My Blog Closing Down!

Dear readers,

It is with much sadness that I have to announce the closure of my blog.

Not many people are following it. I feel like I am writing to a blank wall. If I want to do that, I can go write in my journal, by hand!

To the two-three people who write in to me, I am sorry. I will keep you updated on emails.

Thank you to everyone who commented on my articles. Maybe this is where my writing career comes to an end.

Bye

Mansur :'(

Job: Blogging!

Hey everyone,

Sometimes I have so much fun blogging, I wish it were a permanent job. I want to be able to blog on line, and for every comment I get, I could get a commission or something. With the way its going presently, I dont get a whole lot of comment, but if I knew I was being paid, I would be more consistent! I dont know if there are jobs available out there where you can get paid to blog!

Mansur

Moutain Dew?

Hi,

I had the privilege of drinking Mountain Dew last week at a gathering. Never before this had I tasted or drunk Mountain Dew. Since there were no other drinks available, I had no choice. Now, when I drank it, I was not sure what Mountain Dew wants to be. We know Coke has that particular flavor, 7 Up had the lemon/lime flavor and Miranda has that orange flavor. What is Mountain Dew? Throughout my drinking of Mountain Dew, I was thinking I was drinking 7 Up! Sometimes I think people drink Moutain Dew because it makes them different!

What the heck is Mountain Dew?

Mansur

The Passion of the Christ

Hi everyone,

The Passion of the Christ is probably the most talked about, and probably the most controversial movie of 2004. It is beig released in Dubai tomorrow, for Easter. I for one still have not seen the movie. My friends in Saudi saw it on the pirated DVD, and I chose not to watch it. Tomorrow, I will have an opportunity to watch it and I am kind of excited by it. I am going with a group of people, and one of the girls said she cannot bear watching the movie again, because it was too gory for her.

I am excited!

Mansur

Pakistani Identity Crisis?

Hey everyone,

Two days ago, I was at a conference and there I met with an Indian. We were talking about stuff and suddenly he asked me: where are you from? I told him to take a guess. He said he was not sure and I encouraged him to take a guess! He started ranting off; American, British, European and I was like NO, NO and NO. He finally settled on: Canadian. He was so sure I was a Canadian, and he even picked out Toronto as my hometown. I told him: Sorry to burst your bubble, but I am from Pakistan and before you go on about anything else, I am 100% Pakistani. His jaws dropped.

I know there are lots of generalizations and stereotypes floating out there. Everyone's perception of what a Pakistani is basically someone who is short, dark, not so good looking and in the labor class. I wouldn't blame for thinking that way since majority of the Pakistanis in the Middle East are like that.

Which brings me to the point: what defines a Pakistani? Does it make less of a Pakistani if I listen to English songs, wear American branded clothes, watch Hollywood Movies and read Western novels? I dont watch cricket and I dont eat spicy foods nor drink tea, all of which is typical Pakistani. Does that make me less of a Pakistani? Does it make me less Pakistani if I dont wear my national dress? Or if I dont know the national anthem? I have lived abroad my whole life, and only two years in Pakistan when I went to the high school.

So sometimes it is very confusing for people like me who have lived abroad out whole lives to understand what it is to be a Pakistani. However, in my opinion, I think one is a Pakistani when one is a proud patriot of the country he/ she is from. I dont think one needs to wear the national dress, listen to Pakistani music, watch cricket and eat spicy foods to be a Pakistani. I identify with my country of Pakistan, and even though the political/ economic situation in the country is not worth mentioning, I still have a love for my country. Sure there are some things in the nation that I dont agree with, namely corruption, but that does not change the fact that I am a Pakistani. In fact, it only strenghthens my desire to do something for the betterment of Pakistan.

I think one is a Pakistani when one learns to love oneself and understands where one is coming from. In my case, I dont do all that what Pakistanis do, but in my heart I know I will always be a Pakistani. I will never in my lifetime say that I am half Pakistani half Saudi, or anything like that. I can fool a lot of people and say, I am half American half Pakistani and talk in an American accent, but I dont do that. In any case, I have a lot of fun telling people I am from Pakistan because it immediately breaks the stereotypical image, and people think: hmm, so not all Pakistanis are like what we thought they would be!

