So I come home and my aunt (5alti) is there and she says “Are you fasting with us or with Amreeka?” … yeah… I don’t think I gave her an answer actually… so yeah… like totally totally yeah yeah…
—
Soooo… I go into Sultan Center in Dhajeej at around 1am… it was fucking crowded… of course it was because of Ramadan… Now that, for the first time, ruined my usual lovely relaxing after-midnight Sultan Center experience… you go there… it’s almost empty except for some newlyweds, there’s always at least one couple… some guys who look like they just left the gym… or had intense sexual intercourse together maybe… sometimes you see a father and a kid… and also people who work at Sultan do their shopping there… of course there are some people there who, just like me, enjoy this late Sultan experience… it’s really relaxing to go spend something around 20 kd like 3 times a month there… very therapeutic… it has this nice feeling like a mini IKEA-tour feeling… Every time I walk through IKEA I feel like I should get married real soon… talk about being materialistic, right? … “It’s not exactly marriage” I argue with myself “it’s just that it’s the feeling of wanting to decorate your own place I guess.” I later add “It’s not easy for a single guy in Kuwait to get to live in his own place.”
“It’s affordable I mean” I exclaim, “But there’s lots of things you have to deal with” I think I meant parents here…
So yeah…
—
“The life is not like this, it’s like that” – Karmük Kiminski, Polish shoes
—
Archive for the 'family' category
I don’t believe in Panadol…
The last standing of the BAIA men: Moos at 39.5
Well, during the 4 performances we did with BAIA for the “Railway Children” people started getting sick one by one… one actor actually had to be replaced in the last performance… Everyone, and I say everyone got sick except me… well, not 4 days after the last show… here’s how it went…
Tuesday I started coughing a lot. Wednesday I got fever and the coughing got worse and I got headaches and hallucinations ( hallucinations section is explained at the end of this post : – D ) Hussain offered to get me to the doctor then he got busy with work, so Talal took me instead. The doctor told me I’m 39 and that I have to get an injection to lower it, as for the asthma, yes asthma, I got kammam (the oxygen mask/inhaling machine, whatever it’s called) and the doctor sent me home with some antibiotics, yeah I also had a sour throat… I never got an asthma attack since maybe 8 years or more… anyway I go back home, do what I’m told… went to sleep, woke up the next morning (Thursday) and felt like I was burning! it was 11, no one was at home, so I call my mom… she comes rushing from work and takes me to the local clinic… The doctor tells me I reached 39.5, and that I wasn’t suppose to take the injection and the kammam together yesterday… they don’t get together well, apparently… so he orders me to go to the nurse and get an IV drip with some medicine he wrote and wait for 30 mnts… I was barely moving, keep in my mind, they attach the IV drip and 15 mnts later hell broke loose! it was so bad my mom thought I was dying… my skin blew up, my body froze and my tongue got very heavy… I couldn’t move… couldn’t talk… couldn’t nothing and was just able to move my feet… I can’t remember how long that took… the place was soooo cold and I started hitting the bed with my feet… They called the doctor and he ordered that they move me to Mubarak hospital… I can’t remember anything between that and finding myself in the ambulance on the way to Mubarak… it was freezing… and my mom was holding my hands all the time…
They take me in, my dad and brother were there, they took some x-rays, did some blood test and got another IV drip… they suspected swine flu, but it wasn’t… my temp stayed 39.5 and I was there for maybe 4 hours… it was so bad I couldn’t cough because every time I did it hurts :/
I tell you people… it was just bad… from a wheel chair to bed to wheel chair to bed… at the end of the day I got to 38 and they sent me home… 2 days of staying in bed and medication…
Then it was 2 days of fever, coughing AND hallucinations… I’m fine now… and able to type with more than one finger! just slight coughing here and there… but ashwa way way better…
Thank god my mom was there next to me or I would’ve gone crazy or something… I hallucinated a lot… my mom told me I had those since I was little… for example on Friday I woke up scared because I thought someone might steal my body parts and sell them… I couldn’t sleep for 5 hours! maybe my dreams got mixed up with my hallucinations or something… On Thursday night I couldn’t move because I was only in charge of my torso… my other body, like Voltron, was controlled by other pilots… and they refused to take me to drink water… I can’t remember on which day I tried sleeping without my head touching the pillow because I had to be careful not to squish the italian tomatoes that were being picked under my head and I had to move my head slowly… like really slowly… yeah… 5arabee6, mo? : – )
My brain was exhausted…
Moos is going down! to the basement that is…
My parents decided to redecorate the whole floor, and what a better timing than Ramadan, right? for 20 days if not more.
