Pick A Girl ... Any Girl

for those who are following bab el hara ... am i the only one who found the scene from today's episode when abu hatem's daughters were displayed like merchandise completely tasteless and inappropriate and demeaning to women ... i understand that this is how business was done back then ... but do we really need to perpetuate this type of nonsense ...

in a related story ... well kind of ...

do the happy dance

my boss is leaving tomorrow ...

and he won't be back until saturday ...

Israeli Terrorism

The four kidnapped 17-year-old Amran Abu Hamadya in Hebron in December of 2002. They dragged him into their jeep, proceeded to beat him and eventually threw him out of the car at high speed.
The indictment noted in detailed how Hamadya was first ordered to jump out of the moving vehicle, and when he refused, Botabicka and Lalza make him stand up in the back of the jeep, using its roof straps as support. The two then forcibly pried open his grip and pushed him out of the vehicle, which was reportedly driving at 50 mph.
Hamadya was slammed into the road and suffered fatal head injuries.

source

Quote of the Day

"It is no coincidence that monogamy sounds so much like monotony"

Russell Brand, comedian

Bad Girls

A Lebanese woman and her female Bulgarian companion have been jailed for a month for kissing and fondling each other and engaging in "indecent acts" on a public beach in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, the media reported.

source

Random Fact of the Day

if you don't know family guy or have heard of it but don't watch it ... you might want to skip this post ...

so you know in the intro to family guy they have the theme song right ... lois is singing on the piano ...

it seems today that all you see

is violence in movies and sex on tv

then peter appears and joins in ...

but where are those good old fashioned values on which we used to rely

then the screen turns into like a broadway setting and the whole family is singing and dancing ...

lucky there's a family guy

lucky there's a man who

positively can do

all the things that make us

ok ... now we get to the point of this post ... so then stewie says what sounds like ...

effing cry

that is what i always thought he says ... up until a few days ago when i discovered otherwise ... it turns out the actual lyrics are ...

laugh and cry

but get this ... it seems i'm not the only one who misheard it ... in fact, according to wikipedia ...

Because so many people thought Stewie sang "effin' cry!" instead of "laugh and cry" in the opening sequence (to the extent that UK broadcaster Channel 4 would edit the line so Stewie would only be heard saying "Cry", and some versions of subtitles stating "F-in' cry!"), Seth MacFarlane resang that line to make it clearly "laugh and cry". The rerecording first appeared at the beginning of "The Kiss Seen Around the World" and remained through the end of season three, but the original recording returned when the show resumed airing on Fox in 2005, and has remained since.

and that folks ... is your random fact of the day!

No Parking

whoever designed our facility's main parking lot is an idiot ... the thing looks like it was made for matchbox cars ... it's like a can of sardines in there ... it's impossible to get in and out ...

i almost ... almost ... traded paint with another car while trying to park today ... but thankfully the facility has other parking spots ... which i am going to start using after what happened today ... although it's a bit of a walk ...

but it's worth it ...

The Gathering

i invited three guys from work over for iftar yesterday ... i got a big platter of mashawi with rice ... two kg of mashawi actually ... turns out one would have been enough ... i also got two mixed platters of appetizers ... and i got knafeh ... and i got brownies ... and juice ... and laban ... and soft drinks ... and bread ... and dates ... anyway so there was a lot of food and drink left over at the end of the day ... my fridge is full of leftovers at the moment ...

also ... i now have a pretty good supply of paper plates, plastic plates, plastic spoons, plastic forks, and napkins, plastic cups, paper cups, sufra, etc ... just in case i decide to organize another event that involves eating and/or drinking ...

lesson learned ...

if you're not going to cook the iftar yourself ... it's better to just take them out somewhere ... like a buffet or something ...

3arab

Manchester City acquired by Abu Dhabi United Group have beaten Chelsea to the signing of Brazilian forward Robinho from Real Madrid for a British record transfer fee of about 32.5 million pounds ($61.6 million).

meanwhile ...

Manchester City may make a world record $240 million bid for Cristiano Ronaldo when player trades resume in January, Arabian Business reported, citing the English Premier League soccer team's new owner.
The Manchester United winger is the top target of Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment, which agreed to buy City two days ago, the magazine said on its Web site today. A trade at $240 million would be almost four times the record $64.5 million Real Madrid paid Juventus for Zinedine Zidane in 2001.
"Real Madrid were estimating his value at $160 million but for a player like that, to actually get him, will cost a lot more, I would think $240 million," the magazine cited Sulaiman Al Fahim, a board member of the new owner, as saying.

Israeli Terrorism

The window through which Salam Amira, 16, filmed the moment when an Israeli soldier shot from close range a handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainee has a large hole at its centre with cracks running in every direction.

“Since my video was shown, the soldiers shoot at our house all the time,” she said. The shattered and cracked windows at the front of the building confirm her story. “When we leave the windows open, they fire tear gas inside too.”

The treatment of the family stands in stark contrast to the leniency shown to the soldier and his commander involved in that incident.

source

Word of the Day

Post-Party Depression n.

pretty self-explanatory i think ... but for those who are a little slow ... it's the feeling you have after a big party you had been anticipating is over.

State of Mind

Quran

it's ramadan ... so i give you some beautiful recitations by my favorite sheikh ... yasser al-dossary ... enjoy ...

Eatin'

had my first iftar in riyadh yesterday ... i went with qasem (a friend from work) to mahmoud's house (another friend from work) ... his parents are out of town ...
so we got there ... watched a little tv ... then it was iftar time ... the customary water and dates ... he made us some maggi chicken soup ... a bowl of salad ... a pitcher of tang ... and a platter of like ground beef with potatoes and tomatoes which you eat taghmees style ... very ghetto bachelor iftar ... but it was good ... or maybe i was hungry ... either way ...
afterwards he made us tea ... served us creme caramel ... and we had arageel ... played a little bit of cards ... and we went home ...

i invited them over tomorrow ... but i'm not going to cook ... i'm just going to buy the food ...