So, one is not a Pakistani when one listens to Pakistani music, wear the national dress, watch cricket, know the national anthem or speak Urdu. One is a Pakistani when one can identify with the nation of Pakistan and learns to be a patriot and proud of the country he/she is from.

Proud Pakistani,
Mansur

Toenails Disaster!

Hey friends,

How many of you are put off with guys who have badly maintained finger and toe nails? I AM!

I have to let this out of my chest and mind. I hate guys who dont take care of themselves. I am not asking them for a complete beauty regime, but gosh, I mean, last night I had a meeting with someone and he was wearing sandals. Now, thats no problem with me, but man oh man, his toe nails were so disgusting. I am sorry to say this, but it totally ruined my perception of this man I was meeting with. I was thinking, "you are a working man, someone who is well off, can you not at least groom yourself?" I mean, what is the deal with guy not being able to clean their nails? If guys cannot do that then they should not wear sandals exposing the disgusting, unclean nails. This kind of travesty should stop. There should be some one out there to stop from such kind of men to stop wearing sandals. It doesn't stop here, there are some guys who have stained teeth, unkempt hair, nostril hairs and badly shaven face. Why cannot they groom themselves up? I think about what Islam has to say about cleanliness, and how much emphasis is placed on cleaning and washing, and yet there are guys here who dont keep themselves clean.

Mansur

My Telephone Bill!!!

Hi people,

I got my telephone bill for the first month of my new apartment. I almost fainted. I was so surprised the bill with a three digit number! How can this be? It's not possible! I saw all the details, checked out the finer print. I had three days to pay the bill. It came late in the post. I saw the three digit figure over and over again. How can the bill be this much for just one month.

The number read in red: 5.75

I have to pay 5 dirhams 75 fils tomorrow.

Mansur

My Ideal Collection

Hi friends,

here is my ideal collection songs I love to listen to. Of course everything is relative. These songs are special to me because they all speak to me and they all were heard by me at some special time. Whenever I listen to these songs, my mind associates with the special and meaningful event. So in some cases, its not the song itself that means so much to me. However, there are some songs in the list, which means a lot to me because of what they say.

Here you go:

Side A:
1- Fast Cars :: Tracy Chapman
2- Hero :: Enrique Iglesias
3- Unbreak my Heart :: Toni Braxton
4- Don't Speak :: No Doubt
5- Ironic :: Alanis Morissette
6- Change the World :: Eric Calpton
7- Crazy Love :: Aaron Neville
8- Dance with Life :: Peter Gabriel
9- Stuck on You :: Lionel Richie
10- I'll be :: Edwin McCain
11- Everybody Hurts :: REM

Side B:
1- You're still the one :: Shania Twain
2- Take me Home :: Phil Collins
3- Unchained Melody :: Righteous Brothers
4- When you say nothing at all :: Ronan keating
5- Truly Madly Deeply :: Savage Garden
6- Hero :: Mariah Carey
7- Time after time :: Cyndi Lauper
8- Wicked Game :: Chris Issak
9- Anything :: 3T
10- Gotham City :: R. Kelly
11- Pehla Nasha :: Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (the only non-English song!)

Mansur

Finally....Cinemas in Saudi!

Hey everyone,

CINEMAS TO OPEN IN SAUDI ARABIA!

This piece of news excited me. I Look forward to that day when cinema halls will be up in the Kingdom. Although I also know that the movies will be heavily censored, and that entering the cinema, everyone will be segregated. Women and men will not sit together. Certain movies will not be allowed like Bruce Almighty and The Passion of the Christ!

But its still cool that the idea of cinemas, all six of them, have been brought to the table. I know the Kingdom were upset when the TV was introduced. They were upset with the issue of camera phone, which were eventually allowed. The internet was introduced in the 90s, when the world was connected. Satellite dishes were banned but they cropped up everywhere. The introduction of the cinema is long overdue.

If anything, at least it will keep the young men and women from wasting their time in shopping malls checking one another out!

