Journal Entries

Weekend Lunch

2011-02-15T08:34:00.002+03:00

Now that the weather these days is amazing, we arranged for a barbique lunch this past weekend. Whe brought Grillo over and had 2 food stations.. one for burgers and hotdogs and another for 9aj..

This is the burgers and hotdogs station

They also brought fryers with them to fry chicken nuggets for the kids and fries

and this is the 9aj station..

For dessert they made us nutella with banana 9ajs (they brought rahash with them as well bs no one tried it)

The food was sooooo good! the burgers were juicy and grilled to perfection.. the 9aj variations were soooo many il wa7id yi7taar eshyakil.. they were punctual arriving exactly when we wanted them to, and they were clean!

il 7imdilah it was a success =)

Shanghai Tang

2011-02-11T22:58:00.002+03:00

Is officially my #1 destintation for gifts.. i just LOVE it!

It was my nephew's Birthday and i remembered that Shanghai Tang had cute T-shirts so I went there 2day.. just look at these pics!

So adorable!

Cute baby pyjama sets..

Love the colours..

Teamwork

2011-02-06T12:38:00.000+03:00

I brought my cam with me to our weekly family lunch gathering to take some pics of the children playing out in the garden lil thikra .. while doing so I found this piece of corn on the ground and couldn't help but be amazed by the ants that circled it..

they were working together in harmony all carrying this piece in the same direction..

and when they reached the gap between bricks one went down in that gap as if to let the corn be lifted on top of it and a few waited at the other side to help!

I just wished that this beautiful example of uniformity and working-together-for-the-overall-benifit-of-the-community could be spread everywhere..

Hi!

2011-02-05T00:36:00.000+03:00

Wow!
Four months and a few days since I've last posted!
Time to get (a little) back on track ;)

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Water Bar

2010-09-28T10:27:00.020+03:00

In a recent trip to Dubai we went to Dubai Mall and left the car with the valet parking, and when we came back to collect it they gave us this box as a gift..

I never thought water can be gifted but I guess I'm wrong!
I loved it!
It has a selection of 5 different types of supposidly some of the best bottled water in the world. All of them I've never heard about before.. each had a brief discription.. here they are:

1. ISKILDE

2. Mondariz

3. Te Waihou

4. Tazmanian Rain

5. Ice Age

Here's their link: Water Bar

Breakeven

2010-09-25T11:05:00.002+03:00

One of the songs that I really like right now is The Script's Breakeven.. bs everytime I sing along to it I can't help but feel guilty when singing the part "just praying to a god that I don't believe in" .. the other day while listening to 99.7 they played the song oo awal ma sima3t'ha i thought haw shloon be7i6oonha?!

guess what?? they cut that part out oo u can't notice that!
I'm searching for that version now bs can't seem to find it, I need to enjoy that song minus the guilt ;p

So velvety

2010-09-06T10:46:00.001+03:00

Red velvet.. such a pretty sight! from basic ingredients being incorporated to the end result, the colours the colours!! i couldn't resist posting these pics, it was hard choosing which pics to post when all of them were so wonderful post worthy..

I made this along time ago but forgot to post it, bs what better time to post it than in Ramadan?? ;p

It was a crowd pleaser ;)

Little steps that make a difference

2010-08-31T20:02:00.002+03:00

After reading eshda3wa's post about recycling and her question "What do you guys do to help the environment?" I thought I'd answer her question in a post.

I do admit that in certain things I'm not a "green person", I mean I still use regular plastic bags when I go grocery shopping instead of reusable bags, bs I try my best to be as green as I can. I listed some of the things that I do to help the enviornment (3gub ma I listed them I noticed that most of them revolve around plastic bags don't ask y! :p ) :

* I don't throw away magazines, newspapers, flyers.. etc. I collect them and put them in the storeroom until i have a huge bulk and then call one of the recycling companies to pick them up (like The Green Target Co.).

* In the co-op:
- When I buy 1-3 items only I don't use a plastic bag, I can manage holding them in my hand without a bag.
- When u buy lettuce for example, it comes wrapped in nylon and u take it and weigh it, put it in a jam3iya bag, and then put the price label on it. Instead, I let them put the label on the nylon itself.
- When ur at the cashier let them put as many items possible in one bag. They usually put the toast in a bag, the cheese in another and so on while the bag is still empty.

* I use the plastic bags that comes home from the above step as nappy bags for mini me @ home ;p

* I reuse glass jars to store spices and other stuff.

* I use good quality shoeboxes as storage boxes. They do wonders in organizing ur stuff, have u seen LV's boxes?? they r very practical as they have the shape of drawers! very useful for storing socks and belts.

* Close the water faucet while burshing ur teeth, don't let the water run without any use.

Thats all that I can remember for now.. what about u?? have u got any ideas on how to save the environment?

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Around Europe in 21 days - Part 2

2010-08-17T00:39:00.001+03:00

More pics from the summer vacation.. I enjoyed taking pics of the amazing scenery that surrounded me.. just look at the ones with the sunflowers, I just wished that I could run through them as if I were in an indian movie (damn bees that were everywhere preventing me from doing so ;p)

Mubarak 3alaikum il shahar!

2010-08-13T00:08:00.000+03:00

- 3asakum t9oomoonah bil 9i7a wil 3afya =)

- I woke up the 1st day only to find that it was only 7:30 am when work doesn't start until 9:30!!!
I was sooooo angry with myself laish enni thaya3t 3alay more than an hour of sleep! =S
bs 3naaaad I laid still until the alarm went off ;p2day i woke up 8:10.. fee taqadum bas ham I woke up b4 the alarm =(

- The best thing though is that @ work the air is clean, no trace of the nasty smell of smoke that sticks to my hair/clothes! =D

- The plan was that I'll eat less this ramadan to loose a couple of kilos. il 7a9il enni I'm eating more than 5 lgaimat wara il fu6ooor.. MORE THAN 5!! =(

- I'm loving Wataniya Telecom's advertisement.. wayd 7ilo and the acting ili feeh 6abee3i mafeeh ti9inni3..

- I really miss having mom and dad around.. I miss having fu6oor @ my parent's house.. 3asallah eridhum bil salamah enshallah...

- I was chatting with my friends about TV series, Sahir illail to be precise, I like how they dress.. they really do look like the 70s.. bs we were counting out the mistakes, like for example libs il medaris theek il ayam kan 3annabi mo rumadi, and the fact that @ that time all men who went to the university wore ghutra and 3igal ooo never went emfar3een.. la7athna enna we were watching it for the sake of finding mistakes rather than actually watching it ;p

- I was flipping through channels when I came across 7asan il ballam. Did u see his teeth makeover?? they are white and perfect!! too perfect that it feels wrong.. like something is missing, i prefer the old him with the messy teeth.. just like how il jasmi looked better fat..

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Around Europe in 21 days - Part 1

2010-08-09T23:22:00.002+03:00

This summer vacation was unplanned and spontaneous which made it so much more fun!

It flew by so fast oo suddenly it was like khala9 2morrow I'll go back to work, oo kan e7ooshni sh3oor 1st day of school, ili ba6ni e3awirni oo i feel like crying ;p

Do u still get that feeling?! ;p

I'll Leave the pics to do the talking ;)

20 years

2010-08-02T11:28:00.000+03:00

It's been 20 years yet I can still remember that day as if it were yesterday.. even though I was only a 6 year old child at that time.. not so aware of the situation and the complications, but aware of the fact that our country has been taken away from us...

اللهم إحفظ الكويت وشعبها من كل مكروه

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D'finer D'liner

2010-07-06T13:36:00.000+03:00

Don't u hate it when ur lipstick/gloss startes feathering and creating those tiny lines all around ur lips giving it that messy look? I know I do! especially when it comes to red lipsticks..
While browsing through Benefit's products I came across this beauty, a wax-like lipliner that u use to line the outside of ur lips to prevent ur lipstick/gloss from feathering.. I tried it a few times and it does work!

a biiiiiiggg hug goes to whoever invented this!

Contradiction

2010-06-29T17:25:00.017+03:00

I was looking for 6afa7iyat for mini me when I found this censored picture on this box:

and right next to it there was the same picture uncensored and to my surprise the woman was wearing a polo shirt!! how is that inappropriate? i don't know!

bs two shelves below I saw this:

So a polo shirt is not ok while a Baywatch-like-swuimsuit is perfectly fine ;p

Cookies

2010-06-24T18:17:00.000+03:00

Whenever I'm in london, an almost daily stop for me is Marks & Spencer's food grocery on Oxford street to get me some chocolate chip cookies.. I just MUST have it everyday!

The other day while shopping at 360's M&S I found this box and I was ecstatic!

I had to grab one to try at home.. it contains 2 bags, one for the dry ingredients and another for the chocolate chips.. u'll only have to add butter and little bit of water..

Results? I can have my fav cookies right here at home! although mine was a bit buttery, I think I added a little more than what I should have.. but it sure did taste and look the same!

so much for dieting ;p

Crowned

2010-06-14T20:36:00.008+03:00

- Who asked u to answer these questions ?

