Highly acclaimed and an award winner, I had no second thoughts about picking Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice. It took me a while to read through it, so many pages and so much details, tale upon tale you stumble upon and sometimes the details are of little and no consequences, but in the end you put it down and sigh, for this unusual, oriental, mystic tale of old is a telling of the circle of life for Jahan, a little foreign elephant mahout who became the apprentice of Sinan, one of the most renowned Architect’s of his time.
Though at times I was frustrated with the lack of a definite or a thrilling plot and with the amount of details, I adored the personality of master Sinan, who to my delight he is an actual historical character though Read more »
At this moment I’m sitting by the open window, a dark cloud is looming in the horizon and thunder has been rumbling on loudly for about ten minutes now. I’m the dictionary definition of a pluviohile, I literally open my eyes wide and begin to operate on an entirely different level when it rains, rain charges my soul the way Superman charges by the sun, hence this post that has been playing around again again in my mind.
I’ve also decided that perhaps I should have pursued a career in book-publishing. Why didn’t I? I don’t know, perhaps because it doesn’t pay too well? Perhaps I’m going to one day but until then I will stick to writing whatever comes to my mind in my little blog and you, my readers, will be the lucky ones to suffer through :p Read more »
I have not one but two copies of life after life on my bookshelves, for whenever I’ve visited a bookstore for the past few years I’ve seen it on the best seller and highly acclaimed list of novels. I also got its semi-sequel, the second novel “A God in Ruins” that is based on another character but its not necessarily a continuation of the original story. The only reason I’ve put up reading this one was its sheer-volume of 600+ pages. I however finally decided to read it and its semi-sequel, for I’m in desperate need of a book that sucks me into its world and leaves reality behind. Read more »
I’m not a vegan, and can never be for my love of dairy is too great to abandon. In the recent year or so the Vegan movement seem to be taking over the planet for a moment -vegetarians, where are you?- and whenever I browse the social media account of a vegan I happen to come across one version or another of something they call “Nicecream” or “Nice Cream” and they keep raving about it the way they were raving about Read more »
For a while now almost every bookworm social media account I’m following was rearranging their collection of books in a colour-coded book theme so the end result would resemble a rainbow. I have an ancient photo of my bookshelves when I was a kid back in the early 90’s, my collection of some magazines were arranged Rainbow style but I have to look for the picture and scan it before I can share it with you, most likely in this post. Anyway, since my bookshelves are overflowing and organising the books in a readable manner became one messy affair, I thought I’d dedicate myself to this task and arrange all my books rainbow-style. After all, how hard can it be, right? Read more »
Years ago, I read Rosamund Lupton’s debut novel Sister and was mesmerised instantly. Though I was not a fan of her bestselling second novel Afterwards, I did keep an eye out for anything new by the writer and finally managed get a copy of The Quality of Silence. I read the description on the back and though it wasn’t something I’d usually be picking up on my own, I still had a taste of the delicious writing of sister and I hoped I’d come across it again, hence the eagerness I felt as I started this one. Read more »
Fan of Mexican food? I absolutely am, in fact Mexican ranks second as my favourite cuisine of all times. Whenever I crave a fajita, a sizzling one with all the works, I usually head to one of the American franchises around Kuwait. However, since I’m trying to live a healthier life sans the excess salt, fat, and surprise spice that attacks my stomach mercileccily I began to make mine at home. This recipe must be the easiest, lightest, and quickest way to get a guiltless fajita fix. Read more »
Let me start by stating the fact that I do not like cauliflowers.
In fact, I loathe them.
