Danderma's Blog, page 134

Good Saturday Morning…

As you read this post I was supposed to be sitting in 7leeb o Hail's cafe in Mubarkiya enjoying one hell of a breakfast: A platter of freshly made mixed fatayer, fresh Iranian bread with qaymar o Jeben gla9, Balalee6 o Baith, Qer9 3qaili, elSan elthoor, Darabeel, and chai fa7am simmering over hot coals while hugging my pashmina tightly around my shoulders as I  take slow heavenly sips of my chai o 7laib emhayyal from the warm mug I am cradling in my hands sending waves of content warmth through my body.we went and they were closed and don't open till 9 am so we couldn't wait 7safa

Later on I am taking my Camera and my wallet around Mubarkiya to shoot some lovely new photographs and purchase lovely stuff

Do You Remember This Cartoon: Forsan Al-Kawkab (Captain Planet)

I think it was 1992 when Captain Planet took us by storm. We first saw the Arabic version (Forsan Al-Kawkab) in KTV and fell in love with it (Captain Planet was called Captain Faris). That summer when we went to London my father took me and my brother to Woolworths and we found a VHS tape of the first episodes of Captain Planet in English and we went wild, bought it and bought all their toys and their sega megadrive game too!

We watched the video through the summer and played endlessly with their sega game and their action toys! I especially appreciated the theme of saving the planet and recycling and trying to raise pollution awareness among children back then. We had the entire collection but what's left in my possesion is the two above, matti and wasami china their names? They even came with a backpack and a little compass that I still have.

I couldn't find the theme song in English and the opening was quite boring but I found the Arabic one

Do you remember Captain Planet? Were you as crazy about it as we were?

Shino '3adakom Elyoom?

Thursday is here and the long weekend is about to start! What are you planning for lunch? Eating in the office? Bel zwara? At home? Skipping lunch? On the plane maybe if you are out celebrating new year's elsewhere?

So let me ask you the eternal daily q8y question: 'Shino '3adakom?' I am craving a mound of starchy koshari: Rice, lentils, pasta… topped with cumin infused tomato sauce and soft nakhi… the combination of simple ingredients is simply amazing… rustic yet heartwarming and welcoming

Shino '3adakom?

10 Actors I didn't Recognize as Children

You know when you watch an old movie and you realize isn't that little kid familiar and then you go oooh this is XYZ? Let me give you my list…

1- Amanda Seyfried: Who starred in Red Riding Hood and In Time. I was watching Mean Girls and my husband insisted that the third dumb girl was her. I googled her and he was right! She looked different !

2- Taylor Lautner: Or Twilight's Jacob. I was watching Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and the little neighbors boy interested in the naughty girl looked very much like a young Jacob! 3ammo google confirmed it, he was!

3- Elijah Wood: Better known as the hobbit Frodo in The Lord of the Rings. I was watching a 1994 movie North yesterday when there he was, Frodo with his big innocent blue eyes! Y7leelah he didn't change much since then!

4- Sean Astin: If you saw and liked the goonies you would know he was one of them. He also is Frodo's companion Sam in LOTR. He still has the same solemn expression, just became very fat.

5- Kirsten Dunst: She starred in Spiderman. Then I saw Jumanji and there she was, all tiny with her hair in plaits. Her face didn't change at ALL!

6- Kristen Stewart: Or Bella in Twilight. I was watching the Panic Room on DVD the other day and the kid looked familiar, a bit blonder that Bella but google confirmed it, it was a young Kristen Stewart all right!

7- Hilary Swank: Academy award winner. I was wondering who in his right mind would cast her a role in a movie. Then I saw the old movie The Next Karate Kid and there was a very young and much prettier Hilary Swank! Now I understand.

8- Angelina Jolie. Who doesn't know Angelina. One day there was this very old -and bad. and cheesy- movie, Love is All There is, about two Italian lovers to be separated by their families and there was Angelina, young, fresh faced, with cheeks! How cute!

9- Christian Bale. Or as I now call him the broody Batman. I saw a very little broody boy with the exact same expression in pictures of the 80′s movie Empire of the Sun. His expression never changed ever since he was little! Wow!

10- Paul McCrane: Or better known as Dr. Romano in ER. I loved Dr. Romano and hated how they ended him role in ER. Then I watched the 1980 movie Fame and there he was, exact same face but a with a full head of orange curls! 24 years later and poof its all gone!

Cham boosa itboson lama etsalmoon?

Tra wehga!

When two women greet each other in Kuwait, how many types of kisses are there?

Ako only two, one on each cheek. Ako four, two on each cheek. Ako only one on one cheek -very rare-. Ako one on the left cheek and then multiples on the other cheek. Wa haloma Jarra!