Just noon honored me with the crown a couple of weeks ago (sorry for the delay!)

- Mention 6 secrets that no one would know about you in the first meeting?

1. I'm VERY stubborn ( I'm a Taurus :p ).

2. Meeting them for the 1st time is stressful for me.. I usually don't know what to talk about, I don't know what common things we have so I tend to think alot about what to say ;p

3. I'm a competitive person.

4. I'm very considerate and do not to hurt anyone's feelings even if they deserve it sometimes ;p

5. I like to bake.

6. I'm older than what all people think. Some even assume that I'm 17 or 18!

- Pass the crown to 6 other bloggers:
by now I think most of u have done it ;p

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FourMe

2010-05-22T23:32:00.000+03:00

One of the most honest and sincere persons i've ever known.. i do not know her in person, but i can feel it through her posts.. she spills whatever comes in her mind in her blog without fear of people judging her.. for that i love her.. and i know for sure that this strong lady can get through her illness and defeat it.. eb ethin allah oo with our prayers.. so pray for her..

Mademoiselle

2010-05-15T18:57:00.002+03:00

As soon as i saw this ad i knew that i want to have this particular shade shown in it.. but that wasn't an easy task! everywhere i went to it was not available, i even searched for it with no luck during my short trip to Dubai ..

bs i finally got my hands on one.. found it in Faces 360... u can imagine my happiness when i had my fingers wrapped around the carrier bag ;p

its the simple silly things that can make ur day =)

Mission: Shopping spree

2010-05-10T13:46:00.001+03:00

As soon as I gave birth I couldn't wait to go shopping again!
sometimes being pregnant makes u feel like an old fashioned person.. I don't know why u rarely find stylish maternity wear ya3ni why does the majority of clothes have to be so blah!?
fa min il shahar il 6 wana a3ani bil hdoom.. il 7imdillah the weight that I gained was in the normal range.. oo after delivery i almost lost half of that weight fa finding clothes that fit will be easy right?
WRONG!!
wa3alaya 3alay when I went shopping the 1st time only to an9idim enna kilshay elawi3 il chabd 3alay.. went into the fitting room with 4 dresses and 3 blouses to try on and came out with ZERO items to buy! waaaai3!

nothing fits nicely ='(
Mission: shopping spree
Result: big fat FAILURE

Next mission? gym subscription

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Classy?

2010-04-22T20:54:00.002+03:00

Found this advertisement flyer at the doorstep of our home:

shda3wa 76ooh bil zbalah!

what's inside? pics of plants and flowers

what do u think, very classy mo?!

A new life

2010-04-19T21:47:00.001+03:00

that's what keeping me busy these days!
I'm a mother now eb fathl allah oo it feels wonderfully strange!

I can't believe how my life changed eb youm oo liala.. there is this tiny little person who's depending on me which feels like a huge responsibility.. especially that I'm new to motherhood.. latshofooni the 1st day at home after getting out of the hospital.. ubo il tedoodih! the 1st time my baby vomited I cried and was convinced that she must be having a fever even thou mom e3yizat etgoolli enna its normal for newborns to do that.. the 2nd time shilt shalayly oo ri7t wadait'ha il 6abeeb ;p

then my sis gave me the book what to expect the first year which I think every mom-to-be should have a copy of .. it was reeeeeaaally helpful I only wish I read it before giving birth to be better equipped for the baby.. il 7imdillah now I feel much more confident ;p

Remember me?

2010-04-15T20:23:00.011+03:00

It's me, Journal Entries, do u still remember me?!

wow!
it has really been a while since I've last posted.. I've even missed my blog's 2nd birthday which was on the 28th of march (sorry lil blog.. enshallah tkoon akhir marrah ;p) bs it's bcoz of alot of new things happening (will let u know about that later on) and lack of inspiration ;p

bs enshallah I'll try to post more regularly =)

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Anonymous attack

2010-01-28T23:18:00.001+03:00

I'm facing an attack of random unrelated anonymous comments.. its SO annoying!
help! How can I make them stop?! =s

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and at laaast!

2010-01-23T18:48:00.000+03:00

I am able to live like a normal person!
this is my 1st weekend without studying =D
I missed those lazy days..
I have a whole month ahead of relaxing and having fun!
so sorry for neglecting this blog for so long oo btw, happy new year! ;p

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Having a lil Me Time

2009-12-15T10:48:00.001+03:00

If u haven't tried Me Time nail spa what are you waiting for?!

I like trying out nail salons so when i heard about Me Time I wanted to give it a try and was not able to do so until a few days back and I loved it!

I liked the atmosphere.. the place was clean and they use Autoclave sterilizing for their equipment.. the sofa was reaaaally comfy and has an adjustable back.. it also has an option for back massage if u want.. oo the coolest thing enna u have ur own TV screen with a headset oo ur own remote control to watch the channels u want! wanasaaah! all that and the pricing was very reasonable, I expected it to be in the range of Bubbles bs it wasn't.. 11 KD for a regular pedi/mani!

This place will definitely be me #1 choice from now on! (sorry my beloved Nstyle.. bs u have to admit enna the facilities over there are much better!)

(plz excuse the low quality phone images)

Rare commodity

2009-12-10T23:54:00.003+03:00

Sipping my fav morning drink.. I realized that it was the last box of chocolate milk in the fridge.. and with the KDD factory not functioning after the fire I can't seem to find it on any co-op's shelf =(

so I had to take a pic as a memory.. who knows when is the next time I'm gonna have another one =(

the funny thing enna right after that and when checking my reader I saw this post.. hahah! it seems that I'm not the only one missing it!

the question is what brand has the 2nd best chocolate milk?? last time I bought almara3i's bs ma jarrabtah still.. any recommendations would be appreciated!

"Kharoofy kharoofy baa3.. bil 9oofy malfoofy baa3!!"

2009-11-27T14:09:00.004+03:00

3eedkum embarak all!
Enjoy the holiday and the beautiful weather (illi naw3an ma az3aj anaqti.. bs il 7imdillah 3al ni3ma)
hope u have a good one! ;D

Note to self

2009-11-14T20:22:00.000+03:00

Next time u hear a song/singer that u hate playing on the radio change the station or u'll end up liking it after hearing it playing for a few times..

Damn u Miley and ur party in the USA! =/

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Going German!

2009-11-06T15:48:00.000+03:00

This has got to be one of my faaaaaav cakes ever on this planet!
only topped by the Carrot Cake.. what i love the most about German chocolate cake is it's frosting.. so goood its a crime!

for a gathering a while ago i decided to try making it myself..
just have look at those heavenly pics =D

u sift the dry ingredients

while ur chocolates melt

and cream the butter

and mix in the sugar and eggs

add the dry ingredients

fold in the melted chocolate

until well incorporated

batter ready for baking

while baking the cake we prepare the frosting.. I hate it when a recipe asks for egg yolks only.. it's not that easy dividing the yolks from whites!

adding the sweetened coconut flakes

add the chopped pecans and the frosting is reaaaaady! YUM!

I like "washing the dishes".. u know i have to try it to see if something's missing ;p

toothpick-inserted-coming-out-dry won't apply much here bcoz of the melted chocolate folded in

ready to get dressed

et voila!

the only problem is that it was messy.. the cake wayd kan yitfatat (as u can see in the pic above) I don't know what I did wrong.. but I like to think it's bcoz the cake was moist and that's an added bonus! after all, it's the taste that counts not the looks ;p

What I've been up to

2009-10-23T15:34:00.002+03:00

Three weeks ago:

fav highlighters? check
fav brand of pens, in blue, green, and red? check
fav brand of refillable pencil? check
favorite note? I had to go to 3 different maktabat to get the kind I'm used to.. finally found only ONE hiding waaaay at the back of the shelf.. bs il 7imdillah, check
dusting off my fav calculator? check
spirit and the nerdy attitude? check and on full throttle!

aaaaand I'm back to college after all those years!
same place with a different setting.. its dark outside and has less traffic inside this time..
driving through the gate I had memories good and bad flowing in my head..
things like:

I used to park here!
oh and here's the parking lot where i had that stupid car accident!
here's the spot where i used to sit with my friends with our hot starbucks drinks when it was cold outside!
oooh that long path which once i crossed with a broken sandal and an embarrassed red face!!

and I couldn't help but smile!

Three weeks after:

I'm drowning head to heels with projects, assignments, cases... etc
I barely have time for social obligations and myself!
I have no time.. i need more than 24 hrs a day!!

I tell myself its bcoz its all new and it takes a while to get used to..
bs enshallah ana gad'ha oo i'll be able to survive!
so plz forgive my lack of posting =)

The Lost Symbol

2009-09-29T14:09:00.005+03:00

So I'm done reading the book.. The Verdict? I liked it.. but not as much as I thought I would! it did not meet my expectations and excitement when I 1st got my hands on it..

a7is bil nehaya kanat il qi99a mamqoo6ah! ya3ni it's 509 pages, and I think it should have stopped at taqreeban 489.. to me, those last 20 pages makan lihum da3i!

another fellow blogger wrote a complete review of the book oo I agree with every single word he wrote.. check out 4th ring road's post for a detailed review..

