tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-316648512024-03-23T11:01:17.942-07:00The world and a Saudi girlmashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.comBlogger31125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-75197880450922117672010-07-27T06:40:00.001-07:002010-07-27T07:04:04.748-07:00I am BACK!<em></em><em></em><br />sorry for disappearing for so long...(yes nearly 2 years) most of you would think i died...or worse got an arrange marriage with a man 4 times my age living in Jizan<em>! (also called Jazan, Gizan or Gazan,which is the new name of the capital of the Jizan Province in the far south-west of Saudi Arabia. Jazan city is situated on the Red Sea coast and serves a large agricultural hinterland. It has a population of 100,694 (2004 census). In the north there are Farasan Islands. It is famous for its high-quality production of tropical fruits like mango, figs, and papaya.) </em><br /><br />But it is mostly known for being a dump in a dump in the middle of nowhere...<br /><br />But the more simple explanation is I am in the mood again and ready to rock and roll! ;) you can follow me on twitter too...yes I got converted on one of those twat tweety updates of my most intimate thoughts and nearly daily activities that I am sure you are dying to check out and make time for as part of your daily routine...;)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-64679635661914792008-10-01T13:31:00.000-07:002008-10-01T18:29:06.948-07:00A weird summer<em>Laughter is inner jogging.</em><br />-Norman Cousins<br /><br />First of all Eid mubarak yall…Ive been busy with work but some aspects of my life as well…contrary to a lot of people in this planet…I am one that crumbles under its shell when not feeling balanced and completely ying yanged…<br />But I managed to take some time/mental space off to write to you…believe it or not missed you oh so much and our little repartees ;) <em>…</em><br /><em>(ok will stop with the emotional trauma and get on with it )<br /><br /></em>This summer unlike many past summers was a horrifying one….not only because it wasn’t all about me...but also because as a Saudi I had to participate in the different changes, aspects and lifestyles of my fellow citizens…it all started when I had to have all my fingertips scanned and my eyeballs inspected before getting a visa…<br />I mean if tomorrow the world decide to extinguish Saudi genes ..no need for a dido Iraq war… a simple click of the mouse gets the job done…<br /><br />After that had to have the tiniest bag ever for a month holiday…I mean logically thinking how can you get dresses, jeans, new shopping, bags, shoes, very high high heeled shoes, accessories, formal dresses, hats and underwears with matching bras in a 30 kilos bag??!!!…I am not going hiking for God’s sake and I am not a student…unless putting them all on you and looking like Big mama there is no other option but cargo- ing everything as you go along…<br /><br />That done I tried to look at the bright side …true I have some “obligations” and “marriages” to attend to this summer but hey I am meeting friends I haven’t seen for a ages and we will catch up the summer way …<br /><br />"Summer way" didn’t really turn up the way I excepted…there was excess in everything…excess of partying…excess of drinking…excess of any other kind of high like substances…excess of showing off…excess of making out on the sofa of a club…excess practically doing it on the sofa in the club…excess of ridiculous liscenced plates sports cars...excess of ridiculous colours on sport cars..excess in lack of clothing...excess of purchasing the other sex <em>(the girls purchasing the guys that is</em>)…and excess of things that cannot be mentioned in this blog...<br /><br />No conscious of proper fun…..no goal…no ambition ..no purpose…I felt like we were back in the roman times…where masses of flesh intertwined in a horizontal position... with grapes in their mouths… Ibiza literally looked prudish in front of us this summer…<br /><br />What was happening??!!!! Was I in my bubble for too long???!! Or the world has changed in a year’s time??!!! I mean…I was out last summer too and it definitely wasn’t like that!!! Don’t get me wrong I am not one to intrude into anyone’s business and OBEN minded is what I tried to use as a motto all through these weeks…but I think the voice of reason made its way into my mind and I just wanted to go home and back to my bubble…This is where I discovered the power of sleep …I slept my way through the last days…I just slept and slept and slept…everytime I had a little doze of reality or a vibration of my nokia…I turned around fetus position and slept…..<br /><br />Finally how was my summer 2008? ………………<br /><br />Crap!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-55812804034018112372008-05-09T11:03:00.000-07:002008-05-09T12:02:35.713-07:00You're young???? you're out!!!!!<em>Win as if you were used to it, lose as if you enjoyed it for a change.</em><br /><br />-Erick Golnik<br /><br />When you’re young, educated, well traveled and begin to enter the real world…you are usually vibrant…alive…certain that all doors will open up to you…your return home will be celebrated…you are full of ideas…full of plans…you are going to revolutionize the rules…set up a new company…freshen up the system…and your 60 something boss will absolutely adore you…he will be flexible to the new strategic planning you came up with and your different approach with clients, patients, potential buyers...And if you are really lucky he may act as your mentor....<br /><br /><em>(NOT !!!!)<br /></em><br />Numerous graduates…both females and males have started generally the same way…Their eyes glittering with energy…they are up before sunrise…they help out with the family…They feel patriotic…their name shall be written…they would be praised…they know its going to be hard but they have faith...with them... things will be different…It’s a new era…the country is opening up…There is a new king and people are moving forward in a prompt pace…It should work out fine…It HAS to work out fine….<br /><br /><em>(NOT!!!!)<br /></em><br />Saudi Arabia is one of those countries that has been controlled for a long time by older generations…and I am not emphasizing only on the politics…Education, sports, Health, Arts, Economy and Business…All have old staffs…Old mobs…not yet retired…and will never till they reach their death bed...<br /><br />Most of them had their positions before I was born…If not higher ranks…Most of them corrupted the system so much that it is suicidal to remove them now…Everything will fall apart and it will be chaos…Most of them would greet you on your first day the same way…with warmth…smiles…and encouragement…<br /><br />You feel fabulous…You don’t understand why so many young Saudi generations flee the country…move to neighbouring countries…or have something on the side…You think that they have a negative approach…and should have persisted like you did…since you believe in yourself and believe in the future....<br /><br />Days….weeks…and months pass…You still feel great…you love your work…you're setting up your company...you opened a new door…you handed in your research…you broadcasted a new product…media has talked about you…people are loving it…you're receiving the positive energy and the vibe feels right…just a couple of paper work and it will all be settled…<br /><br />Two years has passed…the light in your eyes has dimmed…The papers have not been answered...you re- contact your boss…ask him what he thinks…you try different authorities…different conducts…you cannot move forward without consent…They say that they are just busy at the moment…but they will revise it soon…so you wake up in the morning sleep at night and work day in and day out to achieve one positive step ... but find yourself going backwards get with two...you mingle with the cliché…you have to…or else what social life would you have?…you still believe that they will help you…they will understand you…You are not doing anything wrong…on the contrary….you are bringing something new to the table…You have faith…<br /><br />Three years…. your spirit is gone…You see things as they are…you adapt…you struggle…Nuisance start appearing in your life…(because you are young…you are different…and you still believe in yourself and did not breakdown…) You bended a bit too much the rules…you're making ripples…and trying to find your way around... that is not very satisfactory… Professionally they cant accuse you …since you are doing your work…so little stings are aimed on a daily basis for you to feel irritated and quit….but you don’t!!!…(because you are young…you are different…and you still believe in yourself and did not breakdown…) With time the stings become daggers….but you still hold on…. (because you are young…you are different…and you still believe in yourself and did not breakdown….)<br /><br />Four years….They are aiming at your personal life….you wake up as if in a coma….the alarm in your head has rang in full alertness …every cell in your body is telling you to get out...you pack your bags <em>(if you can)</em> and leave…or you stay…because of circumstances, family or society...and bear a grudge…you become suspicious…you mingle with corruption...you have to get into the mould...The color has left your face…you find a double meaning in everything said and done and you become cynical at 26 years old…<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><em>(This post is for my friends and acquaintances…that came…saw…and left)<br /></em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-77107891444893565532008-03-05T09:45:00.000-08:002008-03-05T11:23:38.777-08:00Humanized fairy tales…<em>Generosity lies less in giving much than in giving at the right moment.</em><br /><br />-Jean de la Bruyere<br /><br />It all started when I grabbed a “HELLO” magazine to see what was going on in the “real” world…<br /><br />Let’s face it!!!!…we adore the superficial…and the gossip about the superficial…I mean…how many would watch/read/listen to the news religiously anymore????….3???? Excluding of course the politicians….even THEY don’t give a damn!!!! All they really want to know is how they would look and who would vote for them….and lately have your blunt relationships out in the open a la Sarkozy ;)…<br /><br />Anyway here I was…flipping through the magazine.. ..My feet soaking in a 40 degrees water bath for the preparation of the ritual of the “pedicure”… <em>(Cant get better than that)…</em>when suddenly I fell on a full page of a picture that seemed like a face… <em>“Kate Middleton was dazzling, adopting a kind of euro-chic of white shirts and sunglasses by day and gorgeous gowns by night.”</em><br /><em><br /></em>Ok…lets get this straight…you can brain wash me for a bag…brain wash me with a song…brain wash me for horrible insect look alike sun glasses…but don’t you dare brain wash me on beauty and “dazzlement”!!!!!!!…I mean I didn’t even know who she was before plastering her all over the cover…Even now if she walked beside me in the street with a poster sign saying <em>“it’s me Kate!!! Prince William’s girlfriend” </em>I would barely notice…<br /><br />I have nothing against…fetishism…or having urges for ugly/fat/old/low class/maid/hostess/hookers <em>“a la Hugh grant”</em> partners…But please pleasssssssssse people….keep it discreet…especially…ESPECIALLY…if you are meant to make people dream….<br /><br />I mean when I was a little girl…the beautiful princess was someone like sleeping beauty…and the prince charming was someone who saves you by kissing your lips…but when I look at the royalty in this world today…my tinker bell dusts and the stars in my eyes just completely utterly switch off:<br /><br />Crown prince of Spain is married to a 2 time divorcee, 1m 20, television journalist…Prince Charles is with his nanny <em>(no wonder william is sexually confused)...</em>The grand duke of Luxembourg is married to a random south American that he picked up somewhere or she picked him up…and one of his sons made a random Turkish girl pregnant X2….The prince of Norwey is with a man hand Australian kangoroo... The prince of Denmark is married to an ex-drugee with a kid…The Swedish crown princess is with her personal trainer…and the list goes on…<br /><br />I think the only couple that is still hanging on from a thread…is the Belgium princes…she turned out to be from an aristocratic family and presentable…GOD!!!!! was that so hard to find!!!!<br /><br />At least in the Arab countries we hide our fetishes…why do you think we have our women covered???!!!!...:P if One prince/sheikh has something for ugleyyyyy or sleaaaaaaaaaasyyyyyyy….then he doesn’t have to share it with the whole world… i.e people do not have to come and kiss their hands and pretend they are “dazzling” and a “true princess”….<br /><br />We only let out the true sophisticated ones such as Queen Rania…Morroco's Princess Lella Salma <em>(although this one should really not try to talk but just be beautiful and silent…or else her genetic roots will appear)…</em> princess Haya of Jordan <em>(more for her family tree then her looks I must say)</em> and Sheikha Moza of Qatar <em>( although she is the second wife...the Sheikh didnt even mention/parade the other two....for obvious reasons)<br /></em><br />And of course in Saudi Arabia King Abdullah chose the most presentable and elegant of his daughters to do the charity work… Princess Adellah…which is logical <em>(you wont give your money if the representator is a nobody from nowhere and absolutely plain)<br /></em><br />At the very least we do have the courtesy of keeping the magic alive…or else where is the fairy tale in all that????!!!…Tomorrow the butcher can be a prince…and the cleaner your next future queen…and we are supposed to be happy and smiling and say there is no social class in love…NOOOOOOOOOOOOO please!!!!!!! Love IS blind....especially from the waist down sooooo....<br /><br />a SHOUT OUT to all the upper class people out there…you don’t have to fall in love…especially if your taste is like S****…stick to the ranking…the dreams…the blue blood…the enchantment…the fantasy… please do it…for our sake!!!!!!<br /><br />so that WE can live happily ever after....:)<br /><br />THE END<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-86870154549614958602007-12-19T10:18:00.000-08:002007-12-19T10:29:03.939-08:00The Friends that change...<em>"Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man's desire to understand."</em><br /><br />-Neil Armstrong<br /><br />Saudi Arabia like a lot of countries in the world…send some students abroad…And Saudi students like a lot of students in the world…tend to enjoy the student life…mingling with other nationalities…no responsabilities…. Hanging out at the local campus café…having road trips on spring break…enjoying a lot of first time experiences…grouping with friends that we know we will be with forever…or will we?<br /><br />What does bring us together at the end of the day…being in the same environment???!!!…starting a new life???!!! The sudden feel of independence??!!..Sharing the same apartment???!!…going to the same classes???!…having the same mental connection???!!!…laughing at each other's jokes ???!!!!...having each other's back???…experiencing the same things????…being together in intense moments???!!<br /><br />Whatever it is….The connection is strong and powerful it could even last through our post grad…but what happens when we are back home???!!!!...back to our families…our culture…the friends that we left behind…the things we used to do…or the things we used to believe…<br /><br />Sure!.... we tend to try to keep in touch…plan trips…if we live in the same town we have a sort of a weekly meeting up…send each other emails…give each other a surprise call from time to time…but the gap grows wider and wider with time..we will try to adapt…will try to fit in…slowly breaking old strings and building new ones…<br /><br />Till the day the friend that you promised that you would be forever…that you just click with…decides to get married the "traditional way"…<br />It wouldn't be as dramatic as it sounds…if the partner was not as plain…not as witty….not as open to the world…as he is…but your friend doesn't seem to mind…on the contrary he sinks in…deeper and deeper…he feels like a foreigner…an intruder…he doesn't want to be different…. Doesn't want to be the prodigee…<br /><br />He changes slowly…severely…the sense of humour is vanished…the repartee is gone…he became darkly old fashioned…even more than your average person that hasn't left the country…he starts using more cultural slang words…he reflects more and more on the traditional thoughts in his being…he denies his other self…<br /><br />Till one day he has blocked you from his messenger…deleted you from his friend's list…changed his numbers…without a word…without a reason…without a goodbye...<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-76213824768102070312007-09-15T08:35:00.000-07:002007-09-15T08:42:53.898-07:00Dog versus Cat?<em>Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.</em><br /><br />-St. Francis de Sales<br /><br />First of all Ramadan Kareem bloggers…I know you ppl thought I was already dead and buried and was just starting to write your condolences…but you can give a girl a break can't you?…blame it on the time of the month…summer holidays…family drama…love…or simply boredom…BUT you should really blame it on my dog…<br /><br />It all started in july 2007….in this glorious day called my BD <em>(by the way I haven't received ONE not ONE happy birthday) </em>Is it too much to ask and send me a BD card or go to<em> Mouaad*…</em>lol anyway you can add THAT on the list of NOT keeping in touch…<br /><br /><em>* a famous jewelry place in the middle east quite like Tiffanys..