So I had to move my stuff downstairs, and it took me a LOT of time to do that… the books, the dvds, the clothes and my dignity! I’ll be sharing a room with my 3 brothers, well… I guess it’s time to catch up with their sleeping habits… and patterns…
So now I’m not sure how I want my “new” room to be like… I seriously have no idea… wallpaper or paint? and what colour? what to put in my room? I sure want my 3 bookshelves, a new desk and a mattress… yup yup! no bed for Mr. Moos ; – )
I’m thinking blue paint, or maybe purple, since it’s the colour of balance in life and all that other stuff… or maybe blue and yellow… hmmm, a friend suggested green, but I’m not keen on green… Mr. Bean…
—
I like this year’s Ramadan, it feels a bit different to me… I really hated last year’s, but this year everything is going fine, except for the weather maybe…
I haven’t been following any tv shows this year, except Bu Qutada w Bu Nabeel of course! *wink wink* but I saw some scenes here n there, and I really like the cinematography… it really got better and better… specially Dawood Hussain’s “D-Tube”… I love how it was shot… for those who are interested, it was shot with 2 RED ONE cameras…
—
I was gonna write a whole post on the Jahra incident, but decided against it… I don’t think the early days of Ramadan are the best time to discuss such things… but I really felt bad for a whole week… how horrible is such a thing, and how horrifying the details are… My deepest condolences to their families… May God bless their souls and may they rest in peace…
Memory lanes, The 3 of them.
Looking at them made me feel really old…
I was driving with a friend… We just left Sultan Center, the one in Fahaheel. On the way back I decided to pass by Al-Mangaf, where I used to live from 1994 till 1997. I passed by the 3amara, I don’t like saying 3emara which shows Al-Mangaf’s influence. Anyway, I was really surprised by the amount of buildings that surrounded the building I used to live in. The area really grew… I didn’t go there in a long long time… They have new schools, and some new malls on a different block… I remember when there was only el 3azeezeya mall. Now you can’t see el 3azeezeya mall… they built so many things there… gee, I feel so old… I used to live there 13 years ago… and the building I used to live in was renovated, like it got one of those really expensive makeovers… and they added 4 more floors to it… So many memories… where I turned from a kid to a man, though people still argue about that!
Then before dropping my friend to Al Qosour, I decided to drive to Al Qurain, where I used to live from summer 1997 till 2000. The house didn’t change much… it just has better cars! jk. most of my memories there were in the dewanyya, either watching KTV2 or playing super nintendo, then PlayStation.
After dropping my friend to his house I thought maybe I should pay one more visit. So I drove to Sabah Al-Salem Area where I was born… not literally! but we stayed there till my dad sold the house and bought the land that is our house now in Al-Salam Area. Memories of the street, el bara7a, el far3, the mosque and neighbours… and running away from our house to my grandparents house, which was maybe 25 mnts away, with shortcuts of course! cuz I knew them… memories of my grandma walking me back from kindergarten… the Pepsi trucks… I always thought that our neighbour’s name was Omrashid as a one name, but of course it was Om Rashid… memories…
writing this, I decided to create a new category called “memories” in which I talk about the old days… *puts on a very deep wise voice* if we talk about the present and the future, why not talk about the past… *back to regular voice and not happy with the joke and thinks it’s very lame but gonna post it anyway*
—
A few days ago I stumbled upon this old Iraqi song, it reminds me of 1990. We were in Ajman in UAE. My mom and grandma used to listen to this song, remember their beloved ones here in Kuwait and sometimes cry… it is a sad song… and me being 7 years old and not fully understanding what was going on, I started crying with them… and that was the last time I ever cried in my life… ok, it wasn’t! but nevertheless, it’s a good song… though I’m not into Arabic stuff, but this brought back memories… the kind of memories that would make you feel safe… oh how innocent childhood was…
The song is titled “Me7tajkom” (I Need You) by Ma7mood Anwar, to download click here
—
Do you think anyone reads an sms msg before reading the sender’s name? just to be surprised? hmm…
Location: Outside Kinokuniya, The Dubai Mall. Time: Now (give or take 5 minutes)
I’m sitting outside Kinokuniya, on the couches there… using the mall’s free wifi.