3eedkum embarak

2009-09-20T14:59:00.004+03:00

A7la shay laman yindi3is eb eedkum hal tharf bu e6ar emkha6a6 a7mar wazrag.. ya zeena zeenah!

Hope u have a great one! =D

Got it!

2009-09-16T20:06:00.000+03:00

The newest addition to the professor Langdon series.. now i have something interesting to read in the upcoming holiday =D

O fabulous dress, where art thou?

2009-09-11T21:46:00.000+03:00

As soon as Ramadan finishes the weddings season begins.. i have many upcoming weddings oo i need evening dresses so desperately!

but since bedayat rmuthan wana I'm not in the mood for shopping.. mali khulg za7mat il soog.. fa i'm looking online with no luck what so ever..

I had my eye on a dress oo i was waiting for net-a-porter enna enazloonah.. fa i'm checking their site eb ayam taftee7at'hum 3ashan awal ma yanzil i buy it.. fa last week i was checking 3al thahary willa lail7een ma nazalaw.. half an hour later willa it's there and sold out!!!

besmillah il ra7man il ra7eem! it was only half an hour ago that i checked their site! its not faaaair!

3ad kint em3alqa 3alaih amaal.. oo i already had the hairdo and shoes picked =(
i guess i'll have to go shopping now and atqalqa9 eb hal za7ma illi i was trying to avoid.. i have to at least have one dress in my closet before the end of rmuthan to be on the safe side =/

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Girgai3an

2009-09-04T13:20:00.001+03:00

the 13th of ramadam marks the 1st day of gergai3an.. where kids walk around houses asking for sweets, doing it the modern way with their nannies and a driver tagging along!

those 3 days used to be the highlight of ramadan when i was a kid.. awal ma e5alli9 il fu6oor i'll be ready with my gergai3an bag hanging around my neck waiting for my mother's permission for me to start walking around the blocks of our area with my neighboring friends..

6ab3an kanat 3indina 5i66a mu3ayanah bil tegirgi3.. en5ish il byoot illy ta36ey ashya2 san3ah 7ag a5ir shay! there is this one house that gives away kitkat + 1 bafak! hehehe allah ya wanasatna!

aaahhh the golden old days =)

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It takes around 4hrs30!

2009-08-29T16:18:00.006+03:00

To make margoog!!
or like Dad likes to call it ravioli naydey ;p

after going through 3abeer alrashid's cookbook "ilthawaqah 3" i decided to choose something from the a6baq il kuwaitiya section.. oo i chose to try making margoog.. go my ingredients ready for the big day (yesterday)..

it was my 1st time cooking meat!
fa i was really afraid that it would be zafir.. bs ashwa il 7imdillah it was cooked to perfection ;p

here i arrange the meat with the onions, garlic, samn, and spices.

after a long process of stirring and waiting for the meats water to dry, this is how it looks like..

i add the tomato paste with the diced tomatoes

and after a while i add the water and let it cook a little..

in the mean time, i started making il 3ayeenah malat il margoog.. and after waiting for il 3ayeenah to set for around 30 min i divide it into 9 small balls and spread them out into thin layers of dough..

add each thin layer of 3ayeen to il mrigah and wait for it to cook

when its almost done u have to break up the round pieces of 3ayeen shwaya..

the end result

i wanted to take a pic of it bil serving plate bs athan o fi6arna o nesait ma thikart illa laman almost nu9ha khalla9 ;p

it was well worth those hours of hard work =D

Embarak 3alaikum il shahar

2009-08-21T16:10:00.004+03:00

shino su7oorkum il youm?! ;p

Update: this is my su7oor

nothing beats a bowl of ma7albiya.. especially when it's still hot!

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Ma bain alyoum wal2ams

2009-08-15T22:54:00.000+03:00

Today:

Yesterday:

phew! I managed to catch a good beach day il 7imdillah.. although I wanted the weekend to be nothing but swimming, tanning, and water activities.. bs youm a7san min wala youm..

bs mashallah hal 9aif mo 9ij.. mino e9addig enna the weather is nice at night in August! u can actually sit out side o mat7isoon bil 7ar!
i guess il ghbaar lah fawayed after all..

Like swimming in public pools?

2009-08-07T16:51:00.000+03:00

If u do, I think u better reconsider that!

according to a survey that I came across on msn's site done to 1000 adults, 1 in every 5 admits to peeing in public pools!!

I don't like swimming in public pools sasan.. I'm not saying that I never did.. I do swim in public pools in rare occasions when abroad and only if the pool ma feeh wayd yahal 3alashan hal salfah.. I find it really disturbing that its very common among adults.. ashwanni I always prefer the sea!

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19 years ago

2009-08-02T16:24:00.000+03:00

I found those satellite images on this site.. 1st one was taken on 31 August 1990, the second was on 23 February 1991, and the last one on 14 November 1991.

Click on them to enlarge and u can clearly see the severe impact the invasion had on Kuwait's environment.. u can see the burning oil wells in the 2nd pic and the oil lakes resulting from those burning oil wells on the 3rd pic.

To everyone who has helped Liberating Kuwait, Thank you.
To the men and women of this country, Thank you for being strong and 3ala galb wa7id..

رب اجعل هذا البلد آمنا وابعد عنا كل مكروه

Eights

2009-07-31T09:42:00.000+03:00

I was tagged by What Im about a while ago (sorry it took me this long!) to do the 8s tag.. so here we go!

8 Things I'm looking forward to
1. Starting my masters studies.
2. Ramadan.
3. Lgaimat and tamreyah in ramadan!
4. Renovating our room.
5. My spa appointment this Saturday.
6. Watching Bruno!
7. I'm gonna skip this point.. 3ayazt afakir eb shay mani lagyah!
8. This one also ;p

8 Things I Wish I Could Do
1. Live barra il Kuwait for a while.
2. Read minds.
3. Have my own business and be myself's boss.
4. Not be afraid of cockroaches.
5. Have a cat.. damn allergies! =/
6. Be an astronaut.
7. Exercise more often.
8. Can i skip this too?!

8 Things I love
1. Hubby.
2. My family.
3. Chocolate.
4. Food in general!
5. Every once in a while: being a potato couch and doing nothing useful.. watching tv while eating something yummy and fattening.
6. A good read, nothing beats curling up with a book the type illi u can't stop reading.
7. Bukhoor in winter.
8. Shopping.

8 Things I Did Yesterday
1. Went to work.
2. Went to the tailor.
3. Visited the family.
4. Watched TV.
5. Surfed the net.
6. Complimented a person.
7. Made pasta.
8. Teased my nephew shwaya.

8 Shows I Watch
1. Desperate housewives.
2. Gossip girl.
3. Ugly betty.
4. Grey's anatomy.
5. LOST.
6. 24.
7. Dexter.
8. Lipstick jungle.

I think most of u have already done this tag.. those who didn't consider urselves tagged by me ;)

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Back home

2009-07-24T10:56:00.002+03:00

and jet lagged so badly!
i sleep at 1:00am and after waking up for il fayer i can't go back to sleep,then me, the person that does not sleep il 3a9ir, sleep for 2-3 hrs il 3a9ir! i'm getting a total of 4-5 hrs aday =/

There were no sings of swine flue in every airport i've been to except for Kuwait's.. they give u those forms to fill out oo u get scanned in by the camera that detects heat illi u have to walk by to go to the baggage claim area..

anyways.. back to NY, the two areas i loved the most were Soho and the Meatpacking District..

Soho
the area has some really nice stores and good restaurants and cafes.. wandering around the streets of Soho i saw this drawn on a wall

looks familiar?! ;p

One of the best pizza's u'll have there is at Lombardi's

Share the pizza so u can have dessert in the close by Rice To Riches.. they serve the best rice pudding i've ever had..

oo there were so many flavors to choose from it was really hard! at the end i went with the one with cookie dough.. 3ajeeeb! (reminded me of cerelac which i secretly still like ;p)

i loved the signs they had hanging all around the store check them out:

Nespresso's branch in Soho was still not fully opened.. but it had some cool law7at on display of celebrities all made out of their coffee capsules

The Meatpacking District
a very hip area that also has some cool shops and trendy restaurants ..

I tried out Pastis that was recommended to me by a friend.. though, like the Buzberry said, the food was nothing special but it was the perfect place for Sunday brunch

the owners of Pastis are the same owners of Soho's Balthazar.. they have a similar menu. i tried it for lunch.. the experience was much better than the burnch at pastis..

This was drawn on a wall infront of spice market (which was so not worth it oo so overrated).. i think i like the drawing more with the vandalism.. the moustache gives it some character ;p

That's all!
now if only i can get rid of the jetlag faster.. it's been a while now yarabi eshkithir more do i have to suffer?!

JE goes to the UN

2009-07-08T12:27:00.001+03:00

It was a great experience getting to go into the different halls and seeing them 3al 6abee3a..

The building itself wasn't as i imagined it would be.. it was an old building.. nothing fancy at all.. but i loved the items that u see scattered around in glass boxes.. each one represent a gift from a UN member..

the one u can see below is Iran's gift that is placed at the entrance, framed rugs of pictures of ru2asa2 il umam il muta7ida min il bedaya lai al7een..

this is Kuwait's gift.. a large boum..

