Hi everyone,
On a short note, since an issue was raised about men handling women's lingerie in Saudi Arabia, that's all about to change! According to the Labor Ministry, a timetable will be set up to allow for women to work in shops selling women's lingerie. Women in Saudi Arabia, rejoice! No more embarassments or humiliation! =)
Mansur
Thursday, June 30, 2005
Left Jeddah!
Hey friends,
I left Jeddah today. My holiday break is up. I am now in Dubai and I not liking it the least bit right now. I know I shall be all-right within a few days, but when I leave my home, Jeddah, I always feel sad. Heck, I was feeling sad when I left my home to go to the airport.
I left home at 1pm and my flight left at 4pm. It was a great flight on Saudia, with only half the people on board. I was stuck next to this really fat man, so I was all squeezed up. I could have moved, but all the window seats were taken! Well, anyways, that is not what I wanted to say.
I guess what I wanted to say is, if no one else has said it before, that "once you are away from home, you only then realize how much you miss it." I had such an awesome time in Jeddah, and even though I may have complained about the policies and going-ons there, I love Jeddah. I miss Jarir Bookstore and Tahliyah Street (Jeddah's own Oxford Street!!) I guess no one can appreciate Jeddah if one has not lived there. I am in Dubai now, the height of artificiality and superficiality. Dubai Summer Surprises. Dubai Millionaire. Dubai: Shopping Paradise. Spend Spend Spend! Win Win Win! Money Money Money!
I miss Jeddah, so much so, I want to see women in the black abayas, all covered, as opposed to some women here who wear shorts and sleeveless in Dubai! I am sick of Dubai now! I am seriously contemplating of living somewhere else, if not Jeddah.
I was so infuriated to read about Oprah misusing Rania al-Baz's interview to depict the life of a Saudi woman. I now wonder why Oprah did something like what she did. She should know better than that. Wife-beating is not limited to Saudi, but every country in the world. The fact that Oprah chose to use Rania al-Baz as an example of a typical Saudi woman goes to show how much she doesn't know about Saudi. Miss Oprah, come live in Jeddah and you will see how much different it is in reality than the fantasy world you have conjured up in your mind!
Jeddah is a real city. There is nothing fake about it. Ok, so the restaurants are segregated and women cannot drive and no cinemas are there, but that does not make Jeddah boring. Jeddah is miles better than Dubai. Jeddah is real, warm (as in hospitality-wise) and one of the coolest place to be. Dubai is a place where you have to flaunt money to have a good time, otherwise, forget it!
Jeddah. I am so emotional now. What else can I say? I miss Jeddah!
Mansur
I left Jeddah today. My holiday break is up. I am now in Dubai and I not liking it the least bit right now. I know I shall be all-right within a few days, but when I leave my home, Jeddah, I always feel sad. Heck, I was feeling sad when I left my home to go to the airport.
I left home at 1pm and my flight left at 4pm. It was a great flight on Saudia, with only half the people on board. I was stuck next to this really fat man, so I was all squeezed up. I could have moved, but all the window seats were taken! Well, anyways, that is not what I wanted to say.
I guess what I wanted to say is, if no one else has said it before, that "once you are away from home, you only then realize how much you miss it." I had such an awesome time in Jeddah, and even though I may have complained about the policies and going-ons there, I love Jeddah. I miss Jarir Bookstore and Tahliyah Street (Jeddah's own Oxford Street!!) I guess no one can appreciate Jeddah if one has not lived there. I am in Dubai now, the height of artificiality and superficiality. Dubai Summer Surprises. Dubai Millionaire. Dubai: Shopping Paradise. Spend Spend Spend! Win Win Win! Money Money Money!
I miss Jeddah, so much so, I want to see women in the black abayas, all covered, as opposed to some women here who wear shorts and sleeveless in Dubai! I am sick of Dubai now! I am seriously contemplating of living somewhere else, if not Jeddah.
I was so infuriated to read about Oprah misusing Rania al-Baz's interview to depict the life of a Saudi woman. I now wonder why Oprah did something like what she did. She should know better than that. Wife-beating is not limited to Saudi, but every country in the world. The fact that Oprah chose to use Rania al-Baz as an example of a typical Saudi woman goes to show how much she doesn't know about Saudi. Miss Oprah, come live in Jeddah and you will see how much different it is in reality than the fantasy world you have conjured up in your mind!
Jeddah is a real city. There is nothing fake about it. Ok, so the restaurants are segregated and women cannot drive and no cinemas are there, but that does not make Jeddah boring. Jeddah is miles better than Dubai. Jeddah is real, warm (as in hospitality-wise) and one of the coolest place to be. Dubai is a place where you have to flaunt money to have a good time, otherwise, forget it!
Jeddah. I am so emotional now. What else can I say? I miss Jeddah!
Mansur
Tagged!
Hi,
There is some sort of new game around where bloggers are tagged. It is something like the playground game kids play, where one runs after a group of people and tag them. The tagged person becomes "it" and runs after the other people, the "untagged" ones. So, I have been tagged by "Jowhara's Chamber" and answer these questions.
So, now, I have tagged Xena's World! So, now Xena, take the blue questions and post them on your blog!
* Number of books I own
I have about 100 books or so. Sometimes I give away my books, as in charity, and sometimes I lend my books to people who should have returned my books ages ago!
* Five Books that mean a lot to me
In no particular order:
1. Veronika Decides to Die--- Paulo Coelho
I read this book at the time when I needed to read it the most. It will turn away people from even thinking along the lines of suicide, and in turn appreciate life!
2. Tuesdays With Morrie--- Mitch Albom
Some great life lessons!
3. The Kite Runner--- Khalid Hosseini
I love this book because of the issues dealt between friendships and between son-father. Lots of sub-contexts make it more meaningful to me.
4. Life of Pi--- Yann Martel
The way the protagonist of this book narrates his story, I feel like its my story too (hence my blog title Life of Mansur!)
5. Sophie's World--- Jostein Gaardier
Great book about philosophy, religion and all sorts of -isms and -ologies, all seen through the eyes of a child!
*The book that I am reading for so long but cant finish
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I read this way back in school. A friend of mine revived my interest in this book again. Sometimes when you read a book you read a long time ago, it takes on a completely new meaning on a second or third reading!
There is some sort of new game around where bloggers are tagged. It is something like the playground game kids play, where one runs after a group of people and tag them. The tagged person becomes "it" and runs after the other people, the "untagged" ones. So, I have been tagged by "Jowhara's Chamber" and answer these questions.
