What if...

...the only right person for me was just too afraid to make a move?

Black Smoke and Time Travel

Everytime an episode of Lost finishes I find myself staring at my confused/stunned face in the black reflection on my laptop screen.

I love it.

I wanted to, but...

"Hello." The hardest word? No, that's not right is it?

Ugh!

For all those who have exams...I wish you the best of luck.

Let Me Hold You

I had a dream to match this lovely song...




I know what it means...do you?


***

I am at work, phasing out, blanking out in the middle of things or just finding myself with nothing to do. Maybe I'm tired...sleepy...suffering from after-rush + quick U-turn into depressing mode thing...

Decode people...decode! Try to keep up.

*I'm sure you understand how wierd I'm feeling right now. Sorry.

Wait. Should I even be apologizing? Hmm...

Human Nature

I went to see This Is It at the IMAX theatre in 360 last night. Glad I did. Mainly because I got to sit back and groove to all his great songs.

Singing along and snapping my fingers to the beat...I genuinely had a good time and I now have MJ's song list on constant playback in my head.

He exuded professionalism, an immense attention to detail, and just pure love for what he was doing...he was passionate about making people happy with great music right to the end...

WEEKEND!!! Woohoo!

I miss my sister. She studies in Canada and is persumably emmersed in examinations right now...so I haven't talked to her in ages. Missing you girl.

I want to buy flowers...roses...

And the weather is amazing...fine drizzles in the early morning hours...with the great roar of thunder every now and then...mainly the overcast colour grey. Oh and the wind...ahhh the wind.

Frangipani

I want to post more. I practically think about posting everyday, but I don't have anything to write about. I haven't written any fiction in ages either. It's like I go blank every time I think of writing.

I guess I can let you know what's been happening with me lately, with some random updates a la Amethyst (because I love you A.):

Been into fashion blogs. Some faves: The Sartorialist - Go Fug Yourself

Started watching Grey's Anatomy. I approve.

Thinking of ways to lose a few pounds.

Feeling uglier by the day. Advice much appreciated.

I want to cook. Not bake. Cook.

Strangely thinking about having a summer cleaning session for my room. Linked to the feeling ugly bit, I guess.

Battery running low. So I guess I'll be off. Any advice on how to get my writing mojo on...or on anything for that matter is highly appreciated. Thanks.

Kiss of Life

I'm happy because I just:

Watched Michael Bublé Meets Madison Square Garden

Bought two new books

Listened to a great song

Kiss of Life - Friendly Fires. Enjoy:

Movie Marathon

Wow! It's 6 thirty already. Time flies by when you do lots of stuff. Between work and spending a little time relaxing with the "famille", and going to places...the day's suddenly over. And you can still think of things you have to do.

As long as I don't feel tired, I'm happy. Busy is good. I need busy.

So I watched a few movies recently (you can see which in the Last Movie F. Watched bit) and I must say I was pleased with all three.

The Half Blood Prince was very good. I enjoyed it a lot. Although in movies like this, where they have to cram a huge book into a movie time slot, you unfortunately don't get to see much of the characters. I mean, you could actually count the lines assigned to each character on your fingers. But quality beats quantity...so I guess it's alright. And while we're talking about lines and scripts...I just wanted to say how British the script seemed...The use of words like "bloke" and "snog" are used constantly...I loved it. And obviously...there were differences between the book and the movie...as usual, but still it was a good enough adaptaion and it was also a truly good movie in it's own right. Highly recommended.

Yes Man was cute. I enjoyed watching it with my sisters, eating gummy bears and Cheetos. Very cute. Jim Carrey was great...he didn't over do it with his faces and funny sounds (they were still there [how can they not be] but were used sparingly) I felt like it was a comdey with a story...rom-com meets comedy meets chick flick, sort of. Which is great...there's a story there...a story with heart. Recommended to those who want a fun afternoon get together with friends/family...