Hot or Not?

republican vice presidential candidate ... sarah palin

قرف

الانقسام لم يعد سياسياً فحسب، بل طاول كل شيء في الساحة الفلسطينية، ولم يستثنِ عقارب الساعة، التي تأخرت في قطاع غزة الذي تسيطر عليه حركة «حماس» 60 دقيقة، بينما قررت حكومة رام الله برئاسة سلام فياض البدء بالتوقيت الشتوي مع بداية شهر رمضان، أي اعتباراً من مساء اليوم
ستون دقيقة فارق التوقيت بين «دولتي غزة ورام الله» الخاضعتين بالكامل لسيطرة الاحتلال، ولا تفصلهما جغرافياً سوى بضعة كيلومترات، بينما الفارق السياسي بينهما يكاد يكون بعشرات الأميال، سواء لجهة طبيعة الحياة أو أسلوب الحكم، وبالتحديد التوجه السياسي لمنطقتين من المفترض أن تكونا دولة واحدة

المصدر

Insert Comment

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reprimanded Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas Sunday for meeting with released murderer Samir Kuntar in Lebanon.
"You're not supposed to meet with killers," Olmert said during a meeting between the two in Jerusalem.

source

Yawn

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will try to draw up a document of understandings with the Palestinians to present to Washington before his party names his successor next month, Israeli officials said on Sunday.

source

How Bedouin

you need to click the image to view it full-size ... but that is a poster for a cassette tape of poems dedicated to the toyota landcruiser ... seriously ...

The Simpsons

according to this ad ... nelson is homer's son ...

Irony

note to manufacturer ... if you really want people to believe your product is "hi qality" ... maybe you should work on your spelling ...

My Guitar

courtesy of the folks at activision ...

Dabkat

as promised ... some dabkeh clips from my brother's wedding ...

Ramadan Kareem

click images to view full-size

Slices of Life

i'm not complaining about the fact that everything closes during prayer time in this country ... although ... no i said i'm not going to complain ... but when you only have like six or seven items ... and the cashier tells you to come back after prayer ... even though the adhan still hasn't sounded ... and that means you have to wait around for half an hour just to pay ... then that's just crap ... so i left the basket on the floor and walked out ... stupid carrefour ...

the other day i was at a party at someone's house ... and some people suddenly got up and left ... so i asked my friend ... are they leaving already ... they just got here like an hour ago ... and she told me that they would be back ... they were just going upstairs to watch noor ... ridiculous ...

someone was telling me the other day how the year 2012 is going to be the beginning of a new reality ... it marks the end of the mayan calendar and the beginning of the age of aquarius and i don't know what ... very apocalyptic stuff ... so i googled it ... interesting stuff ... check it out ... by check it out i mean google it yourself ...

i met this girl the other day whose name is 3athba ... you know like pure ... as in miyah 3athba ... never heard that name before ... i still can't make up my mind if it's a pretty name or not ...

SLiPpIN

wtfU

lucky there's a man who .... positively can do ....

State of Mind

RhR

Sheikh Spear

Under siege
Under attack
Under pressure
Above it all

just a poem i wrote about gaza ...

mumblings

R and L usually denote right and left ...

but sometimes they denote something else ...

like a young man's dreams ...

in that order ...

State of Mind

r

Savage Chickens

some of you might already be familiar with it ...

but i only discovered it recently ...

i'm talking about savage chickens ...

i think it's brilliant ...

and it's one more thing i can browse to waste time at the office ...

Miss Sister 2008

"We are not going to parade nuns in bathing suits," Rungi said by telephone from his town of Mondragone. "But being ugly is not a requirement for becoming a nun. External beauty is gift from God, and we mustn't hide it."

An Italian priest and theologian said Sunday he is organizing an online beauty pageant for nuns to give them more visibility within the Catholic Church and to fight the stereotype that they are all old and dour.

story

Words of the Day

guitarthritis n.

the medical condition of experiencing pain in the wrists after playing guitar hero for an extended amount of time.

thumb lashing n.

To be reprimanded via sms messages.

Redemption

Tales From The Office

some guy at the office was trying to call someone else ... on speakerphone ... you know those people who can't be bothered to hold the phone for a few extra seconds ... so they dial and let everyone hear the annoying dial tone then pick up once the person answers ...
so you know how some people think it's cool to have some sort of customized dial tone ... so that when you call them you hear quran or du3a2 or music or poetry or whatever ... i personally think it's a very lame thing to do ... but anyway ... well the person he was calling had rihanna's please don't stop the music ... i should probably mention that the person he was calling is one of our clients ...
and so the office was transformed into a nightclub for a very brief moment in time ...

the end

(click image to view full-size)

Working Hard ... Hardly Working

sitting behind the desk ... bored as usual ...

whatsername did her usual routine of logging on msn ... waiting for me to say hello ... getting sick of waiting and saying it herself ... then disappearing a few seconds later ... like i care ...

adding people left and right on facebook ... people i went to school with ages ago ... people i haven't seen or spoken to in ages ... that people you may know feature is quite handy ... i'm not really interested in reconnecting with any of them ... in most cases they're on a different continent anyway ... but i just want to be able to see their profile pages ... nothing pervy ... it's just another way to kill time around here ...

i bought gta iv at bahrain airport last week ... it's interesting ... as well it should be ... what with all the hype surrounding it ... i got three lapdances last night ...

i had a tiny accident a couple of weeks ago ... put a dent in my door ... it's not a big issue but opening and closing the door is not as smooth as it used to be ... plus it's not very nice to look at ... i need to get that fixed ...

my friend is going to give me the complete series of family guy ... supposedly tomorrow ... he should be going to syria come eid ... i'm going to give him a big list of series to get me ... seinfeld, arrested development, south park, etc ...

i found a new hypermarket near my house ... it's called al-sadhan ... they have a better foodcourts than carrefour ... so that's wonderful ...

last night was good in a bad way ... or bad in a good way ... either way ... i'm glad it happened ...