<br /></em><br />Anyway in this glorious day called my BD..a friend of mine parked his glorious red flashy Ferrari jewel in front of Buddah Bar…Paris…<br />Yes a dinner was planned for my honor…and Yes I have interesting friends :)…what better to be the queen of the day…with friends…acquaintances…and my brothers <em>(well that is not really the fun part)…<br /></em>But what made it really special is what my Ferrari friend bought with him…it was a bag and in the bag….yes you guessed it…the most adorable tiny shivering not- quite- sure- it -is –a- living being DOG …<br /><br /><em>"3ogbal 100 sana ya gamar!"</em> **<br /><br />** <em>may you live a 100 years moonlight…something we usually say at BDs the 100 years part not the moon light part :)…<br /></em><br />All I could do as a physical response is squeak and hug my friend at the same time<em>…(I could be such a girl sometimes)…<br /></em>It was sooooooooo cute…I dropped everything and started "bouging bouging" it…but since dogs were not allowed in restaurants and especially in an All noise, Suhi eating ,Belly dancing ones…we had to hide it underneath the table….<br /><br />Later that night…a scream came out from an apartment…Our apartment…it was mom…and no it was not of joy….<br /><br />Before I go any further…quick explanation…in most Muslim countries Dogs are considered quite filthy…you can have them in your garden…hunt with them…but not really cuddle them and kiss them…and definitely not have them in the living room…in a 5 bedroom apartment…It is said because something in their saliva is not quite hygienic and it breaks your ablutions for praying…but what about CATS then? There is nothing more hypocrite and detestable than cats to me…they don't know you till they are hungry…if you die she will survive and find herself another slave<em>…(7 lives they really have a long way to go )…</em>they sleep all day or cruise around the house as if it is theirs…they cause a million allergies….and if it is a female….it sleeps with half the neighborhood…where do you think that patched kitten came from????!!!!!….<br /><br />But try explaining THAT to my mother…I promised to take care of it …she wont even notice it is in the house and it will definitely not come near her side of the house…I will clean…feed…burp…take a walk…put to sleep..play with it…..<br /><br />"NO!"<br /><br />That was quite definite and direct…I called my Ferrari friend<em>…(why do I keep calling him that???!!not very humanly)…</em>his name is Aboudi…so I called Aboudi up in tears and told him to take the dog back…it was useless…<br /><br />At the apartment's doorstep Aboudi tried to reason with me and cheer me up…and said things like…" I will keep it till you reason with your mom or better yet I will give it to you in Saudi and you can see what happens there…"<br />I was leaning on his car…my eyes fell on a really deep scratch…I am not a car obsessed freak nor a dramatic over tiny bumps on cars but that must have been upsetting…<br />"you have a really deep scratch Aboudi…hope it wasn't me!"<br />"Oh yeah…no that was in London…somebody scratched it with keys on purpose when I was at a restaurant"<br />"You must be joking!!!!!"<br /><em>"Wallah…"***<br /></em><br />*** <em>meaning I promise you<br /></em><br />He then said maybe it was the license plate that triggered it since it was written Saudi Arabia….or an envious anti "hot" cars …or an anti "hot" cars that isn't his….<br />But that so weird though…London is full of Russians…Asians…Swiss…Americans…that do not have a "british" car…I mean who has a "british" car????!!!!... Everything is upside down…no one wants to complicate their lives…they want to have a break….Its summer for God's Sake!!!!<br /><br />But it is really Aboudi's fault I mean why flaunt it to complete envious ignorant savages…If you need to flaunt it then flaunt it to civilized people that really appreciate a red flashy jewel Ferrari when they see it…I mean the creator really did put his inspiration into the machine…its curves…its passionate colors…even its noise is one of a woman making love<em>…..(how do I know?)…</em>I have brothers AND Italian friends….so trust me… I know…. <em>(not going to see a Ferrari the same way again are you? ;p<br /></em><br />But back to my problem…I am in Saudi now and my dog too….Aboudi wants to give it to me…My mom is anti dog Semitic but my dad is a bit skeptical will try to break the shell with some feminine pleading…any other ideas?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-20645183145080400622007-06-13T08:04:00.000-07:002007-06-13T08:14:09.291-07:00Classical marriage???!!!…Nah!!! Let's improvise!!!!<em>In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different.</em><br />-Coco Chanel<br /><br />In all cultures…traditions…religions…throughout history… Marriage is normally passed through a Priest, Sheikh, Rabi, Holy man, Chief of village, the Maire with the consent of both parties and the blessings of both families…legal papers…ect…<br /><br />Classic stuff…you say…<br /><br />Welcome to the 21st century…more precisely Welcome to Saudi…where we actually did our own rules and made it logically acceptable for not to feel guilty…<br /><br />Boyfriend/girlfriend, living together, homosexuals, girls living alone, having babies without getting married, adopting babies Bradanjelina style WITHOUT getting married... as you know is quite taboo in our culture/religion and is definitely classified as a NO NO NO!!!!!….<br /><br />SO What other choices do we have????!!! if we choose:<br /><br />1- Not to commit the mortal sin <em>(not having a Bf/Gf relationship)</em><br />2- Not to marry traditionally <em>(refusing the idea of your mother picking her niece as your future bride)<br /></em>3- Did not find the love of our life <em>( were too busy in your career or found out that most of the people you met were jerks superficial snobs that have the nerve to bee picky)<br /></em>4- Had horrible past experiences so want to have the intimate part without the 24/7 in your face part..<br />5- OR the love of our life was totally thrown out of the door by our family<em>..(regardless of your whining crying cutting yourself Amy Whinehouse style threatening to bombarding yourself and becoming a terrorist)<br /></em><br />Well my friend we are glad to tell you that this is your LUCKY DAY<em>…(this is not a joke)</em> and we will motivate you with some ideas…but before that… let's have a little preview on HOW these ideas started…<br /><br />Well it all came from a country far far away known for its seductive Cleopatra…humorous <em>Adel Imam*…</em>and breathtaking <em>Oum Kalthoum's**</em> vocal cords…yes…Egypt…<br /><br /><em>*famous comedian ** famous singer<br /><br /></em>GEOGRAPHICALLY the red sea separates us…but LITERALLY they live here in winter or mostly all the time and we go there for the summer…It is there where it all started…it is there where a local imam woke up one morning and gave the solution to legalize another kind of marriage for people to: Get it on without the pressure of passing through the family's inquisition and especially for young people not to be "single" anymore….<br /><br />OF course being the typical Saudis that we are… we spiced it up and improvised it even more and even nicknamed some of them…so without further ado here goes…<br /><br />*The "Zawaj alMot3a" <em>(meaning the pleasurable marriage):</em> this kind of marriage <em>(as its name describes it)</em> is for pure pleasure and I think we both know which kind…the couple is a couple for a certain time…nobody has to know <em>(except the Sheikh and the witnesses of course)…</em>the girl lives with her family and the guy with his or by his lonesome…if by a certain time they find out they were meant to be together <em>(the sparks turned out to be a burning fire:)</em> and want to take it out in the open…then the guy should do it the traditional way by passing through family…if not they divorce…no tears…no hard feelings…no drama…<br /><br />*The "Zawaj Alshanta" <em>(meaning the luggage marriage):</em> These mostly include business man who are often traveling overseas and need some companionship to share the world with…so everytime he travels… his "wife" goes with him…Most of these men are already married…and the second "wife" is the fun bit…again it is up to the couple to decide till when they would be together…and if they want to take it out in the open…<br /><br />*The "Zawaj Alfriend" <em>(meaning the friendly marriage):</em> These mostly include students that study abroad…they do not want to be contaminated with the sexual diseases out there but also do not want to be alone with a smelly roommate for 4 years…so they get married to another student and decide to study together…have fun together…do all the things young people do… and be together till the end of…………………………………………….their studies...again if they are happy they take it out in the open if not well they divorce and go their separate ways… no tears…no hard feelings…no drama…<br /><br />LAST but not least<br /><br />*The "Zawai Alweekend": as you must certainly have figured it out …this marriage is only on weekends…during the week you have your career to focus on…your family…your friends…your goals…the stress…and during the weekend you un-stress with your "wife" or "husband" …and like they say Absence makes the heart grow fonder<em>….(Btw you have NO idea how popular this marriage is ;)<br /></em><br />So I hope you enjoyed my post today and like always you didn't hear it from me :)<br /><br />N.B: Please remember that every single idea here is capital C "copywritten" by <em>(Kingdom of Saudi Arabia making your life easier by making your sex life easier)…</em>Thank you and God Bless :)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-58160406076517415942007-04-27T16:05:00.001-07:002007-04-27T17:09:49.485-07:00The American "flash"<em>If you can't accept losing, you can't win.</em><br /><br />-Vince Lombardi<br /><br />It was one of those boring w/e were you had nothing to do but wait for a miracle or invent one to shake things up...A good friend of mine let's call him Samy...was in one of those compounds that you can call a "foreign village" or pigeon holes designed for extranjeros <em>(meaning: foreigners in spanish)...*<br /></em><br />*<em>In Saudi...most foreigners do not live like any other citizens... but are sectioned by nationality and job titles in compounds...a good 20-30 minutes from central...</em><br /><br />Samy's hangout compound wasn't the friendliest...it was the American coumpound...<br /><br />Just one look at the gates <em>(if you can see the gates)</em> makes you want to give up right here and there...tanks, stung guns, mini stun guns, multi function defenders, flash lights, dogs,bulletproof vests, handcuffs, burglar alarm systems even pepper spray <em>(in case the terrorist wants to steel your bag during the process)...</em>are displayed in the entrance...it takes and hour to get to the door...forget your american friend! just go the Belgiums next door...<br /><br />But Samy was a great guy and besides it is unfair to let down his high school friends for a little get naked.. open trunk...dissect the car inside out searching!!!!!!... so in he went our brave man to spend a night with the gang...<br /><br />of course the boring syndrome did not dismiss are honorable friends from the new world...All they came up with that night was cards, play stations and other smoking substances that would make Afro man green with envy....<br /><br />Thats when samy and his friends decided to bet on one of the guy's girlfriend...<br />her name was Jessica...Jess to friends...<br /><br />Jess like any other girl enjoyed the ration of guys 3:1 and decided to hang out with them for some cards, play stations and other smoking substances... the bet was to get Jess to flash everybody with her consent and her boyfriend right there in the other room...It was new...It was hormonal...and definetely something to remember in that oh-so-boring evening...<br /><br />the conversation went like this :<br /><br />Samy: God I am soooooo bored.....<br />Jess: OMG!!!! I know it's like I want to kill myself!!!!!<br />Samy: Hey Jess...how about flashing us!!!!<br />Jess: <em>(giggle)</em> Sam you're craaaaazyyyyyyy<em>!!!!!...(giggle with a bit of hysterical laughter)....</em>my boyfriend is right there....<br />Samy: Oh.........<br />Samy: Hmmmmmm.....<br />Samy: I get it.....<br />Samy: but I really didn't think you were that type though....<br />Jess: What type? what do you mean?!!!!!! <em>(total astonishment...eyes wide open</em>)<br />Samy: I mean you guys are not even married and you are playing the submissive wife...good for you I guess Omar taught you well....<br />Jess: He didn't teach me anything... NOBODY controls me<em>....(cheeks start to flush)</em><br />Samy: hmmmm<em>...(playing it cool)</em><br />Jess: Hey!!!! Seriously I am an american ...an A...MA...RI...CAN ...and I can do what the F**** I want to do!!!!! HUH!!!!!<br /><br /><<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< FLASH >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>><br /><br /><br />Jess got her point...<br /><br />Samy got his money....<br /><br />The guys had a lovely evening...<br /><br />and the boyfriend till this day doesn't know....<br /><br /><br />THE END<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-32649822850443785192007-03-25T06:04:00.000-07:002007-03-25T06:29:31.724-07:00Memories<em>Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is.</em><br /><br />-Maxim Gorky<br /><br />It is one of those sleepless nights…That you would stare at the ceiling for the first hour…sinking in the chaos of your thoughts…It doesn't have to be negative thoughts or positive ones for that matter…Just thoughts that flashes before you and drain you in a moment of time …till you get up slowly to do something….anything… so that you could feel drowsy again…<br />My anything was my drawer…And I was having one of those nights…As I twisted my hair into a bun and covered my shoulders to stop the chills from leaving a warm bed too fast…I walked slowly to the middle of the room…where my drawer stood…dark…unopened for 6 months….My eyes tried to get used to the darkness as my fingers searched for the switch button of the only lamp that was at my reach…The reflection of my shadow covered the spark of light that appeared on the opposite wall…And I opened slowly… reluctantly the drawer of my past…my memories.... my life....<br />I pulled out my book…sat down on the floor and opened it….There it was pictures…moments…letters….Cards…Forbidden words….Undeclared vows…The Friend that you promised to be "Friends Forever" and Haven't seen for two years because of a quarrel…The school uniform that you detested and wore everyday but that now you find sweet and charming …The "I am so in Love with you " That one day made your heart skip a beat but now all is left of it are words on a card…The "Do you really think I am a bad person with a black heart?" of a Brother that slid a note through your door in an adolescent phase when you hated the world but now makes you feel guilty…The grandmother that you will never see as you hugged her normally for 10 years and now wished to have been there for her…The postcard of a summer friend that you promised to keep in touch with but was last dated 1996…The red bracelet with green stones that a Chinese girl gave to you as good luck because you passed her your notes…The address of a Halloween party we had to go to scribbled on a "Ritz" hotel notepad….The graduation day where you thought you finally made it to the real world…The " I am a believer because I believed in you" and emails of people you helped through rough times and decisive decisions…The poses you made with your girlfriends dressed up as guys to sneak out and drive a car…The first shisha you tried as you coughed for half an hour and found out your allergic to smoke…The letter your mother wrote when you thought you were all that and to this day breaks your heart….The I.D card you had when you first started working….The little forgotten things that comes back to you in a flash…<br /><br />You….through the years…<br /><br />As I caressed the protective seal of the pages with my fingertips….A tear rolled down my face….I wasn't sad nor nostalgic but touched….Touched by the loss of the naiveness in a gaze…the loss of an unconsciousness in a smile…The loss of an innocence of not knowing the definite line between dreams and Reality…The loss of an uncaring feeling of what destiny has planned for us…All the small details that no one will ever notice but only you can see…The protective wall on your sensitive soul….as it thickens through life…The confidence that grows as you succeed…and the things you learn on your own….<br />In these minute moments where my vulnerability resurface.... I wanted to call my whole life and tell them to remember…As impossible to do as trying to wake the dead…But then I feel at peace…As if rejoined with myself…<br />I know what you are thinking or trying to say…Don't look at the past…you are so young and acting like a 50 year old…you have your whole life ahead of you…Just be happy with the good memories….Maybe you are right…Maybe it is good to be like these people that live day by day…and worry about the future without looking at the past…. But I know sometimes like tonight….. I need to turn my head and look back to know exactly where I am now, Today…………………..don't you?