I arrived in Dubai this morning… I’m staying at a hotel called Copthrone… It’s an isalmic hotel, where women at the reception wear veils and it has no alcohol or anything… My father chose that one. Why? No idea. It’s probably because of my 2 sisters, he wants to make sure they are safe. But I have nothing against the hotel… It’s just I never thought it existed…
Ok. the guy that sat next to me when I started writing this just moved to another couch, I think he was reading what I was writing… he sat normally and when I started writing he leaned back… like really back, and I felt that his breath became nearer… anyways, the hotel is ok I mean… who am I to complain, right? I’m staying here for 4 days for free…
I think I spent 1 hour and a half in Kinokuniya… I got 3 books… 2 for me, 1 for a friend… I wanted to get more but I left my money at the hotel’s room… because I knew I was gonna go berserk here… which I am tomorrow or the day after…
My sisters went to something called “The Dragon Mall”? where they sell cheap chinese slaves… Not! they have all kind of cheap stuff… like really cheap… like beyond cheapness… anyways…
I’m meeting a facebook friend in an hour or so… chat over coffee… we never met before… and she’s paying for it! that was my condition because I’m here for free right? but I’m gonna pay for my coffee and her’s… I don’t pretend to be a gentleman because I am one!
My other Emarati friends are all busy today and I’ll probably meet some of them on Saturday… Tomorrow I’m taking my sister’s to the ice-thingy-thingy in The Mall of Emirates and then have lunch and not go for shopping with them!
My iPod shuffled to “The Christmas Wish” John Denver and The Muppets… nice song…
What I like about being in Dubai, and I probably said that before is that I lose my identity here… people don’t have an idea where am I from… for them I’m just someone who can speak english and that’s it… In Kuwait whenever you go somewhere you are treated as a Kuwaiti… not that’s a good or a bad thing… They just know you are from Kuwait and treat you with a certain judgment in mind, again it could be positive or negative… I haven’t traveled a lot really so it might be a normal feeling whenever I go anywhere… cuz I think I look international baybay!!
Yesterday was the last day of shooting the tv ad… I finally slept 13 hours… after sleeping a total of 6 hours in 4 days… it was hectic but I’m glad it went really good… I already miss it… got used to seeing everyone 14 hours a day for 10 days… hopefully you’ll see the commercial in Ramadhan… I’ll post it here if it gets on youtube or something…
Anyone wants anything from here? other than those who already asked for things? : – )
—
My little sister got 97.1% at school and got me locked in a 3 minutes hug… I’m gonna get her something really nice from here…
I was watching the last episode of “The Tonight Show With Jay Leno” a few weeks ago… I teared towards the end… Do you think that’s too much dedication to comedy? hmmm……
I’m growing my beard again, did I say that before?
When I go back to Kuwait, I’m gonna lose 10 Kgs. … not on the same day! but gonna work on it…
—
This goes to my lovely white rose…
Catching up and down, and movin all around
This has been the busiest month of my life! and it’s gonna get more busy and busy soon!
what have I been up to? hmmm, what haven’t I been up to!
Was part of 2 plays by BAIA, Annie: The Musical and Oliver: The musical… they were only 1 week apart… a lot of rehearsals and hard work, on stage and backstage also… Also was writing a lot, some stuff for a future tv project… haven’t you people had enough of the stupid comedy shows they put on tv here? I shouldn’t have said comedies really… I mean sillies… that’s what I’d like to call them, sillies!! but yeah, hopefully it’ll turn out fine and it gets picked up by some tv channel, an be funny enough… or silly enough… who cares? woohhoo!!