Looking forward to watch a movie in the cinema in Jeddah soon,

Mansur

Happy Meal

Hey,

Confession Time! I am 27 and I order McDonalds' Happy Meal from time to time. Not for the toys though! I always take cheeseburger, diet coke and no ice. Today the lady asked me: Sir, is the toy for the boy or girl? I was like, what do you think? The lady looked around me and said, I dont see any child here. I said, its for me. The lady and the manager laughed. Is there something wrong if I take Happy Meal?


Mansur

Cup Cakes to Cup Rocks!

Hi friends,

last night I decided to get the chocolate cake mix. I had been meaning to eat some home made chocolate cupcakes. I got home, excitedly mixed the cake mix with water, vegetable oil and three eggs. I used a mug instead of a cup, and so caused for more water in the batter, which turned soupy. I laid out the paper cups on the baking tray. There were 24 cups in all. The paper was so flimsy. I poured the batter in each of the cups, and the batter was so soupy, it started to pour out over some of the paper cups.

I quickly put the tray in the oven, and checked after 30 minutes. They seemed to be doing ok. I left, and rechecked in 15 minutes. They were smelly. They were burnt.

I removed them and tried to prick it with my fork. It would not go through. :( So I tried to cut it with a knife and it would not work. I was so mad at myself. I felt like Veronica from the Archie comics, who would always end up a failure in her cooking! I remember in one of the stories, Veronica bakes some cakes, and they turn out to be extremely hard, her gang uses them as stones to ward off the rude kids who hit the gang with snowballs.

Well, my cup cakes became cup rocks!

Mansur

Female Islamic Imam?

Hi friends,

This is another eye opener for me! I wonder what the imams in Saudi would have to say to this. Of course the women imam would do all to defend her position. I dont know what to make of it. She talks about women being equal to men, but I am not sure if that includes leading mixed gender prayer. I do agree with one though which she said that the the intrepretations of the Quran has been by men throughout history, and thus its more male-centric. One question: we all know what there is for men in Heaven, but what is there in Heaven for women?

http://www.columbiatribune.com/2005/Mar/20050320News017.asp

Mansur

Gay Wedding in Saudi Arabia!

Hey everyone,

Although I knew gays existed in Saudi Arabia, this was an eye opener for me. Is this happening bceause of too much repression? Too much freedom? Invasion of foreigners? Invasion of satellite dishes?

----
The Saudi Arabian security forces have arrested 110 men at a "gay wedding" party in Jeddah, according to a Saudi online newspaper. Al-Wifaq, which has connections with the interior ministry, said the authorities had raided a wedding hall on Monday night after a tip-off and found the men - all Saudis - dancing and "behaving like women". Eighty men were later released, but 30 appeared in a Jeddah court on Wednesday to face charges, the paper said.

Homosexuality is illegal in Saudi Arabia and is punished by flogging, jail or death. The raid was made a day after two men described as gay lovers were executed at Arar, in the north of the kingdom, for allegedly murdering a Pakistani who had found out about their relationship.The interior ministry said Ahmed al-Enezi and Shahir al-Roubli, both Saudis, ran over Malik Khan in their car, beat him on the head with stones and set fire to his body, "fearing they would be exposed, after the victim witnessed them in a shameful situation".

Last year the Saudi police raided another event described as a gay wedding party for two African men from Chad at a hotel in the holy city of Medina. About 50 people were arrested. One of the Chadians later claimed that the party was a rehearsal for his wedding to a woman, and this was supported by a Saudi who said he had provided money to meet the marriage expenses. But according to the daily Arab News, investigators said that party invitations "indicated it was a gay function".

The investigators also found it suspicious that many of the guests had fled at the sight of the police and left their cars behind. It is not known whether anyone was prosecuted. Despite the heavy penalties for homosexuality, most Saudi cities are said to have underground gay networks which organise parties in private villas, and sometimes in hotels. Saudi executions are not systematically reported, and officials deny that the death penalty is applied for same-sex activity alone.

-----
Mansur

Glasses or no Glasses?