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-580161504857786702007-02-19T11:23:00.000-08:002007-02-19T11:26:27.538-08:00Let's get some shoes!!!!to all my shoes lovers out there...this URL Rule!!!!!.... and will definitely mark the way you see shoes FOR EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!! looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool....enjoy x x x<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYnn51C3X_w">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYnn51C3X_w</a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1170275428806811252007-01-31T12:19:00.000-08:002007-01-31T12:41:35.096-08:00Me…my brothers…and Zakariya in Deutschland (Part II)Back to where I left of…I know you guys have been waiting for this for so long….Alora <em>( meaning: so in italian)</em> here goes …<br /><br />so you can imagine my surprise when…. the most beautiful girl I have laid my eyes on<em>…( I have a quite picky taste so when I say a beauty… I mean it!!!!!) </em>started chatting us up…let me rephrase that started chatting Zakariya up…Her hair was so blond that it reflected a sort of lighted aura around her oval face…her eyes were dark and deep which made the most beautiful contrast…she had the cutest little nose and the fullest pink lips which she loved to bite from time to time sulkily when she paused between two phrases…FORGET Claudia…This is the new face of L'Oreal…I bet not a single product would be left in the market after that..<br /><br />Of course My brothers were drawling…even I was drawling…and Zakariya enjoyed every minute….<br /><br />We soon found out that her name was Marie "Von (……)…" yes she was a von von von girl…meaning an aristocratic/amazing lifestyle girl…a bit like the" De (…)…" in France…"Del (…).." in Spanish/Hispanic countries…and "Al (….) " in some Arabic countries…although everybody nowadays start calling themselves…Al something…<br /><br />Anyway at the beginning….the conversation was very banal…kind of like dreadful weather don't you think?… where you are from?….and how long are you staying?…blablabla… It was funny to see my brothers COMPLETELY ignored for the first time of their lives<em>…( as much as I HATE admitting it…my bros are pretty handsome, drop dead gorgeous specimens of the male kind)</em>...and till now they had no problems in attracting the opposite sex….till now….:)…..god! I am really really reeeeeeaaaaaallllllllyyyyyyy loving this!!!!!!…<br /><br />After leaving her friends behind and sitting in our table…She soon proposed to be our guide tour through our stay <em>(Duh! For obvious reasons)…</em>she even invited us at her place for <em>lunch*</em> the next day…<br /><br />* <em>In Germany Lunch is at 12:00 p.m and dinner at 6:00 p.m…which pretty means breakfast and lunch for us…or a kitkat break…want to have a meal after 9:00 p.m…????? Starve!!!!!!!! ain't happening!!!!!! Or go to the Turkish neighborhood for some Kebabs…<br /></em><br />Her place was more of an ancient palace with 100 of hectares of forest and greenery around…It was gorgeous…and so rustic…you expected any minute that knights with shining armors would pop out behind the trees and raise their swords for a one to one tournament….instead there was those tiny dwarf donkeys<em>…(which she told me her dad imported from Tunisia especially for her…)</em> and patched colored poneys grazing in the open space.…<br /><br />And here I am…all these years…thinking that "I " was spoiled…I don't know if I should hate her…or envy her…my youngest brother though…was in love with her…actually he was in love with anyone that would let him ride on a four legged creature for hours…<br /><br />Lunch was crap…partly because most Europeans think that a one course meal involving a big plate with tiny decorations and tiny winy portion inside with a leaf on top is more than enough…partly because Germans really really can't cook…. I think we will hit AGAIN the Turkish neighborhood for some real food and more appropriate times…<br /><br />The next days were spent in intensive massive sightseeing ….and when I say intense…I mean it…I think we beated the Japanese tourist record…there was : Die Alte Pinakothek and Neue Pinakothek <em>(two main art galleries if you are an art fan…p.s: the masterpieces are breathtaking)…</em>the BMW museum <em>( if you are this classic german car's biggest fan you would love it…if not… you can do like me and tag along while sitting at every bench insight)…</em>the Nympherburg castle <em>(if you like ancient history, family tree and furniture this is the place for you!!!)</em> the English garden<em>…( a 900 acre park…such a lovely place to get lost in mother nature's wonders…)</em> you can also stop at some beer gardens for a drink …It is kind of like an open air pub…of course I contented myself with a whole jar of Spetzi <em>(A mix of Miranda and Pepsi)…</em>a first for me….and frightening enough.. sooooooooo Machiavellically tasty…<br /><br />the English garden is also THE main place for sunbathing….when the city has a glimpse of sun rays regardless the weather…a whole naked crowd of men, women and children are found laying on the ground…naked…yes naked....no bikinis…no boxers…no bathing suits…no stripped bathing suits…no underwears…no thongs…NO-THING …Nada.. <em>(in spanish)…</em><br /><br />It is much cooler to be naked in Germany…God even their saunas and steam rooms are mixed with nakedness….no wonder they get sexually confused most of the time….<br /><br />Anyway one morning…Zakariya came in with a large bandage over his head…I was horrified…" Esh Sarlek????? <em>(meaning: what happened to you???)"</em><br />" Walashey to7t! <em>(meaning: nothing I fell)"</em><br />Something I learned being in a male dominating household…when they say nothing…it means there is a major thing…but they just don't want to say it to YOU…or they are afraid that you might ask further questions…<br />So I pretended to go to another room and slipped behind the door…oh come on!!!! like you guys never did the same…It is the only way I would know what was going on…and I was DYING to know what was really going on… so a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do…<br /><br />"men jedek…to7t? <em>(meaning: did you really fall…for real?"</em> that was one of my brothers…Zakariya shook his head " La ouja3<em>..(meaning: damn no!!!)"</em> and started to tell the story of the real cause of the "fall"…<br /><br />I had to run across the corridor for me not to faint with laughter…<br /><br />The thing was that our good man went out all night with Marie von von von…of course they found themselves in her place…in her bed….<br /><br />Marie von von von like any brought up educated catholic religious girl…had a large cross on the wall…on top of her bed…I guess Jesus was not really pleased with their acrobatic physical actions and decided to fall on their heads in a very crucial moment…more precisely on Zakariya's head in a very crucial moment…the night was spent of course in the ER…<br /><br />I could hear my brothers crying with laughter…It was really hard to look at Zakariya seriously after that and then pretend not to know anything….I had to push the taunting thought of a naked jesus on a naked Zakariya…loooooooooooooooollllllllllllllllllllllllllll….Oh god I thing I am going to die….looooooooooooooooooooollllllllllllll<br /><br />The rest of the day was spent with Marie von von von in the fabulous magical Neushwanstein castle of Ludwig II <em>(the king of fairy tales and weird imagination)…</em>this is the castle that inspired Disney's sleeping beauty's palace…Zakariya was walking behind sulkily trying to stay away from us…as much as possible… As for Marie she was trying to explain to me the history behind the whole mysterious king…the thing is… she talked to me as if I was a sort of retarded …I can feel she really wanted me to be the poor miserable Arab creature when she asked " did you ever see snow????"…My instincts told me to better stick in playing dumb and miserable…<br /><br />Hell what's a little "Duh!" compared to a black Mercedes with a chauffeur that takes you up the hill to the castle's door without walking with the mass…<br /><br />" Actually no!!!! It is so beautiful and white….and fluffy!!! Wow I really would have loved to take some home in a bottle if it didn't melt!"…Marie was extremely pleased…My Bro looked at me like I was some sort of maniac…I gave him " the shut up and let me do my thing" look… Besides she was being extremely sweet… especially after a night like hers… so why not make her day as well…<br /><br />On our last day…Zakariya hanged out with our gorgeous german friend all day…you have to give it to him…another guy would have run off the hills but not him…I guess he needs more than a bump on the head to spoil his good time…<br /><br />"why don't you stay here a couple of days…you seem to enjoy yourself and she definitely seems to like you…" I asked him when he came back to pack his things…<br /><br />"Nah…"<br /><br />"Why? You don't like her????.. So why did you go out with her???"<br /><br />"It is not that…she is nice…but it was even nicer to see the annoyed look on your brothers during these days…THAT was priceless…and besides I am not a big fan of blondes…I don't like their smell…"<br /><br />No comment…<br /><br />Seriously…<br /><br />No comment at all…<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1169032401263012402007-01-17T03:02:00.000-08:002007-01-17T03:13:21.286-08:00Me…my brothers…and Zakariya in Deutschland (Part I)<em>"Nothing is so embarrassing as watching someone do something that you said couldn't be done.-"</em><br /><br />Sam Ewing<br /><br />It all started when we went to visit our grandmother in Munich…Germany…She had a knee problem <em>(who hasn't in Saudi????…80% of our elderly have knee problems whether it is from sitting cross- legged/Siddhartha position but without the straight back and the meditation…or because they were praying on their knees and hands most of their lives…hmmmm…I will go with the first option)<br /></em><br />Anyway she had a knee problem and made a surgery…we were a bit worried cause she was quite old but it turned out to be as good as new…Alhamdullelah <em>( meaning thanks god)…</em>Of course at first the nurses had strict visiting hours…you know… very disciplined…very german...But this was BEFORE they met us…the AlHajeri crowd…the Saudi crowd….<br /><br />I mean WHO has visiting hours in Saudi??????…Some people may even consider it an insult if the patient's door is closed…The poor sick victim has to support his family members…their friends…his hospital neighbors…their family members…and their friends…random people that like to visit sick people in hospitals as a <em>good deed *…</em>and total strangers…Actually you have to cross a whole corridor of flowers and a line of people before entering the room….visiting hours?????? Are these people nuts????? And That is exactly what we did…i.e changed the whole German program…:p<br /><br /><em>* It is seen as a "good action" in our culture and religion if you do the Big threes: visit sick people, attend weddings and attend funerals…even if you do not know any of the family members…they will receive you like any other visitor…In other Arab countries going to a little boy's circumcision party or greet a newborn is also considered a "good action"…<br /></em><br />Since most of the floor were Arabs<em>…(they all had knee problems)..</em>and they mostly came from the Middle East <em>(especially U.A.E and Qatar)…</em>Every single day we had to go from room to room to say hi…wish them a quick recovery…chat a little..and accept the dates, sweets and <em>Arabic coffee**</em> they served us…So it took us an hour every morning to reach my grandmother's room….Of course we skipped the "foreign" patients <em>(which I pity cause they were mostly alone)…</em>Since they might have thought we escaped from the Loony bin or that we just wanted to bomb them for fun…But at the end of our journey there.. They did pop out and said Hello…and also they had enough of the crap they call food in the hospital…and got tempted by our oriental aromas that we bring <em>(on a daily basis)</em> to our <em>grandmother</em>…***<br /><br />**<em>Damn! the U.A.E Arabic coffee is strong…I couldn't sleep for two days…In Saudi we use more "Hehl" ( sort of herb and spice we add to our coffees...Saudis use a lot of those!!!)<br /><br /></em>***<em>Another thing about hospitals in Saudi…we never eat the hospital's food…we don't care how much Calorie...how rich...how spicy our home cooked meal is…but home-cooked diet it is for the rest of the stay…<br /></em><br />One day…after doing our "grandchild" duty…my Brothers and I…decided to go sightseeing…we have never been to Germany…and although the weather was awful (-8 C)…and I was shivering to the core…It was worth seeing the "Heart of Bavaria and the city of <em>Oktoberfest****"</em> otherwise known as Munich…<br /><br />****<em>It is a Beer festival that they carry on every year in October…Needless to say that in this particular month it is packed with foreigners (especially Americans that traveled all the way for a pure German "Bier"???!!!) and we can also see Red dressed waitresses with blond braids and big arms (For them to carry the massive jars of Beer)…<br /></em><br />Anyway… One of my brothers has a Khawi <em>(also spelled 7'awi)</em> called Zakariya…Before I go any further I need to clear this last point…A Khawi literally means a brother…But of course they are not "natural" brothers they are sons and daughters of families that have been working and living with a tribe or a family for generations…Kind of like the adoption of a whole family…They mostly come from African backgrounds and are brought up with the same education and life style of the main family itself…It is very common for Tribes and Big families in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries as well to have "Khawis"…Of course now it is not as often as before…Because it is more difficult to sustain your family and others at the same time….But it still exists…<br /><br />Back to my story…so one of my brother's khawi is a guy called Zakariya…He is a witty young man…tall…very dark skinned…not very talkative…but I guess charming in his own way…whatever it is he is NO Puff Daddy…So you can imagine my surprise when<em>….( to be continued)<br /></em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1167864426007509902007-01-03T14:10:00.000-08:002007-01-03T16:12:44.576-08:00The Hajj and Saddam..Belated Eid Mubarak <em>(again)</em> bloggers…and HAPPY NEW YEAR 2007…Being an astrological freak my best friend offered me the latest <em>Maggy Farrah* </em>zodiac signs book for 2007….In short it will be an excellent year for: Capricorns…Cancers <em>(lucky me!)…</em>Libra..and Aries…If you are not one those signs then TOO BAD!!!!!! Lol…All jokes aside I hope it will be a wonderful year for everyone…<br /><br /><em>*A Lebanese psychic that is very popular in the Arab world…<br /></em><br />I just came back from my first experience of Hajj…But like I said to some people I am NOT to be called a <em>hajjiyah**!!!!!....</em>so don't even think about it!!!!…<br /><br />**<em> a" Hajji" for a man and a" Hajjiyah" for a woman..is the term used when a calling a person who has performed Hajj or an elderly…(since most of the people choose to perform it at a later stage in their lives)…<br /></em><br />I also will NOT go through the details of how to perform it…because it is 1) too long…it did take me 4 whole days to finish everything…2) any good Islamic book could tell you that… but what I will do is tell you <em>( in short)</em> my feelings about my first time….and how I went through this unique experience of being reborn…clean…detoxed…splashed with Detol / Clorox…Thus coming out as a new Mashael…<br /><br />This year the timing of the Hajj was on a Friday…better known as the Hajj AlKobra<em> (meaning the Big Hajj)…</em>it is counted as 7 Hajjs in Islamic beliefs…soooooooo when people knew that… 1million and a half more Saudis decided to perform it…added to the 3 million that came from abroad… nearly <em>(all and all)</em> 5 million people went to Hajj this year…The arrangements were much more organized than the previous years…Traffic was stopped and forced to take a longer route.. so the whole region was pedestrian specific…. Cooking…Barbecues….fires are strictly prohibited due to previous "accidents"…and the whole region in Mina <em>(a region close to Mecca)</em> was sectioned into tents and compartments and these were put into compounds according to countries…I did widened my geographical knowledge when I was there… in fear of sounding like a total Bimbo…Half of the flags I have never seen in my life…and I tried to look them up when I got back<em>…(I know I know I am a total freak!!!! But hey you learn something everyday!!!!)