And I’m currently working as a production manager for 2 big tv commercials, we’re doing a lot of pre-production stuff… I’m working with an american producer, and really learning a lot from him… he calls me “hippie” ; – )
I’m also working as an assistant director for a tv show for Ramadan, a 3D animation show *wink wink* a friend of mine likes to think that I’m an AssDirector *another wink wink* … it’s a really nice experience to work with voice acting and editing it then move to animate it rather than what I’m used to in shooting on video… and it does pay well *a big wink wink* and who said I’m only doing it for the money since I’m unemployed? *a really big exaggerated wink wink*
No no, I really enjoy working on such stuff… what else?
I’ve been listening a lot to stand-up comedy by Rodney Dangerfield… “What a crowd! what a crowd!”
I’m going to Dubai on the 25th with 2 of my sisters, this “ma7ram” thing is getting really cool… an all paid trip to Dubai with pocket money… and they think unemployement doesn’t pay!
I haven’t been reading any blogs and have to catch up with you people, that’s if you were writing yourself! but yeah…
My hair is the longest it’s ever been, didn’t even trim it in 4 months… from behind it looks like a very dissapointing afro!
I’ll be writing more soon… the wheel is back in motion…
—-
This song makes wanna have a daughter to sing it to! When I have a daughter I have to find a karaoke version of this song… unless I learn to play guitar at some point in my life…
This is Paul Simon’s “Father and Daughter” … just listen, don’t watch the video, it’ll ruin it for you…
Back from Egyland
I came back last night, or this morning… somewhere in between… 2 days ago to be more accurate or maybe just one…
I’ll be writing about it soon… I just want to thank my friend Mushi for the wonderful time spent there…
As for my aunt, that’s one person I’ll never travel with again… not even if she pays for it… well maybe, but she really really drove me crazy! she’s 7adda unbearable w tbo6 el chabd… she thinks that the whole world works for her or something… ugh!
Moos the Ma7ram is going to Egyland
I’m leaving tonight to Egypt with my aunt. She’s a doctor and she has to take some exam everynow and then.
And yes! I’m the ma7ram. I just love traditions sometimes! specially when they offer 4 days in Egypt fully paid.
I haven’t been to Egypt since I was 5. I can’t even remember how it was. I remember the nile, good enough?
I have a friend there who’s supposed to show me around, since I’ll be doing nothing for the first 3 days, because on the last day my aunt wants to go and see za pyramidz. Did you know that they charge you almost 10 KD for brining a camera inside the museum in Cairo? I mean the ticket is just 3 KD or something, but yeah…
Do you think I should visit any certain places?
My Friday the 30th
This post is based on real events… So real, it just happened!
Some names were changed though… Just 1 name actually, Faisal is being referred to as Batman.
I was in Al Wafra with friends, grilled some chicken and some kebab. Anywho, it was awesome. I totally pigged out. We were there since 3PM. I had lots of chocolate!!
So…
It’s 4 AM now. We leave Dawood’s family’s farm. In Dawood’s car, he’s driving, I’m sitting next to him, in the back seat are Miq and Mr Batman. We’re on our way to drop Miq to his house. So, it’ 30 something minutes of driving listening to really bad music from the radio except for that Phil Collins’ Tarazan song. Dawood’s iPod is all film’s soundtracks, music only. I click on the Disc button. It starts loading disc #6. Dawood says, how about Fairouz? but before he changes the CD, track #3 plays. OMG! it’s Shania Twain’s Ka Ching! I love Shania Twain, maybe I’ll blog about why I do later on, anyway… so it’s 4 guys in a car listening to Shania Twain… 3 are singing along mind you…
The song finishes, and Track #4 starts… I’m not familiar with the music so I skip it *how selfish!*. Track #1 plays… yes, the CD has only 4 tracks! anyway… it’s a Madonna song, don’t know the name… it was, meh… ok-ish. So, it finishes and it’s track #2 it’s Nelly Furtado’s “I’m like a bird”… guess what? we start singing along… and it hits me! We are 4 straight guys singing along to “Ka Ching” and “I’m like a bird”… Dawood and Batman are married guys, mind you, not to each others though! but that’s not important… so we keep repeating these 2 songs… till we reached Miq’s place… Did I mention that Dawood almost got us killed? He drives like a 90 year old! really… ask the guys… and ask him ba3ad! anyway, we drop Miq and I drive instead of Dawood cuz he’s sleepy, or so he says! :-p
So I keep listening to the same 2 songs, when it moved to play track #4 and I was like “hmmm, let’s listen to this one” so music plays and a female starts sing these words
“Don’t look at me
Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, I saw debris
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the pain, I’m so ashamed
I am beautiful no matter what they say”
Yes ladies and gentlemen, it couldn’t get more gay than that! Not that there’s anything wrong with it or anything…
I start singing along with the chorus, cuz that’s all I know. We reach Batman’s place. Drop him. We head to Dawood’s house where I parked my car earlier. I take my jacket and what’s left of my yogurt and thyme marinated chicken which Dawood made sure was sealed! Anyway, I’m listening to my iPod shuffle some Dylan, Eric Andersen, Paul McCartney’s “Junk” and some Phil Ochs. I’m thinking that I have to wake up at 10, take my sister to buy her a new bike cuz she got 97.5% at school and she doesn’t want a phone anymore. Then meet friends at 11-ish then I have a rehearsal from 2:30 till 4 and finally attend the cinemagic screening at 7.