So, now, I have tagged Xena's World! So, now Xena, take the blue questions and post them on your blog!
* Number of books I own
I have about 100 books or so. Sometimes I give away my books, as in charity, and sometimes I lend my books to people who should have returned my books ages ago!
* Five Books that mean a lot to me
In no particular order:
1. Veronika Decides to Die--- Paulo Coelho
I read this book at the time when I needed to read it the most. It will turn away people from even thinking along the lines of suicide, and in turn appreciate life!
2. Tuesdays With Morrie--- Mitch Albom
Some great life lessons!
3. The Kite Runner--- Khalid Hosseini
I love this book because of the issues dealt between friendships and between son-father. Lots of sub-contexts make it more meaningful to me.
4. Life of Pi--- Yann Martel
The way the protagonist of this book narrates his story, I feel like its my story too (hence my blog title Life of Mansur!)
5. Sophie's World--- Jostein Gaardier
Great book about philosophy, religion and all sorts of -isms and -ologies, all seen through the eyes of a child!
*The book that I am reading for so long but cant finish
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. I read this way back in school. A friend of mine revived my interest in this book again. Sometimes when you read a book you read a long time ago, it takes on a completely new meaning on a second or third reading!
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Dentist
Hey,
I had my dentist appointment today. It may sound funny to you all, but I absolutely love going to the dentist. You see, before I pursued my educational career in architecture, I was in love with dentistry, so much so, I spent one year doing pre-dentistry in the US. Circumstances and destiny led me elsewhere, and I guess God thought I would be a better architect than a dentist.
When people first heard I was going to study dentistry, they would always ask me, "why do you want to spend your lifetime looking into people's mouth?" I had no clear answer then, but I would always tell them that it something I love. Where did my interest in dentistry come from? From years of experience at the dentist. I am the only in my family to have had all four my wisdom teeth removed. I had braces on for four years. I have had two teeth extracted long time ago. Thankfully, my teeth are all aligned now.
When I had my braces removed back in 1993, the dentist back then did not a super job of removing the square piece of glue that was left on of my tooth. The dentist who worked on me today saw that and asked me why I was walking around with a piece of glue on my teeth. I told him I thought it was plaque and I over-dosed on chocolates. He finally removed the piece of glue, and now I feel so cool, because what I thought was plaque is not there anymore. My white teeth is shining now.
Oh, by the way, the whitening toothpaste do not really work. It's a scam that the makers of these toothpastes are cashing in on to offer an alternative to those who cannot afford the more expensive whitening process at the dentist.
Oh, also, remember to floss and mouthwash daily. That's the lesson I learned today!
Mansur
I had my dentist appointment today. It may sound funny to you all, but I absolutely love going to the dentist. You see, before I pursued my educational career in architecture, I was in love with dentistry, so much so, I spent one year doing pre-dentistry in the US. Circumstances and destiny led me elsewhere, and I guess God thought I would be a better architect than a dentist.
When people first heard I was going to study dentistry, they would always ask me, "why do you want to spend your lifetime looking into people's mouth?" I had no clear answer then, but I would always tell them that it something I love. Where did my interest in dentistry come from? From years of experience at the dentist. I am the only in my family to have had all four my wisdom teeth removed. I had braces on for four years. I have had two teeth extracted long time ago. Thankfully, my teeth are all aligned now.
When I had my braces removed back in 1993, the dentist back then did not a super job of removing the square piece of glue that was left on of my tooth. The dentist who worked on me today saw that and asked me why I was walking around with a piece of glue on my teeth. I told him I thought it was plaque and I over-dosed on chocolates. He finally removed the piece of glue, and now I feel so cool, because what I thought was plaque is not there anymore. My white teeth is shining now.
Oh, by the way, the whitening toothpaste do not really work. It's a scam that the makers of these toothpastes are cashing in on to offer an alternative to those who cannot afford the more expensive whitening process at the dentist.
Oh, also, remember to floss and mouthwash daily. That's the lesson I learned today!
Mansur
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Saudi Personality #3 and #4
Hey friends,
Today I nominate two Saudi women, who are sisters. They are known as Donia and Wa'ad (Hanan) Bakr Yunis . Why do I nominate them? Because they are two Saudi women on the different end of the spectrum and are leading successful lives. One is a media presenter and the other is a singer.
Donia "has been working as a media reporter for more than 30 years. She is known for her TV morning show in which children love her so much they call her Mama Donia. She has also grown more successful in the recent years after her work for MBC FM, and is now developing a new show on Al-Waha, in the United Arab Emirates. She also is respected for her in-depth interviews of leading Arab women."
Wa'ad, "born Hanan Bakr Yonis, is an immensely popular pop singer with several hit singles, including her most recent, song, Ala Meen. She appeared on the wildly popular Star Academy, the Arab version of a televised talent show also called in some conservative circles as Satan's Academy. She s twice divorced from her Lebanese husbands."
I am not here to criticize what these women are doing, but rather to say that I am pleased to hear of these two women. They have had the freedom to do what they want with their lives. The two of them are making a difference in their own ways. Wa'ad, the singer, has broken the conception of what a Saudi women is supposed to be like. She must have had a harder struggle than her elder sister. Sometimes society and the world have certain perceptions of what people from a certain country should look like. Society wants to dictate what men and women should look like. I can imagine the furor from the people when they see someone like Wa'ad. I don't know these two women very well, so I cannot speak for them, but I admire them for doing what they did with their lives, moreso Wa'ad who has had to face severe criticism from people around her who have labelled her as a "rebel," "disgrace" and a "show off." Having said that, there are those who say that "she still has class and (is) great."
Mansur
Today I nominate two Saudi women, who are sisters. They are known as Donia and Wa'ad (Hanan) Bakr Yunis . Why do I nominate them? Because they are two Saudi women on the different end of the spectrum and are leading successful lives. One is a media presenter and the other is a singer.
Donia "has been working as a media reporter for more than 30 years. She is known for her TV morning show in which children love her so much they call her Mama Donia. She has also grown more successful in the recent years after her work for MBC FM, and is now developing a new show on Al-Waha, in the United Arab Emirates. She also is respected for her in-depth interviews of leading Arab women."
Wa'ad, "born Hanan Bakr Yonis, is an immensely popular pop singer with several hit singles, including her most recent, song, Ala Meen. She appeared on the wildly popular Star Academy, the Arab version of a televised talent show also called in some conservative circles as Satan's Academy. She s twice divorced from her Lebanese husbands."