... </em>Of course I <em>(and my whole family)</em> were in one of those tents that was under the Saudi national flag…It felt like going to a boy scout trip…cause although every 2/3 person had there own room…you could hear everything…I mean EVERYTHING …around you…and my neighbors were not the quiet type either: an old couple that had to talk about their day EVERY night in details…two young girls that received phone calls every 5 minutes from friends that asked them to pray for them <em>(I don't know how they had a network cause my phone was networkless)</em>…a couple of guys that laughed at the top of their lungs about their shaved heads and <em>haircuts***…</em>a mother scolding her child for splashing water everywhere after she took a shower in the tuna can we call bathroom…<br /><br />***<em>It is favorable for men to shave their heads or cut it short after performing the Hajj…The women just cut a lock of hair<br /><br /></em>And although most people had a shelter…a lot more were in the streets…on roads…and under those small camping tents that you take for a w/e under the stars…and since they outnumbered the expected visitors…duvets <em>(since it is a bit chilly this time of year),</em> food, water were distributed among them…<br /><br />Truthfully I pity the security and national guards…the things they have to go through and the patience and stamina they have to have to bare the ignorance of some people and to keep everything under control…I am just amazed how after ALL this time… they are still on their feet and didn't go mad by pounding on people's heads…<br /><br />Anyway <em>(for me)</em> The Descend of <em>Arafat</em>**** was the most impressive…As we walked down the sacred mountain….At sunset…peacefully…for hours…all in <em>white</em>*****…men and women chanting " Labayk Allahouma Labayk" <em>(meaning We are here my Lord…we are here…)</em> I couldn't help but have a chill running down my spine…and I was tearing continuously…I couldn't help it…It was too strong…too powerful…It was like a glimpse…a preview… of the Hereafter…the judgment day…and we are only a few million people…The sky was crystal clear and only a stroke of color showed that the darkness that will overcome the land soon…<br /><br />**** <em>Arafat is the place were we pray and ask our deepest desires from noon to sunset…non stop…It is believed that God in that particular day and that particular time comes down to the earthly sky…It is the most important step in Hajj and the moment where your soul is cleansed and you feel like a new person….<br /></em><br />***** <em>White…is believed to be the colour of purity…angels…the Light of God…and most importantly…it is what Muslims are covered with in their tombs…</em><br /><br />Mozdallifah was our next stop…to pick up the stones for the <em>Jamarat ******…</em>Mozdallifah was a place where pre-Islamic tribes used to meet up and compete with their status…their names…and the purity of their race…That is why it is a favorable place to recall God…and praise him with his names…To remind us he is the all mighty and in his eyes whatever status we are…we are only judged by our actions…<br /><br />******<em>The Jamarat…is the place of the Devils…and is believed that they are tied up in this particular time…that is why we throw stones at them…three days in a row…to make us stronger and not give in into temptations…This ritual was performed since Adam…<br /></em><br />Anyway the most surprising and shocking part of the Hajj…was the Eid…We were at Mecca…People traded the traditional white Hajj clothes for their own cultural "party" clothes…There something about God and Fashion that meshes so well…the streets were covered of the sparkle wears of Africa…the colourful veils of Asia…the traditional clothes of china…the western clothes of Russia…the classy engraved hats of Indonesia….The Jalabiat of Morocco… and also the green and golden scarves that an American group wore around their neck for some reason…I couldn't help but overhear their conversation as we went around the Kaaba…Since they talked really loudly and had a very strong Californian accent…."Oh my God…It is sooooooooo crowded…told ya…we should've waited till 3"… Suddenly out of nowhere….a big group was screaming at the top of their lungs…raising an Iraqi flag.. "Long live Iraq and May god bless Saddam!!!! May god destroy the Americans!!!"…A lot of us turned around….we didn't know what was going on<em>…(quick reminder: we were disconnected from the world for 3 days…so a lot of us didn't know about the death penalty at that time….)…</em>Especially it was too incredible and unbelievable that this act was performed in the day of love…harmony…rest and family…a day where all the people that performed Hajj were at peace with themselves…in connection with their souls…What kind of deadly and bloody gift is that????...It's as if we punished Bush for what he did in Afghanistan and Iraq…by hanging him on Christmas day!!!!!! Talk about a Santa gift :p...It reminded me of the killing of a Russian journalist a couple of months ago by the Mafia as a birthday gift to the president Poutin...<br /><br />Of course the word spread around….and one by one people from different backgrounds…..different race…different language….followed the group…people who hated Saddam…started to love him for his courage….people who loved him…made him a saint when he formulated the monotheist sentence.."There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger"… without covering his face with the black Bag…people who were not political…became political…people who didn't know anything of Saddam…Came to know of him… people who didn't take sides…took sides…He became a Hero…a man who was refused to be shot and was hanged instead…a man who's name would be known in history…a president who was sentenced to death after a public humiliation in court…At the end of the day what did they really benefit from the death of Saddam?????? Seriously??????....But only hatred and a vicious cycle of injustice…<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1166536665628665692006-12-19T04:55:00.000-08:002006-12-19T05:57:45.646-08:00Black magic Myth or Dark reality?<em>"You're braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think."</em><br /><br />-Christopher Robin to Pooh bear :)<br /><br />Since the beginning of Time Magic was used to help us poor mortals through the mysteries of Life...Ancient Egypt performed curses on Pharao's tombs to destroy the coming robbers...Merlin was believed to have bought Stonehendge from the East to Southern England...LaVoisin practiced Satanic rituals with infant's blood to keep the mistresses of King Louis XIV as favourites...Africans get high with chants to invoke the spirits...King Rodolphe II of Habsburg got mad and thought he was possesed by the devil...He also thought he was a subject of conspiracies...and decided to bewitch his brother for not accessing the throne...He locked himself in a tower day and night to invent potions and perform rituals ...since he was convinced he would die on his 50th birthday<em>...(he died two years later)....</em><br /><p>But let's fast forward to our present time...Does it still exist????....</p>In the middle East and other Arabic speaking countries the best "spell makers" since the beginning of time to this day are the Omanites <em>(people from Oman), </em>The Sudanese<em> (People from Sudan)</em>, the Jews in general, the Yemenites <em>(people from Yemen)</em>, the Moroccans <em>(People from Morocco)</em> and Indonesians <em>(People from Indonesia)…</em>Of course these are the famous and obvious ones there might be other exceptions but these are not very common…<br /><br />The Hocus Pocus ingredients: <em>(God I sound like the witch in Macbeth!!!!)</em> anything from serpents, lizards, chameleons <em>(they are actually instinct in our part of the world because of that)</em> , hyenas, dead birds, knotted threads, pictures, hair, writings on shrouds or cloth, Dirt, Sewage, Blood, Red Ink…and many more…<br /><br />The places where the "spell" is put as not to be found: under the marble of houses or the building itself, in the gardens, in animals or tied to them, desert, Sea, under Desks in offices, food, Beds, Rooms, mostly where the motive of the spell should function as its best…<br /><br />Although it is known as a woman's tendency of an "extra activity"…Men aren't quite alien to it as they seem to be…But they might use it more in their professional life than their personal one…Women on the other hand are mostly keen on a man's love, a man's faithfulness, a man's incompetence to other women, It can even go to other women or young unmarried girls, Beauty, success…ect<br /><br />Like you must definitely know BLACK Magic or VODOO is not a positive thing…It always has a tendency to strike the negative, the dark, the evil….But It so extreme and common in our part of the world that one day a local Imam went on national Television to talk about it for an hour<em>…(That is after they found one of the beaches full of pictures, threads, names, incomprehensible phrases of thousands of people..)</em> and now there is fine for people practicing it<em>…(Yeah right! As if it is the easiest thing in the world to find a Salem witch in a dark alley or people's houses…)<br /></em><br />Although A lot of times it might work on the "victim" in question …Here are 3 stories that didn't affect at all<em>….( There is a light in the tunnel lol)<br /></em><br />Story #1<br />A Family friend was married to this amazing career woman…Everything was doing great except for one thing…She was always on the move …She was sent to different places in the world…and her career was as important to her as her family…After some arguing , some nagging, some sulking…Our good man decided to take matters into his own hands…and traveled to Morocco to cast a spell on his wife….For her not to be that successful, not that competent and maybe change jobs so that she would be more at home…As soon as he came back…His Boss fired him for not having a 2 weeks "taking leave" notice…His wife had enough of him after a month and wanted a divorce…and he found himself taking a less competent job, more at home and alone<em>….(I guess he forgot who to design the spell to…lol.)<br /></em><br /><br />Story #2<br />A Girl who I used to know back in High School met this unbelievable guy…They chatted on the phone for hours and after a couple of dates…decided to bind their lives together…The man in question came an proposed officially to her parents… They agreed. .. and everything was pink clouds and blue butterflies from there… One night the girl's family decided to go camping.. The girl in question excused herself from the little trip because she had one of those "terrible headaches"… The brother <em>(There is always a brother who has to blow things up</em>)…Figured there was something fishy going on and came back after a while to check on her…she was having a one to one with the "Fiancée" in question…Of course the marriage was off…and the girl was punished…So she decided with the help of her fiancée to cast a spell on her parents…So that they would go back on their word and marry her off…Since the girl was grounded the Fiancée took off to Oman to cast a spell on his in laws to be…He came back with a piece of paper with pink scripts written all over…The girl decided to put it in a drink…water didn't work cause the ink melted and it turned red…so she added some Grape juice on it…The parents drank the whole thing…and the next day The "ex-Fiancée" came in to propose again and test his luck..…He was told off…<br /><br />Story #3<br />An old Egyptian Lady who worked in a local coffee shop came to a girl to read her fortune…as the girl sipped her Turkish coffee to the last drop.. The Old woman pondered and "read" her fortune by looking at the bottom of the cup (<em>westerners use crystal ball and tarots, we use turkish coffee)</em> …She told her word for word that There will be this amazing guy coming into her life…But that she has to be careful of her sister cause she would be extremely jealous of her and could ruin everything…The Girl went back home in a rage… stormed into her sister's room and beated the hell out of her…The mother sued the coffee shop for what the old lady did to her daughters…and the girl in question to this day do not speak to her sister thinking she was the reason to all her personal traumas.…<br /> <br /> Moral of the stories: people…stop the ignorance and the "waste of time" and please change your destiny with your own hands…Cause in the end of the day that's what lasts!!!!!!.... Black magic always turns ugly sooner or later<em>….(What goes around comes around)</em> for real…..<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com73tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1165411826586168622006-12-06T05:13:00.000-08:002006-12-06T05:30:26.613-08:00Kisses<em>"Tell me whom you love, and I will tell you who you are."</em><br /><br />-Houssaye<br /><br /><br />In our lives we have all come across an "erotic" phase and got curious…whether its with erotic books…erotic paintings and sculptures…erotic videos….erotic food and spices…erotic positions and many more…<br /><br />And like our friends the Indians with the famous Kama Sutra…we <em>(the Arabs)</em> did not sit and wait for our biological instincts to take over…but created or own book and style <em>as well *<br /></em><br />*<em>The 15th century book "The Perfumed Garden of Sensual Delight " By Sheikh Muhammad Al Nafzawi…The translation of "Le Kama Sutra Arabe" by Malek Chebel...And the classic NON censured/ kiddy version of the 12 Volume book 1001 Nights.. Amazing Literature before tucking yourself to bed !!!!!!!.<br /></em><br />But didn't you ever stop and wonder about the non erotic version???? The day to day affection ??? In other words kissing !!!!....It probably differs from a society to another… so why isn't there anything about it???....For example we are not very keen on public affection and sometimes may consider it disrespectful to the partner in question…. but in Europe especially in France you could stand in the middle of a store entrance and "make out" for hours….We might have our arms and hands on each other when alone but when in a gathering with friends and even family we barely hold hands….We are great enthusiasts and have a vivid imagination in Foreplay since most of the sexual intercourses happen after marriage….We are extremely romantic and during the "courtship" period do not find corny when your partner wrote a poem about you….Talks to you on the phone till daylight…showers you with gifts and flowers…Travels around the world to see you… or grabbed his <em>Oud**</em> to compose a tune for you…Some of them might even pay a famous singer to sing the song or poem…..We are also suckers for Forbidden and impossible relationships….And this goes back to <em>Qays & Layla</em> or <em>Antar & Ablaa***…</em>We could create 1000 ways to see each other as much as possible…We could also stop eating, sleeping and concentrating on work/studies for months….But we also fall out of Romance just as easily…<br /><br />**<em>One of the oldest oriental instruments that looks like a guitar but has a more oval shape…It has a heavenly sound and is also known as the Lute<br /><br /></em>*** <em>Two of the most ancient oriental Love stories of All time…please refer to the end of my Post for more details…<br /><br /></em>So wouldn't it be great to know how people all over the world perceive a kiss...a hug…an affection..<br /><br />Being the typical Mashael that I am… I did my own research and Here are the commentaries of some Saudis about their BEST kisses…Women were much more "babbling-about" than men in that one…but in both cases I kept names anonymous…<br /><br />" My first kiss was incredible…I was 17 and was seeing that guy for a while…we met up in a coffee place and had the <em>curtains***</em> shut on us to keep it intimate…As we talked I felt that he was going to lean over and kiss me…I really wanted to but I got nervous…so I covered my mouth with my veil…It didn't stop him he kissed me on it…slowly…I could feel the thin translucent cloth between us…the warmth of his lips and breath…It was so sensual that I barely noticed when he pulled it down slowly to grab my lips…." R. , female, 25 years old<br /><br />*** <em>In Saudi if you are a couple you could have a private dining with curtains pulled on you…kind of like V.I.P seats with your own waiter…<br /></em><br />" I love it when she teases me by kissing and touching the corner of my lips with her tongue.. and when she draws the lines of my lips" M., male, 27 years old<br /><br />" I had the biggest fight ever with my husband…and we barely talked to each other for two days…One morning he stormed in the kitchen while I was making breakfast for the kids…he grabbed my face ruthlessly… and kissed me selfishly…hard…scratching my face with his Italian beard…than he let go and went out.. I was left puzzled my lips tingling… wanting more…" J., Female, 33 years old<br /><br />" I love kissing him when he has an apple flavored mouth…I want to suck the whole taste out of him…which made us use it in other body parts…" L., Female. 26 years old<br /><br />"When she kisses my ear by nibbling my ear lobe and whispering to me with her sexy voice all the things she wants to do to me…It drives me crazy…" T., male, 23 years old<br /><br />"My neck, my chin, the back of my neck, my collar bone and the pulse in the back of my hand …I am paralyzed with excitement" D., Female, 21 years old<br /><br />"When she caresses me with her long soft hair and kisses all the parts that her hair caressed…It is extremely feminine and so sexy!" M., male, 35 years old<br /><br />"When she tells me to stay still...and she barely touches my lips with hers...then as if it the most natural thing in the world she starts talking about her day...the up and down movement of her lips on mine and her warmth makes me loose all control...in less than a minute I give in" F., male, 27 years old<br /><br />"When he caresses my face for hours…my lips, nose, eyebrows, eyelids, cheeks. Chin, forehead with his fingertips…my eyes closed… He then starts to smell me without touching me….I tremble so much with pleasure…that I open my eyes and kiss him passionately sometimes biting his lower lip" N., Female, 24 years old<br /><br />"I married the guy who kissed me for an hour…our lips locked <em>continously ****</em> At first I felt dizzy from the lack of air…Now I can't get enough…" K, Female, 19 years old<br /><br />**** <em>The longest kiss listed in the Guinness Book of Records lasted 417 hours…I want to know these people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br /></em>"He kissed me after he drank an Arabic coffee…his taste was warm…boiling…I got addicted ..." H., Female, 22 years old<br /><br />"The noises she makes when I kiss her…I pull her hair softly and kiss her deeper" My cousin, Male, 26 years old<br /><br />Now It's YOUR turn bloggers…Here are some questions that could help…How was your first kiss? What do you NOT like when you kiss? What do you DO like? Which sort of kiss drove you crazy and who was it? What is the most original kiss you've experienced????? It would be nice to precise where you are from and to cut down the "anonymous" comments… I bet we would be surprised and could learn something….