I D C

F O M

Hallmark

This photo shows a Hallmark same-sex wedding greeting card.

(AP Photo/Hallmark)

Hooray

they made it ....

Two boats carrying activists challenging an Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip reached the shore of the Hamas-controlled territory on Saturday.
The 44 "Free Gaza" activists from 17 nations, who had set out on Friday from Cyprus in two wooden boats, were met by thousands of Palestinians who cheered along the shoreline at their arrival.
"Today is a special day, we hope it's the beginning. We have opened the path and we hope there will be more travellers," said Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian peace activist, after the ship anchored off shore.

photos

Tales From The Office

so they finally gave me an email at my job ... like a company email ... it took them a while but they finally did it ... hello outlook ...
but they spelled my first name wrong ... it's mohammed ... not mohamad ...
stupid retards ...
i think i'm going to email the IT department and tell them to fix it ...

State of Mind

Godspeed

Forty-six international human rights workers are now sailing to Gaza through international waters with one overriding goal: to break the Israeli siege that Israel has imposed on the civilian population of Gaza.

visit their website

Quote of the Day

"I love you despite the fact that you have olive skin."

Salwa's boyfriend

source

And You Thought Boycotting Wasn't Effective

In the MBC coverage, a Saudi representative told the channel that the Persian Gulf Arabs might boycott Nissan and he demanded a company apology. Several Saudi and Arab websites and newspapers called on Arab and Muslim car dealers to boycott Nissan for insulting Arabs. Some Arabs wrote on websites that they would sell their Nissan cars in protest. Others wrote that it was funny, but not coming from Israel.
Saudi Arabia is the largest market for cars in the Arab world. Japanese cars represent some two-thirds of the new car sales in Saudi Arabia, and Nissan is the second most popular brand. In 2007, Nissan Middle East sold 184,000 Nissan cars, while in 2006, Israel sold only 2,653.

and the ad was eventually pulled ...

story

via the black iris

Movies

so in the past three days i've watched three movies ...

number one is be kind rewind ... jack black and mos def work at a movie store and all the movies get accidentally erased ... so they film all the movies together ... that is they act them out and what not ... it sounds like a good idea for a movie ... sounds like it might be funny ... but unfortunately it isn't ... well some parts are funny but overall it's not a good movie ... don't watch it ...

second movie was forgetting sarah marshall ... a judd apatow production ... that's the same guy who brought us the movies knocked up and superbad ... it's the same style of raunchy humor ... raunchy but funny ... if you liked the aforementioned movies you'll probably like this one too ...

third was hancock ... will smith plays an unusual superhero ... crap movie ... don't watch it ...

update ...

also watched the bank job ... a movie starring jason statham ... mildly interesting ... i don't recommend it ...

and i watched deception ... pure garbage ... starring ewan mcgregor and hugh jackman ... don't watch it either ...

Finally

G M A D

F N A E

S and R

Ob

r

TtTt

7

Milk Sheik

back in riyadh ... back behind the desk ... sleepy as hell ... but i came across this interesting story while browsing the news ... apparently pamela anderson has a new squeeze ... and he's arab ... emarati to be specific ... and to be more specific ... he's a member of the ruling family ...

She's actually only revealed his name to a few friends, so she usually refers to him by a pet name: Milk-Sheik, or Milk for short.
Most recently, they were spotted hanging out with friends this weekend at the Abbey, a gay bar in West Hollywood.

story

it's kind of ironic that she calls him milk ... because i'm sure that's exactly what she's doing to him ...

Five Days In Jordan

i went to work on tuesday but i left early ... i went home at lunch time ... had lunch (leftovers from dinner the previous night) ... packed my bags ... played a little guitar hero ... then headed to the bus station and took the bus to dammam ... my brother picked me up when i arrived and we went straight to bahrain ... we spent the night at my brother's apartment there ... that's the brother who's getting married by the way ... and the next morning we flew to amman ... we got there and my brother rented a car at the airport ... he had two choices ... either a mercedes e200 or a chevy trailblazer ... both cost the same ... he went with the blazer ... we passed by the wedding venue on the way home ... amman waves waterpark ... because my brother still had some payments to make ... and then we were home ... where a big lunch was waiting for us ... kusa and wara2 3inab in addition to siniyit jaj ma3 batata ... plus a big bowl of salad ... and a big plate of mttabal ... and what not ... needless to say that i stuffed my face ... i went with my oldest brother a short time later to buy suits for the big day ... then later on that night i went out with the same brother plus my youngest brother to citymall ... we watched the dark knight ... the new batman movie ... it's definitely better than any of the previous ones ... although in the end when you boil it down it's just an action movie ... i mean take away the action scenes and you're left with a pretty lame movie ... having said that ... the action scenes are amazing so it's worth watching ... also heath ledger does an amazing job as the joker ... and i'm not just saying that because he died ...

so that was day one ...

the next day we got our suits ... and at night i went out alone ... there were only two people i was planning on seeing ... both girls ... so i called them ... one picked up ... the other one didn't ... despite the fact that i called three times ... anyway ... so i went out with the one who picked up ... she is an old friend from school who i haven't seen in quite a bit ... like ten years or something ... we went to a little place on rainbow street called la calle ... we met some 'interesting' characters while we were there ... there was another girl who was supposed to join us but she couldn't because her parents were in town ... also an old school friend ...

so that was day two ...

day three was pretty much the same ... just wasting time until nightfall ... i went out with the same girl ... only this time we just hung out at her apartment ... just talking mind you ... then we went to her friend's apartment and hung out a little bit longer over there ...