This is one of the halls and as u can see there was a side meeting being held..

Unfortunately, i was not allowed to take pics of il qa3a illi i like to call qa3at il ameer (alah yir7umah).. the one that he spoke his heartbreaking speech ayam il ghazoom in bcoz of an ongoing meeting.. bs il shu3oor of standing in that room was indescribable.. i had goose bumps allover.. allah lay3ood theech il ayam..

Burgers

2009-07-02T01:06:00.001+03:00

Ok, 1st of all i must say enna I'm travelling so no need to count the calories.. besides, i'm walking around everyday for a minimum of 5 hrs fa that sure will be enough to burn that fat! (i hope).. now to the post ;p

There were 4 burger places that i wanted to try in NYC, so far i've covered 3 of them.. Burger Joint, PJ Clarks, and Shake Shack..

Burger Joint:

enter Le Parker Meridien hotel and on the left tucked away in a small narrow mamar u'll see this sign..

follow it and u'll be entering a tiny heavenly place!

6ab3an they serve nothing but burgers o they only accept cash.. i was reeeeaally hungry so i had to have a bite b4 i snap a pic.. it has a smokey taste to it that adds an amazing flavor..

Shake Shack:

They have 3 branches, we went to the one in Madison Square Park, "the place where it all began" 3ala golat'hum..

the waiting line was insane! we had to wait for almost 25 min.. but at the end it was completely worth it!

u place ur order and get a pager that shakes when ur order is ready.. oh and u HAVE to try their shakes! a little heavy oo on the custardy side bs 3ajeeeeb!

PJ Clarcks:

they too have many locations, we went to the one on 3rd ave. if ur reeaally hungry this is the place for u! for they serve the food in less than 10 min!

Over all, i loved all 3 of them, bs Burger Joint in my opinion comes in 1st place..

Where am I?

2009-06-29T01:36:00.006+03:00

No, not the apple ... i'm at the BIG apple!!

i've been enjoying the shopping and the food alot.. what i love the most when travelling is trying out restaurants and different cuisines.. so i'll be reviewing some of the restaurants that i've tried out here in NYC.. till the next post i'll leave u with some of pics that i took .. oh and please feel free to drop some recommendations of things i should not miss here =)

Spa Aquatonic

2009-06-18T15:03:00.000+03:00

I've been wanting to try Spa Aquatonic at Crown Plaza since i've head about it .. so last weekend i went there with the hubby for a massage..

i like the way the place looked it was really nice..

and for once, i was able to understand every single word the therapist said unlike the usual! ;p .. bs the therapist was chatty! ya3ni i was just done with my treatment oo still on the bed when she stands yam rasy o tsolif!!

as for the treatment itself, it was average.. i still rank Spa time at the top and 2nd comes Elements spa at Royal Hayat.. but this is worth trying..

Amaaaazing!

2009-06-15T16:22:00.000+03:00

This brush works magic!!
oo the funny thing is that i was buying it o ana mo 3ajibni o magh9oobah!
i was abroad o ektishaft enni nasya my sephora ceramic brush ili kint amoooot 3alaiha.. so i went to not one but 5 sephoras o all of them didn't have it.

fa khathait hathi il brush illi 6ay7a min 3aini min a supermarket.. o it turned out to be the best that i've ever used!

as stated, it really is ouchless.. it doesn't snag ur hair at all..

o ba3ad it's fuss free when it comes to getting rid of il hair strands ili 6ay7een.. bs press a button and voila!

no hair there anymore! whoevere invented it is a genius!

Customer service? What customer service?!

2009-06-10T17:13:00.000+03:00

I've noticed these days the increase of posts complaining about customer service her in Kuwait. it's like every other day someone has gone through a very bad experience o when they speak to the management about it it's either they don't get a respond or get a respond yiirfa3 il thagh6 illi il wa7id egool law 7agreeni yimkin a7san!

at a restaurant a couple of days ago at the avenues, we complained to the manager about something. bs ma 3a6ana wayd waih fa later on when we were paying the bill we told the waiter to call him again. 10 min later o the manager didn't come!

we called the waiter and asked him if he did call his manager and he told us that he did. so we asked him to call him again, just as he was about to yana il manager yitmakh6ar.. sa2alnah ma nadak il waiter 9arlina mudda na6reen.. chan egool la2.. good thing the waiter was still standing there so we asked him jidamah etha he did o he said yes!!!

il manager tuwahag oo gam egool "haa laa ma sima3t madry sorry"!!
3ithir aqba7 min thanb!!

mo kasir kha6ry eb hal mawqif illa il waiter! et'hagoon shino sawa feeh il manager laman meshaina?! maskeen shaklah 7a9al khoosh zaffah!

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Experimenting with Kuwaiti cuisine

2009-06-02T18:49:00.004+03:00

I did a huge thing. something not everyone can do.. something sooooo difficult and way out of my league.. sawaait machboos deyaay! ee ya jama3a u've read that right.. ana Journal Entries made a machboos deyay!

oo it was very good - putting aside the fact that the taste of maay ward o za3faran was a bit stronger than it should have been - the outcome was great! il deyay ma 6ala3 zafir mithil ma kint a7ati.. oo il 3aish was cooked to perfection!

i know il pics of my machboos deyay doesn't compare to Marzouq's.. bs u must see proof of machboosy's existence by urselves, plus this needs to be documented le2ana hatha 7adath tareekhy! ;p

Preparing the tub for the chicken

half way through

the rice almost done

aaaaaaand the end result =D

A 30 min walk along Shuwaikh's seafront

2009-05-25T20:53:00.001+03:00

A couple sitting on a bench facing the sea.. heads close to each other.. watching a mobile screen held in the girl's hand.. when all of a sudden she stands up, throws the mobile on the floor (zain ma 7ashna!) and walks away from him angrily.. he follows her with a pleading look on his face as they pass us by to head to the dark parking lot.

An older couple sitting on the concrete fence with the man looking at his sinnara intently as if to encourage it to catch a fish while his wife impatiently pours him yet another cup of tea.

A group of 8 guys sitting in a circle on the sandy beach with one of them playing il 3ood and having a lousy little samra that no one seemed to enjoy except for themselves.

A man wearing only emkassar shouts as the cold water touches him while he wades in the water.. he seemed to be chalanged by his friends illi were standing on the shore laughing at him.

3 women in abaya's sitting on another bench.. one of them raises her mobile and gives the screen a long kiss and sighs while her friends look at her with what seemed like envy in her eyes.

A little girl giggling as she runs away from her brother who's trying to catch her.. even though it was 11:00 PM on a school day and u can't help but wonder why r they still not asleep.

Those were some of the diverse scenarios that passed me while walking at night along Shuwaikh's seafront.. an interesting night indeed!

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Spotted at a co-op

2009-05-20T19:28:00.004+03:00

3ad ya3ni mawjood bil wayh mo tgoloon mad3oos bain il bajy o ma ebayin!
they should work on presentation, learn from Sultan Center illi ekhaloon il wa7id yishtiry ashya2 ma yabeeha min 7alat 3arth'hum!!

And we did it!

2009-05-17T19:51:00.000+03:00

I went and got my jensiya stamped.. even though i didn't have my hopes high on the outcome, but i went anyways to prove a point. that we will never give up!

i was pleased with the most of the results.. i never expected to have 4 women win in this elections! oo la ba3ad eb marakiz mitqadmaah! =D

hope that they really make a difference.
way to go ppl! =D

Vote!

2009-05-15T21:09:00.002+03:00

So tomorrow is the big day!
get ur jinsiya's ready o VOTE!
la e7ooshkum il ya2s o etithaigaloan il rou7a.. only YOU can make a difference!

tadroon shino a7la shay?

enna the haunting persistent phone calls will stop!
no more hearing the stupid question "a7i6 9a7 yam esmich?" or the so called " sharikat estibyan" illy just doing some "studies" 3ala mino bakhtar!
oo no more million msgs bil digeega from a candidate, kha9atan illy lajnitah il nisa2iyah spoke to u o asked u if u want to be informed with a msg when a nadwa is coming up o u specifically told them not to. way to go for ignoring raghbat il nakhib!

anyways, wish u all an easy trouble free voting process! ;)

image's source

Spring cleaning – Part 2

2009-05-11T21:43:00.001+03:00

Illy ektishaf il space bags is a genius! Nuq6a!

I got me some when I was on a trip abroad from a store called " the container store" which has everything that u can think of when it comes to storing and organizing ur house. Everything u can imagine is there! It's like u died and went to Monica's heaven!!

I stored the winter clothes in those space bags and vacuumed the air out of them. What was a huge bulk was neatly slimmed down oo easily stored away leaving so much space for my summer wardrobe.

I wish someone brings this shop here to Kuwait. It's just so amazing!

Spring cleaning – Part 1

2009-05-06T22:39:00.001+03:00

The past few days were hectic with me doing some spring cleaning and letting go of the clothes that have been hanging in there for more than two years without being touched once.

