mound of chips dunked in salsa. Now that’s what I call lunch <3
Shino ‘3adakom elyoom?
Tra wehga!
When two women greet each other in Kuwait, how many types of kisses are there?
Ako only two, one on each cheek. Ako four, two on each cheek. Ako only one on one cheek -very rare-. Ako one on the left cheek and then multiples on the other cheek. Wa haloma Jarra!
If you greet a woman there is almost always that awkward moment when one of you pulls away done with the kissing while the other one is still in the process of planting kisses. Fashla o not cool!
I, although a person who loathes greetings and kissing, usually go with two kisses, one on each cheek. This minimizes the number of kissing and will ensure that if there is any awkward moment it won’t be my doing. Sometimes I can sense if someone wants to continue kissing and I go with the flow. Sometimes I don’t, I pull away, and someone is always left with a kiss lingering mid-air.
What is your greeting kissing style? How many kisses do you plant? and if its more than two may I ask: for the love of god WHY?
Ever since I’ve seen the first Monopoly board in my aunt’s house in the early 80’s I became a huge Monopoly fan and it became my favorite board game (post). When I heard about the Monopoly Deal card game and how its a big habba now I so wanted to own one and play with it. The thing about the original Monopoly is it takes a lot of time and space to set up hence no one has the time to play with you!
Of course its sold out in Kuwait and in the UK as well. But my favorite cousin Abdullah who just arrived from the UK has found me one and snatched it for me 😀 He came over yesterday at night and gave it to me and I couldn’t be happier to get my hands on the Monopoly deck!
Still didn’t play it but I am planning to do so tonight. I’m so excited 😀
Thank you dear 3obada for your generous thoughtfulness. You truly made my day yesterday 😀
P.S. if you are in London and can’t find a Monopoly Deal try W.H. Smith!
A while ago I dropped my Butootee to the airport and watched him pass the gates on his way to 7ajj, leaving me alone with the feeling of someone squeezing my heart until I could no longer breathe.
For a moment there I thought about running after him, clinging to his dishdasha and asking to go with him. Wherever he goes, I go. A blink too late as he disappeared behind the security guards on his way to a spiritual journey he has been aching for since forever.
How I got the courage to pull my feet away and return to my car is beyond me. I felt like crumbling on the airport floor and staying there until next Friday when he comes back. Everywhere I look people are happy, smiling, together, flying away to enjoy the vacation I now regard as a long lonely sentence. Eyes clouding with tears I drove home through the never ending traffic to a cold silent apartment.
Allah ya7fothah o yrj3ah bel salama. May god help my poor lonely heart, I already feel lost and dazed without him
No more posts for the day by the way.
When I was packing my husband’s bags for 7ajj I had this overwhelming feeling of wanting to surprise him with something when he unpacks. I thought about stuffing the No3man dolly but then I was afraid No3man would decide to stay in Mecca and never want to come back. I thought about writing him a love letter, then I immediately remembered WHY I have sworn never to write the man a love letter again. As a matter of fact I have Read more »
When my baby sister who was little in the 90’s she was fascinated by a British art show called “Art Attack” presented by Neil Buchanan. She talked about it endlessly and when it came on TV, Disney Channel if I am not mistaken, she would watch it mesmerized by Neil’s creations. I have to admit that I liked watching it too and was especially fascinated by the Big Art he made when he would use towels for instance to make a big painting by twisting them around.
I wonder if we ever attempted to recreate something he made? I have a vague memory of using some empty kleenex boxes but I am not sure…
I wish we had such great innovative shows. Maybe that’s what we are missing in our local TV’s especially given that we have many new emerging talents now a days!
Do you remember Art Attack? And its special opening tune? Were you a fan or attempted one of his creations?
Since Bu Tootee is going with a 7amla he must pack his bags and ship them before he travels. Yesterday we finally packed his bags and today he should drop it to the 7amla. I am listing what he -well I to be concise- packed for future reference and for anyone who might need ideas:
Big Bag to be shipped:
1- 3 E7rams. Taken out of their packaging and washed.
2- Shoes: White slippers for e7ram, Bathroom Slippers, Trainers.
3- A full set of underwear for a few days, socks, and Dishdashat noom.
4- A change of clothes for 3 days after e7ram was done. 3 Shirts & 3 Trousers.
5- Toiletries: Scent free toiletry kit (post). An extra bar of scent free soap. An extra bottle of scent free shampoo. Toothpaste, Toothbrush, Shaving Cream, Face Wash, scented toiletries for after 7ajj, perfumes, body wash, and mofraka.
6- A cream for rashes and a heat cream thing for sore muscles.
7- Toilet seat covers, travel wipes, dettol wipes, and that gel you put to kill the germs on your hands.
8- Small packages of kleenex and Ear cotton puds.
9- Pins for e7ram, and a nails and hair grooming kit.
10- Towels
When he goes to the airport he will be wearing one e7ram, the belt, and the e7ram shoes and pulling a handbag. In the handbag which he is taking to the airport he has:
1- A change of clothes: Underwear, socks, tshirt, trousers, and Dishdashat noom.
2- Dettol wipes, travel wipes, kleenex, and toilet seat covers.
3- A first aid mini bag: Panadol, Vitamin C, Limesip, Zirtec, Buscopan, Gaviscon, Plasters, and mini sweets.