I am not here to criticize what these women are doing, but rather to say that I am pleased to hear of these two women. They have had the freedom to do what they want with their lives. The two of them are making a difference in their own ways. Wa'ad, the singer, has broken the conception of what a Saudi women is supposed to be like. She must have had a harder struggle than her elder sister. Sometimes society and the world have certain perceptions of what people from a certain country should look like. Society wants to dictate what men and women should look like. I can imagine the furor from the people when they see someone like Wa'ad. I don't know these two women very well, so I cannot speak for them, but I admire them for doing what they did with their lives, moreso Wa'ad who has had to face severe criticism from people around her who have labelled her as a "rebel," "disgrace" and a "show off." Having said that, there are those who say that "she still has class and (is) great."
Mansur
Monday, June 27, 2005
Iraq and Iran
Hey friends,
I don't care what the world has to say but I am sick in my heart knowing of what's going on in Iraq. People are dying daily. These figures are high figures. It's no joke to know that another suicide bomber has detonated the car to kill these people. I don't care if the battle is between the Sunnis or the Shias.I just care for the people there, people like you and me, who are stuck in such a difficult position. Their homes are being demolished and destroyed. The young men are being harrased and taken away in the middle of the night. US army are killing people here and there, claiming they were targetting the insurgents. Let's not forget what men and women went through at Abu Ghraib prison.
And then the American President has the nerve to say that Iraq is making progress and people are getting their freedom and liberty. It's really annoying to hear someone say something like that when we all know the reality is far from what the people are told by the US president.
There is now increasing talk within the US by large numbers of people calling for US withdrawal from Iraq. Today's news is that the US have been talking with the insurgents. That's a clear sign that the US is failing it's war in Iraq. I just cannot wait for the US army to leave Iraq.
That will be one day when I will rejoice. I have had just about enough to read about people being killed so senselessly each day.
In Iran, a hard-liner mayor from Tehran has become president. Immediately the US and Israel has claimed that the elections were flawed and rigged. They will of course say that. I do not know what the policies are of the new Iranian president, but I am glad to see him take a strong stance with the Americans. I am glad he has hinted that Iran does not need to depend on the US for any support.
Hope I did not sound too politically heavy to you all. I usually don't write about such stuff, but today, I am just really angry, frustrated and disillusioned with what's happening in Iraq. Maybe I am making it too personal, but Iraqi people are people just like you and me. Their lives is not worth any less than our own.
Mansur
I don't care what the world has to say but I am sick in my heart knowing of what's going on in Iraq. People are dying daily. These figures are high figures. It's no joke to know that another suicide bomber has detonated the car to kill these people. I don't care if the battle is between the Sunnis or the Shias.I just care for the people there, people like you and me, who are stuck in such a difficult position. Their homes are being demolished and destroyed. The young men are being harrased and taken away in the middle of the night. US army are killing people here and there, claiming they were targetting the insurgents. Let's not forget what men and women went through at Abu Ghraib prison.
And then the American President has the nerve to say that Iraq is making progress and people are getting their freedom and liberty. It's really annoying to hear someone say something like that when we all know the reality is far from what the people are told by the US president.
There is now increasing talk within the US by large numbers of people calling for US withdrawal from Iraq. Today's news is that the US have been talking with the insurgents. That's a clear sign that the US is failing it's war in Iraq. I just cannot wait for the US army to leave Iraq.
That will be one day when I will rejoice. I have had just about enough to read about people being killed so senselessly each day.
In Iran, a hard-liner mayor from Tehran has become president. Immediately the US and Israel has claimed that the elections were flawed and rigged. They will of course say that. I do not know what the policies are of the new Iranian president, but I am glad to see him take a strong stance with the Americans. I am glad he has hinted that Iran does not need to depend on the US for any support.
Hope I did not sound too politically heavy to you all. I usually don't write about such stuff, but today, I am just really angry, frustrated and disillusioned with what's happening in Iraq. Maybe I am making it too personal, but Iraqi people are people just like you and me. Their lives is not worth any less than our own.
Mansur
Sunday, June 26, 2005
Party on Red Sea!
Hey friends,
Sorry for the drought in my writing. I was out al day Friday for this awesome party on the boat and came back home by 2am. I was so dead tired I did not even have the energy to write about it on Saturday. So here I am!
The event was for a charity for the school opened for in one fo the poorest areas of Jeddah. The singer Mr. Amir Jamal, who was going to be performing for the last time here in Jeddah, had quit his job as a chartered accountant and is going back to Pakistan where he will be pursuing his career in singing and music. As it is, he has has garnered three major awards already.
The Venue: Al Ahlam Beach, Obhur.
Obhur is the place to be if you want to have a great time on the beaches. There are private as well as public beaches. The day was Friday, so everyone had gathered here on the beach, picknicking and barbecuing.
About 250 people had come aboard on the awesome boat. There were three levels. The seating area and the small stage were on the first level; the food was on the second level and a small seating area on the third level, which provided the best views was where everyone wanted to be.
We set sail exactly at 6pm and for about 45 minutes sailed out into the Red Sea. On both sides were private villas and beach huts that people were staying at. Some of the houses looked right out of some Miami beach. Many of the guys were fooling around on the jet skis, trying to splash water on the women and young women on our boat. I also saw some women, completely clad in their black abayas driving the jet skis! So, if they can drive jet skis and airplanes, why not cars? However, the way these guys were trying to show off their skills and bug us made me realize that guys like these can go completely crazy if they see women driving on the roads.
Once we were out in the open sea, with nothing on either sides of the boat, it was just a spectacular experience. I did not even feel like I was in Saudi Arabia-- I could have very well been in the Mediterranean Sea. Watching the sun-set was an experience in itself. Food was served, and my friend and I managed to get the good seats and table on the third level. Soon, we were far out into the Red Sea, with total isolation. We were in the middle of nowhere!
By 8pm, the show had started and Mr. Jamal sung some songs. I was not familiar with anyone of his songs, except for one, and I was only waiting to hear that. As it is, he saved the best song for the last. However, the atmosphere in that room was electrifying. Loud music, people clapping, the singer weaving his way through the audience I could see how much fun everyone was having, so much so, few people were even up and about from their seats swaying to the music!
The boat docked at 930pm, and some of the younger kids were being testy now. The boat in itelf was a lot of fun to be on. We all made our way back home, and spent some more time talking over all sorts of topics. By the time my evening ended, it was 2am and I was dead sleepy. All in all, it was a great evening, all for a worthy cause, where everyone had a nice time. To all those people who say Jeddah is boring, I would let this experience testify against their misconception!