And finally, Doubt. Much more serious; requiring thought and reflection after viewing. This is a movie where the viewer decides what the story is. What more can you ask for...you end the movie how you want it. It's up to you! Great performances reign. They're everywhere. The great Meryl Streep, Seymour Hoffman continues to please, and rising star Amy Adams...I loved how they used recurring symbols or motifs to suggest different things. Recommended to those who prefer "deeper" movies with lots of dialogue.

Okay...enough blabbering for today.

Later.

Flutter

Crushing.

Over a boy that is.

A boy I might never actually meet. But still it feels amazing.

*SCREAMS A HAPPY SCREAM*

*Snaps out of it*

I am feeling really excited. Dancing and listening to music much more than before. Feeling like dressing up and looking good. Like doing something active. Going out. I'm being optimistic about the job. Wanting to go on a summer shopping spree. Craving cool pools and a good tan. The sound of the sun embracing by body and sizzling it into a deeper shade of copper. Copper. Lovely colour.

*Realises she hasn't really snapped out of it*

I wish my mother all the best. Allah y5aleeha lina inshallah wala ya7rimna minha.

Same goes out to all the mothers of the world. A mother is the root of everything.

Hugs and Kisses.

A Fruit Picker, A Missing Cat and Money in A Ditch

I was scrolling through www.MSNBC.msn.com and came across some wierd news I thought was worhty of sharing:

*Woman mistaken for monkey, gets shot.
Apparantly she was trying to pick fruit from her neighbours tree and, hearing rustling in his yard, the neighbour shot at her thinking she was a monkey. She was hospitalized and suffered a wound to the abdomen but is now stable. This took place in Malaysia by the way.

*Sofa Surprise: Cat found inside $27 used couch.
Watching a baseball match in Washington, a man felt something move inside his newly bought used couch. Upon closer inspection he found that a cat had managed to climb in through a tiny whole underneath and gotten stuck. This explained the previously unexplained meowing his wife kept hearing, ever since they had bought the used couch from a nearby store. After some media exposure, a man came forth and claimed his cat Callie, who had gone missing at about the same time he donated his couch to the store. Poor thing.

*Teen gives away thousands in cash he found.
Ater finding a stash of cash in a ditch by the road, a 16 year old boy gave away $11,000 of the original $18,000 to fellow students and school aide. When questioned, he at first said the money was out of his allowance, but later confessed to police that he had found it in a ditch along with marijuana and a set of scales. The money was collected back from the students but the boy did not face charges. The police called him "a good kid" trying to help those in need. With a drug junkie's cash.

Diary

Hello. I've been feeling quite productive lately. I've been doing stuff instead of just sitting at my laptop all day. I've been reading more, that's one. I finished the second installment to the Twilight saga. I wonder what I'm gonna pick up next. I'm getting an urge to reread Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. Something eerie that'll match the strangely windy weather we're suddenly experiencing.

I've made some progress on my research. Nothing noteworthy, but progress nontheless. I hope I go through with it, and I hope it turns out good.

I spent a lot of time in the kitchen today. First I made muffins, with lovely pink frosting. I have to say, they weren't amazing, could have been better, but they were good still. I later made some pasta with a yummy turkey and tomato sauce. My hamsters (aka my wonderful family) could not abstain from commenting on the food. Dad wanted more sauce. Mom and sister said the pasta needed to be cooked more. Brother wanted no sauce at all. Anyway, I had fun, and I thought both dishes tasted fine. If I don't say so myself.

Many houses in town have put up flags and all celebrating the coming National and Liberation days. I felt like I wanted to join in with the celebrations so I made a collage of the Kuwaiti flag to put up somewhere. I cut up old magazines that I have absolutely no use for, and stuck shreds of black, green and red on a white polestirene slab. One that I also had no use for. I felt great afterwards because it looked good and I had recycled stuff that I could have just thrown out.