4- Chargers for the Galaxy Tab and the Phone.
5- Money, Passport, and 7aj and prayer booklets.
6- Extra set of pins.
I hope we didn’t forget to add anything. Do you have something to add maybe? Or something you or a relative is taking and should be helpful.
The most important thing to buy for a man going to 7ajj is his e7ram. Butootee had already bought 3 normal e7rams but he heard that there is a certain type of e7ram that can hold itself up and doesn’t need a belt or pins. It has velcro strap that is stapled on and sticks together quite nicely.
So we went to Mubarkiya and asked around. The only place that seemed to sell it is an old and well known shop “Al-Mosallam”. There were two kinds one Chinese and one Kuwaiti. One of them sold for 5 KD and the other which we got was for 7.5 KD and we chose it because it closes better. Lets just hope Butootee still gets to go to 7ajj, given that he is flying on Kuwait’s ariways who cancelled all their 7ajj flights
If you are still looking for an extra e7ram you can go and visit Al-Mosallam store in Mubarkiya to get yourself one. Tel: 22431322.
The upcoming Eid holiday is going to be 9 days long! In any other circumenstances I would have been out of my mind with joy and out on the first plane. Since my Butootee is going to 7ajj and everyone I know will be travelling and I cannot travel anywhere, it will be the loneliest, most boring 9 days of my entire life
What do people do during Eid in Kuwait for entertainment? What do lonely people do? Its bad enough that I am going to miss my husband whome I’ve never been separated from since we got married years ago. Its bad enough that I hate hate HATE the Eid crowds in Kuwait. What am I supposed to do, all alone? Stay cooped up inside the house for 9 days?
Maybe that’s not a bad idea. Provide munchies, friends dvd’s, LOTR extended editions, Rocky, install the WII in my room, start on my endless list of unread book and hibernate. Maybe I will spend 9 days in bed ordering through 6alabat and paying by K-Net and having food brought up to me. After all there is no one to nag on my head to wake me up. No one to interrupt my reading or talk to me while eating? No one to look presentable to. Mo?
Anyways… what will you do during your 9 days off? Any na7sha plans?
This year my Butootee has decided to go to Hajj insha2 Allah. Its his first time going to 7ajj to “explore” before he takes me in the years to come insha2 Allah 😀
So he has done his homework and searched for the best 7amla to take him to Mecca especially considering he is going all alone. He chose a small 7amla called Labeek and will be sharing his room with two other men he doesn’t know. So recently all we’ve been doing is preparing for his trip.
First he had to go get his 7ajj vaccinations which took us several days going from one medical center to another until we found the right one. Then we had to go buy him the 7ajj e7ram’s. He bought 3 only but I think we need to buy him some more. he bought white slippers and a black belt so I guess his e7ram outfit is complete? Bought the dettol wipes as well and the 7amla gave him a big bag and a handbag that must be packed and ready to be shipped on October the 27th.
What else do people buy to prepare for 7ajj? I remember hearing about a scent-free toiletry kit for 7ajj but I don’t know from where to buy it. Tried Al-Shaye3 and they only had the deodorant. I suppose he needs towels mo? and a clean change of clothes for when he finishes his 7ajj rituals. What about socks? Or blankets?
Have you been to 7ajj before? Is there something you recommend we buy? and from where?
My grandmother was admitted to the hospital for an Angiography procedure (Qas6ara). While we were with her yesterday I saw a big lovely bouquet of flowers at her door with the card above. It was from my favorite cousin Abdullah
Abdullah, by the way, is a 20 years old ASK graduate who is currently in College
Now fess up, how many of you have perfect English handwriting and horrible Arabic handwriting? When was the last time you wrote in Arabic? or read something Arabic? or watched something Arabic -other than zwarat khamees and turkish soaps-?
And dear 3obada… min ygool “wa e7waneh” were added as an afterthought? Wain noq6at el khaa2 :p Thank you for making me laugh yesterday coz, your note made my day wallah 😀
If you’ve been following my blog for a long time you might remember my post about my father’s A-1 Canon from the 80’s and the lenses he had (post). Anyways, when I bought my Macro lens and showed it to Read more »
I first noticed this metal plaque with a series or numbers on the door of my grandmother’s house when I went visiting. Suddenly it was on every door in her area!
What is it exactly? Some sort of bar code for the houses of Kuwait? How exactly is it going to improve our lives? Will it be used in some kind of program to locate houses, like the GPS for example? Will it -hopefully- be a way to refer to house address so we could finally get mail delivered directly to our places like everyone else on planet earth? Is it for the human counting population thing which I don’t even know the name of in English?
Well what is it? Curiosity is gnawing inside me! Does anyone know?
When I recieved the Gloria Jean’s Coffee Hamper two nights ago I thought the coffee beans that came with it were for filter or drip coffee machines. My sister insisted that it was french Read more »
One thing I love about Ramadan is the gerge3an time! I await the gerge3an boxes we receive with anticipation and then devour their contents as dessert after futoor :p This year didn’t disappoint. I’ve never written about what gerge3ainat I’ve received before and I’ve gotten pretty amazing ones, don’t know why! Any ways I will post them Read more »
I do realize its my third food post for the day but you have to excuse me for I am starving and I Read more »