Sailor-for-a-day,
Mansur
Sorry for the drought in my writing. I was out al day Friday for this awesome party on the boat and came back home by 2am. I was so dead tired I did not even have the energy to write about it on Saturday. So here I am!
The event was for a charity for the school opened for in one fo the poorest areas of Jeddah. The singer Mr. Amir Jamal, who was going to be performing for the last time here in Jeddah, had quit his job as a chartered accountant and is going back to Pakistan where he will be pursuing his career in singing and music. As it is, he has has garnered three major awards already.
The Venue: Al Ahlam Beach, Obhur.Obhur is the place to be if you want to have a great time on the beaches. There are private as well as public beaches. The day was Friday, so everyone had gathered here on the beach, picknicking and barbecuing.
About 250 people had come aboard on the awesome boat. There were three levels. The seating area and the small stage were on the first level; the food was on the second level and a small seating area on the third level, which provided the best views was where everyone wanted to be.
We set sail exactly at 6pm and for about 45 minutes sailed out into the Red Sea. On both sides were private villas and beach huts that people were staying at. Some of the houses looked right out of some Miami beach. Many of the guys were fooling around on the jet skis, trying to splash water on the women and young women on our boat. I also saw some women, completely clad in their black abayas driving the jet skis! So, if they can drive jet skis and airplanes, why not cars? However, the way these guys were trying to show off their skills and bug us made me realize that guys like these can go completely crazy if they see women driving on the roads.
Once we were out in the open sea, with nothing on either sides of the boat, it was just a spectacular experience. I did not even feel like I was in Saudi Arabia-- I could have very well been in the Mediterranean Sea. Watching the sun-set was an experience in itself. Food was served, and my friend and I managed to get the good seats and table on the third level. Soon, we were far out into the Red Sea, with total isolation. We were in the middle of nowhere!By 8pm, the show had started and Mr. Jamal sung some songs. I was not familiar with anyone of his songs, except for one, and I was only waiting to hear that. As it is, he saved the best song for the last. However, the atmosphere in that room was electrifying. Loud music, people clapping, the singer weaving his way through the audience I could see how much fun everyone was having, so much so, few people were even up and about from their seats swaying to the music!
The boat docked at 930pm, and some of the younger kids were being testy now. The boat in itelf was a lot of fun to be on. We all made our way back home, and spent some more time talking over all sorts of topics. By the time my evening ended, it was 2am and I was dead sleepy. All in all, it was a great evening, all for a worthy cause, where everyone had a nice time. To all those people who say Jeddah is boring, I would let this experience testify against their misconception!Sailor-for-a-day,
Mansur
Thursday, June 23, 2005
Thinking Critically
Hey all,
So I finally decided to put my profile picture up again. I don't think I am writing anything here that would provoke people into getting up, creating huge banners and marching down in protest about anything! I know I am in a sensitive area where certain topics can inflame anyone. Sure, if I go to a public place, like a mall or a msoque, and raise my concerns, I could get into trouble for being so vocal about my ideas. But, I am not doing that, and whatever it is that goes on here in Life of Mansur is personal to me.
Abeer Mishkhas of Arab News, writes about how intolerant some people can be when confronted with something they have not been used to listening to. A certain preacher in a mosque was talking about how drums are not forbidden. One intolerant person took out his knife and threatened the preacher. People like the guy who took out the knife get upset when his idea, which had been fed into his mind since he was kid, is challenged. Whatever happened to dialogue and debate? Whatever happened to tolerance? Whatever happened to respect to other people's opinions and ideas? If you want to be taken seriously, then you have to take other people seriously too!
The key idea that Ms. Mishkhas points out the following things:
"First, there is only one opinion in Saudi Arabia and no such thing as a difference of opinion can exist. Second, to reject an opposing opinion in a violent way is becoming a trend. Third and last: the intolerance we have taught and propagated has now developed and seeks to dominate."
"The fault is at least partly — even perhaps totally — with society. We live now in a society that does not accept “the other.” We live in a society that, for the most part, believes uncritically that there is only one possible opinion and that to say or think or write something different is wrong and even worse, should not be tolerated but should be punished. Those young men were the products of this teaching; they have been taught that there is only one opinion and no other is possible. Thus, to reject a different opinion becomes, in their minds, the right, the only thing to do."
"We must look back at Islamic history and see how it was full of different groups and sects and how in religion, there are different mazahib — schools of thought. That is sadly only in our history; when it comes to our modern reality, people are too lazy or too ignorant or too stubborn to entertain more than one opinion. What this will inevitably produce is plain to see. What this will inevitably produce is not an open and tolerant society."
I, for one, am thankful for the freedom of press here, as well as for the freedom to blog.
Mansur
So I finally decided to put my profile picture up again. I don't think I am writing anything here that would provoke people into getting up, creating huge banners and marching down in protest about anything! I know I am in a sensitive area where certain topics can inflame anyone. Sure, if I go to a public place, like a mall or a msoque, and raise my concerns, I could get into trouble for being so vocal about my ideas. But, I am not doing that, and whatever it is that goes on here in Life of Mansur is personal to me.
Abeer Mishkhas of Arab News, writes about how intolerant some people can be when confronted with something they have not been used to listening to. A certain preacher in a mosque was talking about how drums are not forbidden. One intolerant person took out his knife and threatened the preacher. People like the guy who took out the knife get upset when his idea, which had been fed into his mind since he was kid, is challenged. Whatever happened to dialogue and debate? Whatever happened to tolerance? Whatever happened to respect to other people's opinions and ideas? If you want to be taken seriously, then you have to take other people seriously too!
The key idea that Ms. Mishkhas points out the following things:
"First, there is only one opinion in Saudi Arabia and no such thing as a difference of opinion can exist. Second, to reject an opposing opinion in a violent way is becoming a trend. Third and last: the intolerance we have taught and propagated has now developed and seeks to dominate."
"The fault is at least partly — even perhaps totally — with society. We live now in a society that does not accept “the other.” We live in a society that, for the most part, believes uncritically that there is only one possible opinion and that to say or think or write something different is wrong and even worse, should not be tolerated but should be punished. Those young men were the products of this teaching; they have been taught that there is only one opinion and no other is possible. Thus, to reject a different opinion becomes, in their minds, the right, the only thing to do."
"We must look back at Islamic history and see how it was full of different groups and sects and how in religion, there are different mazahib — schools of thought. That is sadly only in our history; when it comes to our modern reality, people are too lazy or too ignorant or too stubborn to entertain more than one opinion. What this will inevitably produce is plain to see. What this will inevitably produce is not an open and tolerant society."