If you greet a woman there is almost always that awkward moment when one of you pulls away done with the kissing while the other one is still in the process of planting kisses. Fashla o not cool!

I, although a person who loathes greetings and kissing, usually go with two kisses, one on each cheek. This minimizes the number of kissing and will ensure that if there is any awkward moment it won't be my doing. Sometimes I can sense if someone wants to continue kissing and I go with the flow. Sometimes I don't, I pull away, and someone is always left with a kiss lingering mid-air.

What is your greeting kissing style? How many kisses do you plant? and if its more than two may I ask: for the love of god WHY?

A Diabetes Curing Surgery is Now Available in Al-Seef Hospital

I've heard about a surgery being performed in Germany that promises to cure type 2 Diabetes. Somehow or someone said it was not true and just an email forward. Now, lo and behold, I received the same news about the surgery from Al-Seef hospital where the surgery is being performed here, locally, in Al-Seef, promising to get rid of Diabetes type 2 forever!

My father is a diabetic. All my grandparents have diabetes. As a matter of fact my mom has been warning me about being endangered with diabetes given the fact that almost all of my father's side of the family have diabetes. Now this surgery can reverse my father's diabetes and ease my fear of getting diabetes in 10 years time!

I think my father has been diabetic since 1999 though, that's more than 10 years. To qualify for the operations you need the meet the following conditions:

· BMI= 30-35
· Type 2 diabetes
· Diabetes type 2 duration is 10 years or less.

If you have any question you can ask them here in the comments section and the doctors from Al-Seef Hospital will be available to answer them. If there is a cure for diabetes we might as well go for it given that 3/4 the Kuwaiti population is diabetic. 

The surgery is performed by..

For more information about the surgery either leave a comment here or call Al-Seef Hospital on 60014054 or 1881122 or check their website (link).

Do You Know How to Use a Meswach?

Part of my 7ajj soo'3a was two different sticks of Meswach. My Bu Tootee had actually returned home with several boxes of Mesaweech as souvenirs!

I have never succeed in using Meswach before. Bu Tootee says you have to bite it and chew it and use it as if its a brush. However all I get is pieces of wood breaking in my mouth. They say its very healthy and beneficial for dental hygiene bs I don't think anyone in the modern days knows how to use it let alone actually using it.

Do you know how to use a Meswach?Have you ever tried it before? Any tips?

Twilight Breaking Dawn won't be Showing in Kuwait :(

If you are a Twilight fan you would know that the 18th of November is the worldwide release of the first part of the last film in the series. You would also be counting the days and thinking that in 3 days time you will be able to go to your nearest cinema, purchase a ticket, and watch the movie with the rest of the fans on the planet.

The only problem is, even though Cinescape has shown all the previous installments of Twilight, they have decided not to show thing one. They have tweeted about it today. Why? For the love of god WHY!

Is it banned? Most likely it is. WHY! What is there that is worth banning? I've read the book THREE TIMES already! There is nothing in the book that is sooo different that the previous books and absolutely nothing worth banning. Let me get this straight, Hangover 2 is not banned, was butchered and shown in Kuwait, but Breaking Dawn is? Seriously?

What am I supposed to do? I am literally suffocating! Do I book a ticket to Dubai to watch the movie and come back on the same night? At least it won't be butchered beyond recognition there! For the love of god I am 31 and I am fully capable of choosing what I watch! 3/4 the Kuwaiti population had read the book and know what will happen already! Yanantoona tra! Bs 3ad!

Lost in Translation: Crackers in Arabic Mean…?

7ala7at?

I am not sure exactly what crackers mean in Arabic. But I am sure I've never heard about the word 7ala7at in the 30 years I've talked, read, and spoken in Arabic. Judging from the missing dot on top of '3aziya I would say its a very strong badliya!

The sign is repeated twice in Lulu Hypermarket. 7ala7at 3ad? Min wain im6al3een hal kelma!!!

I've Got My Own Monopoly Deal :D

Ever since I've seen the first Monopoly board in my aunt's house in the early 80′s I became a huge Monopoly fan and it became my favorite board game (post). When I heard about the Monopoly Deal card game and how its a big habba now I so wanted to own one and play with it. The thing about the original Monopoly is it takes a lot of time and space to set up hence no one has the time to play with you!

Of course its sold out in Kuwait and in the UK as well. But my favorite cousin Abdullah who just arrived from the UK has found me one and snatched it for me He came over yesterday at night and gave it to me and I couldn't be happier to get my hands on the Monopoly deck!

Still didn't play it but I am planning to do so tonight. I'm so excited

Thank you dear 3obada for your generous thoughtfulness. You truly made my day yesterday

P.S. if you are in London and can't find a Monopoly Deal try W.H. Smith!