Life is a series of choices. Every step is a choice, an option, a decision. We try our best to make these choices based on what we know. What we pick may not be based on what is right and what is wrong, but what we believe in our minds and hearts. Whatever we do decide, we have to compromise. It is always one or the other.
We all get spam, if you don’t, don’t worry your time will come soon and you will enjoy the wonders of either reading it, or deleting it. Recently I have noticed that spam has gotten extremely sophisticated or terribly ridiculous.
Siber writes in and says, “Please, do not delete the given message. Money obtained from spam will go to the help hungry to children ugand“.
I doubt that it is true, actually I REALLY doubt the truth of this statement. It is somewhat offensive too, who are they trying to fool!
Another spam I got a while back was something on the lines of. “It does not matter if the right wing or the right wing wins the election, either way we will be flying in circles.”
Now that is truly innovative and smart comment and very true!
This all got me thinking. Most of these SPAM are about; male enhancement (enhancement probably isn’t the best word here..), stress medications, anxiety and depression medication as well. Most of the drugs referred to at these sites are produced by large companies, and I doubt that these companies support spam. In the end however, they are the ones who benefit the most.
It makes you wonder (maybe not you.. but I have been..).
P.S. Alright I know I think too much, but what’s a person to do without their dose of Anime and TV shows :p
In 1986 we used to play around in the garden in front of our house. It was a public garden, not one of those large ones, but just big enough for us and our neighbors to play around in. We used to play soccer in the street as well next to the garden. And how can I forget, actually eating some of the flowers in the garden.
We used to run around in it, exploring, the grass was long, and we liked that because if laid down we would be almost invisible. We’d also love watching the tiny grasshoppers jump out as we ran around the garden. If we’d spot one on a leaf, we’d slowly come up to it and try to catch it. We even developed our own grasshopper-catching strategy — by placing our hands in a certain position and a certain distance, so that even if it jumps we can catch it.
We let them go, and try to catch them again. What we also loved to catch were small butterflies as well — you’d think I’m talking about some fantasy land, no, this is in Kuwait, right in front of our house in Bayan. One of the last insects we’d run after and try to catch was the ladybird. There were tons of them. We weren’t mean to the creatures, we’d let them go, but exploring was such a fascinating thing to do then.
Fast forward a few years later, and we’re into video games, and running around the house more — breaking things — and not going out as much as we used to. A few years later I remember going out in the garden, it was quiet. I didn’t see any grasshoppers, or butterflies, or ladybirds. There were a few caterpillars. We entertained ourselves with them, but soon enough, we stopped going to the garden.
When I look outside the window now at the garden. I see garbage around the edges, and the neglected plants. The flowers were all gone, all that was left was grass, and even it, looked like it was in a terrible state. On one part of the garden there was a huge pile of sand and pebbles for construction.
I went out to look at it, but there was nothing there. I hoped that as I stepped into it, a grasshopper would jump out, or a butterfly would flutter away — there was nothing.
I wondered if these were all gone because of urbanization. Was it all because we were changing the ecology so much? New people had to move in, and the creatures had to move out. Thinking about it that way, I’d suppose the people are more worthy of the place. Somehow.
Every time I look at someone, I pass judgement - quickly and swiftly, and most likely unconsciously as well. I can’t help but analyze what the person is wearing, doing, and even who he/she is with. I examine their surroundings and establish a basic stereotypical judgement. However because I have been taught better, I do not act alone based on these preconceptions. Instead, I slowly eliminate these identifiers that allowed me to think that way. Slowly, but surly I see in front of me, a man, or a woman just like any other person.
Still, whatever I decide to do with my preconceptions, does not change the truth and reality about a person, or situation. A person may be proud of themselves for being a certain color, or of a certain race - with or without arrogance. Would I truly be doing him/her justice by making them equal to everyone else? To better understand this, it would make sense to define equality.
The condition of possessing substantially the same rights, privileges and immunities, and being substantially responsible for the same duties as other members of society.
I can’t help but come to the conclusion, that we cannot all be equal, except with regards to the law, even then some laws might apply to some, and not to others.
We are still all very different. We take pride in who we are and where we come from. I don’t see racism as calling someone black, or white, or red, or yellow. I see racism as oppression of these attributes. If I belittle someone, regardless of color, gender, social status, then that is racism.
Now, I do not see people as the same anymore, or equal in every way. I see them as being different and unique, and recognize the pride they have in who they are, where they are from, and what they’re all about. Solving the issues of racism shouldn’t erase our social identities, but rather enforce our pride, without arrogance in who and what we are.
A few days ago I passed by this car on Fahaheel road. Hmm, so far nearly all my videos have been of burning cars and burning buildings. I’m not a pyromaniac, I assure you.
I finally managed to get some posters up that I have been meaning to. It took me a while because I was looking for a good way to put them up without damaging the walls or having to put holes through them. The only thing that required drilling was getting the sword rack up there. Click on the picture for a few more.
This past weekend I went to see Iron Man with a couple of friends. I was out at a coffee shop before our meeting and had my laptop with me. I arrived at the mall before my friends did so I chilled at another cafe with my laptop, and I started working.