<br /><br />With my best and sincere kisses xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx lol<br /><br />N.B: <em>Qays& Layla = A story who goes back to the 7th century…and which inspired the famous Shakespearian Tale of Romeo and Juliet …Qays also know as Majnoun Layla (meaning: the mad or possessed about layla)…came from a different but quite wealthy tribe…He fell in love with Layla and started to shout her name in poetic verses as a declaration of Love…This move was unfavorable to him and was seen as a disgrace to their daughters at that time… which lead to the refusal of Layla's Father of a possible marriage between them…instead he married her off to another wealthy man which originally came from the city of Taif in Saudi Arabia (as it is known today)…From that day onwards…Qays lived like a wild beast in the desert…having illusions and talking to animals as if it was his lost love…His madness lead to his death…His best poems were dated at that period….It was told that Layla also suffered a great deal and refused herself to her husband…till her death…Their tombs were put next to each other and you can still visit it to this day…Some people say it was covered with personal items and jewelry of both tribes ( due to pre-Islamic death rituals) But most of them were stolen through the years….</em><br /><em><br />Antar & Ablaa = Antar was the fruit of an African slave and her wealthy owner Shaddad…At a pre- Islamic time children of slaves were not recognized and were also considered slaves…But Antar was different he had a powerful strength and was taught by his uncle how to ride and fight…He was also in love with Ablaa…his cousin but also a fair and legitimate daughter…One day during a deadly war between tribes…His father ordered him to go and fight…He accepted but under one condition that he would be a free man and recognized as his own son…After much hesitation the Father agreed and Antar was known as Antar ben Shaddad from this day on (Antar son of Shaddad)…He also won the war…He naively thought that his freedom might help him in asking Ablaa's hand in marriage…They gave him false promises and sent him to various wars…His best poems of warfare and Love dated at that period…When he was absent…Ablaa was married off to a man from another tribe…It is said that Antar's anger grew in such rage that he stormed in the opposite tribe and killed most of their men….No one really knows what had happened after that…Some say he kidnapped Ablaa and married her and some say that he was killed and tortured to death for wanting a woman that was spoken for</em><div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1164287295558095422006-11-23T04:49:00.000-08:002006-11-23T05:08:15.576-08:00The Gayer the Better<em>"Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful."</em><br /><br />-Annette Funicello<br /><br />This Post might lead to: 1- continuous insult and comments<br />2- A total shock leading to a heart attack<br />3- A total absurdity to your nervous system so you might have to read the post twice or blink several times<br />4- Me being exiled<br /><br />But I was honest when I said in my first post <em>(Intro)…</em>I will reveal nothing but the facts…NOBODY knows Saudi Arabia except Saudi themselves<em> ( i.e Saudis that live in the country)…</em>The country is a closed one <em>(personally I like it this way)</em> The people will not open their homes to other communities…even less to foreigners…Therefore you have people like me…That are less reserved…. and more down to earth to tell you things exactly how they are…to open a door so that you can take a glance inside…For you to know…to think and analyze by yourself… without brain washing…to learn…and stop talking nonsense and being ignorant…<br /><br />Media can talk all they want…Books can be printed by dozens from western authors…Clichés can be invented by the minute…even a foreigner that lived here for 45 years will not know the deepest of the deep....the truest of the truth… The homes…The families...The friction…The thoughts…The traditions…The history…The education…The life style…The real thing…The Saudi thing…<br /><br />I agree it is not a very flattering subject…But it exists and should be said…Saudi Arabia like many countries of the world have a homosexual community whether it is male or female…But Saudi Arabia NOT like many countries keep it behind closed doors…But you can easily notify some of them with the following details: They have a sparkling white <em>"Thob"*</em> that screams Ariel Ultra intensive…Their moustache or gotties are perfect not a hair surpasses the other…They are usually extremely handsome…Their hands are soft…Their lips are pink and full…Their walk is posed, classy…Their voice is a low toned one…every week they have a day where they meet each other in a chosen place to do some harmless flirtation that might lead later on to a less harmless flirtation…How do I know? I was caught up in one of those places….In a Mall to be exact…I was surprised to find so many men…so many handsome men that is in one place…after a long long long looooong while I understood<em>…( I could've walked around naked they wouldn't notice)…<br /></em><br /><em>* The traditional dress for men<br /></em><br />The women on the other hand tend to have short boyish hair…several piercings…beautiful girlfriends…a lot of guy friends…Masculine walk…grave voice since a lot of them tend to be smokers…. sun or eye glasses on the tip of their noses…baggy jeans, bandanas with funky wide designer <em>"Abbayas"**</em> These are the obvious ones of course there are the less obvious…<br /><br /><em>** The traditional dress for women<br /></em><br />How did it come to this…well it is NOT genetics…might be out of boredom or being extremely spoiled…might be a pshycological shock when a child...might be contacts are more with the same sex<em>..(But that is not really an excuse since abroad you have contact with the opposite sex ALL the time…and they have as much homosexuals than here if not more…hmmmm…maybe that is why they turn gay…It is too easy and nothing is taboo anymore) </em>anyway back to what I was saying…the other option is they were maybe raped in bathrooms and schools…it is horrid but it is true…Boys are much more vulnerable to this than girls…<br />Anyway the end result is they are gay…some families might not know about it…Some families do and have a terrible response to it…and some families <em>(which is the majority)</em> pretend they didn't notice and are happy as long as they obey by the rules, are respectful of society and <em>culture***…</em>i.e they get married, have children and live normally keeping their "other" life in the secrecy of the nights…<br /><br /><em>*** Of course as you all know homosexuality is forbidden in the Islamic religion (like in most religions) and if get caught might lead to death penalty…if get caught! (which happens very rarely)<br /></em><br />My post isn't about gays but the response to people or specifically women to gay men <em>(Cause the response of men to gay women isn't really an example since all they can think about is she and her girlfriends!!!! ) </em>Like I said earlier a lot of homosexuals get married…and get married young <em>(when they still can :p)</em> 90% of the time the brides to be know and do not mind…Actually they have become in fashion…you will see why shortly…<br /><br />Just the other day I was at a friend's wedding and her husband was as gay as it gets…..<em>"Jawad Ali"****</em> gay …I was in a state of shock....It was like the bride and the……..bride……..:p She on the other hand looked like she hadn't a care in the world…<br /><br /><em>****a famous singer in our country that looks and sounds completely gay…even George Michael appears manlier in front of him!<br /></em><br />Gay men in Saudi Arabia <em>(and other Middle Eastern countries)</em> have a strong feeling of guilt…when they get married they feel very obliged to their wives for accepting them as they are…and when I say very obliged…I mean very veeeeeeeeeery obliged….They are generous to her needs and her wishes…She can be free to do whatever she wants with whomever she wants……They can help her out if she is a career woman in this man oriented country…They advise her and make great friends…They love her to death since she is and will be the ONLY woman in his life…They are so amazed in bringing children to the world that they are like a mother hen with her chicks……and THAT is why they are extremely in fashion…..Personally I have another wedding of that sort next week!!!!<br /><br />In the end, these women can do whatever they want….BUT this girl right here is sticking to real men for now….!!!!!! x x x x<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1163155562215748212006-11-10T02:39:00.000-08:002006-11-10T02:46:02.230-08:00A jewish motherLondon, Hakkasan a Chinese restaurant on 8 Hanway place ……At first impression when walking through the dark alley it looked as if you are entering "dealerville" But once inside it is a whole different story…It was my first time in this place and my friend insisted on taking me for a treat…p.s : the food was amazing!!!!!<br /><br />Since the restaurant was maxi packed and we didn't have reservations thinking why bother! It's a Thursday night…We found ourselves waiting in the waiting area…in other words: the bar…<br /><br />The design was funky, very modern , dark lightings but always hated those bar stools especially when I am wearing heels…I never knew how to adjust my body and my legs for that matter in a comfortable sitting position…Therefore I always had a foot on the ground and my… hmmmm… "behind" on the edge…not very sexy....anyway after exactly 15 min of waiting my friend thought it was ridiculous to wait that long for food and decided to take action by going to plan B…tipping for sitting…<br /><br />Personally I am not very good with these things…I don't know when to do it and how discreetly I should do it…How much its too much...and if it’s the right person to "do" it to…But I have noticed in a lot of places if the "host" in question is a she and you are with a male companion than you would have a place easily…If it is a bunch of guys it is very very "easily"…But if you are just girls than they make you wait a bit longer and if you are just girls with gifted appearances than forget it….you would be waiting at the "waiting area" for ever or at least an hour….<br />Anyway as my friend pushed her way through to the entrance… I looked around…Just for the sake of looking around…You know when you are looking but not really looking…As if you were searching for a way to keep yourself busy…yes that!....<br /><br />So like I was saying…as I looked around…my eyes locked with a young man standing next to me…He smiled….I smiled back….I didn't see it at first but an older woman was sitting next to him in one of those stools as well….Must have been his mother…I turned my head and looked the other way….<br />She must have paid attention cause the next thing I know she was talking to me..<br />"Such a lovely girl.. isn't she David?"<br />"Yes… very…"<br />She had a strange accent…couldn't figure it out really…I got a bit embarrassed and murmured a quick thank you…<br />"Are you from here?" The lady was talking to me again<br />"Oh God no!.... I am Saudi" I love it when I say that…with a cheeky smile and one eye brow way high <em>( I know I am typical najdiya..lol)…</em>and I love the effect it has on people…whether it is surprise…interest…admiration or even fear…Like and old American friend used to say " you Osama ben Laden girl!"..lol<br /><br />The lady looked at me with interest…as if I was a lab rat with a new mutation…<br />"Very Interesting…" she smiled and said with her weird accent…<br />"Where are you from?" I asked<br />"Israel…." I backed up and starred at her nose from a natural reflex…It is not that I have never seen Jews in my life before or talked to some of them…Actually there are always around or in Arab crowds… Some of them you might know about and some of them not…Some of them that look like one and some not…But it was the first time I talked to one from the "I" word…<br /><br />"Oh how nice….!" I never worked so hard on giving an answer or smiling in my whole life…This time I really looked around in search of my friend who has literally disappeared….<br /><br />"You live here?" I can't believe it she is still talking…<br />"Actually No… I am just here for visiting…."<br />"My son lives here…He went to Imperial and now he works in the family business…I came to see him…Maybe he can show you around?"<br /><br />I couldn't believe it this woman was matchmaking me with her SON!!!!!… She must be schizophrenic…or was so bored and decided to make a joke….or she is the smartest most intelligent woman I have ever met….<br /><br />"No thank you…I am here with family and friends…and besides I am not staying very long…"<br />"Can I still have your number…I might give you a call and invite you to dinner or a drink somewhere…" This time the son spoke…<br /><br />I was speechless…<br /><br />That’s when my friend decided to pop in and say " Yalla <em>(meaning : come on)</em> Mashael..we have our table!" I never was so pleased too see her in my whole life…and never ever has she had a most perfect timing…I grabbed my bag…and looked at the pair "It was very nice meeting you…Have a lovely evening!" Being my mother's daughter I HAD to be polite…<br />And I rushed behind my friend never looking back….<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1162133816547529502006-10-29T03:13:00.000-08:002006-10-29T07:38:31.670-08:00The MeccaBelated Eid Mubarak to all "Ba3d al za7ma" <em>(meaning after the crowd)….</em>lol.....I hope you got a lot of goodies and a lot of pocket money from parents and spouses…I know I did….being the only girl in a family of boys and spoiled to death….lol<br /><br />I am sorry for not keeping you updated but obviously I was away for a couple of days and I think you guessed where to<em>….(duh ! since I put it in BIG fluorescent GREEN letters at the very top!!!!)</em>…..Mecca…<br />I was so touched by this year's experience <em>(and still am)</em> that I HAD to share it with you guys…<br /><br />Since I was a little girl the last ten days of Ramadan has been spent in one of the holiest places: Mecca…But UNLIKE when I was little girl I can't run to <em>the black stone</em> * anymore kissing it as if it was my favorite<em> (one eye left)</em> doll …Nor can I zigzag through the red brick Ottoman arches and then climb onto <em>the golden gates</em>** ……Nor can I run around and around and around chasing pigeons till my head spins while my mother prays or performs the <em>Umra***….</em>Nowadays, I am lucky if I do see the Kaa'ba <em>(the house of god on earth for Muslims which was at ancient times also a place of worship and used as a temple)</em> even less the black stone….<br /><br />* <em>A stone that is stuck to a corner of the Kaa'ba.. Historically, it is the first stone that Ibrahim& his son Ismael used to build the Kaa'ba…Scientifically, it contains unique materials or minerals that doesn't exist till this day…Spiritually, It is said to be a meteorite from the heavens above, it is also believed that it has the power to cleanse worshippers of their sins by absorbing them into itself. They say that the Black Stone was once a pure and dazzling white and it has turned black because of the sins it has absorbed over the years….Now I guess it is just super duper pitch black….<br /></em><br />**<em>These are the doors that marks the entry to the Kaa'ba but they are permanently closed ONLY if you are lucky to be there when they clean it once a year…<br /><br />*** The mini pilgrimage which includes 7 rounds around the Kaa'ba anti clockwise and the "to" and "from" of the two mountains Safaa and Marwa..<br /></em><br />This year including me <em>(bloggers who watched the Saudi TV through the whole month… I was the gorgeous one wearing black with blue stripes :p)</em> anyway including me there was at least 3 million people… yes you read that right…3 MILLION people mashalla!!!! <em>(meaning God does as he pleases)…<br /></em><br />A quick reminder: praying the 10 last days of Ramadan seeking <em>"Laylat Al Qadr"****</em> is NOT a must or a pillar of Islam like Hajj <em>(the main pilgrimage)</em> that CNN people love to show again and again sometimes… It is only a Sunna meaning something the prophet used to do but you don't have to do it…soooooo this year there were 3 MILLION people doing something they do not have to do…<br /><br /><em>**** Meaning the "Night of power": It is one of the 10 last nights of Ramadan...But we are not too sure which one….Some people think it's the 21st or 23rd or 25th or 27th or 29th of Ramadan… whoever attains the blessings of this holy night should attain perfect power in his spiritual life, its value is more than one thousand months of worshipping and all your prayers are granted…<br /><br /></em>Do you actually picture 3 million EXCLUDING the habitants of Mecca which are approx. 