Last but not least, I got signed up in the elections listings (I'm not sure what they're called exactly.) Basically, you get added to the list of electors so you can vote next elections. If you're Kuwaiti and you're 20 years old, or older and not listed, visit your local police station with a copy of your nationality and civil ID, and get listed. It's easy, it won't take much of your time, and you'll be able to have a say in the future of your country soon.

I hope it's not long till I post again.

Tags: The Butterfly Award and Favourites.

I humbly recieve this award for one of the coolest blogs visited by Borzaiga. Thank you.

Also, I was tagged by A Journal Entry. I hate "What's your favourite" type questions...They are so hard to answer because I don't usually have one ultimate favourite of thing of anything. You can probably see I'm getting nervous already. So bare with me.

Favourite colour: See?! I seriously don't have one.

Favourite getaway place: Bathroom? :P

Favourite perfume (guys): I love men's perfume in general.

Favourite perfume (girls): I don't have a favourite.

Favourite pj brand: Again. (What kind of question is that?!)

Favourite clothes brand in general: No particular one.

Favourite person in the entire world: Me!

Favourite country (not including your own): None.

Favourite car: Classics in general.

Favourite sport: No favourites. I like tennis, volleyball, diving.

Favourite sport player: He's not a favourite, but I like tennis pro Rafael Nadal.

Favourite spot in Kuwait: :/ Who makes these questions? I don't have a favourite spot.

Favourite animal: I don't like animals. But I like my pet cat.

Favourite movie: No favourites.

Favourite singer: No favourites.

Favourite day in the week: I like weekends most I think.

Favourite time of the day: :S Between 2:30 and 5:30 pm?

Favourite holiday season: Summer.

Favourite number: !

Favourite food: I like french fries. And soups.

Favourite chocolate: I don't know.

Favourite cartoon: Samurai Jack is pretty cool.

Favourite bloggers: The ones I follow I guess.

Favourite Flavour Ice Cream: Depends.

Favourite actress: No favourites.

Favourite nail colour and brand: No preference.

Favourite drink: Water.

That wasn't so bad. For me at least. Although I'd like to see what you guys thought after reading that list of boring nothingness...Sorry! Oh. And if you like the idea...and want to continue the list. Go ahead. Tag yourself.

My First Time

I was anxious at first, almost afraid. Afraid of the unfamiliar. Afraid that I wouldn't be pleased, that I wouldn't like it and never want more of it. Indeed, I was treading new ground. It felt different, new, but really really interesting.

My first science-fiction experience proved to be anything but disappointing. I read Worlds Apart by Joe Haldeman and, thank God, I don't regret picking it up. Although it's part of a trilogy, I read it out of convenience (it's the only copy available at home...from back when my dad was in university) and I didn't feel like I was missing anything, so everything went fine. Like I said...I was a little hesitant to start science-fiction because, like with everything new, I was afraid I wouldn't like it...I was afraid that I pick up a bad book that would put me off the whole genre...

But Worlds Apart proved quite the opposite; it was easy to read, more or less a page-turner, and I must say, quite interesting...so I will hopefully be reading some more sci-fi in the future.

The novel picks up where its predecessor left off: after World War IV during which a bioweapon has killed all adults over the age of 20 on Earth. It follows two story-lines, first that of the heroine Marianne O'Hara, citizen of New New York, one of the last remaining artificial worlds orbiting Earth, who finds herself included in several missions back to Earth to help the juvenile savages that have become the entire population. Also, we follow the story of Jeff Hawkings, O'Hara's Earth-bound lover, who travels across Florida posing as the Healer, trading with the now feral children, providing medicine in return for power supplies that would help him contact New New York, which he isn't sure still exists.

Again, it was really interesting to get an insight of what someone thinks the future might hold. Overall, fantastic stuff! First, but definately not last.

