Geraldo
Nancy Grace
Shepard Smith
Sean Hannity
Christiane Amanpour
Carlson Tucker
Greg Anthony
Magic
(Only when he's on TNT's Inside The NBA)
Friday, July 15, 2005
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Got Un-Tagged!
I've been a little busy and away from blogging recently that I'm out of date. All of a sudden I find myself "Untagged" by Mobi, and I'm like "what the hell does tagging mean?" Anyway, after some blogger-research, I figured it out, and here I am honoring Mobi's untagging. Don't expect any Fahad Al3askar-type stuff though.
- First long book that I read:
- First long book that I read:
"Into Thin Air" ... By Jon Krakauer.When I was assigned to read this 400-page book in language school, I was like "oh no, please don't force me to read a book about MOUNTAIN CLIMBING." After I finished it, I developed a better appreciation for this kind of adventure. It's a true story about the deadliest Everest expedition ever, on which the author himself was and survived.
- Book I was inspired by:
I was inspired by the Segway inventor - Dean Kamen. The author was hired by Kamen to chronicle the development of Segway. Excellent read!
- Books that I enjoyed a lot:
"Opening The XBox" ... By Dean Takahashi.Another product biography. This time it's about Microsoft's mission to conquer the video game market with its XBox. Very enjoyable.
All about the lives of the heroes of Silicon Valley. One interesting fact the book mentioned was that Yahoo! gained as much capital as Kuwait's annual budget on its IPO day. Very amusing read.
He used to be cheif NY medical examiner. He talks about crimes he investigated or knows very well about including JFK and O.J. Very interesting if you're a crime junkie.
- Book that wasted my time:
Too bad my first self-help book was a disappointment. I wonder if I'll ever read from this genre again.
- Book I was like "Duhh!!" after finishing it:
I read a few more crime novels that weren't special enough to post about.
- Last book I read:
This read was motivated by the fuss being made by and about Mr. Aljasem's mood/ideology swings, so I said let me come up to speed with everybody. It's an excellent read.
- Book I started and forgot to finish:
"A Child Called It" ... By Dave Pelzer.- Book I have on my shelf and yet to be read:
From skimming through it, basically an Al-Sabah bashing.
I bought this last year when I bought my iPOD and almost switched to a MAC. It's about the history of apple. I was inspired by Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple) too, so I'd like to read more about him.
- Useful Resources:
A treasure, not only a memoir!
- Book that gave out interesting info, but you get a sense that it hid more:
الدبلوماسية الكويتية بين المحنة والمهنة ... للمؤلف سليمان ماجد الشاهين.
Written by someone who witnessed it all first-hand, the book chronicles Kuwait's diplomacy during the Iraq-Iran war and Iraq's occupation of Kuwait. Nice one.
- Book that I read countless times (dedicated to you Mobi :P):
A compliation of all the songs composed by his greatness :P
- Books I want to read:
Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code"
Bill Clinton's "My Life"
Jon Stewart's "America (The Book)"
فهد العسكر حياته وشعره
محاضر لجنة كتابة الدستور
Johnie Cochran's "A Lawyer's Life"
Well folks, here was my untagging. I just wish I have more time and better mood for reading.
Saturday, July 02, 2005
Open-Minded II
This is a follow-up on the previous post. I asked the "open-minded" question because I've been hearing about people dubbed "open-minded" for reasons that I think are as far away from open-mindedness as can be.
A while ago, a friend of mine got asked by an american guy why she wasn't wearing a Hijab. She answered "I come from an 'open-minded' family and my parents never talked to me about it." What the hell does wearing a scarf or not have to do with being open minded!
I also hear not-so-religious people being called "open minded." Can't you be religious and at the same time open minded? I'm not talking about religious fanaticism or politics. I'm talking about simple Kuwaitis who practice religion moderately (multazmeen). Can't you wear a scarf and still be open minded? You sure can!
I heard private school studnets being generalized as "open minded;" students called "open minded" because they study abroad; girls dressing up provacatively being called "open minded." If someone makes a judgement based on such shallow matters, then they couldn't be more closed-minded in my opinion.
The moral is: generalization is no good. You can't pick a segment of the population and say they're open-minded.