Parting away with some of my clothes was really hard! As much as I try to stick to that 2 years rule I can't help hesitating and thinking enna laaa I might need it later on.. fa usually I fail miserably in getting rid of them!

Bs this year was different. I came across words of wisdom that i found on a post on Re-nest that were so good it made me star that post for future refrence.

It said that u must practice SHED. Which is an abbreviation for "Separate the treasures, Heave the trash, Embrace your identity and connect to who you are without your stuff, and Drive forward"

So I wrote SHED on a paper and put it in front of me to motivate me everytime I had doubts, o it worked! i finally got rid of some of the items that i had for (gasp) 6 years!! =D

bye bye u once-upon-a-time loved pieces. hope u find a better home where u be of help to a person in need..

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Never having another glass of Nailtini!

2009-03-30T20:54:00.004+03:00

I'm a very loyal Nstyle customer, but since my fav manicurist is on vaycay oo emyatmatni, o since mo ga3da a7a9il 3indihum mawa3eed bil awqat illy etnasibni, gilt why not give Nailtini a try?

So I did! Oo I loved the atmosphere. but the service?
one word: BAD

MBC 2 was on the tv screen oo i swear enna she was looking at the screen most of the time!! she scrubs and buffs while watching tv oo ettani7 between tasks!!

oo as if that's not enough, she was rude!
eta2ammar 3alai min ghair using plz..
"put ur foot down." "give me ur other foot" eb nazrah! 7atan one of those times I was flipping through a magazine o wasn't paying attention to what she was doing wila tgooly "soap" .. ma sima3t'ha chan etrid etgool "soap".. i looked up at her chan tgool "PUT UR HAND BIL SOAP"!!
shino hatha wain ga3deen?!

Oo 7atan no one offered me something to drink! the irony! Nailtini oo they gave me nothing to drink!!

I think the management over there must pay attention to those minor issues (or shall I say major??). le2ana with that kind of service they'll lose customers, they lost me for sure.

aaaah wainich ya Dina (my manicurist) oo wain il dalaaal illy kintay em3ayshatni feeh.. 7ata il jan6a etsheelha 3ani la baghait a6la3 oo etzahibly sweechy 3ashan I don't ruin my polish...

(plz excuse the low quality phone image)

After one year

2009-03-28T00:00:00.000+03:00

In a semi-dark room sits Journal Entries on a sofa with a laptop on the coffee table infront of her.. the only source of light in the room is coming from a candle lit on top of a small birthday cake, and of course, the screen that displays the page of her blog:

JE says:
Happy birthday dear blog!

ur turning a year old today.. wow!
who knew?!
i for one never thought that u'd survive a month!
but here u are.. a year later and still around! i'm proud of u!

anything u wanna say my lil blog??

Blog says:
well, i'd like to take this opportunity to thank u, JE, for believing in me, and for updating me every now and then.. even though it's not as often as i want u to, but hey! i understand, ur busy with ur own life and all.. i appreciate the effort!

i would also like to thank all my readers for being there and supporting me, the active and the silent ones.. every click i receive on my page means alot to me.. so thank u very much..

after that little speech, JE & her blog both raise their forks and dig in the birthday cake.. drawing plans for the future of their lives together..

Cookies

2009-03-20T10:36:00.001+03:00

a little crispy on the outside, and chewy on the inside.. Perfection!

FAST

2009-03-10T20:51:00.000+03:00

It'd better be!!

p.s: refer to this post if ur wondering what's going on!

Ice ice baby!

2009-03-02T18:02:00.003+03:00

Just got back from a mini trip to a place that has this

and this!

It was so much fun, much more than what I’ve expected.. But the aftermath of this trip, sore muscles and very dry skin, is not that much fun.. Seriously my face is too dry I’m reapplying cream every 15 min!

(la tis2iloony min wain em6al3a il song malat il title.. it's the 1st and only thing that popped into my head when i wanted to think of one!! ;p )

In the spirit of the National Holiday

2009-02-24T10:15:00.001+03:00

I loved the fence surrounding the construction site on the Sheraton roundabout.. So adorable and so much more fun than a simple plain metal fence!

anyways, i'll be away for the upcoming few days fa happy national & liberation day to u all o enjoy the holiday! ;)

Kuwaiti nafar

2009-02-19T09:17:00.004+03:00

In the past couple of weeks I had some work in another office. Whenever I come and go there fee a cleaning worker bil madkhal oo gabil cham youm 9idaf enna he’s with me bil elevator:

Worker: enta ay balad?
JE: Kuwait
Worker: wayd zain fe wahid shugul a7san min ga3ad bait.
JE: ee a7san.

Today morning on my way in I saw him:

Worker: Shloooooonik zaaain?
JE: 7imdillah enta shloonik
Worker: enta lazim ya36y baqsheesh wa7id dinar.
JE: (ana hny ma fahamt shino gal) shino?
Worker: lazim ya36y baqsheesh wa7id dinar. Enta Kuwaiti nafar!

My reaction was like a big “!”

That was the funniest thing I heard in a while!
What if I’m Kuwaiti? am I supposed to be a walking cash machine??
It’s not about the 1kd, it’s a small amount that I can give it to him if i want to.. It’s about how he asked for it and his perception of Kuwaitis. Chinna being a “Kuwaiti nafar” obliges me to give him some money!

anyways, il 7imdillah 3al ni3mah illy e7na feeha..

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Happy valentine's day!

2009-02-14T22:32:00.004+03:00

and no, I didn't make this pizza.. it was a complimentary pizza from Obika Mozzarella Bar. It was my 1st time there (and my last).. the food was just.. Blah! nothing special.

anyways, I'm not a big fan of valentine's day.. i think that ppl should celebrate their love each and everyday.. bs at the same time a simple gesture , like a simple post-it note, won't hurt ;)

for the ppl who believe in this day, hope u had a good one =)

Grumpy

2009-02-09T16:38:00.010+03:00

I've been tagged by on-the-rocks and zaboo6a to do the grumpy tag...

here's how it goes (with some amendments from me):

1.Put a pic of a grumpy person

2. 2 things that are abnormal.

- etha minba6a chabdy min shay at7al6am to my reflection bil mirror.
- the sound of a buzzing bee or a fly gives me goosebumps.. it's annoying!

3. 1 thing that irritates you:

- il za7ma bil shuwari3 etha ana mista3yilah.

4. one thing that triggers your anger.
ppl that only know u when they need something from u.

5. 3 persons u can't live without
Hubby
Parents
siblings

6. person u don't want to see
M .. everything about her annoys me oo i want her out of my life for good!

7. ur fav food.
mu3ajanaaaaaaat!

8. 3 of ur fav songs:

my all time favorites: allah ya 5oafy (nabeel sh3ail), 3awafy (it's old oo i don't know mino eghaneeha but they put it alot bil3roos oo whenever they do i just have to dance ;p ), and dancing in the moonlight (Toploader) always lifts my mood..

That’s it!

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Suffering

2009-02-06T16:37:00.006+03:00

A few weeks back i had an appointment to cut my hair with this supposedly very good hair dresser that comes every few months to Kuwait. I saw her work on many of my friends and family oo their hair cuts were amazing. oo me being the non-risk-taker thought i should give her a try and change my hair cut which was pretty much the same for the past... hmm .. wallah muddah!

i told her i want a side swept bang oo some layers infront.. oo while i was waiting for my turn i saw her cut a few girls' hair oo each one of them came out with a great haircut.. oo i was flipping through a magazine when i came across a pic of the haircut i wanted.. JE being overly confident galat laaa mayi7tay awareeha ehya t3arif o she's professional...

but i ended up with something close to this..

it's hideous!
min thak il youm oo i'm literally living on hair bands and mashat =(
o al7een ya enna asta7mil oo i grow it back aw i chop it off (note that i hate short hair on me bs atwaqa3 a7san min il wath3 illy ana feeh al7een)...

it's at moments like these when u wish u were a boy.. etgar3oon oo kilha a couple of months o u get ur old hair back =(

Heavenly

2009-01-24T21:57:00.005+03:00

Bil weekend while at Eureka i bought a waffle maker machine (5.5kd.. a bargain!).. fa min sharait'ha wana fee qimmat il eshti6a6.. ga3adt adawir recipies until i settled with this, i wrote down the ingredients i needed to get oo i headed to Sultan Center..

thani youm faz3a min 9uba7 allah 5air (9uba7 allah 5air fee tawqeety ya3ni 9.00 ;P) 3ashan asawy waffles for breakfast..

il 5a6awat:

add together the dry ingredients

add the milk and egg

mix them both together

pour the mixture on the pre-heated machine and distribute it evenly

my waffles half way through =D

my waffles all dressed up in caramel sauce.. YUM

The pics may not look that appealing, but the taste?? soooo heavenly!
I can see many waffles coming down my way.. with a few calories tagging along ;p

3 in 1

2009-01-23T15:58:00.000+03:00

here's another 3 tags post..

tag #1:

spreading the love with a hug!
ive been hugged by zuz and Zaina, i have to pass the hug to 10 bloggers.so:

1. FourMe.
2. FourMe.
3. FourMe.
4. FourMe.
5. FourMe. (here r 5 hugs just for u, 3ashan u know eshkithir we care about u)
6. Liivingmyliife. (3ashan ma tfakreen enich etsakreen ur blog again!)
7. Libero anima.
8. Fastidious babe.
9. Eshda3wa.
1o. Dandoon

tag #2:

right there on my shelf between the books stands proudly a butterfly shaped statue.. (thanks goes to Libero anima for awarding me this =D )

now 'll have to pass it to 10 bloggers. And the award goes to:

1. LiivingmyLiife : ur "dearly beloved" truely takes my breath away!
2. Um Manaf (the story blog) : urs does too!
3. Um Manaf (the original): i looove ur sence of humer!
4. Um Mit3ib: urs does too!!
5. Dandoon: 3ashan etzeedeen ur collection ;p
6. on the rocks: bcoz u rock!
7. Glitter: i love ur posts!
8. Eshda3wa: urs too!
9. layla: i love the pics u post.. amazing!
10. Ruby woo: i love ur posts too!

tag #3:
The favourites.

i've been tagged by on the rocks and Zaina..
Rules: add a new favourite to the list and pass it on to 10 to 15 bloggers.

now on to the favs:

Favourite colour: i seriously don't have a favourite!