Hey everyone,

when I was about ten, I went with a cousin of mine to the company she was working in London. I did not used to wear glasses then. So when we entered the workplace, a lot of my cousin's friends came over to see who I was. They were mostly female, and all started rambling on saying how cute I am and what an adorable kid I was. My cousin was obviously very proud of me then. She is much older to me. However, I remember one of my cousin's work colleague, who was an African- Britisher. She came up to me, bent down on her knees and looked at me and then looked up to my cousin and said: he's got beautiful light brown eyes.

That was the first time I heard someone say anything like that to me.

I got eyeglasses when I was 16 and have been on glasses since then. I have had numerous styles and shapes and colors of glasses. Man, at one time I even wore red and green frames! I have had framless and thick frames as well...a whole range.

But somehow people tell me I should not wear glasses. They think I should wear contacts, because, as they say, my eyes are very nice to look at. I did wear contacts several times as well, and when I am in contacts, people ask me whether I am wearing colored ones!

Just two days ago, someone told me to not wear glasses. She thought that I was hiding the real me behind the glasses. (Sounds similair to Jassi---if you know who she is!)

So, glasses or no glasses?

Mansur

The Bus Ride

Hey everyone,

I took a bus ride back home yesterday. It took me more than two hours to get home, and two bus changes. You see, public transport system in Dubai is still in its infancy stage. But there were two reasons why I took the bus yesterday and not a taxi.

*The fare was coming much cheaper: 5dhs, as opposed to 80dhs by a taxi.
* Sometimes, in different cities, I like going on the bus, because thats teh best way to see a city.

Nevertheless, the bus ride took a long time because of the heavy rush hour traffic from Dubai to Sharjah. However, I have some interesting small details that made my day more enjoyable.

1. There was a constant ringing of cell phones. There were two ring tones that were hilarious, and ironically were the ones that would ring the most. One was of several birds chirping as if they were in some jungle. Eveytime his phone rang, it felt like I was in a zoo with birds everywhere. The other ring tone was a like a shrilly scream. So everytime that rang, people would look around to see who screamed!

2. There was one Indian guy who was talking quite loudly in his cell phone. He was talking in broken English, and it became obvious later that he was talking to a Russian girl. He was asking her stuff like: what you look like? what your height? what your hair color? what you like to do? Then he was telling about himself: I am tall, I am 75 in weight, I like everything, I like you.

3. Eveyone stared at one another. Most of the people in the bus were the labor class kind of people, so I stuck out so prominently. I dont blame them, but man, they stared the whole time.

4. When the bus left the bus station in Dubai, five minutes later, the dirver parked on the side and got out of the bus. For 30 minutes, he was standing outside since he was supposed to handover a purse which the previous passanger forgot in the bus. I could hear people in the bus muttering, swearing and getting impatient. I was lucky I had my cell phone so I could play games and take pictures of the city.

5. I wished the bus was like the bus in the movie Speed. We were going so slow.

So I made it home, and I think it was not so bad. At least I got to see the side of the city which I usually dont.

Mansur

Possessed by the Devil!

Hey you guys,

Last night was something truly amazing to me. I was hanging out with my cousins, and for the sake of privacy, I will not divulge in any details of when and where and who everyone is.

I was with my cousins at the shopping mall where they were supposed to meet with a friend of their. Intially, they wanted to meet with their friend to talk about the properties here in Dubai and some good and bad reasons why someone should invest here. Suddenly, the topic changed and this friend of theirs was talking about how my cousins were doing personally.

"Yeah, I used to see them a whole lot before. But not anymore," said my cousin.

What is he referring to, I thought.

"Yeah," my cousin continued, "I used to see them coming out of the trees when I was in my dorm room. They would be about 3ft high, and I used to scared of them. They were always changing in forms. Sometimes, they would come to me as in person forms, other times they would be coming in like a wind/ wave form."

I was confused. Is he talking about jinns? devils?

"Sometimes, they would come into my room and be with me. Also, they would come and get inside me," my cousin said.

I was just left dumbfounded. Possession of a soul in the new century! I mean, I know people would get possessed like in the old ages and so on, but in 2000, come on. Possession just doesnt happen anymore. Even if they do, the cases are discarded with diseases like multiple personality disorder or the the patients are treated to a psychiatrist.