You Have The Right

Because it is extremely important for each and every one of us to know what rights we have:



If everyone had all of these things...what kind of world would it be? Would it indeed become a utopia? Or would there still be struggle, hatred, prejudice and discrimination in the world?
Watching the film The Invasion a while back, I began thinking about how alien our world would become if we all got rid of our emotions. Ideally, a human race without emotion would mean that there would be no hatred, no fear, no greed or any other negative emotions that may cause conflict and war. But wouldn't that also get rid of happiness, love and all the other beautiful stuff we feel as well? Sure, we'd be a peaceful race but there wouldn't be any difference between us and, say, a bunch of vegetables...
Still...I'm not saying I'm against the universal declaration of human rights.

Maestro

Fantastic stuff!

Lo Cor De La Plana

Hello, everyone. Doesn't it seem like the blogosphere's been quite dead lately? Hmm, perhaps it's just me.

I'm sitting out on the window sill. It's cloudy, damp. It has been raining softly on and off all afternoon. The air is cool and the wind feels fresh. Lovely weather.

Today, I thought I might introduce you to a fantastic group of musicians. It is a group of 6 charming French musicians, who sing mostly a capella in a dying out dialect called Occitan, otherwise accompanied only by clapping hands, stamping feet and a few percusion instruments. Their name is Lo Cor De La Plana. I first encountered their captivating music at a small concert here in Kuwait. It was held at Mishref's AbdulAziz Hussain Theatre, and I remember bringing my little brother and my two sisters because I didn't want to go alone. We all did not regret going!

They say a picture's worth a thousand words...I wonder what they have to say about a video...enjoy!

This is them performing "Tant Deman" live (one of my favourites):

This is them performing live at a festival in Paris. They start a farandole (a festive dance):



Isn't it a wonderful setting to fall in love in? You find yourself holding a stranger's hand and then after a frenzy of kicking and turning and jumping you find that you don't want to let go...

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this post.

Dream Car

When one turns eighteen here, there is an inevitable question that has to be asked and duly answered.That question is: What is your dream car? (Or some other variation of it)Generally speaking, the Kuwaiti youth would already have prepared an answer to the aforementioned question. A Range Rover Sport was my sister's answer. A pepsi blue Wolks-Vagen Touareg, a Jaguar and a Mercedez-Benz jeep were among my other sister's choices.They don't necessarily get those dream cars, but it seems to be absolutely essential that a decision be made as to what dream car you dream of getting once you're eighteen.But when eighteen hit me, so did the horror of not having an answer to that seemingly divine question. What car do you want to drive? To be honest, I gave the matter some serious thought. I said to myself, let's see...I hadn't come up with anything (I couldn't have, really, I only thought for about a millisecond) when my sister interupted with quite an angry remark: "How difficult can this be? What car have you dreamt about driving all these years?!"And then it dawned on me...I didn't have a dream car. So that's what I said, I said: I...I guess I don't have one...I really haven't ever thought about driving, and dream cars, and other things of that sort."My sister's reaction? Well, what seemed like an angry remark only seconds earlier, was topped by a furious statement: Stop trying to be different all the time! (But that's a whole other different story I'll have to tell you about later.)

I learnt how to drive though. I didn't buy a car (nobody bought me one either) but indeed, I learnt to drive soon after turning eighteen and have been driving ever since. I drive my mother's old car, which isn't really old, but it's not new either. It functions alright, you know, it moves. Some light signals work of their own accord, the A/C has proved to be of a faultering nature and the seat covers are splattered with permenant diet Coke stains, but it gets you to places and back. And that's what cars are supposed to do, right? That should be enough. And it was. It is. And I'm not complaining. Not about the car, that is. Driving and it's pleasures, after two humble years of experience however, have proven to be, at least to me, extremely over-rated. I've met a fair amount of people who have described to me the high they get when they grab the steering wheel, and push their foot on the gas pedal, to the max, and see that highway disappear into the horizon in their rear view mirror. I've heard them talk about how the most relaxing thing they can ever imagine is a slow drive in the rain. Driving seemed to be the best thing ever. Not to me it didn't. And I'll tell you why not.