The night started to get exciting when I went to pray. There I was, walking in the mall, with my somewhat strange looking backpack. I felt uneasy, people were there to have a good time and do whatever it is they do, and there I was with my backpack, walking, in the mall.
I didn’t pay much attention to it, until I started getting stares. They were stares of fear. Why? - I wondered why would people fear a guy with a backpack, walking, in a mall, full of people, on Friday night. Wait a minute. Do they think I have a bomb in my bag? Oops.
People cleared my way as I walked, their casual walk was turned into quick pacing. They walked passed me in slow motion, whispering to each other I can only see their lips move, mouthing the word “bomb..” and “oh my God”. I tried not to pay too much attention and tried to look normal, as I normally would. I couldn’t, with all the pressure of staring eyes.
I tried to distract myself.
I took out my mobile to check the time, phone calls, etc. As I took it out, I heard gasps! What happened now! - I thought. Oh no, don’t we always hear about the bombs being triggered by cell phones? Crap, I just made it worse. The environment around me got very uncomfortable, I put on a crooked smile, and continued walking to the prayer room.
It only got worse as I left the prayer room. Here I thought people would assume I had prayed my final prayer, and was ready to disintegrate myself and everyone around me. There were moments where I felt people were going to jump me, and tie me down to stop me from such an action.
P.S. Events and actions my have been exaggerated. Just a bit. A little bit. Tiny bit.
I haven’t done a tag in a while. So here’s the latest tag by Shoush.
Seven things I PLAN to do:
1. Changing my theme, once more.
2. Going to work early tomorrow morning.
3. Be more active, online.
4. Organize my room.
5. Save money (uh..)
6. …. …. …. .. ……
7. READ a book. (OK, it is planned.. for a while now)
Seven things I CAN do:
1. Make a perfect water drop sound.
2. Be completely absent minded (hey.. that’s a skill)
3. Whistle, “This old man.. He played one..”
4. Change a tire (badum-pish!) (thats tyre for you brits out there)
5. Drive backwards. (Don’t ask how I know..)
6. Multiply. (With numbers, not the mitosis kind).
7. Fix things.
Seven things I CAN’T do:
1. Drink a glass of cold water in one go.
2. Hurt someone intentionally.
3. Eat shrimps (I can’t alright.. I can’t..)
4. Sit cross legged for a long time.
5. Drive a stick-shift.
6. See without my glasses.
7. Talk on the phone and watch something at the same time.
Seven things I SAY the most:
1. Hatha oho (”That’s how it is”.)
2. Eeh ba3d (”yes, more” though it is used as a confirmation.)
3. 3adl (”Right” It literally translates to justice.)
4. laaa yubaaa (”nooo daaaad” It just a gesture of disappointment)
5. Laish (Why?)
6. [silence] (yes I do remain quiet a lot)
7. eg3ad! (”Sit!” but it is used as a gesture of impress)
Cartoons are for kids. At least, that is what I used to think before discovering anime. If you have no idea what anime is, and you see someone or hear about someone watching “Japanese cartoons” you’d probably freak out. I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. There is far more to Japanese Anime than meets the eye.
We all first got introduced to Japanese Anime through the old cartoon shows on TV when we were younger. It was normal back then, but what business does a person in their late teens or early twenties of even older have watching animated shows! The answer is quite simple: The variety of story genre and possibilities is limitless, cheap, and widely available!
Think of these Japanese Anime shows as your current obsession of TV shows, or perhaps one of the best movies you have ever seen or love to see. The only difference here would be that it is a Japanese production instead of a Hollywood production and it is usually in Japanese (which makes reading subtitles for some tedious, however it is very easy to get used to).
If that was only the case, then that would be fine. However it soon and quite easily becomes an obsession. You can easily recognize an anime fan/addict. They start to slip Japanese words in their conversations. “Haaiii”, as in “Yes” and “Ohayooo” as in “Good Morning.” you easily recognize and notice these traits. You are also soon to discover their intense and overuse of emoticons, and weird ones at that. =>_<= and (o-O) and ^_^ and xD. Don’t be alarmed you can easily figure them out, or don’t be afraid to ask what they mean. A Japanese Anime cultist fan would loved to explain it in detail. They also start to act all weird and make strange faces, but that is to be expected.
Japanese culture, lifestyle, and phrases become a part of one’s knowledge. What is it about the Japanese culture that becomes to appealing? I still can’t quite find a perfect answer for this. However, the intellectuality of the stories as well as the development of characters is appealing enough. Then comes the factor of animation, possibilities, and limitless story twists and turns that is actually not very available in western media.
In Kuwait we are used to this concept: we break the law whenever we feel like it. If we get caught we mostly try to talk our way out of it, or get in contact with certain individuals who help us get out of the trouble we got into. Breaking the law has easily become a matter of convenience.
Most of us have broken the law, at least and most commonly the traffic law. In some roads the speed limit is a joke, and driving at that speed is too ridiculous. At other times we have parked in a no parking zone. Are the parking spots designed that bad that it easily becomes impossible to find a parking spot? Wait, I meant a close parking spot.