the next day ... saturday was the big day ... the whole reason why i came to amman ... the day of the wedding ... i have to admit i looked good in my suit ... or at least i thought so anyway ... the guests started arriving at our house around five ... everyone said their hellos ... drank their coffee and juice and what not ... the firqa did their little song and dance ... some of the guests joined in ... while others chose to clap ... and about an hour later everyone hopped in their cars and followed the limo to the bride's house ... we sat there for a short time ... then more song and dance from the firqa while my brother and his bride walked down the red carpet to the limo ... and once again everyone hopped into their cars and followed the limo ... this time to the wedding venue ... we got there ... more song and dance from the firqa ... more bride and groom walking hand in hand ... and finally everyone split up ... that is the men went to the men section and the women went to the women section ... the women had a room ... whereas the men were out in the open air ... which i thought was better ... anyway ... so you know the routine ... you say hello to all the relatives ... in my case it was special because i was the one they hadn't seen in ages ... so they would open with 3ash meen shafak ... then they would comment on how i've gotten older ... and fatter ... almost everyone told me i'd gotten fatter ... so that felt good ... but give me a break ... the last time they saw me i was a college student ... and i was really skinny in college because i never had enough money to eat ... i don't think i'll ever be that skinny again ... but i digress ... so like i said ... you know how it is ... you reconnect with your relatives ... you eat ... you dance ... and yeah ... all in all i had a great time ... i really did ... we finally got home around 1 am ...

i will post some videos of the firqa doing their dance soon ... the problem is my phone battery is dead and i forgot the charger in riyadh ... but i promise i will post them soon ... oh yeah and i should mention that the girl who wouldn't pick up finally decided to send me a message asking if i was free to go out a short time before the guests started arriving at our house ... i told her i wasn't ...

the next day ... we had a lunch at our house for the new in-laws ... kind of a meet the fockers so to speak ... so that was pretty boring ... plus everyone was so tired from the previous night so that made it even worse ... i didn't go out that night although i wanted to ... so i just watched tv instead ... which sounds boring but it really wasn't so bad ...

and then on monday ... i left ... along with the two brothers who i came with ... plus the madame ... it was basically the same trip in reverse ... we got to bahrain ... one brother went home with his wife ... whereas the other brother and i crossed into saudi ...

which brings us here ... enjoying my last day of vacation ... before going back to work tomorrow ... i wish i could take the rest of the week off ... i wish i wish i wish ...

... R is B ...

ramadan is coming .......

Who's That Girl

she's pretty ... ok so she's not exactly a ten ... but she's definitely attractive ... incredible legs ...

she's very intelligent ... always did well in school ... a decent sense of humor ... articulate ... and a successful career ... well on her way to becoming something ...

but she's kind of ... well ... some might call it liberal ... others might call it slutty ... or trashy ... but then again ... she doesn't believe that there is a god ... so ... she doesn't see anything wrong with her way of life ...

it's a shame ...

she has the mind and the body ...

but not the soul ...

they call me slim shady

i'm back .... i'm back ....

so yeah ... i'm back ... from jordan that is ... writing these words from dhahran but i'll be in riyadh by tomorrow evening inshala ... i'll write a short post about my short trip later ... like tomorrow when i wake up ...

until then ...

we don't have to take our clothes off ...

to have a good time ...

oh no ...

Tag Heuer

the lovely queenie tagged me ...


What is your favorite quotable line from a movie?
i don't have one in specific ... but let's say ... umm ... i don't know ... i don't have one off the top of my head

Who is the most famous person you have spoken to?
i don't think i've ever spoken to anyone famous before ... i've seen famous people if you're interested

How many bags/boxes of potato chips are consumed at your place in a month?
i don't usually eat potato chips ... but since moving to riyadh i am occasionally buying them ... what with all the dvd watching that goes on ... right now i have two bags ... lay's to be specific

Who is your all time favorite cartoon character?
droopy

What foreign food dish do you prepare from scratch and serve?
cup noodles

What is your favorite section of the supermarket?
toiletries ... i mean that

What was your high school teams mascot and what were the school's colors?
my highschool didn't have one ... but my previous school had one ... dhahran wildcats ... our colors were blue and gray


apologies for the dull answers ... but ... hey at least i did the tag so give me some credit ...

Obituaries

Mahmoud Darwish

Isaac Hayes

Bernie Mac

Cooler Talk

apparently everyone at work knows that i will be going to jordan in a couple of days ... today four different people approached me with requests ... one guy wanted me to bring him back a ring that his fiance got for him ... another guy wants two plates of ba2lawe from some place called 3anabtawi ... another guy wants olive oil ... and yet another guy wants me to deliver something to his brother ... i told them all to fuck off ... well not in those words ... actually i told them to blow me ... well ok i didn't say that either ... but in a sense i kind of did ... anyway ... i'm only going to be there for five days and i'm going to be busy ... i don't have time for such nonsense ... does that make me selfish ... maybe ... but i don't care ... sorry ... but i don't ...

Na

Song of the Day

artist ... slipknot
track ... before i forget

i'm not the biggest fan of slipknot's music ... not too keen on all the screaming that goes on ... but i'm loving this song lately thanks to guitar hero ... well actually i'm only loving the chorus ... you know the part where he goes ...

i am a world before i am a man
i was a creature before i could stand
i will remember before i forget

it's very catchy for some reason ...

by the way ... did you know that slipknot refer to their fans as "maggots" ... it's true ... google it ...

RSs U M D

L & m & sssss

Amman-ing

leaving on wednesday ... to jordan ... coming back on monday ...
my big brother's getting married on saturday ...
i haven't been to jordan since 2005 ...
if you don't count the two weeks i spent in kuwait ... this is the first time i leave the kingdom since graduating from college ...
i'm not very excited about going to jordan ... i am excited about the girls i'm going to meet there ... it's been a while since i actually had any real contact with the opposite sex ... even if all we're going to do is sit down and conversate ...

Go Palestine

i went to the barbershop today ... na3eeman is in order ... but that's not why i'm writing this post ... although the way things are going i wouldn't be surprised if one day i actually do write a post about getting a haircut ...

anyway ...

while i was waiting my turn ... they had the tv on the olympics opening ceremony ... so country after country is introduced ... the delegation smiles and waves to the audience ... waves their flag ... and then there was palestine ... it's a small delegation ... i think maybe four or five people ... they probably won't win any medals ... but it was beautiful nonetheless ... it's not very often you see palestine on tv unless you're watching the news ... and even then it's usually bad news ...