1.4 million in a small city…It is needless to say that cars where parked at the city's gate and people were actually praying in the streets…There was no more room in the extended 3 floors marbled mosque surrounding the Kaa'ba…nor around it….nor between the buildings and small streets…nor after the buildings and small streets….So it had to be the main streets till the city's gate….As I looked down to all these people that came from across the nations… while they moved harmonically… prostrating together in a moment of silence….Foreheads on the carpeted floor… delivering themselves from the burden on their shoulders till the first signs of light appear in the velvety sky…speaking different languages…some of them not even understanding what the imam chants…But crying at his tone of voice and his prayers…I couldn't help but wonder…No wonder they envy us and are trying to kill us, humiliate us, imprison us every where in the world…Even "I " envy us….If I were them I wouldn't care how much petrol a country has…nor gold…nor precious stones…nor gas…nor history or culture…But how much faith…How much unshakeable faith it has…and maybe that is their main incomprehension...<br /><br />A total incomprehension of why is this holy place forbidden to non Muslims? Why the few "spies" through history that came in as fake Muslims went back as real ones? Why do millions come every year hoping to die while performing pilgrimage and if not come back the next year? What is so special about Islam that it has the biggest numbers of believers in the world? Why a poor man who has nothing to eat shares his piece of bread and dates with a complete stranger? Why some powerful people in this country have their homes open 24/7 for people to come in…eat, drink, pray and rest? Why do people spend millions everyday on other people behind no motif such as being known publicly as a good man or escaping taxes? Why don't we have taxes? Why don't we have a "Madonna" to advertise our beliefs or a "Hilary Clinton" that encourages us to cry on our walls? Why is the president of a country praying next to the popper in the street? Why don't we even notice or care that presidents, kings, queens bend their heads with us? Why are we increasing even with the lack of brain wash from media and movies? Why don't we fight for land, power or money like the rest of the world? Why are we willing to fight and die for faith whether it is right or wrong? Why aren't we afraid of death? …<br /><br />This incomprehension leads to wars… freezing bank accounts in the name of terrorism…stopping charity cases under the same name…imprisoning whoever is a bit religious or looks like one…killing innocents… exterminating new generations…Having an uncontrollable feeling of destroying the unreasonable, the illogical , the unknown…<br /><br /> But for every action there is a reaction…and this year our reaction was this…with every injustice in the world there will be a million more new Muslims….coming to pray…to forget…to surrender…to cry…to feel strong…to feel as one…<br /><br />" اللهم احفظ هذا البلد آمناً مطمئناً ....و سائر بلاد المسلمين......آمين"<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com60tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1161100289397521132006-10-17T08:40:00.000-07:002006-10-17T08:56:53.416-07:00What is said in Closed Circles!<em>The intelligent person sees with the heart the result from the beginning;the one lacking in knowledge only discovers it at the end.</em><br /><br />-Mathnawi [V, 2570]<br /><br />This is supposed to be TOP SECRET and revealed to NO ONE… But us Saudis But being the amazing Mashael that I am…. I am going to share it with you guys….so we will keep it between us and the whole Blogosphere…lol<br /><br />This post is a result of soul baring confessions, non stop gossip and goose bumpy experiences of Saudi men and women over the years…You will know exactly their deepest desires, their secrets, their tastes and their shameless thoughts…These are only said in closed circles… Saudis themselves might get shocked when seeing it in print or how the opposite sex thinks… Of course I couldn't resist filtering the ideas through the supreme judges <em>(me and my girls)</em> and that is what came out of it….Please note that these are general statistics…let me rephrase that GENERAL STATISTICS...so it is quite common to find a few exceptions…<br /><br />You must know by now <em>(if not then read my blog all over again)</em> that Saudis are quite racist when it comes to bind themselves in holy Matrimony….But of course there has been a few mixed marriages over the years and even more recently….Therefore do not be surprised to find Dark skinned, olive skinned, fair skinned, Big eyes, small eyes, green eyes, hazel eyes, Blue eyes, Chinese eyes, blondes <em>(yes we have natural blondes and no we are not going to pay the amount of 10 camels if we see a blonde from Europe…From all the clichés about us that is the most ridiculous people!!!!)</em> Chesnut Brunettes, Black version brunettes <em>(we still do not have redheads…personally I have never seen one here)</em> coming up to you one day and saying " Hi, I am from Saudi Arabia " which probably is a good thing….<br /><br />That is why I am going to tell you what Saudis go for, if by any chance they are not involved with another Saudi…<br /><br />Let us start with Saudi women....<br /><br />Arab men:<br /><br />1st position= Iraqis…meaning men from Iraq…For the following reasons…They are considered one of the very few viril alpha males that exist in our world today if not the only!!!!…which makes us feel terribly feminine and vulnerable…They come from one of the oldest and greatest civilizations….They tend to be extremely educated and cultivated….<br />2nd position = Iraqis again for the same reasons mentioned above…<br />3rd position = Emiratis…meaning men from UAE…For the following reasons…They tend to be EXTREMELY gorgeous and EXTREMELY generous…They have nothing underneath their traditional " Thobs" except for a piece of cloth that they call "Hizar" = easy access…!!!! A bit like the Scotts and their skirts <em>(Although I think they wear something underneath that…enlighten me people!!! Lol )…</em>.. They are a bit slow on the bright side but have a heart of Gold…<br />4th position = Lebanese… meaning men from Lebanon…For the following reasons…They are very trendy…They tend to speak different languages…They look European…although their Star is starting to fall do to an extent on their feminine side…<br />5th position = Qataris…meaning men from Qatar…For the following reasons…Half of the population is already Saudi they just crossed the border that is all…The country is still under construction so we have a feeling that we bought the civilization and our classy way of living TO them…<br />6th position = Bahrainis…meaning men from Bahrain…For the following reasons…They are considered Saudis number 2…we spend most of our weekends in their country…They tend to have similar backgrounds…we feel in power…<br />7th position = Kuwaitis… meaning men from Kuwait…They are street smart…They are energetic buzzy bees<em>…(actually Kuwait is one of the few middle eastern countries where the streets are packed starting 7 or 6 a.m till 2 a.m )…</em>They know what they want and go for it…<br /><br />Of course other Arab countries exist but they are not that popular among Saudi women but like I said earlier there might be a few exceptions…e.g Amrou Diab <em>(a famous egyptian singer)</em> married a Saudi<br /><br />Non Arab men:<em> ( I can feel the anxiety ….lol)<br /></em><br />1st position= Italians and Spanish…although They come from completely different countries, different languages, different lifestyles and even different menus…We consider them as one…For the following reasons…They are dark and tend to have Arabic features…They are family oriented…They are " caliente" <em>(meaning hot)</em> …They like food in quantity…They have a night life and they do not have a strict timetable for their daily lifestyle or chores….<br />2nd position = Americans… meaning men from the United States of America….For the following reasons…They are circumcised at birth…Back in the days, they were the most powerful country in the world and the place to be…They were in our part of the world and still are, so we got used to them…They have no rights whatsoever compared to their women… So they tend to be extremely surprised, affectionate, grateful and caring when we take care of them and let them be the man of the house…They make great fathers…<br />3rd position = Germans, Swiss Germans, Austrians…Although completely different we consider them as one because of the language…We tend to have most of our medical check ups in their country so we figured better be with your life savior…They have a terrible attraction to oriental, big eyes, dark haired women…They would happily integrate by learning the language* and knowing the culture…<br />* <em>Germans are one of the few Europeans that speak several languages without a strong accent and without much effort…<br /></em>4th position = French…meaning men from France…For the following reasons…They have a great mixtures with the North African countries…Their music is 60% Rai and 30% French…so we get to understand a few words…Because of the mixture they became open minded…Tall…extremely beautiful and more tolerant via other cultures…<br /><br />Unfortunately, other European/Asian countries are not considered at all….Although Canadians and Australians might be an option when the Saudi woman in question lives there for whatever reason and can't be bothered to mingle with the rest of the world…<br /><br /><br /><br />Saudi men…<br /><br />Arab women:<br /><br />1st position = Moroccans… meaning women from Morocco…For the following reasons…They are said to be good in bed <em>(among other things)</em> …The ones that Saudi men go for look EXACTLY like Saudi women…They can integrate easily in the country, dialect and culture as if she was born here…<br />2nd position = Moroccans again for the same reasons mentioned above…<br />3rd position = Syrians…meaning women from Syria…For the following reasons… They tend to be beautiful….They have porcelain skin….They are quite low profile….They look very innocent but aren't at all….<br />4th position = Egyptians…meaning women from Egypt…For the following reasons…They are amazing sweet talkers…Life with them is fun…They are good at belly dancing…They remind us of the old black and white romantic comedy Egyptian movies…<br />5th position = Emiratiat…meaning women from UAE…For the following reasons…They are quite primitive…so everything that the Saudi man will show her will be fascinating….One of our celebrity bachelor married one so they became in fashion…They only think about one thing…They have long velvety hair and they can dance with it…<br />6th position = Bahrainiat or Kuwaitiyat…meaning women from Bahrain or Kuwait…They tend to be educated but that is not the reason why Saudi men go for them….maybe because they are our neighbours?...Hmmm…I am not too sure…will skip that one<br />7th position = Pakistaniat…meaning women from Pakistan….For the following reasons…They tend to be very feminine…They have a fascination for the Arabic speaking countries…They remind us of Bollywood although the latter is Indian…<br /><br />Of course other Arab women from other countries are also considered… like Lebanese, Iraqis, Jordanian and Palestinians... But they are quite rare, since for example Lebanese women tend to be beautiful but extremely superficial, very modern and "show off"… knowing Saudi men, they tend to go for more reserved, low profile women with a spot light smaller than theirs <em>(That is why Syrians are so popular) </em>Although Kuwaiti men tend to prefer Lebanese women for the same exact reasons mentioned above…. A question of society and taste…<br /><br />Non Arab women:<br /><br />1st position = Indonesians…meaning women from Indonesia… For the following reasons…In most cases they tend be their children's nannies…They know how to cook clean and do all the hously chores…They like to flirt with their bosses and They can't live without " Some of that"…They tend to be petite which leads to a feeling of protection from our heroic Saudi men….<br />2nd position = "7abash" meaning women from Ethiopia…For the following reasons…They are quite numerous in number within every Hajj<em> (pilgrimage)</em> period we tend to have a new wave…They are the "first times" for a lot of our Saudi men…They are very unconscious…<br />3rd position = Italians…meaning women from Italy…For the following reasons…They are family oriented…They can make good housewives and good cooks…They always have that mythical aura to be the sexiest women in Europe.. Since most Italian men tend to slap them around in a moment of anger…They tend to be relieved by the non violent nature of Saudi men in general…<br />4th position = Spanish or South American….please note that women from Spain or South America come after the Italians in a Saudi man point of view…and they have the same reasons as Saudi women to go for them..so go back to 1st position non Arab men…<br />5th position = Russians or Eastern Europeans… For the following reasons ... They look like they were cut and pasted from Fashion TV… They tend to go for whomever will marry them to get out of there…They are quite docile and obedient <em>(Their men might have something to do with that)<br /></em>6th position = Americans.... meaning women from the United States of America…For the following reasons… They tend to be their university "partners" when they were in college… They are quite spontaneous and easy going…Although their Star is starting to fall dramatically post 9/11 & The wars in the Middle East ….Also because they have a contagious tendency to sue for everything….. e.g. being caressed or cuddled without their consent or the morning coffee is too hot…<br />7th position = Japanese…meaning women from Japan…for the following reasons…They are very reserved… They are spotless when it comes to cleaning and hygiene… They have narrow female parts compared to the Arab male counterparts…They easily give their man some space and know their place…They look like little girls…<br /><br />Of course other countries may be considered…Saudi men are more tolerant and less racist when it comes to relationships than their women mainly because they are less restricted by families, religion, law, society and even government…But Saudi women would go for it if she finds that the "foreigner" in question surpasses her men compatriots in every way…<br /><br />On that joyful note I sign out….peace x x x<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com96tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1160667677496211132006-10-12T08:29:00.000-07:002006-10-12T08:41:17.513-07:00Are married men safer?<em>Men:<br />At 20: They don't know what they want<br />At 30: They know what they DON'T want<br />At 40: They know at last what they want<br />At 50: They don't want to know anything<br />At any age: They think they know what we want<br /><br />Women:<br />At 20: They want everything<br />At 30: They hope for everything<br />At 40: They know everything<br />At 50: They finally understand everything</em><br /><br />I read it in a book somewhere….<br /><br /><br />8’clock in the morning... work.....<br /><br />I felt a bit drowsy …I am having once again those sleeping phases : I am extremely tired once I go to bed and then suddenly I wake up in the middle of the night.. Like a possessed woman...<br /><br />Ok... let’s get one thing clear here... I am not really "possessed" It is just an expression for all you jinni-ghostly-the evil eye believers out there...and besides with all the Sourats of the <em>“Cow”</em> * I put in my room...you really have to be a huge mean ugly jinni to pass though the door..<br /><br />I know...I am loosing it...<br /><br />* <em>please note that the Sourat of the "cow" is believed to a lot of Muslims to be a good antidote for the evil eye, evil spirit and black magic (yes it still exists and is very present in our part of the world and will talk about it soon in my blog)<br /><br /></em>Well...like I said, I felt a bit drowsy and since my boss was not here to order me around...I was at peace for a while...<br /><br />My "work" partner Sita popped in like she always do...she is one of those people you turn around and see in front of your face in the blink of an eye...<br /><br />At first it freaked me out since I am short sighted and seeing just two sleekly eyes out of a <em>covered face</em>** is too much to handle before my morning coffee...but then I got used to it…<br /><br />**<em>A fact: some girls cover their faces at work and some don't…some do it as a part of tradition and some do it as a way not to be known when she is out partying, on holidays or is simply "chilling" …<br /><br /></em>“Halla <em>(meaning: hi)</em> Masha Habibti <em>(meaning: darling)...</em>how was your weekend????…”<br /><br />“Okay”<br /><br />Kiss...kiss...kiss on the right cheek<br /><br />“No sleep again?...”<br /><br />No kiss on the left…<br /><br />“Hmmm…I don’t know what is wrong with me”<br /><br />“Maybe you think too much...”<br /><br />WHY when something gets out of hand suddenly it's “I think too much”???? Then I get this pitiful you- are- not –alone- in- your- misery-tell -me –what’s –wrong look… Even if it is true... shouldn’t I be tired cause yesterday for example I had the time of my life and I was surrounded by beautiful faces and incredible smiles!!!!!..<br /><br />No comment...<br /><br />“Wanna grab some coffee and sit on the coaches outside?” *** I ended up asking...<br /><br />***<em>Before I get insulted, banned from society and thrown at w/ cucumbers and lettuces please note that this post happened before Ramadan<br /></em><br />“Fine with me!!!!”<br /><br />I like these moments of self meditation while sipping our DR. Dre skimmed milk caramel topping Café latté... cause that is all we end up doing Sita and me in our free time... and besides I had a particular research in mind...