I, for one, am thankful for the freedom of press here, as well as for the freedom to blog.
Mansur
Driving in Jeddah!
Hey friends,
Yesterday and today morning, my sister and I went out for shopping to several places. The driving has been horrible with several near-crash situations for us. Holidays have started you see and driving is at its worst. Here are some of the things I absolutely hate here:
* People continue to drive through red lights therby blocking the drivers from the side where it is green
* Drivers with cars on zebra crossing at traffic light, in an attempt to be the first in line
* Drivers on the right most lane attempting to make a left turn across four lanes instead of going right or straight
* When lights turn green, you have to honk at them to make a move on
* Guys looking at girls in cars slowing down the traffic behind them
* Four cars with guys in them following some girls in a taxi
* Drivers not observing the rule at round-abouts where the cars inside the round-abouts have the right of way
* Littering-- absolutely annoying when you are driving to see someone throw out pieces of paper of some drink which come flying at your window
* Cars double or triple parked! Aaarrrrrgh!
* Cars parked in such a way where a parking lot for three spaces has been used by one car
* Changing lanes without any indicator lights
* Drivers driver in the middle of two lanes
And the number one thing that annoys me is :
* Pieces of paper (presumably with telephone numbers) flying from one car window to another car window while waiting for light to turn green!
Hey, have you ever noticed how bad the men driver here are (Saudi Arabia also has one of the highest number or deaths from car accidents in the world) and people talk about how women are bad drivers! Hilarious!
Mansur
Yesterday and today morning, my sister and I went out for shopping to several places. The driving has been horrible with several near-crash situations for us. Holidays have started you see and driving is at its worst. Here are some of the things I absolutely hate here:
* People continue to drive through red lights therby blocking the drivers from the side where it is green
* Drivers with cars on zebra crossing at traffic light, in an attempt to be the first in line
* Drivers on the right most lane attempting to make a left turn across four lanes instead of going right or straight
* When lights turn green, you have to honk at them to make a move on
* Guys looking at girls in cars slowing down the traffic behind them
* Four cars with guys in them following some girls in a taxi
* Drivers not observing the rule at round-abouts where the cars inside the round-abouts have the right of way
* Littering-- absolutely annoying when you are driving to see someone throw out pieces of paper of some drink which come flying at your window
* Cars double or triple parked! Aaarrrrrgh!
* Cars parked in such a way where a parking lot for three spaces has been used by one car
* Changing lanes without any indicator lights
* Drivers driver in the middle of two lanes
And the number one thing that annoys me is :
* Pieces of paper (presumably with telephone numbers) flying from one car window to another car window while waiting for light to turn green!
Hey, have you ever noticed how bad the men driver here are (Saudi Arabia also has one of the highest number or deaths from car accidents in the world) and people talk about how women are bad drivers! Hilarious!
Mansur
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
RALF, Mega Mall and Acid Indigestion!
Hey friends,
*** I finally managed to visit the Recreation and Leisure Fair (RALF) here in Jeddah. The event was inaugrated on the 15th and finished yesterday. No one from home was really interested to come with me so I took a friend of mine. The doors opened at 530pm and we were there aruond 7-ish. Where are the people? Why is it so empty? It's a Monday I know, but schools and colleges are off! The alarmingly small number of people made the exhibition hall seem more empty.
So what was the exhibition about? Well, they basically showcased toursism-related events. Most of the hotels had their stands. The sponsors displayed their automobiles and motor bikes. Various companies, like Canon and Fuji, displayed their products. Zajil Net had an internet cafe running. In two corners there were a skate-boarding ramp area and in the other a laser show. There were organizations like the martial arts center and the scuba diving group, where few of the kids were signing up for classes. Outside the hall, there was a beach volleyball court, where no one was playing, and also a camping outdoors area, where they displayed tents and barbecue equipments. The main gist of it all was to give an outlet to the youngsters for the various activities. It's not ground-breaking, but its a mild start to what hope would develop into bigger and better things.
Although I appreciate and commend the organizers' effort to put up such an event, I was disappointed with the number of people that were showing up in small numbers. RALF was advertised in the papers for close to two weeks prior to the exhibition. This is the first time such an exhibition has been held, so I only hope it becomes tronger year by year. I enjoyed this exhibition and it certainly beat the time usually spent at home!
On a side note, I want to nominate the speed-bump there that leads into the parking lot. Why was the whole parking lot empty while the street outside were crowded? Well, I took my dad's car and it got stuck on top of that absurd triangular speed bump-- heck, it was not even the least bit round!. The silencer and exhaust pipe were damaged and I had to go back home at 20kph. So there, it's official, the "world's worst speed-bump" is opposite the Jeddah's Convention and Exhibition Center!
*** Today morning, my mom, sister and I went to the new Seraifi Mega Mall which created waves last weekend. Thankfully we went in the afternoon for lunch, and I was very impressed. I think it is the best mall in Jeddah now. I felt like I was in a mall in London. The design, the use of colors, the layout plan of the shops were designed just like any mall in the West. The only thing I felt uncomfortable, as an architect, was the food court on the third floor. There are three floors, and there is also a good sized ince skating rink on the second floor. There is also what they advertised as the largest hypermarket in Saudi Arabia. We had lunch and strolled around. It was a great experience. We went again in the evening with my dad, but the traffic was horrible, and people had literally parked across the main road. It was like as if the whole town had descended on this mall. We did not go inside this time.
*** I had Burger King for lunch. I could not even remember when I had Burger King last (probably months!) I wish I did not have that Whopper. The whole day, I was suffering from acid indigestion, you know, the feeling when you have this burning acidic sensation rising up to your throat. Horrible feeling!
Hey guys, if you come to Jeddah, be sure to check out the Seriafi Mega Mall. Ok, I am out of here for now!
Mansur
*** I finally managed to visit the Recreation and Leisure Fair (RALF) here in Jeddah. The event was inaugrated on the 15th and finished yesterday. No one from home was really interested to come with me so I took a friend of mine. The doors opened at 530pm and we were there aruond 7-ish. Where are the people? Why is it so empty? It's a Monday I know, but schools and colleges are off! The alarmingly small number of people made the exhibition hall seem more empty.
So what was the exhibition about? Well, they basically showcased toursism-related events. Most of the hotels had their stands. The sponsors displayed their automobiles and motor bikes. Various companies, like Canon and Fuji, displayed their products. Zajil Net had an internet cafe running. In two corners there were a skate-boarding ramp area and in the other a laser show. There were organizations like the martial arts center and the scuba diving group, where few of the kids were signing up for classes. Outside the hall, there was a beach volleyball court, where no one was playing, and also a camping outdoors area, where they displayed tents and barbecue equipments. The main gist of it all was to give an outlet to the youngsters for the various activities. It's not ground-breaking, but its a mild start to what hope would develop into bigger and better things.