The smell, the taste, the texture. I’m a vegetable loving vegetarian who actually does crave broccoli but never could stand to be within a metre of cauliflower in any shape or form including the very famous fried cauliflower and eggplant sandwich we call Meshakkal in Kuwait. Never was a fan. The same goes for sweet potatoes, I just could never understand their over-sweetened taste nor embrace it as a vegetable. Read more »
If you’ve been around my blog for a while then you’ll know how much I love and admire f2o’s artistic talent and designs, so much that my book cover is actually illustrated by f2o<3 Just before Ramadan was out and everyone ready to flock the country to their summer vacations Fatima Al-Othman, the lady behind f2o, sent me a bag of her latest products: colouring books, a current trend in its own, featuring f2o’s children, Essa and Asya, with the Alphabets in Kuwaiti dialect. Read more »
A few days back I was invited by Triangle restaurant to try their new and different menu. I like triangle a lot and have seen pictures of their “new” items so needless to say I made sure to go with a good hungry appetite knowing exactly what I wanted to try. Lets say I was not disappointed at all and I’m warning you, dangerous pictures are awaiting you below.
Lucky for me, I arrived on a Saturday during a lull in the lunch service. It was between lunch and dinner and so I had the place to myself and took as many pictures as I’ve liked without bothering other diners. By the time I got to my main course though, the restaurant had filled up and there was a waiting list! So if my colourful pictures make you want to have your next meal over at Triangle, make sure to call before you go to make sure there are available tables. Waiting list I tell you! Read more »
And why not?
I’m assuming that quite a large percentage of people in normal households of Kuwait would say no. After all, should they even consider recycling, where would they take their recycled garbage to anyway? Garbage sorting and collecting isn’t that exciting nor that maintained in households where house help exists. Sure, when we travel and we are forced by the laws of the country we are in we do indeed recycle, as painful sometimes as it seems, and they say its better for the environment and I’m not negating that for it must have a tangible effect on the planet of entire countries enforce them, so why not here in Kuwait? Read more »
Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the long awaited 8th book!
By danderma | August 1, 2016
I’m writing this post with a head buzzing with thoughts, heart fluttering with feelings, and eyes brimming with tears as I’m in a roller coaster of emotions that’s been tumbling since I returned home from work and sat with my iBook copy of the long awaited 8th book of Harry Potter, the one with the Cursed Child.
Is it really an 8th book? A proper sequel to the battle of Hogwarts set 19 years later? I couldn’t allow myself to get too attached the the book nor let myself believe it was a “real” or “100% authentic” new Harry Potter book. I was afraid. I didn’t want to be let down by it, I know its based on a sold out play and its not only J. K. Rowling’s name on the cover, I’m not sure what to expect and I had a feeling that… well.. this story is only make belief and this Harry book is a fraud. Read more »
Yes, the title is correct. This post and these pictures are telling the story of an Indian Alphonso mango tree, planted in a farm in Wafra area on the soil of Kuwait. The tree felt at home enough to bear not only regular Alphonso mangoes, no no, JUMBO alphonso mango fruits and there were enough of them to make it into a carton and arrive at my doorsteps about ten days ago! Read more »
I’ve been bored by, well everything really. Do you ever seem to think that everything in life is the same? Same activities, same faces, same places, same routine, same old and nothing is new happening anymore?
Enter the key hunt for the By Parker’s restaurant!
You see, there is something about having to earn your entry into a new food establishment. I recall once reading something like that in a magazine about a spot in a trendy hipster part of London, that unless you answer the gatekeeper’s riddle you won’t be allowed to climb through the wall into the restaurant or something. I loved the intrigue, the being there but out of reach except for the worthy kind of attitude. Of course its also fun, that’s why I’ve been following the SnapChat of by Parker’s in Dubai forever and deciding that the moment I set foot in Dubai, on the very night I do, I’m not going to rest until I do hunt for the key and actually claim it for myself. Read more »
Whenever I want a palate-clenasing from all the disappointing or long boring reads I make sure I reach out for a Cecelia Ahern, I could always count on her for a wholesome and enjoyable read and her latest novel, The Marble Collector, didn’t disappoint me at all. It was an easy read, didn’t take a lot of effort to read or digest, and had enough intrigue between the pages to keep me flipping the pages at a quicker page than usual. Read more »
Back in August 2015, almost six months ago, a little black box from Grand Cinemas inscribed with “Try guessing what’s inside the box!” arrived on my doorstep. I was intrigued, and guessed it was an invitation to a movie premier or something. It was indeed an invitation to a movie premier, plus, there was a card inside with my name on it plus the words “VIP”. Read more »
From the blogger who read the world in one year and wrote a book about it comes this second and quite enticing dark thriller “Beside Myself” and once I set my eyes upon it I snatched it at once. I was lucky enough to get a signed copy of Ann Morgan‘s first book “Reading the World: Confessions of a Literary Explorer” because I was featured in it as the author of the book from Kuwait, quite an honour really but I will be talking about that book another time for the post have been ready and waiting for almost a year now! When reading Ann’s book, I liked what I read. When I read the description of Ann’s second book, I couldn’t wait to get my copy and as I finally sat down to read it, I had butterflies in my stomach. Read more »
For a while now I’ve been wanting to introduce you to two gorgeously cute individuals that I’m quite fond of. Those of you who have pets can relate to my state of adoration of my, well, nephews, Elsa and Olaf and no I’m not talking about the Disney characters here -they are named after them though, obviously!-. Elsa & Olaf are my brother and sister’s cats, they’ve had them ever since they were two tiny kittens and they are wrench-your-heart and pinch-that-cheek and bite-that-teeny-leg adorable! Read more »
What makes you crave something? badly?