Phil Ochs is singing
“Sailors climb the tree, up the terrible tree
Where are my shipmates have they sunk beneath the sea?
I do not know much, but I know this cannot be
It isn’t really, it isn’t really,
Tell me it isn’t really.”
ok? so, I arrive home. Get out of the car, look for my phone… it’s not there!!
Don’t worry, it’s not at Al-Wafra… I forgot it in Dawood’s car. What to do?
I run upstairs, grap my brother’s phone. Call Miq…
He’s not answering! I send him a msg telling him it’s me, so he calls and gives me Dawood’s number, he was 7adda asleep. Meanwhile Mr Batman was online, so I say can you please call Dawood and ask him to wait for my call, cuz I supposed that he won’t pick it up cuz he doesn’t have my brother’s number and it’s 6:12 exactly! . So Batman calls Dawood. Dawood tells him that he’ll drop it tomorrow…
So I ask Batman for Dawood’s number, though I just got it from Miq!! anyway, I call Dawood and tell him I’m on my way. It’s 10 minutes to his house. OK, I remember that my brother might need his phone cuz he might have work. How can I call Dawood when I’m at is place, cuz I don’t wanna wake up the whole house. So I ask my sister for her mobile, it’s not charged. My other sister’s phone has no credit! Mind you they’re all asleep!
So I go to my brother and ask him what time is his work, he says 9. Great!! I’ll be back before 7 for sure.
I leave to Dawood’s, get my phone. I pass by the gas station on the way. just 3 KD.
I love music!
On the way back home.
Ok, now… again, gotta wake up at 10, take my sister to buy her a new bike cuz she got 97.5% and she doesn’t want a phone anymore. Then meet friends at 11-ish then I have a rehearsal from 2:30 till 4 and finally attend the cinemagic screening at 7.
What a day it’ll be!! I love my life!! :-D
Is this over yet?
No!
I get out of the car, reach for my jacket… NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
It’s now a yogurt and thyme marinated jacket!! Dawood!! I told you to seal the chicken well, and you said you did!! the back seat is also marinated shwayya ba3ad… it’s 7:04!
I take the jacket, leave it in the kitchen… go back to the car to get the chicken. Our driver is washing dad’s car. I tell him to clean the back “marinated” seat.
I put the chicken in the fridge after sealing it again with foil. I head upstairs to my room and I see my mom just coming down to make herself breakfast. I was like “Mom, my jacket! in the kitchen!”
We go to the kitchen, she sees the jacket. She says I’ll handle it. I hug her! thanx mom!!
I ask her to wake me up at 9:30.
She says “your sister is sleeping over at your aunt’s house, take her to buy the bike some other day”
Now I’m seeing my friends at exactly 11, not 11-ish… if you know what I’m saying ;-)
I’ll see you guys in 3 hours!
Anyway…
This is “Junk” by Paul McCartney… Actually an impression of him singing it!! This guy is really good, check out his Freddy Mercury impressions…
Have a nice day everyone :-D
P.S. Thank you Lujain’s parents for sending the photos :) I really appreciate it!