<br /><br />“Hey Sita! If this amazing guy comes to you...and you have this incredible connection and everything is right and perfect...but then you found out that he is married with two kids and might have one on the way… Would you still marry him or forget about the whole thing ????”<br /><br />“Good morning....Where did that come from?!!!”<br /><br />“Just a simple question…”<br /><br />For all of you non-Islamic and <em>“cool every Arab has a harem out there!!!”...</em>Let’s clarify some basic principles…it is normal or let’s say it is <em>legal</em> for a guy to have 4 wives...but that is not really the “Vogue” here.. Cause you have to treat them equally: FINANCIALLY and PHYSICALLY...<br /><br />And how many guys do we actually know that can do that for ONE SINGLE person???...so let us not start with four!!!!!..<br /><br />“Well it is kind of hard to say...I myself I am the daughter of THE second wife...and my mom is much younger than my dad...” Sita confessed…<br /><br />The second wife factor… and interesting theory...It usually involves middle aged men…that got married off early by their mothers to <em>(in most cases)</em> their cousins…because she gets along with the mother in law or it is her sister's daughter or she wants to keep the heritage in the family or she just wants grand children that are a perfect genetic clone of herself and <em>(in most cases)</em> mutated….<br /><br />It is important to know that some mothers in the Middle East especially in Saudi like <em>(let me rephrase that)</em> LOVE to be the center of attention and devotion of their sons….If horrors of horrors the "son" in question falls in love…She might do everything in her power to break off the engagement or marriage…A lot of times it works…even if there is nothing wrong with the girl…Feelings shouldn't be involved… The more uninterested he is of his wife the more the mother loves her daughter in law….It is very perverted but it is true in every possible way…<br /><br />Back to my point… middle aged men are usually the ones that get married again… maybe because they want to feel younger …or maybe because at this stage of their life they know what they want and are less influenced by their mothers…or maybe simply because they found the love of their life…the woman they click with intellectually, physically and emotionally…<br /><br />Sita's mom on the other hand is another story...her mom ended up educating the whole family her own kids and the former wife’s kids...which made me think ( H-E-L-LOOOOOOO?????!!!!) but hey who am I to judge????..<br /><br />“So would you go for a guy like that?” I asked<br /><br />“I really don’t know... I have to be in the situation...”<br /><br />Ok...that is not really helping...<br /><br />“I am not a “Kid” person to tell you the truth and if the guy comes with baggage... doesn’t work for me...” Answered my 30 soon turning 31 unmarried friend Aseer when I popped the question...<br /><br />“Even if you asked for divorce? And would you do that?”<br /><br />“Oh yeah … definitely ... I am not the sharing type ... and besides I told you I won’t go for it... I’d rather be alone... It is like this see... I am not willing to “Asoum oua asoum oua asoum 3ashan iftar 3ala basala" <em>(meaning :to fast all this time to end up eating an onion).<br /></em><br />Hmmm… if she puts it that way...!!!<br /><br />I went back home puzzled... How many girls would actually settle in their early twenty’s and even in their late teens for a married guy?<br /><br />“Loads...” answered my second wife to be cousin barely 23...<br /><br />“Yeah...why?”<br /><br />“Well Masha... it is quite simple... it depends on what you really want from life... a married guy usually is more mature… even if he is young cause somebody else did all the work for you.. So when you actually end up with him he knows what to do and brings you security, happiness and all you need without you screaming for it... Take my Badr for example… he loves me to bits since he is the one who chose me and not the mother that bought him his first wife !!!”<br /><br />Clearly the woman has issues with her future mother in law..<br /><br />“And besides" she added " You don’t want a guy stuck to you 24/7 do you?? You have to have your own life make your own plans and achieve your ambitions... And it is soooooooo hard to do that with a single guy because he takes all your energy...”<br /><br />Hmmm ... got a point there...<br /><br />I mean … Single guys are so fussy these days that they actually think they are God... Maybe because there are 50 girls on a guy... even if the latter looks like hippopotamus …And they did actually say <em>(recently in a review)</em> that the Y chromosome is shrinking and in X hundred years the male species will be practically extinct…. Trust me! that’s not something guys would feel bad about...<br /><br />But...if you fall in love with a married guy and you ended up marrying him...Aren’t you the OTHER woman??? The " B" that stole him away ???? Even if he is miserable and he and his wife detest each other and are leading separate lives... <em>(Which most of the time they are)…</em> You are still the evil witch that cast a spell on him… Is it worth all the hassle for one man?<br /><br />Is a married man really safe?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1159632413018655432006-09-30T08:52:00.000-07:002006-09-30T16:47:50.283-07:00A Frenchie in town....(Part II)<em>I like nonsense; it wakes up the brain cells.</em><br /><em></em><br />-Dr. Seuss<br /><br />Here it is the story you have all been waiting for….I will go back to where I left it…<br /><br />Oh this is not good at all…my being polite/social scenario is turning into a nightmare…What will I do? Where do I go? Who should I talk to? Who do I know?…..And there was light!!!!!!!!!!!!!…Daili Lama….<br /><br /><em>(Nooooo not the guy that that sits in a mountain with an orange robe meditating on the complexity of the human soul)….</em>But my friend Lama…we call her Daili the Mighty Lama…Since she is the wisest <em>(not too sure about that)</em> most experienced and the OLDEST of us all….If she knows I used the "O" word she would exterminate me like a black fly on her chocolate soufflee…As long as we can remember: Lama is 29….and tends to be that way for the rest of her life….<br /><br />Anyway had to call her…She might help….I can't do this alone…and I can't pretend Eloi doesn't exist and that he had the wrong number <em>(why didn't I think of that earlier)…</em>and I definitely utterly horribly UNIMAGINABLY can't invite him home for a welcoming meal….I am afraid if I asked my dad he would go spontaneously death…..<br /><br />But usually that is what we normally do…with family friends and others….and the ONLY foreigners that saw our welcome mat on the doorway were doctors…Bankers…and maybe gay interior designers<em>….(hmmm that could be a plan)….</em>Nah…. He doesn't look gay enough….And too risky…..<br /><br />I hate it I hate it I hate it…Cause I can feel the guilt overwhelming me if I just ignored him or told him to "bogger off"… Me being Arab and Saudi and all…. And my "host" genes switched fully on….I just can't do it…Damn genes….Damn Damn Damn<em>…….(sorry to all sensitive ears and PG 12….I am usually a very refined person )<br /></em><br />Anyway had to tell Lama…She will figure something out….<br /><br />She did<em>…(not figure something out)</em> but suggested coming with us and being the guide tour…She thought that it was "marra" <em>(meaning: very)</em> exciting and the thought of practicing her French<em>…(which resumed to: je m'appelle Lama… je suis celibataire… je suis saoudienne *)</em> made her jump for joy and plan her days to come….I don't think she understands the seriousness of my situation over here….If I get caught by any member or relation or anyone that BREATHES the same air as my family be it man…woman... children…plants….trees…cats and even dogs…I will be shesh kabab for supper…<br /><br />So what did I exactly do?….I went and met Eloi with Lama…<br /><br /><em>* " My name is Lama…I am single…I am Saudi…" She thought it was more than enough to get her what she wants with who she wants in whatever French city she wants…<br /></em><br />At Eloi's Hotel…<br /><br />" Oh mon dieu ! <em>(meaning: oh my god!)</em> Masha you become zo pretty and zo tall!"<br />"Well that’s what 7alib Nido** does to a girl!"<br />"Vat?"<br />"Forget it! I am just being silly"<br /><br /><em>** 7alib Nido meaning milk Nido…It is usually a powder milk drank by babies and was for a long time the main (if not the only) advertisement on Saudi TV<br /></em><br />Masha this is not the time for a comedy routine…Everybody in the hotel lobby is starring and Lama is reaaaaaally not helping by drawling over the guy…I am really nervous about the whole thing….But I must confess he changed so much from the skinny little boy with a Lacoste jacket over his shoulders…Hmmm they are creating them pretty good over there…Oh god! This is soooooooo not the time…<br /><br />Eloi on the other hand was like in a world of his own…He wanted me to cover my face <em>(I don't</em> <em>usually do)</em> to see the Shahrazad version of me…The eyes and the veil its like a fantasy to these people…and I had to do it 456 times a day…just for him to think he is Lawrence of Arabia…ahhhh….The simple things in life….<br /><br />He also started talking about his impressions of the country…How his work colleagues were nice and how the whole society is so different and fascinating…He also found my crystal designs in the back really cool and started to touch my Abbaya…I don't know what happened to me but I snapped "Ok….Eloi …Here you shouldn't really touch in public…ok?…BAD…BAD to touch in public!!!"<br />" Oh bien sur! <em>(meaning: of course</em>) I underztand…"<br />" 7'awaftih Meskin……ya 7elelo! (<em>meaning: you scared him poor thing…he's so cute!)"</em> Of course that was Lama' remark….This girl is really getting on my nerves with her "being very sweet and feminine" act…But I must admit she was a great help in the touristic tour…I am beginning to discover my own country<em>…(oh please give me a break!!!!)….</em> How many people around the world do you actually know that know their own country and even less there own city…...5 ?<br /><br />Anyway Like I said I was beginning to discover my own city…We went to all the historical places like "Al Dir'iyyah" which showed the roots and history of Saudi Arabia as well as an insight into the way of life in the region in the late 18th and early 19th century…"Al MusMak Fort" and the Ruler's Palace District …The National museum…and….hmmm…I think that’s about it…lol….<br /><br />If you have told me a couple of months ago that I would find myself in the middle of the afternoon…in the middle of nowhere…exploring hidden treasures…I would have burst out laughing…but here I am…A F***Archeologist<em>…….(sorry again to all sensitive ears and PG 12…. )<br /></em><br />Of course restaurants…Faysaliah globe and shopping centers were on the menu as well…The funny part is…we had no trouble walking around with Eloi…I mean we were not stopped…or questioned or compromised in any situation <em>(only starred at by women who were desperately tying to figure out what was the connection here or because they just wanted to stare)</em> But seriously it actually was very weird…It was like.. yeah you can go in and hang out …yeah no problem he can go in the family section ALONE and meet you guys up….I mean are male foreigners not considered men? Are they not threatening enough? Are they not virile enough? A lot of our security guards and male compatriots tend to think so…<br />It reminds me of an incident that happened to a friend of mine…I was at her place in London and she was changing in the bathroom with the windows wide open…I pointed at the building facing us…and told her that she better close the windows cause people might be watching…she was like " Nah….there only british!" As if she was saying "Nah! They can't get excited!" Or "Nah! They're gay!!!!...." lol :) it is actually hilarious….<br /><br />Anway...back to my story…<br /><br />One night Eloi wanted to invite us in a restaurant to thank us for our hospitality<em>…(he wanted to stay a few more days but I persuaded him to check out Jeddah ..A beautiful city on the red sea…ideal for scuba diving…Cause another day of sneaking and playing hide and seek with the driver is more than I could bare)<br /></em><br />We went to the restaurant "Entrecote"… we thought it would be a nice gesture to take him to the famous French steak house with a breathtaking view of Riyadh…And we thought right…He couldn't believe it…and neither the girls sitting next to us….<br />" Tefakary enhom mdayateen ? <em>(meaning: Do you think they are on a date?)"</em><br />" La La…ouja3 m3a thnenhom? ..Bes Allahou a3lam ! <em>(meaning: No no..I don't think so..with both of them? But you never know!)"<br /></em>" bes hou yihabel! <em>(meaning: he is really cute!)"<br /></em>" eeeehhh….bas sa3ba sara7a hathola mou mtahirin!!!! <em>(meaning: yes…but it is really hard to be with someone like that…these people are not circumcised !)"</em><br /><br />I nearly chocked on my grape juice…lol…poor Eloi they don't even know his name and they already went down his pants…lol…Lama starred at me with a (should- I –teach-them-a-lesson) look… I just shook my head.. It was not worth it…<br /><br />" esma3i ana lazem arou7..Alwaaled jay bas eg3edi enti ma3a alFarensi <em>(meaning: I've got to go..my father is coming but you stay here with the French guy)</em> " That was me…I have to admit and never thought of it till I saw it in print…Saudis have a tendency to drop names when it comes to foreigners and keep the nationality…like "I am with the American will talk to you later…" forget " I am with John will talk to you later.."<br /><br />We even do that to other middle eastern countries like " Wen al Bahraini? <em>(meaning: where is</em> <em>the Bahraini?)"</em> Another fact that emphasizes on thinking ourselves the center of the universe…<br /><br />As I said goodbye to Eloi by giving my hand cause he was going to jump and kiss me… <em>(No you</em> <em>perveted bloggers not a French kiss!!!!</em> ) but the kiss on the cheeks thing… It is a very common thing in France…Anyway as I said goodbye and went back home… I couldn't help but smile…It was an experience I never thought I would have here in my homeland…But it was different and it was nice….<br /><br />That doesn't mean it is ok to visit Masha in Riyadh…NO!!!!!...BAD…BAD to visit Masha in Riyadh!!!!! Never again….:)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1159007328967377972006-09-23T03:20:00.002-07:002006-09-23T05:11:38.103-07:00Ramadan Karim!!!This is a quick post for all my muslim bloggers to wish them a "Ramadan Mubarak"….May all your prayers be granted in this holy month x x x x x x x x<br />To all you people who are doing it for detoxing "Happy Detox" and to all you people who are not doing it well "Happy September"…..<br /><br />Anyway Ramadan was always (for me) an exciting month…For the following reasons: The night life is fantastic…The country switches programs and everything is open till 5 a.m….The food gets much better…Our cook starts having a wild imagination (with the nagging of my mom) and we get to have varieties…. The <em>sambousas</em>* are back on the menu ….And god knows how I LOVE to stuff myself with them…Social life and family reunions are basically on daily basis…..My brothers get really aggressive (They are smokers) so we shouldn't talk, interact, approach them till they have their first cigarette…you get a cut down of cigarettes and other "addictive substances" without a patch stuck to your forehead…You get a cleansing process of the soul, Body, mind and spirit for free….It is a nice change from "earthly" desires, who knows? Might find that center of calm and serenity after all<em>..."Tash ma Tash"</em> ** is back….My working hours are cut to 5 instead of 10…a bliss! ..... I get to wear the <em>jalabiyat</em>*** and have natural A/C flowing through my body for a whole month (and of course it is an amazing way to cover that little tummy of yours when it pops out and says hello after the first meal)….another bliss!!...But will definitely have more difficulty slipping into my jeans after the month passes by…. Can go out at 11:00 P.M without giving a reason….Can sleep till 3:00 P.M without giving a reason as well….We get to travel to Jeddah…and will get to have more time to write to you guys!!!!!<br /><br />I know you are all waiting for Frenshie in town part II…it is coming very soon…promise…x x x<br /><br />* It is a pastry that is usually stuffed with meat, spinach or cheese…It can be fried or cooked in the oven…if you never tried it I would definitely suggest popping out to your local Arabic supermarket and get some…<br />** It is a Saudi comedy series (that comes every Ramadan) and talks about our society and social life in hilarious ways….<br />*** It is a sort of a one piece traditional cloth/dress…usually covered with motifs, broderies and colours …To all my female bloggers and weird guys who would like to try it if you live in Riyadh check out Harvey nicks 2nd floor they have the funkiest <em>jalabiyats</em> ever from Bahraini, Moroccan and Saudi designers…..The prices are not cheap but they are worth it….(these people have to pay me for that advertisement in my oh-my-so famous- blog…… lol )<br /><br />p.s: happy national day to all saudis (Erfa3 Rasek anta sou30udi) !!!!!!.......lol<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1158090600713690312006-09-12T12:43:00.000-07:002006-09-12T15:41:14.300-07:00A Frenchie in town…(part I)<em>No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helped you.</em><br /><br />-Althea Gibson<br /><br />I am writing this post...because the previous post still hurts...so it is my way to keep my mind of things...But please don't hesitate to comment on both...It might help me move on...thanks...love you all x x x x<br /><br />This story will be held in two parts since you have to know the beginning….