However, I ultimately asked my cousion, "gosh, how does it feel to be possessed?"

He said, " I get really scared, but then after a while I am used to it. Mansur," he said," many times, I have had these jinns come inside my body. I lose total control of my body. I feel alive, but yet in control of some unseen forces. I feel like I want to scream out loud, but I cannot because I am being controlled. My hands move, my body moves, my face moves according to the other person inside me."

This friend of my cousins, was sitting in the car and he talking in one sentences only. He would say a couple of words, and then suddenly go quiet. After 20 seconds or so, he would come up with more few words. I quickly realized he was communicating with the jinns. As my cousins told me later, this friend of theirs has two jinns, one who is 14 yrs old and the other an older one. These jinns tell him about the situation which could be present or past. My cousins dont like asking about the future. I freaked out. I asked them if he could find out about anyone, and my cousins said yes! I totally freaked out. According to my cousins, everything this friend has told my cousins, based on his commmunications with the jinns, has turned out to be 99.9% true! Scary if you ask me!

I could not believe something like this could happen in todays time and age. My idea of possession is based on The Exorcist, but something like was totally new to me. I wonder how closely related are the Man's World and the Jinns' World? Can the Jinns cross over to the Human World? Is possession something that still happens today?

Mansur

Random Thoughts!

Hey everyone,

Here are some of the things that were on my mind recently:

1. Sometimes in televsion shows, where there is someone who wants to pack his/her bags, there are like only a handful of clothes in the bare cupboard. How is that possible when you see the same character wearing a new set of clothes in every scene?

2. Have you ever seen those ads where they advertise for chopping knives, with names like Mako Shark and Mircale Blade II? They show how sharp the knives are. They use the same knife to cut through a loaf of bread so delicately and then cut a steel tube, which is not a problem. They slish, slash and slice all kind of fruits and items. I wonder if some sick murders out there would purchase these knives to make stabbing and slitting throats easier for them?

3. Everytime I leave my tv, dvd player and receiver on standby, how much electricity does it consume? Since I am paying for my own bills, I was wondering if it is cheaper to put it on standby or to shut it off completely?

4. What is it with people who litter? It annoys me so much?

5. The Eastern world rants and raves about living in a joint family system. None of them talks about how much tension each member of the family is in. I wonder if the Eastern families are on the same path the Western families took by living separately from one another?

6. Why is it ok for girls to say they have 'girlfriends' without any ideas of lesbianism? Why cannot a guy say he has a 'boyfriend' without anyone commenting if its a homosexual friendship?

7. Why are some people so obsessed with watching wrestling? I mean, if you look at it, they are basically half naked men fighting with one another, and in the process touch and grope one another! I dont understand wrestling!

8. If I am in a falling elevator, will I be safe if I jump before the elevator hits the ground?

9. How does gravity keeps us down? I imagine what it would be like if there were no gravity, I would be walking on my ceiling! Cool, isnt it?

10. For God's sake, why does everyone in scary movies and tv series have to wander off alone? Don't they understand that going off alone means death!

Ok, hopefully one day I will find answers to these thoughts!

Mansur

The Meat Co.

Hi everyone,

On saturday, my cousins and I went to Madinat Jumeirah. I am a big fan and we all ended up having dinner at The Meat Co. I cannot even begin to tell you what a great place this was! Its a steakhouse, and although it is not a very popular restaurant, it certainly was an amazing one. My cousins took the New Yorker, 500g, steak, well done. I took the Petite Fillet, well done. My steak was just soooo juicy and so tender. The accompanying mashed potatos were so amazing as well! I could not even think back of when I had a better steak before! I mean, mere words cannot do justice here. You have to go to this restaurant to believe me!

Mansur

Locked Out!

Hi everyone,

I was locked out of my apartment today. I dont remember where I lost my keys. Was it at the barbers? The internet cafe? McDonalds? The taxi car? The dinner? My cousins house? I dont know where it went. The spare keys were inside my house, so in order to get those ones, I had to break in. My watchman in the building arranged for someone to come and open the lock. He opened it up, removed the entire lock, and then put in a brand new one! I was so glad to get it fixed. I was missing home already! So, now, I am not locked out anymore!