Now to answer my question, well ... I can't say it any better than what you guys said. The best definition, I thought, was Sloth's (min gaddich:P): "listen and learn." No matter how much disagreement you have with a certain situation or person, just watch, listen, and learn for yourself. I also liked Rasheed's "everything's relative."
Shurouq asked: "is there absolute open-mindedness?" Well, I think there isn't anything absolute. I think it's in in human nature to have some contradictions. It's like Mobi's قصمصم. You can be open-minded and objective, but at the same time be blindedly biased towards something. Nevertheless, let's hear everybody's answer.
A while ago, a friend of mine got asked by an american guy why she wasn't wearing a Hijab. She answered "I come from an 'open-minded' family and my parents never talked to me about it." What the hell does wearing a scarf or not have to do with being open minded!
I also hear not-so-religious people being called "open minded." Can't you be religious and at the same time open minded? I'm not talking about religious fanaticism or politics. I'm talking about simple Kuwaitis who practice religion moderately (multazmeen). Can't you wear a scarf and still be open minded? You sure can!
I heard private school studnets being generalized as "open minded;" students called "open minded" because they study abroad; girls dressing up provacatively being called "open minded." If someone makes a judgement based on such shallow matters, then they couldn't be more closed-minded in my opinion.
The moral is: generalization is no good. You can't pick a segment of the population and say they're open-minded.
Now to answer my question, well ... I can't say it any better than what you guys said. The best definition, I thought, was Sloth's (min gaddich:P): "listen and learn." No matter how much disagreement you have with a certain situation or person, just watch, listen, and learn for yourself. I also liked Rasheed's "everything's relative."
Shurouq asked: "is there absolute open-mindedness?" Well, I think there isn't anything absolute. I think it's in in human nature to have some contradictions. It's like Mobi's قصمصم. You can be open-minded and objective, but at the same time be blindedly biased towards something. Nevertheless, let's hear everybody's answer.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Open-Minded
This question was inspired by the previous post.
As briefly as possible, what is your definition of being "open-minded" ?
As briefly as possible, what is your definition of being "open-minded" ?
Saturday, June 25, 2005
A Half Kuwaiti On Big Brother UK
A friend of mine in the UK told me today about a participant in the Big Brother show in UK. Her name is "Kinga" (what kinda name is that :/), and she's half Kuwaiti - half Polish. She's 20 years old, and I was told she's never lived in Kuwait and her father abandoned her long time ago. Here she is:
Click here to view her personal page on the show. I tried to view her audition video, which looks pretty provacative :P, but I ain't paying no subscription fees for this crap.
Check out the dude named Kemal Lol! He's a Turkish gay and won a belly dancing contest.
Check out the dude named Kemal Lol! He's a Turkish gay and won a belly dancing contest.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
A Day At Disneyland
I spent today at Disneyland with my family, and we had so much fun. Disney is celebrating its 50 year anniversary, so they're making everything special throughout the parks.
Finally, while we were waiting for our shuttle, some american dude's t-shirt caught my attention, so I took a picture of it. Here it is:
I have never seen a fireworks show in my life like the one we saw tonight. I've been to two Disney fireworks shows before; both in California and Florida, but today's show was different and amazing. You see sparks forming faces, hearts, and differenet objects, and sparks chasing each other in the sky. You gotta see it!
I had so many crushes today that I lost count! The girl performers in the parade and the different shows were absolutely gorgeous. O ana amshi o a7ib. If someone knows one of those Disney performers, please hook me up!
We attended the Aladdin musical play at Disney's Adventure, and it was amazing. It brought the lil' Jandeef inside me back, with all the favorite Aladdin songs, that I kept getting goos bumps. I miss those old Disney animations. Anyway, back to the play. It was fun and astonishing. The set, costumes, songs, performance, and the humor were all great. We got to see Aladdin and Jasmin flying on magic carpet FOR REAL over the audience! and Genie was hillarious with his jokes. I had some flashbacks of Masra7 Aldasma and Kaifan, wai3!
Anyway, I really enjoyed the play and had a crush on Jasmin too (L). Note that Jasmin in the picture is not the one I saw in the play.
Anyway, I really enjoyed the play and had a crush on Jasmin too (L). Note that Jasmin in the picture is not the one I saw in the play.