They Callin' Me

my parents feel a need to call me almost everyday ... it is the most boring conversation ever ... it's always the same questions ... how are you ... how's work ... what's new ... and the same replies ... good ... good ... nothing ... so sometimes i don't answer ... just because i don't feel like the same conversation i had less than 24 hours ago ... or because i am asleep ... or because i am in the bathroom ... or because i don't hear the phone ringing ... when this happens - that is - i don't answer ... they freak out ... he's had a car accident ... he's been kidnapped ... i actually had a small fight with my mom about it today ... i told her they need to knock it off ... they didn't call this much when i was in college ... and i was living abroad back then ...

meanwhile ...

some guy from my old job has been calling me on a regular basis for the past couple of months ... i never answered any of his calls ... he sent me a msg on facebook today asking why that is ... i found it amusing that he would ask ... isn't it clear ... because i don't want to talk to you ...

meanwhile ...

i haven't heard that superman ringtone in quite some time ...

hello it's me
i'm not at home
if you'd like to reach me
leave me alone

Brand Loyalty

since moving to riyadh i have been filling up at the same gas station ... but yesterday i filled up at a different one ... and i noticed that their pumps bear the saudi aramco logo ... i was instantly sold ... not because saudi aramco produces the best gas ... maybe they do and maybe they don't ... but because i'm an "aramcon" ... and besides it's the same distance as the other one ... so there's no inconvenience involved ...

small things that remind you of home ...

Israeli Terrorism

When a group of Jewish settlers came down the street towards them in the old city centre of Hebron, Hamza Abu Khetar’s friends fled from the house that they were renovating. Hamza, a slim, 14-year-old Palestinian boy, was working on the roof of the empty, four-storey building and did not see the threat. It was a Saturday afternoon, the end of Sabbath, a time when, according to Palestinians and Israeli human rights workers, the hardline settlers of Hebron often go on the rampage.
“By the time I saw them they were already on me,” he told The Times. “They started kicking and beating me. I couldn’t protect myself, there were about 25 of them.”
Beatings of Palestinians by radical religious settlers, protected by the Israeli army and police, are a common occurrence in this dangerous city, where Jewish settlements nudge into the heart of a community of about 120,000 Arabs. What happened next was shocking even by the violent standards of Hebron however.
“They pushed me over the edge of the roof,” Hamza said. “They meant to kill me.” A lower roof broke his fall, but Hamza broke the bones in one foot and twisted the other ankle. He was in great pain in his stomach, back and legs when his family found him. Despite his agony, Israeli soldiers kept the Palestinian ambulance waiting at a checkpoint for 90 minutes because the attack happened in an area where only Israeli vehicles are allowed to drive, his father, Sufian, said.
“They consider us nothing more than mosquitoes, not human beings, as though we didn’t exist,” his father said.


continue reading

Once Upon A Time

i can't decide what to eat for dinner anymore ... fast food ... sick of it ... rice ... sick of it ... mashawi ... sick of it ... mana2eesh ... sick of it ... cup noodles ... sick of it ... sometimes the process of trying to decide what to eat makes me lose my appetite ...

i haven't watched any movies for a while ... but i am watching series though ... i watched the first season of frasier ... and the third season of curb your enthusiasm ... currently watching the fourth season ... plus i still have the office to watch ... the bbc one mind you ...

my boss left for vacation today ... going on vacation in exactly one week ... so that will give me something new to blog about ... other than this place called riyadh ...

Hmmmm

Recently appointed Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Adm. Mike Mullen flew to Tel Aviv to warn Israel’s military establishment how “important” it was that “history not repeat itself ”—referring to Israel’s deliberate attack on the USS Liberty in June, 1967. The Establishment media blacked out the event (in which 34 American men were killed) for decades—and still does.
Given the fact that this brazen two-hour attack upon the United States has been hushed up for 41 years, the reason for Mullen’s meeting is obvious—someone within the intelligence or military apparatus of the United States has concluded that Israel is planning a “USS Liberty Part II,” meaning an attack on a U.S. ship, most likely in the Persian Gulf, leading to a massive loss of life to be blamed on Iran.
As was intended in 1967, when Israel attacked the Liberty, angry Americans would demand the “obliteration” of the guilty party, the false identity of which the Jewish media establishment in America would provide. And while all players involved have been tight-lipped about the particulars of this meeting, Mullen’s impromptu trip to Israel and subsequent discussion was in effect a stern warning to Israel to “Not even think about it.”

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Jammin'

i bought guitar hero 3 a couple of days ago ... and i can finally say that i get it ... that is i get why the game is so popular ... it really is a lot of fun to play ... i'm playing it on easy right now but i still can't beat the first boss ... tom morello of rage against the machine ...

the box comes with a set of stickers for you to decorate your guitar with ... i put as many as i could on there ... the rest i stuck on my fridge ...

quality coordinator by day ... guitar hero by night ...

Bus Pass

blogging from dhahran ... yeah i came down for the weekend ... it's been like a month since the last time i was here ... i wanted to come by car but dad started freaking out when i told him on the phone ... so i succumbed ... and took the bus ...
bus trips are now six hours long by the way ... they used to be five ... plus the air conditioner wasn't working so well for some reason ... and then at the end of the trip ... like literally at the end ... just a few minutes before we got to the bus station ... one of the passengers got into a fight with the driver ... it was a verbal exchange ... no punches were thrown ... but still ... a pretty heated exchange ... mind you this is not the first time i witness a bus fight ... but anyway ... so that was like the cherry on the sundae ... or the icing on the cake ... or the ... you get the idea ...
all in all it was a wonderful trip ...
not ...

i'm buying guitar hero once i get back to riyadh ...