Me? Believe it or not its cartoons! Anime to be exact, the Japanese ones that we grew up watching. Whenever they gather around a dining table, those glittering dishes, specifically those steaming bowls of soups with a side of little bread. I was always hungry after watching an episode with food, and don’t get me started on Ninja Kabamaro’s chowmein insatiable appetite! Read more »
A while back, OK a few months back, I’ve had the pleasure of being invited for a “special” lunch cooked by the one and only Special Maryam, the amazing young chef who is makes the luscious bagels and melt-in-your-mouth fresh pastas of Maria Rustica and, the one behind the menu of the one and only Bao, which I’ve had the pleasure in sinking my teeth into several times and if you’ve read my review you’d know how much I’ve enjoyed it.Lucky me headed to a “secret” rooftop in Kuwait City, on a 31st floor overlooking a dazzling 360degrees view of Kuwait’s capital. Read more »
I have a shelf in one of my bookcases that I’ve dedicated to books that come in a special “collection”. It contains the surviving copies of my old Mickey magazines, my 1001 nights stories, copies of my own two Dathra books, my collection of Ikea catalogue dating back to the start of this century, and my collection of the annual Bazaar eating in Kuwait guides from 2008 onwards. Read more »
I wouldn’t usually and willingly go into a cinema to watch a movie about sea pirates, not even pirates of the Caribbean, but if it was a Tom Hanks then it’s a must see movie regardless of the story or the trailer. I went to watch Captain Philips yesterday and I have to say I wasn’t disappointed at all. Read more »
What pulled me to this book is the notion of “running away” and leaving everything behind to start a new life on a whim. Emily wakes up one day and boards a train from Manchester to London without telling anyone, leaving her loving family behind because of something grave that happened a while back. The idea of the book is to accompany Emily through her days as a new unknown person in London while trying to figure out what went wrong exactly in her life. Eventually you will know what her secret was and how having a twin sister doesn’t guarantee a friend for life and indeed you will be quite surprised at the twist in the story. Read more »
My friend and fellow blogger Ansam has been busy lately. A couple of weeks ago she finally was going to share her love of food with the rest of us with the launch of “Karak Gholam”, Kuwait’s newest Karak cafe where Ansam is a co-owner. Karak is a drink that’s basically tea, milk, sugar, and Indian spices cooked together. Rather, its the equivalent of a spiced chai latte and I’m not sure if Karak is the official Indian name for it but its been forever popular in neighbouring GCC countries like Qatar and the UAE and is currently taking Kuwait by storm. Read more »
I think it was back during the holy month of Ramadan when I first started following the instagram account of GIA cafe. They were testing their dishes and I knew by looking at what they had to offer that I wanted to try them out, really wanted to, for they reminded me of Ottelenghi’s in London. After a long wait, they finally opened their doors yesterday afternoon and I wasted no time heading over to GIA’s for some lunch. Read more »