Saturday, June 18, 2005
10 Best Things About Having Your Family Over
As I mentioned previously, my family is here for the summer vacation. This is the first time they visit me. The Quality of Life is waaaaaaaay higher. Their stay so far included attending my graduation and moving to a new apartment. Here are 10 best things about having your folks over:
1. They force you to clean and tidy up your apartment before they arrive.
2. They pack your stuff for you prior to moving out, and unpack it and sort it out when you move into your new apartment.
3. Not only is your fridge no longer empty, but it's also colorful!
4. Your apartment will have a feminine touch, which is more aesthetically pleasing.
5. You wake up and get asked "What would you like for breakfast?"
6. You finally eat a perfect machboos; not an overcooked rice or burned chicken.
7. You finish eating, wash your hands and mouth, and come out and find your dishes already washed!
8. You get to sit your butt on the couch and have your juice, tea, or water delivered to you.
9. Your laundry is done on a semi-daily basis.
10. Your bank account remains untouched for as long as they're here, and you might end up with a balance increase (yet to be seen :P).
1. They force you to clean and tidy up your apartment before they arrive.
2. They pack your stuff for you prior to moving out, and unpack it and sort it out when you move into your new apartment.
3. Not only is your fridge no longer empty, but it's also colorful!
4. Your apartment will have a feminine touch, which is more aesthetically pleasing.
5. You wake up and get asked "What would you like for breakfast?"
6. You finally eat a perfect machboos; not an overcooked rice or burned chicken.
7. You finish eating, wash your hands and mouth, and come out and find your dishes already washed!
8. You get to sit your butt on the couch and have your juice, tea, or water delivered to you.
9. Your laundry is done on a semi-daily basis.
10. Your bank account remains untouched for as long as they're here, and you might end up with a balance increase (yet to be seen :P).
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Love You, Mom
I know I haven't been posting these days. My family is here and I'm just enjoying my time with them. On Sunday was my graduation ceremony, and I couldn't be happier than sharing it with my beloved mother.
I want to share with you a greeting card she mailed to me (before she learned how to use e-mail) in my first days in the US 5 years ago. For 5 years, no body has ever stood by me like she did. Through happiness and sadness; ups and downs; or 3ala golat 7ayat el fahad "Bel masarrat wal madharrat." So mom, thanks for everything. I wish one day I could pay some of it back to you. I love you.
I want to share with you a greeting card she mailed to me (before she learned how to use e-mail) in my first days in the US 5 years ago. For 5 years, no body has ever stood by me like she did. Through happiness and sadness; ups and downs; or 3ala golat 7ayat el fahad "Bel masarrat wal madharrat." So mom, thanks for everything. I wish one day I could pay some of it back to you. I love you.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Overbooked
Don't you just hate being told that your flight is overbooked?
My family, coming to attend my graduation, were sent back home today because their flight was overbooked! There were about 20 other people with the same story. I thought you only had to deal with this crap with Ku-Wait Airways, so that's why I insisted on them coming on Lufthanza!. It seems that the crap is contageous.
Mom called me asking what's the best way out of the situation. She handed the phone to some poor counter clerk that I felt bad about after I lashed out at him. I made the story sound to him like I haven't seen my family for 5 years and they're going to miss my graduation :P. He offered to divert them onto Turkish Airlines!! I was like hell no! Then he offered Kuwait Airways, and I was like Double Hell No!
Finally, he offered the exact same flight but a day later, a 220KD refund on each ticket, and passes to the Business Class lounge in Frankfurt. My graduation is on Sunday so they'll make it before that.
I thought of it as Kheera :P They get tickets for 220KD less, business class lounge, and I get one extra day to clean and prepare the apartment (which is taking forever). Thikrow Allah please mashya weyay 9a7 these days :P
Overbooking sucks, and the dude who came up with its model sucks too! This is the first time in a long time that I see Kuwait Airways doing something like another decent airlines.
My family, coming to attend my graduation, were sent back home today because their flight was overbooked! There were about 20 other people with the same story. I thought you only had to deal with this crap with Ku-Wait Airways, so that's why I insisted on them coming on Lufthanza!. It seems that the crap is contageous.
Mom called me asking what's the best way out of the situation. She handed the phone to some poor counter clerk that I felt bad about after I lashed out at him. I made the story sound to him like I haven't seen my family for 5 years and they're going to miss my graduation :P. He offered to divert them onto Turkish Airlines!! I was like hell no! Then he offered Kuwait Airways, and I was like Double Hell No!