Favourite getaway place: my livingroom

Favourite perfume (guys): Creed's Imperial Millesime

Favourite perfume (girls): Chloe

Favourite pj brand: no particular brand.

Favourite clothes brand in general: no particular brand.

Favourite person in the entire world: hubby!

Favourite country (not including your own): France, Paris in particular.

Favourite car: hmmmm meserati

Favourite sport: swimming.

Favourite sport player: no one!

Favourite spot in Kuwait: madry!!

Favourite animal: Cats

Favourite movie: You've got mail.

Favourite singer: no one in particular.. yimkin 3bdilmajeed..

Favourite day in the week: thursday

Favourite time of the day: il 3a9ir-magharb

Favourite holiday season: any hoilday will be ma fav!

Favourite number: 4

Favourite food: machboos diyay, mu3ajanat, pastas

Favourite chocolate: Lindt

Favourite cartoon: hmmm 9a7ib il thil il 6aweel, wadi il aman.

Favourite bloggers: the ones i'm always around.

Favourite Flavour Ice Cream: rainbow, strawbery cheese cake, shiko riko!

Favourite actress: no one in particular.. yimkin meg rayan!

*Favourite nail colour and brand: essie's "no boundaries" & "bold & beautiful"

now i tag:

lost eb amreeka, F, moi, Dandoon, lili3, aaaand 3anooda

heheh a5eeeraan i'm done.. ta3abt ;p
5ala9 no more tags for the upcoming 3 months!

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Walking on clouds

2009-01-16T00:28:00.002+03:00

When I was a little kid It was my dream to be able to walk on clouds.. I imagined how it would feel.. fluffy and soft.. 6ab3an kil hatha min ta2ther “care bears” aw il “dubaba il 7anoonah”.. I used to love that cartoon, collecting stickers and all! (6ab3an a7la il stickers kanat 3ind my sis oo ma kanat tirtha ta36eeny illa ba3ad 7annah.. her’s kanaw kash5a made out of fabric oo 7arakaat!)

I took this pic from the plane on a recent trip.. the shape of the clouds were so perfect that they had me wishing I could walk on them all over again.

Seizing the opportunity

2009-01-07T21:57:00.006+03:00

What better time to go shopping than during a football game?!
i took advantage of our team's game today to do some quick shopping in a friendly, skyhigh-straightened-hairdos free environment, i needed to go to a certain shop fa gilt aroo7 during the 1st half b3dain arja3 akamil the 2nd half.. bs i somehow ended up entering shop after shop giving my cards some exercise ;p oo ma 5alla9t ella oo ohwa bagy bas 2 min oo et5alli9 il mubara.. If it weren't for my carrier bags chan 7addy ta7asaft oo thag 5ulgy!!

on my way back home ppl were honking their horns oo emshaghleen il flashers.. kan il wath3 e7assis il wa7id bil wa6aniya =)

thank u alazrag for this much needed win.. sha3abna min zimaaaaaaaaan ma estanas, thakartooh bayam awal..

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2 in 1

2009-01-05T19:22:00.006+03:00

I got tagged twice a while ago oo finally I'm doing them now!

the 1st one is by BeBe, the tag was to choose a blogger and talk about him/her.. (sorry BeBe it took me that long!), I'll take this as a chance to address some bloggers that I've been missing:

- Delicately Realistic: I say quit your job as a doctor oo jableena!! shino hatha min ballashtay dawam oo u rarely ever post =/

- Purely Orchid: Update update update update!

- Enchanteurs: last posted on 1 Nov??!

- Eulalia: last posted on 29 Nov??!

to all of u i say shiddaw 7ailkum oo nazloolina post.. 3al aqal wishing us a happy new year ;p

now on to the 2nd tag...

i've been tagged by Zuz, Think-Become, and Lost b2amreeka to do the honesty tag, the rules are to write 10 things about urself that r true, and tag 7 bloggers..

1. I honestly don't know what to say when i meet someone i know oo asallim 3alaih.. after "hi, shloonich? sha5barich?" madry shino agool! i hate the awkwardness that follows that!

2. I have to have a piece of chocolate il 3a9ir with tea.. it's a ritual! bas I can't eat a whole bar of chocolate, i feel guilty! ;p

3. I'm obsessed with hair products from shampoos to leave-in conditioners, i love trying stuff bs i end up bs akawidhum!

4. I don't like being the center of attention.

5. I like driving alone in my car just enjoying the music without having to chat with someone.

6. I try my best not to cry infront of ppl, I don't want them seeing me in a weak position. I find showing emotions very difficult

7. I don't know how to act in situations that need sur3at badeeha! ya3ni mathalan etha wa7da 6a7at yammy oo 5ashimha gam e9ab9ib dam atdoodah madry shasawy!

8. I wish that i can always say what i wanna say in the exact moment it should be said, mo ba3adha ag3ad agool laitny gilt chithy oo laitny gilt chithaak.

9. I can live only on toast and cheese and be very happy!

10. I find difficulty answering questions that, for example, want me to say 10 honest things about myself. it takes me forever to come up with answers =P

the tagging-other-bloggers part: i think by now most of u got tagged =)

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Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T11:33:00.004+03:00

Kil 3am wintaw eb 5air =D
may this year brings u happiness and be filled with joy...

how was ur new year's eve??

mine was at home watching Dexter and eating pizza!
at around 11.58pm we heard the sound of fireworks so we took a break to go outside and watch it.. bs ma kan ebayin shay! oh well.. i'm sure ma 6afna shay! ;p

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Enough is enough

2008-12-28T19:11:00.004+03:00

What happened in Gaza cannot be described in words.. it's a massacre.. and the world is standing still!

We may not have alot that we can do.. some may say this post is silly and doesn't help, but I think that with a simple post we can show the world what inhumane act Israel has took.. show them what they did under the cover of fighting "terrorism".

Never under estimate the power of words.

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Forcing the love

2008-12-25T18:15:00.004+03:00

My mobile beeps, it’s a msg:

“There comes a point in ur life when u realize. Who matters, who never did, who won’t anymore, and who always will. Some don’t worry about ppl from ur past. There is a reason why they didn’t make it to the future. Send this to everyone u don’t want to loose in 2009, including me, if u care. Try to collect12 it’s not easy”

U see this bold italic sentence?? I HATE It!
Ya3ni u send me this msg akeeeeed I will send it back to u!
Mo 6eeb minny bs u made me feel obliged to do so.. Killish ma feeha mi9daqiyah..

Fa ppl plz STOP forwarding hal type of msgs.. or erase the last part before u do.. let other ppl send u what they wanna send mo what u naw3an ma force them to!

Red polish

2008-12-18T22:09:00.004+03:00

I just realized how much i hate removing red nail polish. ya3ni laish ma eroo7 eb sahalah!?
oo i hate it that my nails still have some traces of red even after spending 15 minutes trying to remove it.. 9ij di3lah! =/

3eedkum Mubarak

2008-12-07T13:16:00.007+03:00

The alarm starts ringing early in the morning and i almost want to cry.. ma shiba3t noam! as i reach for it to turn it off i realize that we have a holiday! heeyah!

a huge smile crosses my face as i tuck the cover under my chin and thank good for the extra hours of sleep!

enjoy the holiday! =D

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il ebtisamah fe wajh a5eek 9adaqah

2008-12-05T20:01:00.005+03:00

Why do policemen enafsoon 7ail when they give a ticket!?

ya3ni shda3wa i was just not wearing the seatbelt oo i just came out of the parking lot mo bayga 7alal a7ad wala thab7a a7ad!!

why can't u smile oo tell me don't do that again while handing me the ticket?!
wila agool la2, don't smile that's ok.. bs don't look down on me min 6araf 5ashmik .. being a policeman oo having the authority doesn't give u the right to treat people like they r worth nothing.. laish kil hal nafsiyah?!