Tell Lujain Tin Man says “Hi” :)
Lujain
I had to wake up early today, the 24th that is. I was among a small cast performing in a birthday party. The theme was The Wizard Of Oz. I was The Tin Man. I had the costume and a small plastic axe. So we arrive at this farm/chalet in Al Funaitees. WOW!! I couldn’t believe that someone would pay that much money for his 4 year old girl’s birthday. It was like a mini-tiny-myni Land of Oz!!! Let’s say it’s size was about 4 7okoma houses… not so mini-tiny-myni after all, huh?
Yes, there was a “yellow brick road” ya3ni the set was AMAZING!
Anyway, so we get into costumes… put our make-up on… stand in our positions in the Land Of Oz… The show didn’t start yet. Kids passing by, saying hi or running away scared. Mostly saying hi. but there were 2 kids that I’d love to tell you about.
First, David… I think he was British… I didn’t mention that the ages of the kids were between 2 and 4 did I? so David was about 4, so cute with short blonde hair. So he comes up to me and he says “Hi” I shake his tiny hand and say *very silly voice* “Hello Kid! What’s your name?”
D: David.
M: *silly voice all the way* Hello David, how are you doing?
D: I’m good, thank you.
M: David, do you know who am I?
D: *very excited* YES!!
M: *very excited too* Really?? who am I?
D: You’re the King!
M: *Big question mark on my face, and small ones on my ass* Nooo! I’m Tin Man.
D: Yes. You are the man.
David ran away to paint his face!!
This is the second one… after the show ended, Tin Man got a heart of course!!, each character went to his/her place so that kids can take photos with them. So…
Kids started walking down the yellow brick road, starting from Oz heading towards Dorothy’s house. So, I’m surrounded by kids and they are waiting in line to take photos with Mr. Tin Man. So this girl comes out of nowhere and holds my hand, and starts taking photos with all the other kids. She’s about 4 maybe and she’s soooo cute, ya7lailha… there were too many women taking photos and I didn’t know which one is her mother… anyway, after about 1 minute she runs away… 5 minutes later she comes back with her mother… she runs towards me and I hear her mother saying “Lujain, wait mama. Shway shway. Be careful”
So she stands next to me, I’m kneeling of course, and she offers me her hand to hold. She starts taking pictures with her other friends ba3ad. Then just her. Then with friends. Then just her. Her mother says “Yallah Lujian nabi enroo7 mama, we’re leaving.” So before she runs back to her mother Lujain squeezes my baby finger, she leans and rests her head on my right shoulder and with all the innocence in the world looks me in the eye and say “I like you”
Ladies and Gentlemen. My heart is broken. Wallah she broke my heart. I said “Awwwww! I like you too ba3ad 7abeebti” then she gave me half a hug and went running to her mother.
So after Tin Man got a heart from the Wizard *in our mini version of course* Lujain comes and breaks Tin Man’s heart. Ya7lailha! Wallah 9ij 9ij 3awwart galbi! So cute!
Lujain made my day!
****
after the show we waited 50 mnts for our ride, to take us back to our cars.
went home, took a shower then went back to another rehearsal
****
Went back home, heading to my room… My little 9 year old sister comes running my way, and she gives me a huge hug!! with a big smile… you know what that means right?
So she’s like “wainik ma shifitk 9ar li cham yoom?” I said “wallah mash’3ool, kan 3endi brovat w masra7eyah” and then she’s like “3adi amaththil ma3ak?” I said “but we have no parts for little girls” and she’s like “enzain 3adi, mabi amaththil, bs abi a6leb minnik sha’3la, momkin?” and then I knew why all the hugging stuff 6la3at… she was like “tegdar teshtereeli telephone? Ommi etgool 3adi etha enta eshtaraytli!”
So yeah, we still didn’t finish that conversation cuz my mother interrupted us and they left to my aunt’s house…
****
Too many kids to deal with in 1 day! :p
****
1st stanza from Black Diamond Bay by Bob Dylan
Up on the white veranda
She wears a necktie and a Panama hat.
Her passport shows a face
From another time and place
She looks nothin’ like that.
And all the remnants of her recent past
Are scattered in the wild wind.
She walks across the marble floor
Where a voice from the gambling room is callin’ her to come on in.
She smiles, walks the other way
As the last ship sails and the moon fades away
From Black Diamond Bay.
The rest can be found here.
here’s the song