Finally, he offered the exact same flight but a day later, a 220KD refund on each ticket, and passes to the Business Class lounge in Frankfurt. My graduation is on Sunday so they'll make it before that.
I thought of it as Kheera :P They get tickets for 220KD less, business class lounge, and I get one extra day to clean and prepare the apartment (which is taking forever). Thikrow Allah please mashya weyay 9a7 these days :P
Overbooking sucks, and the dude who came up with its model sucks too! This is the first time in a long time that I see Kuwait Airways doing something like another decent airlines.
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Jandeef ... The "Pro" Writer
I received this e-mail from someone, which I thought was an interesting one. I thought I'd share it with you all, and I hope the sender excuses me for that.
--------------------------------------------------
Hi
im sorry 4 intruding
u dont know me but i stumbled upon ur homepage 2day the BD greeting u wrote is amazing & heart breaking sara7aaaa inshala u get back 2gether soon im into writing and reading but never tried publishing online :(
any way i have a few qs 4 u if u dont mind :D
1 at what age u started writing?
2 how old are u now?
3 where do u see your self in 5 yrs from now? writing wise
4 did u consider taking it professionally? like writing 4 a magazine or a news paper perhaps \
u said ask on ur homepage ana maly she`3el :D
sorry 4 bothering u again
babye
---------------------------------------------------
First of all, thank you for stumbling here and taking the time to read. I'm flattered. Now to answer your questions:
1. I think it's fair to say I started writing when I first learned the alphabet :P
2. Almost 23.
3. On the field with my engineer's hat on during the day; In the office writing a technical report in the evening.
4. I already did to some extent, but I wouldn't get too excited about it if I were you. Key word here is "professionally." C'mon... You left all these talented, creative bloggers on my favorites list and resorted to me?! Wow! Now I really am flattered :D. If you rank me with them in terms of creative writing, I bet I'd take number 1. From the bottom of course.
My writing is boring as hell, assuming hell is actually boring. When I started this blog I hoped it would help me develop writing skills. I don't see myself there yet. The birthday post was not "creative writing" as much as it was me fulfilling a promise and giving my visitors a chance to help a fellow blogger get some load off his chest.
Into reading and writing? Let's see your stuff. One final note though: try not to use periods and comas as much as you did in your e-mail. It'll improve your writing :P .. Just teasing ya ;)
Finally, is this just out of curiosity? or am I being used as a lab rat? 'cause it sure looks to me like a focus group study, which I don't mind. I'm just curious :P
--------------------------------------------------
Hi
im sorry 4 intruding
u dont know me but i stumbled upon ur homepage 2day the BD greeting u wrote is amazing & heart breaking sara7aaaa inshala u get back 2gether soon im into writing and reading but never tried publishing online :(
any way i have a few qs 4 u if u dont mind :D
1 at what age u started writing?
2 how old are u now?
3 where do u see your self in 5 yrs from now? writing wise
4 did u consider taking it professionally? like writing 4 a magazine or a news paper perhaps \
u said ask on ur homepage ana maly she`3el :D
sorry 4 bothering u again
babye
---------------------------------------------------
First of all, thank you for stumbling here and taking the time to read. I'm flattered. Now to answer your questions:
1. I think it's fair to say I started writing when I first learned the alphabet :P
2. Almost 23.
3. On the field with my engineer's hat on during the day; In the office writing a technical report in the evening.
4. I already did to some extent, but I wouldn't get too excited about it if I were you. Key word here is "professionally." C'mon... You left all these talented, creative bloggers on my favorites list and resorted to me?! Wow! Now I really am flattered :D. If you rank me with them in terms of creative writing, I bet I'd take number 1. From the bottom of course.
My writing is boring as hell, assuming hell is actually boring. When I started this blog I hoped it would help me develop writing skills. I don't see myself there yet. The birthday post was not "creative writing" as much as it was me fulfilling a promise and giving my visitors a chance to help a fellow blogger get some load off his chest.
Into reading and writing? Let's see your stuff. One final note though: try not to use periods and comas as much as you did in your e-mail. It'll improve your writing :P .. Just teasing ya ;)
Finally, is this just out of curiosity? or am I being used as a lab rat? 'cause it sure looks to me like a focus group study, which I don't mind. I'm just curious :P
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