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Presenting

2008-11-26T19:40:00.005+03:00

the most amazing brownie in the whole world

so moist and has just the right amount of sugar..
what makes it even better?? it's lowfat! so u can (kind of) enjoy it while setting ur guilty conscience aside ;p

Walking down memory lane- Part 2

2008-11-22T18:58:00.001+03:00

this box file showcases my pure love and affection towards..

football!

yes, i used to love everything about football.. i knew all the players' names, which nady they played in, their t-shirt numbers.. everything..
i was better than most of the boys out there.. my cousins came to me for refrence!

i used to open the sports section bil jareedah everyday and cut out players' pics and organize them in my file.. 1st comes 9uwar jama3iyah for il munta5ab.. then individual pics of each player..

after that comes a whole section dedicated for nadey il Qadsiyah..

la7thaw il diqah fee rasm il shi3ar ;p

my love for them didn't stop there, i had the back of my door fully covered with posters of players that i used to take out from "il riyathy" magazine (yes, i used to buy that mag weekly!).. i was a hardcore Qadsiyah fanatic illy i even had this sticker saved for my future car!

adry, 7alty 9a3bah! heheh ;p

now i have no interest at all in football.. yimkin i only watch the world cup, that is if i have nothing to do ;p

Walking down memory lane- Part 1

2008-11-19T19:46:00.005+03:00

Ever since i got married and moved out of my parent's house my mother always asks me to come and declutter my room oo take the rest of my stuff illy i left over there..

she does that bcoz she wants the room to be an extra room for my nieces and nephews, or coz she might break down the wall to expand il living room! ("3ashan entiwasa3" she says!!!).. well i'm sorry mom but that will never happen coz it was, still is, and will always be my room..

but every now and then i like to go through my old stuff.. i always find things that make me laugh or things that i compeletely forgot about..

i came across my collection of "alghaz" that i used to LOVE.. u know, ta5ta5 oo louza oo il majmoo3ah! i so wanted to be one of them.. to be ta5ta5 in precise 3ashan ohwa athka wa7id feehum ;p

i used to atbadal with my friends qi9a9hum.. i've read all the ta5ta5 alghaz i could find in kuwait! i bought them min maktabat that il salasil oo min a6las oo il3jairy where they put them fee very dusty arfuf outside.. i searched for them in every year's books exibition.. i even called il muwazi3 here in kuwait once to get my hands on the books i coudn't find! that's how addicted i was to them!

so addicted that i used to stay up past my bedtime and read them under the covers so that mom doesn't find out enny i'm still awake!
heheh! ... the good old times =)

Seriously?!

2008-11-11T17:31:00.005+03:00

i went to see the new 007 movie and guess what?!

a 4-6 months old girl was there "watching" the movie too!!!
la oo she was sitting right infront of me =/

la ya3ni come on!
why ya3ni why bring an infant to a movie?!

aside from the fact that her crying during the movie annoys me oo prevents me from enjoying il film, all that noise and loud sounds of bullets and machines crashing is not healthy for a baby!

oh and u parents..
if u have nowhere to keep ur child, do u really have to see the movie?!
doesnt't ur baby's safety concern u?!
oo ba3dain shame on u! having fun 3ala 7sab il other people illy bil cinema =@

some people are just too selfish..

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Back to life.. Back to reality

2008-11-04T21:26:00.000+03:00

and the boring routine.. oh well, life goes on..

I went to Germany.. And although i did't go there for pleasure.. I have to say it was very pleasurable.. The weather was freezing cold.. which was great! I got a chance to really a6alli3 qeemat my coats ;p

we rented a car and explored around the cities.. it's sooo much fun discovering new places ma kinna nadry 3anha..

6ab3an the star of the trip was the navigator!
allah e3afeeh il 9ara7a ma ga9ar.. il wa7id ma ysheel ham getting lost!

here are some more pics of the trip..

i loved those narrow roads oo the buildings surrounding them..

the early in the morning raining view from our hotel room in Berlin..

that's all for now!

time to go and catch up on all ur posts.. i think that it will take me at least three days to finish them all ;p

Short Break

2008-10-24T20:16:00.002+03:00

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It's here!

2008-10-23T18:47:00.001+03:00

guess what i found in sephora??

yes!
my fav fekkai hair mask! (if u have coloured hair u should give it a try .. i love it!)
there's no need for stocking up while travelling anymore!
yaay =D

If cats can laugh

2008-10-20T18:36:00.000+03:00

.. then this kitty will be laughing her heart out!

i love cats.. alot.. ( i don't own one bcoz of the stupid allergies =/ )
i don't yell at them when i find them standing right behind my car wana ba6la3 min il garage..
i stop and honk the horn when suicidal cats cross the road at exactly the moment i pass by ( don't they always seem to do that?! ya3ni 7abakat eb hal la7tha etmureen?!)

i'm usually never mean to them.. until today!

there's this cat that always sits on top of hubby's old car.. oo kil ma eshoofha he throws an empty bottle near her 3alashan ti5tiri3 oo tgoom.. so today he was holding a half full bottle oo he was gonna throw what's left of it at the cat.. ana ehny eshta6ait.. "la la let me do it!"

JE tifta7 il bu6il oo tirfa3 eedhaa ab3ad ma yumkin (for the water to reach masafah ab3ad) oo etrish il maay eb kil quwat'ha..

3/4 the contents of the bottle was spilled on me oo il 1/4 il thany on the street oo wala 7attan 7ash il ga6wah!!!

6ab3an hubby MAT min il thi7ik while i immdediately start looking around checking if anyone was watching, with the right side of my shirt and jeans soaking wet..
on only that, but i managed to stain my fav eel skin bag.. a HUGE part of it got wet.. bs ashwa now that it's dry it doesn't show!

lesson learned: min 7afar 7ufra le a5eeh il ga6ow waqa3 feeha!

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Lil Fishy

2008-10-17T21:15:00.005+03:00

saw this ultra cute coin pouch at Furla.. i didn't get it coz maly 7ajah feeha.. bs now that i'm at home chinny ta7asaft!

i can always use it in my car to stylishly carry my coins.. more fun than simply putting them in the car's coin tray (or whatever they call it) oo artaab ba3ad, 9a7?!

Slip Up

2008-10-14T22:47:00.004+03:00

I was watching lipstick jungle when i noticed this:

a few minutes later:

where did her other necklace go?!

... just one of those little things that directors (or whoever job it is) fail to notice..

Bitten

2008-10-09T18:57:00.001+03:00

This bug either hates me so much or can't resist my sweetness! (6ab3an it's the second choice! ;p)
la seriously.. it doesn't stop with one bite la2.. laaaazim two bites aw akthar!

right now i have one near my eyebrow (thank god its a small one), two small ones near my wrist, two small ones on my leg, a huge one on my arm, aaaand an even huger one on my leg!!! la ya3ni c'mon! Laish kil hal 7iqd?!

it itches me so bad oo i'm trying so hard not to touch them bs i can't stop the urge to dig my nails in them.. oo that caused an ugly scar to appeare on my leg oo i have a party coming up that i'm gonna wear a short dress for and this ugly scar will show =(

damn u stupid bug.. i HATE u =(

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Addictions

2008-10-06T21:48:00.000+03:00

tagged by the lovely charmbracelet "N"

ok.. it took me a while to figure out my addictions.. i'm not good eb hal suwalif ;p
bs i managed to come out with these:

1. Nail Polish: i loooooooove nail polish.. it really beautifies hands and feet.. i wish i could wear it all the time =/

2. Street style blogs oo pictures min fashion blogs: i even don't understand some of them, bs i guess pictures speak for themselves ;p
here are some of my fav with some samples..

Jak & Jil

style and he city,

cafe mode,

garance dore

3. Blogs!: i looooooooove reading blogs.. i'm subscribed to 232 blogs so far.. if that's not addiction i don't know what else is!

4.hmmmm bs 5ala9 chinna ma 3indy ;p

Side Note

2008-10-04T23:24:00.004+03:00

hey there u guys!
how was ur holiday?? hope it was joyfull!

1st of all i'd like to apologize for the lack of posting lately but the last 10 days were so hectic that i didn't have the time to announce a very much needed break.. (so very unpolite, ha big pearls?!)... bs enshallah i'll be back on track soon =)

p.s : i didn't forget ur tag charmbracelet N ;p

3eedkum embarak

2008-09-30T00:02:00.003+03:00

mashallah ramadan has passed by in a blink of an eye!
3asa allah e3oodah 3alaina oo 3alaikum bil 9i7a wil 3afya =)

ha, bachir tistalmon wila ta36oon 3ayady?! ;p

Um 3ali

2008-09-23T19:38:00.006+03:00

One of the desserts that i really like (il sheraton does the best um 3ali i have ever tasted!) fa laman legait hal kind of easy recipe, oo dam il 6abaq waayd ramadhany, qarrart ajarbah..

all u need is :
4 guwa6y milk
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut powder
1 can of condensed milk (the small size)
4 croissants, sliced bil nu9 then cut into like 4 pieces
pistachio(as much as u like)
1 1/2 tbs maay ward
2 gaimar kdd

to garnish:
1 tbs coconut powder
1 can of condensed milk (the small size)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup almond slices

start with pouring the milk in a large pan..

add the sugar and coconut powder..