Imitation or Mutilation

an interesting article in the independent ...

it's about fake titties by the way ...

Number of the Day

$11.68 billion ...

that's how much profit Exxon Mobil Corp. reported as second-quarter earnings ... it is the biggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation.

Shooting Back

In a graphic and hard-hitting film, Peter Beaumont speaks to Palestinians filming abuse from settlers and Israeli armed forces as part of a remarkable project called Shooting Back.

click here to watch ...

Enough Already

all i'm saying is ... it's getting boring ...

just wondering

am i the only one who doesn't watch these turkish soaps ...

Drawing Lines

you don't want to confront the person ... not out of fear ... you know you could snap him like a twig if you wanted to ... but because it's not worth it ... plus it's inappropriate ... seeing as how you work together ... so instead you draw lines for him ... hope that he will be able to see them and know not to cross them ... because if he doesn't ... well ... hopefully it won't come to that though ...

Da Da Da Da

another day another client ...
everyday there are more clients coming in ...
which is good i guess ... means our company is doing business ...
but it also means more work for the employees ...
the country manager came and visited our facility today ... and he remembered me ...
he was the one who initially interviewed me ... and yeah he remembered me ... we had a small chat ... couple of minutes that's all ... so that was a flattering moment ... pretty much the highlight of my day ... probably the week actually ...

i have the best seat in the cafe ... i'm at an internet cafe ...
i'm right underneath the air conditioner ... beautiful ...

i was strolling around carrefour the other day ... there's a toys-r-us in there ...
so i went in ... they have some cool board games i might or might not get ... monopoly ... cluedo ... something to do when the guys come over ...
they also had puzzles ... i'm definitely getting one of those ...
there was one that contains 13200 pcs ... but it's pretty expensive ... it's like 400 riyals ...
there was also another one that contains 6000 pcs ... and a bunch that contain less ... i think i'm getting the 13200 one ... should be interesting ...
don't judge me ... you have no idea about how boring life in riyadh is ... ksa in general but particularly riyadh ...

i borrowed season 3 of the series house m.d. from one of my friends ... i'm not a fan or anything ... but i told him just give me all the dvds you can ... so he did ... the show's not that bad actually ...
also watching movies as usual ... watched the illusionist the other day ... did not like it ... also watched the departed ... liked it ...

i booked my flight to jordan ... i'll be leaving august 13 and coming back on the 18th ... woohoo ...

what else ... i think that's about it ... i no longer read ... gate of the sun has been abandoned ...
god knows when i'll pick it up again ...

special note to a not so special someone ... i just said it ... you're not so special ... i know you think i think you are ... but i just don't ... if i have led you to think otherwise then i'm sorry ... so yeah ... talk to me ... don't talk to me ... makes no difference ... matter of fact ... i'm going to stop talking to you ...

meanwhile ...
yellow and gray ... in my head all day ...

iwI LmbtO BCD

Sacrilege

for those who don't know ... i'm a big fan of basketball ... and the nba ...
my favorite team was the seattle supersonics ...
i say was because as of next season they will no longer exist ... the league is moving them to oklahoma city ...
and they will be changing the name ... according to this article there are six possible names being circulated

Barons, Bison, Energy, Marshalls, Thunder, Wind

are they trying to add insult to injury?

:-(

How Hot Is It?

it's so hot that the other day i forgot my lighter in the car ... after work i got in the car and noticed a strong gasoline odor ... i thought maybe my car is leaking ... but no the gauge is showing a full tank ... i got out of the car ... i smelled the air ... nothing ... i got down and checked underneath the car for any leakage ... nothing ... i got back in the car ... there's that odor again ... i glanced at the passenger seat and there was my lighter ... completely empty ...
aha ... the heat had caused the gas inside the lighter to evaporate ... which might explain why the label on the lighter warns you keep away from flame and temperature above 55 C or to the direct sunlight ... thank God the thing didn't explode ...
the thing is i take my cigarette breaks in the car ... you can't smoke inside the building and it's not very nice to smoke outside because of the heat ... so i usually smoke in my car ... where i can listen to music and turn on the air conditioning ...

moral of the story ... don't leave your lighter in the car ...

Romantic Shmantic

my friend left for vacation today ... so i spent most of the day with him yesterday ... he came over ... we went for a little cruise and i showed him where i work ... then we went and had dinner ... then we went back to my house and watched a movie ... then i dropped him off at his house and he invited me in ... we sat in his living room for about three hours just chatting ...
but anyway that's not the point of the post ...
one of the things he told me was that his brother knows a guy who has been best friends with some girl since fourth grade and now they are getting married this summer ... and i couldn't help feeling just a little bit envious ... i joked about it when he told me the story ... i was like i bet they get divorced in a year ... but deep down inside i have to admit i was thinking i wish i had something like that ...

real love ... i'm searching for that real love ...

Workin'

so i finally started working ... by that i mean they finally decided to give me some shit to do ... been working for the past week now ... the past two days have been normal ... but prior to that i was working twelve hour days ... and we even worked on thursday and friday ...
we just moved to our new facility so that's why ... the preparations for launching require a lot of time and effort ... needless to say i'm exhausted ... we got this new client who deals in medical equipment ... like hospital supplies and what not ... in addition to our existing clients ... and there are still many more on the way ...


still watching movies ... the pursuit of happyness ... and 300 ... i'm guessing everyone has seen them ... but in case you haven't ... i highly recommend ...
i've also seen vantage point ... very similar to the movie go if you ever heard of it ... whereby they bring the same event but from different points of view ... not bad but the ending kind of sucks ...
what else have i seen ... i watched sweeney todd ... it's a musical so that's annoying ... very annoying actually ... but it's not your stereotypical homosexual musical ... it's a pretty gruesome movie ... plus sacha baron cohen aka borat has a cool role in the movie ...
trying to think of else what i've seen ... that's all i can remember ...

driving in riyadh is an adventure ... people here drive like psychos ... i am finding myself honking and cursing more than ever ... i think i curse an average of ten mothers a day ... and another five sisters ...

my friends will all be going on vacation soon ... like in a few days ... leaving me all alone here in this desert ... they are literally deserting me ... i should be going to amman next month ... to attend my brother's wedding ... but only for a couple of days ...

life is boring ... but whatever ... i'm definitely getting a cable subscription next month ... orbit or showtime or just plain satellite ... but something ... so that should make life a little bit more bearable ...

the other day was somebody's birthday ... somebody i'd rather forget ... if it wasn't for facebook i wouldn't have known ... so i did the only reasonable thing ... i removed her from my list of friends ...

i'm starting to realize why people tried to warn me about moving to riyadh ...

as far as the house ... i'll post some photos soon ... maybe even a video ... i promise ...

in closing ... i leave you with the song i want you by third eye blind ...