The other most common traffic violation (based on my assumption) is breaking the red light. You can see it turning yellow, and you know that if you don’t step on the gas pedal you will be waiting at that traffic light for another 5-10 minutes! You speed ahead, and pass the light just a split second after it has turned red.
Driving this morning I saw cars pass a red light simply because they saw that no one was coming from the other side. It was inconvenient to them to wait for a few minutes (2..3…5.. or even 10 on some of those traffic lights) and seeing that there clearly wasn’t a camera in place or a police car they simply drove off, casually, crossing the red light. If you’d ask them why, they would probably say, “Why not? I’m busy, and there was no one on the road.” Sure, they could say that now, and probably get away with it.
Why has the law become so much a matter of convenience, and breaking it has become such a casual activity, that everyone does it and feels inferior if they see someone else do it, and they themselves don’t!
Do the people in charge believe the installation of more speed/light cameras and higher ticket fines would make it more convenient for people to respect the law? Of course not. People will actually start feeling bitter. Since they are inconvenienced by the current situation, adding more strict laws would only make it all the more less convenient for some. To others, it would make them feel trapped, with stress of laws they have to follow and fear of being caught and/or breaking the laws they are not so quite aware of.
What would be the solution? Why do we need a solution? The law is there to protect people from themselves. The law is a government decree and should be respected. They are the higher authority and they have a right to place the laws they see fit. This does not mean that we cannot challenge these laws in an administrative manner. Isn’t this why there is a National Assembly? In the U.S. and probably other areas there is a City Council where regular citizens can take the podium and voice their concerns. I don’t believe there is such an entity in Kuwait. If there is however, I have not heard of such a thing.
How is it possible then for citizens to speak their minds, and contribute to this country? We do love Kuwait. There are also people who are not Kuwaiti but have lived here for many years and also love this country. All we can really do is try to talk to the people in charge, however inefficient that may be, or simply complain. Complain. And complain some more.
There is a lot of hate, anger, and resentment that we see in the news, in the streets, and even at work sometimes. I believe it is truly about time these issues get addressed and something serious be done about them.
P.S. To the people with a lot of hate I say: Don’t insult this country. Don’t insult the government. Certainly don’t insult the people. You will not gain respect by doing so, neither will you gain any results.
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We all get spam, if you don’t, don’t worry your time will come soon and you will enjoy the wonders of either reading it, or deleting it. Recently I have noticed that spam has gotten extremely sophisticated or terribly ridiculous. 
In 1986 we used to play around in the garden in front of our house. It was a public garden, not one of those large ones, but just big enough for us and our neighbors to play around in. We used to play soccer in the street as well next to the garden. And how can I forget, actually eating some of the flowers in the garden.
We let them go, and try to catch them again. What we also loved to catch were small butterflies as well — you’d think I’m talking about some fantasy land, no, this is in Kuwait, right in front of our house in Bayan. One of the last insects we’d run after and try to catch was the ladybird. There were tons of them. We weren’t mean to the creatures, we’d let them go, but exploring was such a fascinating thing to do then.
When I look outside the window now at the garden. I see garbage around the edges, and the neglected plants. The flowers were all gone, all that was left was grass, and even it, looked like it was in a terrible state. On one part of the garden there was a huge pile of sand and pebbles for construction. 
Every time I look at someone, I pass judgement - quickly and swiftly, and most likely unconsciously as well. I can’t help but analyze what the person is wearing, doing, and even who he/she is with. I examine their surroundings and establish a basic stereotypical judgement. However because I have been taught better, I do not act alone based on these preconceptions. Instead, I slowly eliminate these identifiers that allowed me to think that way. Slowly, but surly I see in front of me, a man, or a woman just like any other person.
The night started to get exciting when I went to pray. There I was, walking in the mall, with my somewhat strange looking backpack. I felt uneasy, people were there to have a good time and do whatever it is they do, and there I was with my backpack, walking, in the mall. 
Cartoons are for kids. At least, that is what I used to think before discovering anime. If you have no idea what anime is, and you see someone or hear about someone watching “Japanese cartoons” you’d probably freak out. I assure you, there is nothing to worry about. There is far more to Japanese Anime than meets the eye.
Think of these Japanese Anime shows as your current obsession of TV shows, or perhaps one of the best movies you have ever seen or love to see. The only difference here would be that it is a Japanese production instead of a Hollywood production and it is usually in Japanese (which makes reading subtitles for some tedious, however it is very easy to get used to). 
In Kuwait we are used to this concept: we break the law whenever we feel like it. If we get caught we mostly try to talk our way out of it, or get in contact with certain individuals who help us get out of the trouble we got into. Breaking the law has easily become a matter of convenience. 
What would be the solution? Why do we need a solution? The law is there to protect people from themselves. The law is a government decree and should be respected. They are the higher authority and they have a right to place the laws they see fit. This does not mean that we cannot challenge these laws in an administrative manner. Isn’t this why there is a National Assembly? In the U.S. and probably other areas there is a City Council where regular citizens can take the podium and voice their concerns. I don’t believe there is such an entity in Kuwait. If there is however, I have not heard of such a thing.