1 can of the condensed milk,

cook until it's just starting to boil.. then take 1 1/2 cups and mix them with il gaimar..

in a bowl that u can put in the oven, place the croissant pieces, pour the rose water and the pistachio over them..

pour the milk illy min '3air gaimar 3alaih..

then the milk with the gaimar..

b3dain etrishoon il 1 tbs coconut powder foogah, oo u take the other can of condensed milk oo et9boonah foogah 3ala shakil 5yoo6.. etrishoon il cinammon oo etwaz3oonah eb a fork..

u put the slightly roasted almonds on top then u put it in the oven to cook for 40 minutes..

the result was very satisfactory..
6ab3an still la yu3la 3ala il sheraton's..

the recipe is from 3abeer il-rashid's "the gourmet 3" but i've altered it a bit.. coz my sis did it mithil ma ohwa maktoob bas 6ala3 too dry..

Experimenting

2008-09-20T00:15:00.008+03:00

i have two of the bangle shown above in different colours.. i love that they actually fit perfectly and don't fall off when i put my hands down (believe me when i say thats a rare find!)

but there's a problem with them.. whenever i wear them i get a rash dayer madayer eedy minhum =S
i do have allergies min il accessories il 5arboo6a oo il mo real gold.. (bent il baik ma talbis illa il real deal ;p) bs usually that happens with earings oo sometimes chain necklaces.. but i never had a problem with bracelets and bangles until i wore those two bangles .. but since i love them so much, i don't mind the rash and wear them from time to time oo put some cortisone afterwards ;p

but i think i've found a solution!
i read somewhere enna "to prevent rings from leaving a green stain on ur fingers paint a sheer polish on the inside".. and that's when a light bulb popped above my head.. maybe it'll work with my bangles!

and so i gave it a shot!

i brought my essie top coat and paintied them from the inside..

a bit messy as u can see below but it won't show ;p

i still haven't given them a try,, but i'll test them later oo i'll let u know if it works.. hopefully it will =D

Update: i wore them yesterday.. and so far there is no rash.. yaaaaay! =D

Hummingbird Cake

2008-09-14T20:39:00.005+03:00

It seems that i've lost my touch =/

the last two dishes that i've made were not that good.. not wow-worthy..
they weren't that bad either..
but heck, i'll post them anyways! ;p

so today i tried the hummingbird cake (bananas and pineapples cake).. the problem is that it turned out a bit dry.. i guess i over baked it =/

the recipe said "crushed pineapples" but i couldn't find them bil jam3iyah or sultan center .. so i took the ordinary sliced ones shown below and put them in a blender until almost smooth with chunks in it..

mashed the bananas with o fork..

mixed the dry ingredients with the eggs, bananas, pineapples ..etc.

divided the batter into two greased pans..
here are the pans all ready to bake.

did the frosting while the layers were baking..

waited for the layers to cool off before spreading the frosting all over..

aaaand the final result

too bad all this effort was partially wasted =/

Beggars

2008-09-11T23:58:00.000+03:00

today our doorbell rang and our maid went to open the door.. a few seconds later she came back and told me that it was some beggars asking for money and she told them that no one is in the house..

after a couple of hours she was chatting with me 3ala salfat il beggars oo she told me enna they were a bunch of kids dressed nicely and she was surprised that they were asking for money..

JE: wait.. what did they say exactly?
Maid: they didn't speak english, but they said something like "gerger"

turns out kanaw ga3deen egargi3oon misakeeeen!! hehehe!
it was her 1st year over here so she's not familiar with this custom! heheh!

Just Wondering

2008-09-09T00:36:00.003+03:00

Watching those bedouin sereis on tv made me wonder... how can old bedouins stand all that heat bil 9a7ra while wearing all black..oo many layers?!
i mean black absorbes the heat from the sun ma e5esoon?!

Pasta with pesto sauce

2008-09-06T23:34:00.002+03:00

it's easy and delicious! oo takes almost 15 minutes to make (the time it takes to cook the pasta)

so all u need is:
basil (the recipe said 4 cups but i only used shadda wa7da)
2 garlic cloves
1 cup + 3 tbs freshly garted parmesan cheese
1/3 tsp salt
1/4 tsp back peper powder
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
6 tbs pinenuts

put 1/3 kamiyat il olive oil in the food processor.. add all of the above ingredients..

mix for 5 seconds.. add another 1/3 of the olive oil .. mix for 5 seconds.. then add the remaining 1/3 of the oilve oil and mix for another 5 seconds..
the sauce now is ready..

while doing the above, boil the pasta until al dente (i've noticed they use "al dente" alot when cooking pastas oo tara i don't really know what it means, but i love the sound of it.. very sophisticated ;p)

il muhim, when the pasta is ready just mix it with the pesto sauce

and garnish with 2 tbs of roasted pinenuts and some parmesan cheese and voila!

fee as'hal min chithy?!

oh and i got the recipe from 3abeer il-rashid newest cookbook "the gourmet 3" aw "il thawaqah 3"

Going big screen

2008-09-05T20:24:00.006+03:00

Remember my old post about the shopaholic series??
well I've just found out that they'r turning it into a movie!

6ab3an they'r doing the 1st part illy ohwa esmah Conffessions of a shopahoilc and it's going to be released on Feb 2009..

it will be starring Isla Fisher as Becky Bloomwood oo Hugh Dancy as Luke Brandon.. can't wait to see it!!

Black Bottom

2008-09-03T22:38:00.002+03:00

So today i've decided to do Black Bottom Cupcakes.. i got the recipe min nafs il site illy i got the carrot cake's from.. gosh this site has some really good recipes that are kindda easy to make.. which suits me just perfectly ;p

il muhim, i followed the steps one by one..

placed the mixture bil muffins tray

and added the filling

oo since the batter 6ala3 wayd fa i put the rest in a mini cupcake's tray..

in goes the 1st tray:

here's my muffins half way through

bs as i watched them bake, il cream cheese filling did not sink into the middle like it's supposed to, and the batter did not become like "a shell for the cheesecake filling" .. fa radait 3al recipe wila maktoob "place it into the center of the chocolate mix" wana 3abaly onto! =s

good thing the minies are still unbaked.. fa 7awalt adiz il cream cheese lai da5il bil spoon ;p

my minies:

aaaand here are the muffins all ready for me to eat! :

i know the filling is on top of them.. but they sure do taste goooood!

the mini ones turned out to look a bit messy on top .. but they were better than the big ones.. so if u ever wanted to make these cupcakes use the mini tray ..

oo allah esallimkum that's all for today! ;)

Dishes to come

2008-09-03T00:32:00.009+03:00

ramadan is the time to practice ur cooking skills.. and i intend to take full advantage of this month and the fact that there are many things on the table to coverup for my mistakes.. my dish could easily blend in ;)

so today i went to Sultan Center & bought the stuff that i'll be needing for the few upcoming days.. ya3ni tewaqa3aw a6baaq ma 7a9alitsh ;p

i'll keep u updated with every dish i make.. fa this blog might turn into a food blog this month but hey.. whats better than looking at delicious dishes when ur hungry and fasting?! ;p

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3adat 3alaikum

2008-08-31T17:22:00.000+03:00

Ramdan is back again! and along comes it's rituals..
whether spiritual or eb6ainy-tual .. these rituals are what makes it so special..

here are some of my favourites:

1. the yireesh that i anticipate each year from our neighbours.

2. moments right before fu6oor when the radio is on and we'r waiting for the " jahiz? ermy *6aa5* " oo raaaakthah 3al tamrah!

3. 9alat il jeyaam.

4. doulkat il vimto.. i don't know why it only comes out bermuthan!

5. opening the door for il kids illy egargi3oon and telling them to egargi3oon 3ala esmy.. yes, a7ib awanis 3umry ;p

6. tamreeyah .. oh how i love u!

7. the discussion that takes place every year on whether to put il fu6oor ra2san.. aw bs dates and soup then a prayer break then serve the rest of the food.. i'm always on the ra2san team ;p

8. kids all dressed up in dishdashas and bu5nag's for gergai3an.

9. 5ubiz ergaag with chay 7aleeb for su7oor.

10. the " 3adat 3alaikum ya hala.. ya hala feekum ya hala.. fee kil lailah.. sahra
jameelah sahraneen" song on KTV playing over and over.

11. the alarm we set before il emsaak for that last sip of water.. which we end up missing at least 10 times eb hal shahar. =/

12. eating the leftover a6ayif's dough.. YUM!

13. the occasional "3eedkum embarak" that sometimes slips when u meant to say "mbarak 3alaikum il shahar"

14. and the occational "allah ebarik feech" that slips when u meant to say "3alaina o 3alaich.

ahh these things never fail to put a smile across my face =)
so what are ur favourites?!

embarak 3alaikum il shahar ya jima3ah oo 3asakum min 3uwadah =)

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