Although I appreciate and commend the organizers' effort to put up such an event, I was disappointed with the number of people that were showing up in small numbers. RALF was advertised in the papers for close to two weeks prior to the exhibition. This is the first time such an exhibition has been held, so I only hope it becomes tronger year by year. I enjoyed this exhibition and it certainly beat the time usually spent at home!
On a side note, I want to nominate the speed-bump there that leads into the parking lot. Why was the whole parking lot empty while the street outside were crowded? Well, I took my dad's car and it got stuck on top of that absurd triangular speed bump-- heck, it was not even the least bit round!. The silencer and exhaust pipe were damaged and I had to go back home at 20kph. So there, it's official, the "world's worst speed-bump" is opposite the Jeddah's Convention and Exhibition Center!
*** Today morning, my mom, sister and I went to the new Seraifi Mega Mall which created waves last weekend. Thankfully we went in the afternoon for lunch, and I was very impressed. I think it is the best mall in Jeddah now. I felt like I was in a mall in London. The design, the use of colors, the layout plan of the shops were designed just like any mall in the West. The only thing I felt uncomfortable, as an architect, was the food court on the third floor. There are three floors, and there is also a good sized ince skating rink on the second floor. There is also what they advertised as the largest hypermarket in Saudi Arabia. We had lunch and strolled around. It was a great experience. We went again in the evening with my dad, but the traffic was horrible, and people had literally parked across the main road. It was like as if the whole town had descended on this mall. We did not go inside this time.
*** I had Burger King for lunch. I could not even remember when I had Burger King last (probably months!) I wish I did not have that Whopper. The whole day, I was suffering from acid indigestion, you know, the feeling when you have this burning acidic sensation rising up to your throat. Horrible feeling!
Hey guys, if you come to Jeddah, be sure to check out the Seriafi Mega Mall. Ok, I am out of here for now!
Mansur
Monday, June 20, 2005
Maculinity Redefined
Hey friends,
What makes a man masculine? What makes a woman feminine? Are there set rules and guidelines of what a man and woman can do? Are there any parameters on what a man can wear or not wear? Does a man who has a fashion-sense is a feminine? Does a man who likes to get pedicures and manicures make him a feminine? Does a woman who wear jeans makes her a masculine? I am sure most of us would bring up own ideas and beliefs and mention what they have to say about this.
According to this article, the latest fad in France is male lingerie, precisely a male underwear with red lace. Boundaries are being crossed all over. In the development of a modern society, men have been known to be conscious and vain about their looks. They will spend time at the spas and hairdressers. They will get the pedicures and manicures. They will invest in cosmetics and facial skin care products. They will purchase the latest clothes that are in style. The article talks about how 30 seconds at a traffic light in Riyadh will show you all the men indulging in personal grooming.
How far is too far? Where does masculinity stop? What is the boundary? Is there a boundary?
The article talk about how the media feeds our brain with what a perfect person should be like. Be it a the male singer on the Arabic music channels, or the woman parading down in the new outfit, or even the idea that thin is perfection. White teeth, hair that doesn't get messy, skin free from any zits, cool clothes are what people want to be. Which beings me back to the idea that many people have inner issues, which propels them to imitate these figures in the media. Why do we see so many guys body-buidling here? Is it an image-consicous thing for them? Have they been deluded over time watching all the Van Dammes and Schwarzennegers than muscles means women, perfection and happiness? Issues become deep when people fail to look like the people they see on their tv sets.
I in my mind do think that lines are being blurred now. CK did it with its unisex perfume. What should be a man's doman should stay as a man's domain. What's a woman's domain should stay as woman's domain. Examples would certainly include the red lingerie for men and cosemtics.
I think in our hearts, we all want to look good, which is perfectly all right. But it is the way which some men and women go about to make themself look good that is not all right.
Maybe some of you can shed light on what masulinity means to you and how far can/ should a man go to look good?
(I know I have talked about several issues here, which are inter-connected that might leave you confused. Sorry about that!)
Mansur
What makes a man masculine? What makes a woman feminine? Are there set rules and guidelines of what a man and woman can do? Are there any parameters on what a man can wear or not wear? Does a man who has a fashion-sense is a feminine? Does a man who likes to get pedicures and manicures make him a feminine? Does a woman who wear jeans makes her a masculine? I am sure most of us would bring up own ideas and beliefs and mention what they have to say about this.
According to this article, the latest fad in France is male lingerie, precisely a male underwear with red lace. Boundaries are being crossed all over. In the development of a modern society, men have been known to be conscious and vain about their looks. They will spend time at the spas and hairdressers. They will get the pedicures and manicures. They will invest in cosmetics and facial skin care products. They will purchase the latest clothes that are in style. The article talks about how 30 seconds at a traffic light in Riyadh will show you all the men indulging in personal grooming.
How far is too far? Where does masculinity stop? What is the boundary? Is there a boundary?
The article talk about how the media feeds our brain with what a perfect person should be like. Be it a the male singer on the Arabic music channels, or the woman parading down in the new outfit, or even the idea that thin is perfection. White teeth, hair that doesn't get messy, skin free from any zits, cool clothes are what people want to be. Which beings me back to the idea that many people have inner issues, which propels them to imitate these figures in the media. Why do we see so many guys body-buidling here? Is it an image-consicous thing for them? Have they been deluded over time watching all the Van Dammes and Schwarzennegers than muscles means women, perfection and happiness? Issues become deep when people fail to look like the people they see on their tv sets.
I in my mind do think that lines are being blurred now. CK did it with its unisex perfume. What should be a man's doman should stay as a man's domain. What's a woman's domain should stay as woman's domain. Examples would certainly include the red lingerie for men and cosemtics.
I think in our hearts, we all want to look good, which is perfectly all right. But it is the way which some men and women go about to make themself look good that is not all right.
Maybe some of you can shed light on what masulinity means to you and how far can/ should a man go to look good?
(I know I have talked about several issues here, which are inter-connected that might leave you confused. Sorry about that!)
Mansur
Turning 21!
Hey friends,
I was busy yesterday because my younger sister turned 21! To her, it was a milestone, like it was at 16 and 18.