(how it all started) and the end…(how it all ended..duh!)<br /><br />Anyway it was my 13 birthday and my parents sent us away (my brother and I) to a summer school in the states B.C. (before crash..the 9/11 one)..We never went back A.C…. since it was too much to handle for my mom to see the security guard looking through her make up bag for an hour…<br /><br />Like I was saying my parents sent us away for two major reasons…1) to get rid of us…2) To not see us for a whole month and get rid of us…<br />I was quite glad though… I love new experiences and this one seemed promising….My brother was not that enthusiastic…He was in his aggressive phase and tried desperately to get a full "saksouka" meaning "gottie" from his scarce facial hair by shaving every single morning…(not happening!!!!) and plus he was moaning through the whole flight about not seeing his "shila" meaning "gang" for a whole month….<br />"wija3 benetfash!!!"….meaning "damm we're gonna be so bored"…<br /><br />Must be really hard to be a teen when you are a guy….I mean I thought we had trouble but jeeez…you people are worse…with the mood swings and the facial hair and the uncontrollable........................ok you got the picture…<br /><br />Anyway I loved the school and I loved my roommates even more….But I didn't get to see my brother often…Seeing that I was younger…I was put in another department…At first it kind of scared me…But soon enough I was having so much fun that I forgot all about him…Except when he came to pat me on the head and check my physical state... then I would leave everything to go and sit with him…<br /><br />It is funny but since that young age I always got my ways with men…My brothers were not as different as the others…My family has the strictest macho guys you have ever seen…It is all a question of ego and making them feel needed…I always got my way softly& femininely by making them think it was their way…very simple and always works..…<br /><br />Anyway it was in this school that I met Eloi .…My French friend to be…According to him he is grounded because of his grades…Therefore his parents sent him to the states to punish him..(Talk about a punishment)…lol<br /><br />"I haaate it heeere Masha..it iz horribol…I am living in a tuna can and ze water of ze shower is not calcareous.. yesterday, I stayed in ze <em>putain</em> (meaning f***) shower for an hour to remove ze soap…<em>Tu te rends comptes?</em> ( meaning can you imagine?) when I tink dat I could be wid my cousins in La Cote D'azur <em>a ce moment</em> (meaning In that moment)!!!! "<br /><br />Yes he was a "walad mama" meaning "mommy's boy" and yes he was always complaining but I adored him…he made me laugh with that cute accent of his…<br /><br />"Just go and make friends…of course you wont like it if you shut everybody out…go…talk to people…improve your English…lol!!!"<br /><br />"hahaha..verrry funny..how can you talk to diz peopol ...zey have notiiing to talk about…zey are prehistoric men…zey do not know anything…look at dem over dere…Look! do you think dat iz <em>normale </em>(meaning normal)?" He pointed out at a bunch of guys playing American football beating each other up in the mud….lol…I couldn't stop laughing….he's got a point there...<br /><br />Needless to say he bought a fridge to buy food and stuck it there cause the cafeteria's meal was "unmangeable" meaning "not eatable"…He phoned his family everyday to go back…He finally got his wish….They thought it was enough punishment and in less than two weeks time in this <em>Bled de merde</em> (meaning Country of shit) he hugged me goodbye…<br /><br />(N.B please note that the slang word "Bled" comes from the Arabic word "balad"…which means country…"pays" in French…)<br /><br />9 years later... Never thought of seeing Eloi again till he called me from a private number....<br /><br />"Alloooo...Masha...C'est Eloi ( meaning It is Eloi)..."<br />"Eloi....who?"<br />"Eloi..rimember...summer school...I told you I might be coming....I am heeere..surprise!!!!"<br />"Here where? Here in Saudi...here in Riyadh?????????"<br />"<em>ouuuuiiii</em> (meaning yes)....I have a business meeting but I tought I see you also..<em>C'est pas fantastique?</em> (meaning isn't it fantastic)?"<br /><br />No... <em>c'est pas fantastic</em>....It is sooo not" fantastique"...True we exchanged emails...true I told him to come and visit Saudi one of these days...But isn't it one of those social things you do and never mean...I mean how many people did you actually take contacts from and called them even less visited them... (if somebody tells me loads...I will strangle them)<br /><br />Oh no this is not good...not good at all....my being polite/ social scenario is turning into a nightmare.... (to be continued)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1158059192602143202006-09-12T03:43:00.000-07:002006-09-12T06:12:15.300-07:00A Loss<em>I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.</em><br /><em></em><br />-Robert Brault<br /><br />Before I go into details…I have a question for all of you…Do you believe in girls and guys friendship?... Can we be so connected to the opposite gender in every way and still be friends? Is it natural? Can the creation of your being since the beginning of time "to be in a couple" vanish? And just have a mirror of yourself reflected in his/her eyes? …<br /><br />If you asked me the same question a couple of months ago I would have definitely said yes…although a lot of people in our society would doubt it…It is not really a matter of geography than education…Being Saudi you cannot really hangout with other Saudis unless there are family or school/university/holiday friends…and even if you do.. Being in a group would be more moral and less "harmful" to reputation…<br /><br />But if horrors of horrors you end up going out and have a "friendly" one to one coffee break with a guy the probability that this guy is perceived as your potential "partner" is 99.99%...<br /><br />The location doesn't make a difference although places such as dim light restaurant, Chalets, "Istirahas" meaning "get away places", the diplomatic quarter (now it is harder with the tanks over there), the Bridge overlooking the cemetery (don't ask! Lol) and the Globe on top of Alfaysaliah are all considered "positive" date material… and bringing your "friend" there might look kind of dodgy… or that you are trying to make a move…<br /><br />But if by any chance you happen to be abroad and he/she is too…you might meet up….hang out….catch up physically what you have been endlessly babbling about on the phone and e.mail…and spending your whole break with him/her…<br /><br />Trust me nobody with a normal mental capacity will think that a straight, complete, functioning male could be that close to his similar in a female and not have feelings for her…but it happened….to me<br /><br />Before I begin…let me tell you…I am one of those people that do not believe that my kinder garden mud playmate is my best friend and the rest " basta" meaning "out of the way"… Actually my kinder garden playmate was my best friend but life has made its course and we passed piggy tails era…Now we are just friends with a sense of nostalgia… Sometimes I feel closer to friends I have met 5 min ago but feel as if I have known them for ages…sometimes I feel closer to work colleagues that I see most of my time and can relate to during my stress attacks…and sometimes I go back to friends that really annoy me during regular days but are there when times get rough… To cut a long story short…I do not have a best friend…but friends I got close to along the way and through the different stages of my life…except for him…<br /><br />He was different ..(not only physically different= he didn't have a curvacious upper body and matching bag/ shoes:):)) but mentally as well…he was the only one that saw me go through transformation from a hormonal adolescent with braces at 14 and turn to a more "Thagila" meaning "posed" young woman at 24….<br /><br />For 10 years he was the pillar ..the security and point of comfort in my life…I loved him like my brother...maybe more…cause I didn't see the latter often…We had our quarrels and fights but he always managed to soothe me somehow and vice versa…<br /><br />I guess I should have seen it coming when he sat me down one day and blubbered the whole truth…The truth that I was the one...The truth that he loved me from the first day he layed eyes on me…The truth that he couldn't stand seeing me with another… The truth that all these years he searched for a way to tell me… The truth that no one will understand me like he does…The truth the no one will ever love me like he will…The truth that he wants to be serious and settle down…The truth that he wants to be the father of my children whether their his own or not…The truth that he could wait for ever if he is sure to have me in the end…The truth about his feelings…The truth about us and the truth about him…<br /><br />My eyes expanded in a moment of lucidity …and my heart contracted so much that I thought it would burst…I couldn't swallow…and I couldn't breathe…I just stared at him while listening to my own heart beat in my ear…<br /><br />It is over…It can never be the same again…I should've known…But I was in denial…denying it in my head…denying it in my heart…<br /><br />For years…My friends saw us as the perfect couple…Tall, incredibly gorgeous, smart, successful… He is every woman's fantasy…what was wrong with me…???<br /><br />But maybe sometimes you need that perfect chemistry with that imperfect someone to fall in love.................If I did... I would have left everything for him….but I hadn't...so I lost… I lost the best friendship I've ever had and ever will…I lost the closest person to my soul and heart…I lost a part of me…I lost myself…and I lost him…<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31664851.post-1157156231492016892006-09-01T16:49:00.001-07:002006-09-01T17:59:13.443-07:00Bluetooth the new dating method?<a href="http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/dont.php"></a><a href="http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/dont.php">http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/dont.php</a><br /><br />I thought about showing you this URL...loooooooooooollllllllll...you've got to see this!!!!!...but don't forget to get back and read my blog....or no more goodies for you guys...lol<br /><br /><em>In form you are the microcosm;<br />in reality you are the macrocosm.</em><br /><br />-Mathnawi [IV, 521]<br /><br />Wednesday night..The beginning of another weekend..(the w/e here is Thursdays and Fridays by the way)..In some middle eastern countries its Fridays and Saturdays and sometimes it’s a bit of Wednesdays and a bit of Fridays and sometime Thursdays…very confusing if you are a tourist even more confusing if you are a civil…So for all of these countries that are changing all the time..(If by any chance you are reading this)…stick to a day people…seriously…jeeeez!!!<br /><br />Anyway..yes I am back in the country…..and can I admit???…I'm politically incorrectly glad to be here.. although half the city is out of town and you can fry eggs on the main road…It feels sooooo good!!!!<br /><br />Let me explain I am one of those very very very very rare people that get bored on holidays…the first week its relaxing…the second interesting…the third I am going out of my mind!!!!!!..I need to do something and quick..I know I know...should get myself checked..but hey my boss adores me...:):):):)<br /><br />After three weeks of this fresh new glad-to-be-home feeling...My life was resumed to work to house to house to work..Maybe a quick stop to a supermarket somewhere since my 6’ o’clock sharp chocolate double fudge ice cream cravings are getting worse everyday..<br /><br />Please don’t analyze the reason..I don’t want to know..<br /><br />Anyway on a particular low hot summer Wednesday evening a high school friend called..<br /><br />"What are you up to?" she asked in a laid-back kind of voice..I don’t know why but something about the Saudi air makes you want to talk slower then the usual.. I personally call it the SVS..."saudi voice syndrome!"<br /><br />"Nothing much!"<br /><br />"Want to go out somewhere..and shop around?"<br /><br />"I really don’t feel like it!" And that was so true regardless of me feeling low..<br /><br />"Oh come on..Get ready and we will meet up in "Al Faysalia" or do you prefer "Al Mamlaka?"<br /><br />(Two main shopping center-hotel-restaurant-cafes-globes-all in one enormous skyscrapers in central Riyadh)<br /><br />"These are my options?"<br /><br />"Where else would we go? Listen lets first go to the Mamlaka’s woman section..If you had enough of the whole parade..We can go to the Faysaliya.." Yes! we have a whole woman section and No! we do not have bachelorette parties there..<br /><br />"What parade?"<br /><br />"God! You have never been?"<br /><br />"No..is that bad?.."<br /><br />"Oh my god you will see the whole "fadaye7"... meaning "the whole uncensured version"... It is a live fashion show and plus it is a Wednesday night so EVERYBODY is going to be there..get ready for some major showing off!"<br /><br />"You know I never understood this concept..I mean it is just us girls why the whole make up..Tight jeans..Loose hair? Don’t we have to on the contrary be as simple as possible in case of a dirty look which leads to a 40 degrees fever the next day?"<br /><br />"Just come..Plus I miss you girl. We never see you!"<br /><br />"Ok..ok 20 minutes I am there"<br /><br /><br />An hour later..<br /><br />(That is another thing about the Saudi air..You can never make it on time even if you try your very best)..I met my good friend for a coffee on the Mamlaka’s 3rd floor woman’s section.. Although everybody took out their “Abayas”... “Tarhas” and everything that could possibly cover up what they so desperately tried to show...I felt uncomfortable without a piece of cloth hanging loose from my head..I guess it is a question of habit...<br /><br /><br />In the timing of exactly 5 minutes I was tired of the whole parade.."My good friend" on the other hand loved every minute of it.. Pointing and commenting on every other girl..I just listened in a state of semi consciousness...I didn’t realize how tired I was till I actually walked..This is not good..New september resolution..(i have a resolution per month..never works!)..Walk and use these things in your body called legs..<br /><br />Which made me think I need a new pair of shoes..?!<br /><br />Needless to say that shoes lead to clothes that lead to bags that lead to accessories which even lead to nightwear..<br /><br />Another New september resolution don’t go shopping unless physically and emotionally stable..<br /><br />I was low again..So we decided to go to the Faysaliya..On our way there I received a message..and another one then another one..As I searched through my bag for the squeaking voice I realized that I didn’t know any of those numbers..and it also came in a strange peculiar way..Like a sort of business card or something..This was the day I discovered Bluetooth..<br /><br />I know what you are thinking at this moment..Where has she been living….Mars?..I know..But technology is not really my cup of tea..I knew there was something in my phone under the name of Bluetooth but never tried to know what it was..For crying out loud.. I just discovered a month ago that we could text faster using a T9 dictionary.. and you are talking to me about using a laser beam..<br /><br />I had all sort of messages like.."want to get to know you"..or "my god I am bewitched by your eyes"..and very corny and cheesy things like that..But there was one in particular that made me smile..<br />A Bugs bunny kind of arabized rabbit pointing his finger at me and going " Whats up doc????" I know it is silly but it made me laugh..<br /><br />"Where do these come from?" showing the messages to my friend<br /><br />"Oh Bluetooth! Look around you..."<br /><br />I didn’t get her at first but as I focused on the cars Mercedes..BMs..Lamborguinis…Hammers..They were full of teenagers, young men, older men, super married middle aged men…it suddenly struck me but of course it was a typical Wednesday night..There had to be some flirting going on..<br /><br /><br />"Where did here- is- my –number- in –your- face go?" I asked rather dumbly<br /><br />"You have been away for too long girl..Bluetooth is the new thing"<br /><br />"But who do you know which is which?"<br /><br />"Well that is the tricky part it might be this guy or that one..or even that other one..and sometimes it is not aimed at you..or aimed at everyone..So you got to keep your senses alert.."<br /><br />"So they don’t know my number right?" I asked dumbly again<br /><br />"Of course not! There are not mind readers it is kind of a laser text messaging..I think it is kinda cute..Coz you get all these sweet words without having a psycho driving behind you or even having eye contact"<br /><br />Hmmmm...talk about "a lifting the spirit" therapy...<br /><br />Needless to say I got addicted..no not in a perveted type of way… (ok a bit)..lol..but in sending and receiving those funny soudanese/weird shubby cartoons video clips..hilarious..I don't know who invented those..but they are geniuses..if you guys have any send me some...:):):)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script language="javascript" src="http://neocounter.neoworx-blog-tools.net/premium_trial.php?user_counter=39393_1"></script></div>mashael alhajerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03951053965533745536noreply@blogger.com90