TttT

JoKeR

there's a joke i came up with last night ... but it's kind of dirty ...
not really dirty like sleazy ... more dirty like naughty ...
so anyway ... you guys wanna hear it?
well ok ... it goes like this ...
you can stop reading now if you don't want your ears to bleed ...




- what did the vagina say to the penis?

- that's enough out of you




get it ... it's not funny i know ... but i thought it was pretty clever ...
and don't ask me how i came up with it because i don't know ...

Speed Bumps

i wanted to write about something other than my boring life ... and after several minutes of brainstorming ... i finally thought of something ... speed bumps!

now as far as i know ... speed bumps are supposed to be painted in a way so that you see them ... at least that's how it was back in khobar ...

but not here in riyadh ... no no no ...

here they decided to camouflage their speed bumps so that they blend in with the roads ... and unless there is a car in front of you and you see it ride the speed bump ... chances are you won't notice it until it's too late ... that is when you hear a loud THUD!

and it's even worse at night because the visibility is not as good ...

and i know the government has the money to paint them ... what with oil going for $150 these days ... so why don't they ... maybe their rationale was - this way people will always drive slow because they'll be too afraid of our hidden speed bumps ... they've created a minefield i tell you ...

currently i am in the process of memorizing all the spots that contain speed bumps so as to avoid them in the future ... that's the only way ...

fucking speed bumps ...

Just Like That

The Israeli army commander in Nablus issued an order that anyone who now enters the Nablus Mall will be imprisoned for five years. The order will come into effect on August 15.
The Israeli army issued a statement transferring the ownership of the Nablus Mall to the Israeli authorities from August 18.

source

No Smoking

just heard about this the other day from one of my friends ... aub is now smoke free ... imagine that ...

NES Generation

Another Day In Paradise

i finished reading confessions of an economic hitman ... it's a non-fiction book written by john perkins who was a former "economic hitman" ... the book describes the role of economic hitmen as follows ...
Economic hit men (EHMs) are highly paid professionals who cheat countries around the globe out of trillions of dollars. They funnel money from the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign "aid" organizations into the coffers of huge corporations and the pockets of a few wealthy families who control the planet's natural resources. Their tools included fraudulent financial reports, rigged elections, payoffs, extortion, sex, and murder. They play a game as old as empire, but one that has taken on new and terrifying dimensions during this time of globalization.
he talks about his experiences in south america ... southeast asia ... and even the middle east ... the book was very interesting and highly informative ... and it makes you realize how phony all this USAID stuff truly is ... i definitely learned a lot ... i recommend it ...

recently i started reading gate of the sun by elias khoury ... it is a novel about the palestinian exodus ... you have doctor khaleel who is not really a doctor ... and you have yunis ... a former member of the fedayeen who is now in a coma ... the hospital staff have given up on yunis and expect him to die ... but khaleel sits by yunis and tells him stories about palestine ... it's a pretty big book and i'm not very far ... only a couple of chapters ... but there was one weird thing about it ... the first sentence of the book is umm hassan is dead ... now this is weird because my mom is also umm hassan ... but wait it gets weirder ... umm hassan's name is nabeela ... and my mom's name is nabeela ... so that was pretty weird ... click here to read the first page of the book ...

still watching movies ... i watched four movies over the weekend ...
i saw silent hill ... it's a horror flick based on the popular videogame series ... not bad but i wouldn't recommend it unless you're familiar with the games ... because i don't think the movie would make much sense to you ... or at least you wouldn't recognize the references ...
i also saw simpsons movie finally ... it's like a really long simpsons episode ... and i loved it ... i'm guessing everyone has already seen it but those who haven't ... watch it now ...
i saw mr. brooks ... kevin costner plays a guy who's addicted to murdering strangers ... like literally addicted ... the same way one is addicted to heroin or cocaine ... it's an interesting concept but a not so interesting story ... it was good i guess but not that good ... like i wouldn't put it on my favorite list or anything ... dane cook has a small role in the movie ... i hate that guy ...
and finally i saw dead silence ... also a horror flick ... from the directors of saw ... it's about evil ventriloquist dummies ... now i have a fear of those things so yeah the movie kind of freaked me out ... it's a decent movie ... i can honestly say that i didn't expect the ending so that's always a good thing ... i recommend it if you're looking for a movie that will scare you ...

the rest of the movies i got - and have yet to watch - were all box office hits so i expect them to be good ... for example the last king of scotland ... the departed ... blood diamond ... and several others i can't recall at the moment ...

in other news we should be moving to the new facility before the end of this week ... hooray!