She went with her Saudi friends to get professional pictures taken. My parents, myself and my sister also got a professional family protrait done. It was a good experience, especially with that Filipino photographer who was smiling and laughing throughout the photo session, which caused us to smile excessively in some of the photos, thereby making us look like small kids!
My parents had got my sister several small gifts, and put it all in a heart shaped box, filled with dry flowers. The camera I got her, which by was Canon Ixus 50, was also place in the box. I also got her the ice-cream cake from Baskin Robbins, her favorite.
We had a family dinner at Toki, where there are two restaurants: Italian and Chinese. We had Chinese, and it was my first time at this really posh restaurant. The owner of this restuarnt also owns Byblos and Bubbles, as well as Laylaty wedding hall.
So, my sister turned 21, and sometimes its hard to believe that she is not my little sister, but a mature, young women now! Sis, happy birthday!
Mansur
I was busy yesterday because my younger sister turned 21! To her, it was a milestone, like it was at 16 and 18.
She went with her Saudi friends to get professional pictures taken. My parents, myself and my sister also got a professional family protrait done. It was a good experience, especially with that Filipino photographer who was smiling and laughing throughout the photo session, which caused us to smile excessively in some of the photos, thereby making us look like small kids!
My parents had got my sister several small gifts, and put it all in a heart shaped box, filled with dry flowers. The camera I got her, which by was Canon Ixus 50, was also place in the box. I also got her the ice-cream cake from Baskin Robbins, her favorite.
We had a family dinner at Toki, where there are two restaurants: Italian and Chinese. We had Chinese, and it was my first time at this really posh restaurant. The owner of this restuarnt also owns Byblos and Bubbles, as well as Laylaty wedding hall.
So, my sister turned 21, and sometimes its hard to believe that she is not my little sister, but a mature, young women now! Sis, happy birthday!
Mansur
Friday, June 17, 2005
New Mega Mall Opening
Hello,
This weekend, the new Serafi Mega Mall made its opening. The timing could not have been more perfect since the exams also ended this weekend. So, with all the students and families out there on the streets, the mall took the opportune time to cash in. As I had imagined, there was a huge traffic jam and people were stuck. (There is a line in the article where an old man say "I am tucked over here for three hours and I am patient of debates" which should read "I was stuck here for over three hours and I am patient of diabetes." Sometimes I wish I could be a proof-reader for Saudi Gazette!)
I myself personally was not there, but I can imagine so because when Ikea was opened here, there was a crazy traffic jam and the opening of the new branch resulted in several deaths all because people wanted to be the first 100 customers to receive the free vouchers. So, today Jeddah has yet another new mall. Only time will tell how successful this mall is because as it is, the other malls are not doing grat business. People mainly go for window shopping, the play areas, or the food courts. The shopping itself is very little compared to the number of people in the malls.
Oh, how could I forget also that malls are a dating scene, as witnessed at Basateen Mall this past week. I was in there twice with my dad and twice I saw about 50 young men, in latest designer clothes, bandanas, sleeveless, bodybuilders, baseball caps, chains, mobile phones, just standing there right at the entrance. It was like being attacked by a mob. I mean, Basateen Mall is primarily for women, hardly any shops for men, yet you see all these young men in there. I was there with my dad, and it got a little weird when we saw some of the men catch pieces of paper from the few young females there. But then again, instead of criticising these men, I ask myself: what else can they do? Most areas are restricted to families, and so what should the young men do in their free time? Exams have ended, they want to take a break, and there are no options for them except to hang out at Starbucks or in malls.
Mansur
This weekend, the new Serafi Mega Mall made its opening. The timing could not have been more perfect since the exams also ended this weekend. So, with all the students and families out there on the streets, the mall took the opportune time to cash in. As I had imagined, there was a huge traffic jam and people were stuck. (There is a line in the article where an old man say "I am tucked over here for three hours and I am patient of debates" which should read "I was stuck here for over three hours and I am patient of diabetes." Sometimes I wish I could be a proof-reader for Saudi Gazette!)
I myself personally was not there, but I can imagine so because when Ikea was opened here, there was a crazy traffic jam and the opening of the new branch resulted in several deaths all because people wanted to be the first 100 customers to receive the free vouchers. So, today Jeddah has yet another new mall. Only time will tell how successful this mall is because as it is, the other malls are not doing grat business. People mainly go for window shopping, the play areas, or the food courts. The shopping itself is very little compared to the number of people in the malls.
Oh, how could I forget also that malls are a dating scene, as witnessed at Basateen Mall this past week. I was in there twice with my dad and twice I saw about 50 young men, in latest designer clothes, bandanas, sleeveless, bodybuilders, baseball caps, chains, mobile phones, just standing there right at the entrance. It was like being attacked by a mob. I mean, Basateen Mall is primarily for women, hardly any shops for men, yet you see all these young men in there. I was there with my dad, and it got a little weird when we saw some of the men catch pieces of paper from the few young females there. But then again, instead of criticising these men, I ask myself: what else can they do? Most areas are restricted to families, and so what should the young men do in their free time? Exams have ended, they want to take a break, and there are no options for them except to hang out at Starbucks or in malls.
Mansur
Saudi Personality #2
Hey friends,
Today the Saudi personality is Hanadi Zakaria Al-Hindi, the first Saudi women pilot to graduate. Rest assured, she will not be flying Saudi Airlines, but I am really proud of the fact that there is a Saudi women pilot. "Al-Hindi expressed joy at graduating and said she would return to Saudi Arabia to work on a private plane owned by Prince Al-Waleed ibn Talal who paid the costs of her studies in Jordan." So, while miss Al-Hindi will be flying a private plane, I wonder why women would be allowed to fly a plane, where she is responsible for the lives of the passenger, and not drive a car? Kudos to miss Al-Hindi. I hope she is a sign of hope and aspirations to the women in Saudi.
Mansur
Today the Saudi personality is Hanadi Zakaria Al-Hindi, the first Saudi women pilot to graduate. Rest assured, she will not be flying Saudi Airlines, but I am really proud of the fact that there is a Saudi women pilot. "Al-Hindi expressed joy at graduating and said she would return to Saudi Arabia to work on a private plane owned by Prince Al-Waleed ibn Talal who paid the costs of her studies in Jordan." So, while miss Al-Hindi will be flying a private plane, I wonder why women would be allowed to fly a plane, where she is responsible for the lives of the passenger, and not drive a car? Kudos to miss Al-Hindi. I hope she is a sign of hope and aspirations to the women in Saudi.