Mansur

Hasta La Vista Baby... Its Fa-heetas!

Hi everyone,

This past Thursday I had a Mexican party at my place. I had invited several of my friends. They were all a mix of nationalities. One American and three Lebanese. There were two other people invited who were not able to make it. They were from Lebanon and Qatari/ American.

My evening started with everyone showing up late-- by an hour. I had served them Nachos and Salsa dip, before my main meal. Some one had brought some games over. They at first started making the dominoes on my living room floor. Since my name is quite long, they decided to stick with M-A-N! We also played Taboo a lot, which was hilarious, with all the shouting and screaming and that annoying buzzing thing!

I went into the kitchen and I started making the chicken with the fajita seasonings. I did that, and then I made the Spanish Rice. I warmed up the tortillas as well. I also warmed up the re-fried beans. I served the main meal with sour cream, cheese, salsa and guacomole. The American friend taught the others how to make a fajita, and it was hilarious to see the others make an attempt to make a fajita. Of course, it looks a lot like shawerma!

They all enjoyed the fajitas. At first I thought they were being nice to me. But later, they were really, sincerely and genuinely, telling me they loved the fajitas. I was so glad it all worked out. I was so glad, I immediatly felt like holding another fajita party again!

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to take pictures, since we were so busy playing and eating!

Mansur

The Meadows

Hi everyone,

sorry for the delay in writing in my blog! I was actually busy with my cousins who had flown in from the UK. They have a place in one of the more posher areas in Dubai: The Meadows! My parents have a house in Meadows as well, but my cousins were actually staying there. I spent two nights with them there. And it was great.

You see, Meadows is a part of a bigger community in Dubai. There is a place called Emirates Living, which comprises of Meadows, Springs, Emirates Hills, Greens amongst others. My cousins live in Phase 9, so that was at the end of the huge complex. At night, I felt like I was in another world and not eveni n Dubai. I think that is because most of the people living here are Britishers, who are working professionals.

The houses in the Meadows range from 3 to 7 bedrooms. I was in a 4 bed room house. There are no garage doors or any main gates. The houses are all lined up, with open gates, pretty much whats its like in the UK and the US. The weather would also be nicer since it is far out in the desert, and walking on the streets woyuld immediately transport you to another place.

I had been wanting to live in Meadows for one night for a long time-- just for the experience. I am glad I had the oppourtunity to do so.

However, if I had the money, my favorite projects in the entire project is called Hattan. They are very practical built houses, very cute, and amazing furniture!

Mansur

Extreme Makeover

Hi everyone,

I was watching a program called Extreme Makeover on Reality TV last night. People write to the producers of this program and explain to them why they are eligible for an extreme makeover. They give all sorts of reasons. Last night, there were two women. One who looked 20 years older than her actual age and the other one who had picked on her face so much she was scarred. They were all taken to the top plastic and cosmetic surgeons, had several operations, and then dental work. They had the best hairstylist and deisgner to give them the right fit. A lot of the difference was made with what was done with the face. Eyebrows were lifted, nose reshaped, wrinkles removed, lips made fuller and so on.

I thought about my own face. Now, I know people will say to me that I should be happy with my face because thats the way God has made it to be. They will tell me that I am God's creation and I should not change my face because I will alter God's design. Then there are some people who have had skin problems and accidents (burns, scars, car accidents) whose faces are damaged. They can go ahead and get plastic surgery.

But what if I had a chance? What if there were a possibilty I could change something? I am not talking about extreme makeover, but just one thing.

I wish I had a different nose. There you go! I said it! I am not happy with my nose. I think its too wide. I wish I had a slimmer nose. But I also realize that if I change the shape of my nose, everything on my face will look different and may look out of proportion. I often think what I would look like with a slimmer nose.

Do you think it would be wrong of me to get a nose job?