There are so many things that can go wrong when you're in a car, or on the road. Traffic, for one, would drive anyone insane! You try to deal with it, put up with it, work your way around it, but having to deal with it day after day after day...it's just, too much. Plus, no one (I must not generalize) most drivers ignore all driving rules known to mankind which is plain frustrating. Also, when you are under the mercy of a vehicle, a moving man-made automobile, that might decide to stop moving in the middle of the road, or that might choose not to work the brake pedal...it's plain scary. What about the little things that happen oh-so-often when you drive a car? The thought of the trouble that a flat tire, or a leak might bring along increases stress levels to unprecidented hights. And I haven't mentioned accidents yet.

Today, when the family was discussing the dream car issue again, on my cousin's eighteenth birthday, it couldn't be easier making up my mind as to the answer to the question this time. I would rather walk!

Comfortably Numb

I was visiting Do0da's blog and getting a glimpse of his profile before I entered his blog, I realised that I hadn't changed my "Occupation" field.

I am no longer a student. Or I am currently not a student anymore.

Does it suck that I am now a nothing? I mean I'm a girl, yes. I am a daughter, a sister, a friend...but I'm also a nothing. Heh.

I'm not one for freaking out at something like that...but I kinda need your comforting words. So bring 'em on.

I advised my mum to do puzzles like Sudoku, crosswords and Rubik cubes because I'd heard that working your brain like that prevents one from getting Alzhimers. At the time she said that she'd do whatever she liked, even if it was to sit on the couch all day long watching Desperate Housewives on her laptop. But as I'm writing this post she's sitting infront of me scribbling on the puzzle page in the newspaper. How cute is that?!

More Untitled Stuff

These are two shorter (but in my opinion much better) pieces I wrote during my stay in Jordan. Enjoy.



A crowd. A surge of people. A flood of souls unknown to each other. Amidst all these people, all feel alone. Each rushes to their own destination, their own dark corner in life. They all look ahead, as if there was nobody there but them. They are emotionless. Oblivious to the commotion outside of their empty bubbles. Those who do realise there are others around are shy, embarrassed somehow by a quickly disappearing chain that links us all together. And they pretend they cannot see.
But I feel desperate to reach out. To call out. To share something, anything, with someone. I long to have a connection, a bond with one person, outof all these people, just one. A nod would at the least be acceptable, a knowing glimpse would be more than I expected, a smile sheer ecstacy.
In this crowd I am alone. I scream for company, but no one listens.

***

I sit alone, tired from the previous night's tedious yet pleasing endevours. Drowned in drowsiness, I sit lazily, passively taking in my surroundings, letting my mind wander to dreams of yesterday and fantasies of the future. This lonliness, though relaxing, I hate. I rest my head on my hand and I close my eyes, enveloping myself in darkness. I see you walk through the door, that all knowing smile of yours spread widely across your face. You come to where I am sitting, and you take my hand, issing it lightly while you take you seat next to me. You sigh, and I know what you are going to say because I am sorry too. Sorry we couldn't make much out of this. You look up at me again after your moment of deep thought, and you get up and leave. Then I open my eyes and I look out the window at the setting sun.

Please read the previous post and comment too. All sorts of criticism is

"Goodbye. Have fun tomorrow." It's surprisingly funny how four words, a smile, and a handshake can make you feel.

Souvenir

Feeling post-vacation depression. And I haven't even left yet.

I saw a baby's t-shirt in a store that said: "I'm shy, come talk to me." I wish they sold those in a bigger size.

My cousin is now happily married. I wish him and his wife all the best in life. Congratulations to them.

Travel (or at least this particular trip) has been inspirational. I wrote a few pieces while I was here. I'll put them in a separate post. Meanwhile here are a few pictures as previously promised.

P.S. Unfortunately, the Jordan Festival starts the day after we leave. Mika is coming :(