Process Mapping

Life Is Boring

i got my car back yesterday ... drove to work for the first time today ... felt kind of weird when i picked it up yesterday ... it was my first time behind the wheel since the accident ... i didn't get goosebumps or anything but it definitely felt a little weird ... definitely driving much more responsibly now ... anyway she looks great so i'm happy about that ... they did a good job with the plastic surgery ...

my friend took me to this place that sells pirated dvd's last night and i bought a ton of them ... the first one i tried watching was sweeney todd which is a johnny depp movie produced by tim burton ... sounds interesting right ... wrong ... i took it out after like ten minutes ... cuz it seems it's like a musical or something ... there was no conversation ... everyone was just singing ... so i was like fuck this ... i'm sure i will watch it later on when i run out of movies though ... anyway the next movie i popped in was lions for lambs ... it's a political movie ... like really political ... they lay it on really thick ... i can say that it's pretty deep but not very entertaining ... like it's really intellectual ... i might even say too intellectual ... the movie features some big stars like tom cruise and meryl streep and robert redford ... and the acting is pretty solid ... but as far as plot is concerned ... there isn't any really ... it's just a lot of dialogue ... the title of the movie is supposed to be how lambs (american politicians) are sending lions (the army) to fight for them - it's a ww1 reference ... and the movie does raise some valid points about the war on terror but nothing you don't already know ... so do i recommend it ... no ...
i need to get a subscription or a satellite or something asap ... i'm getting sick of watching movies everyday ... i need some reality ...
there's a gym really really close to my house ... i'm thinking of joining ... either that or i'll just buy a set of dumbells ... something ...
i'm only eating one meal a day so i'm losing weight ... since coming to riyadh i've lost like 4 kilograms ... it's not a matter of being broke or anything ... it's just that i don't eat anything until i get home from work ... a nice big meal ... and after that i'm just not hungry anymore ... although on a few occasions i do eat again but it's nothing major ... some cup noodles or some croissants ...
more good news ... we should be moving to our new facility within a week or two ... which means i can finally start working instead of bumming around ... plus the new facility is so much nicer ...

and finally ... kind of random but there is this fastfood restaurant near my house that makes good sandwiches ... they got the usual chicken sandwiches and the beef sandwiches ... like steak and cheese, chicken tikka, chicken breast, etc ...
but they also sell ostrich ... they have ostrich everything ... nuggets, burger, kufta, mortadella, fajita, hot dog ... i'm thinking of trying it ... i never had ostrich before ...

KC

Acronyms

RUH stands for ...

ridiculously unbelievably hot

Oh Really?

Dear Sir/Madam.‏
From: Mrs.Nazek Hariri (nazekhariri@live.com)
You may not know this sender.Mark as safeMark as unsafe
Sent: Tue 7/08/08 9:04 AM
To:

Dear Sir/Madam.

I am Mrs.Nazek Hariri, wife of the late Prime Minister of Lebanon, Mr Rafiq Hariri, who was assassinated on 14 February 2005, along with 20 others, near the St. George Hotel in Beirut. it's my pleasure to contact you for a business venture which I intend to establish in your country, though I have not met with you before but I believe one has to risk,confounding in someone to succeed sometimes in life.

I have a profiling amount in an excess of US$25million, which I seek your Partnership in accommodating for me the deposite made by my late husband in a security company in EUROPE before he was assasinated by unknown people suspected to be his opposition political parties .You will be rewarded with 20% of the total sum for your partnership. Can you be my partner on this?

I want you to assist me in retrieving this money from the security company. Due to the up rising of political crisis in Lebanon. please i would want you to warned that the security company did not know the content of the metallic box deposited by my husband because he deposited it as the family valuables.

All I need from you is to stand as the beneficiary of the Above quoted Sum and I will re-profile the funds with your Name, which will enable The European Firm transfer the sum to you and equally invest it on his behalf in your country.

Please do contact me via my private email:

Personal Name:Mrs.Nazek Hariri
Email:nazekhariri@live.com
The transaction has to be concluded soon. I Will provide you with the details. Thank you very much.
Regards
Mrs Nazek Hariri

----------------------------------------------------------------This message was sent using IMP, the Internet Messaging Program.

All Over The Place

i recently finished reading heavier than heaven ... it's a biography of the late kurt cobain ... for those who don't know he was nirvana's lead singer ... actually he was basically nirvana ...
it was definitely very interesting ... cobain started out very poor ... he grew up in a white trash kind of environment ... he never really had a family after his parents got divorced ... at certain points he was homeless ... he even worked as a janitor for a while ... he lived off his girlfriend for many years ... and he was constantly using drugs and alcohol for most of his life ... as a result he was very messed up ... he had some pretty strange obsessions like feces for example ... but after the success of his band he was living in the same neighborhood as the ceo of starbucks ... however it was not a rags to riches story ... he was still very unhappy ... he got married to courtney love and they had a baby together ... but he was never happy even after the success of his band ... and ultimately in the end heroin was his demise ... as we all know he committed suicide ... if there is a point to this book ... it's don't do drugs ... especially heroin ... just look what it did to kurt cobain ... but anyway i do recommend the book ... it's really good ... you don't have to be a nirvana fan although it would certainly help ...
i'm reading confessions of an economic hitman now ... it's also a non-fiction book and it's written by a former "economic hitman" ... definitely very interesting ... there's even a chapter in there about saudi arabia ...

in other news ... i bought a lot of furniture this month ... i got a sweet bed from ikea ... it's huge ... that was the only thing i got from there because the place is too expensive ... well i also got a nightstand from there but that was cheap ... only like $20 ... i got a tv stand and a bookcase from a different store called saco ... those who live/lived in saudi probably know it ... anyway they're delivering the bed today ... no more sleeping on the floor woohoo ... the rest of the stuff is coming next week ... i got a fridge ... i got speakers for my iPod ... i got a water heater ... i got a bunch of other random junk ... i still need to buy a desk ... and a table ... and possibly a couch although i'm considering getting beanbags instead ... but i ran out of money so i'll buy those next month nshala ... my car should be coming in the next few days so i can't wait for that ...
once my place is all furnished and ready i'll post a little video where i take you on a tour of the place ... so stay tuned for that ...

saw this movie last night called people i know ... it's basically al pacino ... hardly anyone else speaks or appears during the movie ... and it sucked ... it really sucked ... don't watch it ... seriously ... don't ... pacino even has a southern accent in the movie (he's supposed to be from georgia) ...