Mansur

Shawerma

Hi everyone,

I had a chicken shawerma today. I love shawerma so much. I remember eating shawerma when I was growing up in Jeddah. At that time there were none of the fast foods that are available today, and despite having all the international fast foods today, I still would vouch for the local chicken shawerma. I would always have two of them. They are so easy to eat, so fulfilling and the chicken is almost always tasty. Sometimes they would put frech fries in them. Of course you have to eat it from a nice restaurant. But what I am saying is that I would take a shawerma over a meal at Chilis or Fuddruckers or Pizza Hut!

I love shawermas!

Mansur

Regrets?

Hi all,

today I am at that point of life where I have too much to think of. Having been free all day, I was thinking about my life. I eventually come to the point where I wish I had an eraser and erase some of the more uncomfortable parts of my life, so those bad parts were not affecting me. I wish I could somehow get rid of the bad memories as well. I wish someone were available to come and take away my bad deeds that I have done. I wish I could have a fresh, new start in life. But life does not give us second chances. We have only one life!

Which got me thinking--- do I have any regrets in life? Is there something I have done or said to something which I regret now? Is it ok to have regrets in life? If it is, then I am powerless to go back and change that course of action. I will be stuck for the rest of my life with those regrets. Or is it better to have no regrets and you can accept whatever yuo did or said as something to learn from?

After much thought, I think it better, for me, to not have any regrets. That way I can be at peace in my heart and mind about any unpleasant eventy in my life. I don't think I regret anything in life becuase whatever happens, happens for a reason. It's all about how I perceive the events, and I perceive them as learning lessons. I learn from my mistakes, and as they all say, you can only change for the better as you experience the worse!

Do you think we should have regrets in life?

Mansur

Do They Think We are Fools?

Hi everyone,,

I have been watching the tv for a while now and when there is nothing on I watch the home shopping network channels, with names like A One shopping! I watch them primarily because they almost always have something new to offer to the gullible public. I see that they have the best juicer, best exercise machine for the stomach, best beds, best barbecue grill and so on and on. What I am beginning to hate now is how the people who come to talk about these products act like as if the public will believe them. We all know these people are actors and they have been asked to act all surprised and gasp in amazement and excitement when the product does its work! I mean, when someone was using the new mop to clean the dirt off the floor, everyone in the audience had their jaws dropping! What is that, man??!! If anything, the least they can do is act surprised normally, not with large mouths openings and over the top excitement. For Heaven's sake, its only a mop. Who do the producers think they are fooling when they sell their products in such ways? Certainly not me!

Mansur
PS Maybe there are some people out there who really believe that what they see on tv must work in real life as well! Maybe thats why these kind of programs continue to run!

The Reality of the Situation...

Hey you all,

my friend and I were discussing reality tv shows. I could not believe how many there are being shown on tv nowadays. I do not know when the whole craze started, but the first reality tv show I watched was Big Brother in the UK back in 2003. I did not like the concept initially-- who wants to see 24 hours some bunch of people put up in a house and see them do odd things? But several of my cousins were watching it and were votnig each week to eliminate the person they did not like. Soon, I got into the rut, and started following it as well, and towards the end I was also voting!

Today there are so many reality based shows: American Idol, Joe Millionaire, For Love or Money, Outback Jack, Shipwrecked, Survivor, Manhhunt, The Casino, The Apprentice, My Big Fat Obnoxiuos Fiance among others.

Now, I do not know why they are so popular, but I think there are two reasons. One is that these people are real people and the viewers can relate to them. I think there is also this tendency for viewers to become voyeuristic- which means they enjoying whats happening in other people's lives. Secondly, there is a game-show aspect of it. The viewers can participate and have a direct say into what should happen next. It's like, you control the show by eliminating the contestants.

I do not how many more such shows will come up but as for now, they seem to be extremely popular. The one I watch though is American Idol, which is primarily because my friend got me into it!

Mansur

Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine

Hey friends,

I got George Foreman's Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine-- the baby version. I already grilled hamburger patties, hot dogs and chicken skewers on it. This machine is a grilling machine, and the grills are set at a slope. While the food is being grilled, the excess fat and oil is grilled out and slides down into the collecting tray. So, in other words, the grilled food is drained away of the excess fat. I think its an awesome thing, and sometimes does better cooking than the microwave. Like today, I grilled halloumi (goat) cheese and it was pure delicacy!

Mansur