Mansur
Saudi Women Reject Driving
Hey friends,
This survey was an eye opener for me. 88% percent of Saudi women reject driving, citing employment, marriage, divorce and an end to abuse of women as other issues more important. Fair enough, but I feel that once more women start working, they will soon see the need to drive. Although driving may not seem entirely important now, at one time later, it will. It would be easier for the women to go to work if they can drive, to have more mobility and freedom instead of depending on a driver. I am not going to argue against this survey, but keep in mind only 1014 women were surveyed, which would hardly represent the entire nation, where more than 50% are women.
Mansur
This survey was an eye opener for me. 88% percent of Saudi women reject driving, citing employment, marriage, divorce and an end to abuse of women as other issues more important. Fair enough, but I feel that once more women start working, they will soon see the need to drive. Although driving may not seem entirely important now, at one time later, it will. It would be easier for the women to go to work if they can drive, to have more mobility and freedom instead of depending on a driver. I am not going to argue against this survey, but keep in mind only 1014 women were surveyed, which would hardly represent the entire nation, where more than 50% are women.
Mansur
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Bison Energy Drink!
Hi everyone,
Today I did something that I had never done before. I had my first ever energy drink! I know this measly effort of mine does not deserve a blog entry causing my readers to drift, but it is something I did something for the first time.
I don't know wy energy drinks are named after colorful animals, like Red Bull and Blue Ox. However, the one I am having doesnt have a color, instead, its plain Bison! I have heard so much about people drinking energy drinks, epecially when its exam time! I don't drink tea, coffee or energy drinks. Instead, a bar of chocolate, ok, several bars of chocolates get me going and energized.
My verdict: the Bison drink is yellow in color, and the taste has a medicinal, sour taste to it. Although it isnt a tasty drink, one can get used to it. I am not going to drink any more energy drink though.
I wonder how much truth there is in the oft-repeated statements that too many energy drinks per day is damaging to one's health?
Mansur
Today I did something that I had never done before. I had my first ever energy drink! I know this measly effort of mine does not deserve a blog entry causing my readers to drift, but it is something I did something for the first time.
I don't know wy energy drinks are named after colorful animals, like Red Bull and Blue Ox. However, the one I am having doesnt have a color, instead, its plain Bison! I have heard so much about people drinking energy drinks, epecially when its exam time! I don't drink tea, coffee or energy drinks. Instead, a bar of chocolate, ok, several bars of chocolates get me going and energized.
My verdict: the Bison drink is yellow in color, and the taste has a medicinal, sour taste to it. Although it isnt a tasty drink, one can get used to it. I am not going to drink any more energy drink though.
I wonder how much truth there is in the oft-repeated statements that too many energy drinks per day is damaging to one's health?
Mansur
RALF is in town!
Hey friends,
RALF is in town today. I had been meaning to see RALF for so long. For one whole week, I have been readng about RALF coming to Jeddah. Well, friends, today RALF made his debut. Who is RALF I hear you ask? RALF is Recreation and Leisure Fair! LOL! Did you think RALF was some European guy? Well, I thought that too when I saw the advertisement for the time.
This fair is being held in Jeddah for the first time, and it is very encouraging to see something like this happening here. Saudi has recently announced huge steps it has taken to encourage tourism. They are taking a leaf out of Dubai's books, but whether it will be something like Dubai or not, I don't know. I am just glad that Saudi has taken some strong, bold initiative to develop Saudi as a potential tourism city.
What's there? Well, how about this? (I can only speak for Jeddah)
1. Red Sea-- the second best place in the world to go snorkelling, diving and other water sports.
2. World class shopping malls-- I believe Riyadh is better than Jeddah though
3. Amazing restuarants of all different cuisines
4. People are hospitable, warm and welcoming
5. Weather may be hot, but there are air conditioners everywhere
6. Corniche is an awesome place, with all the theme parks and restaurants
With the right kind of development, Jeddah can become a hot place for tourists. As it is, rules are relaxed here moreso than in Riyadh, for example, women can walk here without head covering than they can in Riyadh. Here is what I envision Jeddah could become.
1. Allow for tour operators to set up boating and fishing trips into the Red Sea
2. Set up desert safari tours
3. Allow for professional city tours, especially into Old Jeddah
4. Allow for opportunites for Saudi families to have foreigners visit them and have meaningful cultural exhange
5. Create more avenues for teenagers here like cinemas, social centers and so on
I don't know what the Supreme Council for Tourism have in mind, but I hope it is something amazing. The RALF is one step in the right direction. I was begging my sister to come with me, and she was not interested. I managed to convince her, and so soon I shall be going there. There are going to outdoor/ indoor sports there, swimming, quad stunt, scuba diving and many other things there.
Mansur
RALF is in town today. I had been meaning to see RALF for so long. For one whole week, I have been readng about RALF coming to Jeddah. Well, friends, today RALF made his debut. Who is RALF I hear you ask? RALF is Recreation and Leisure Fair! LOL! Did you think RALF was some European guy? Well, I thought that too when I saw the advertisement for the time.
This fair is being held in Jeddah for the first time, and it is very encouraging to see something like this happening here. Saudi has recently announced huge steps it has taken to encourage tourism. They are taking a leaf out of Dubai's books, but whether it will be something like Dubai or not, I don't know. I am just glad that Saudi has taken some strong, bold initiative to develop Saudi as a potential tourism city.
What's there? Well, how about this? (I can only speak for Jeddah)
1. Red Sea-- the second best place in the world to go snorkelling, diving and other water sports.
2. World class shopping malls-- I believe Riyadh is better than Jeddah though
3. Amazing restuarants of all different cuisines
4. People are hospitable, warm and welcoming
5. Weather may be hot, but there are air conditioners everywhere
6. Corniche is an awesome place, with all the theme parks and restaurants
With the right kind of development, Jeddah can become a hot place for tourists. As it is, rules are relaxed here moreso than in Riyadh, for example, women can walk here without head covering than they can in Riyadh. Here is what I envision Jeddah could become.
1. Allow for tour operators to set up boating and fishing trips into the Red Sea
2. Set up desert safari tours
3. Allow for professional city tours, especially into Old Jeddah
4. Allow for opportunites for Saudi families to have foreigners visit them and have meaningful cultural exhange
5. Create more avenues for teenagers here like cinemas, social centers and so on
I don't know what the Supreme Council for Tourism have in mind, but I hope it is something amazing. The RALF is one step in the right direction. I was begging my sister to come with me, and she was not interested. I managed to convince her, and so soon I shall be going there. There are going to outdoor/ indoor sports there, swimming, quad stunt, scuba diving and many other things there.
Mansur
Saudi Personality #1
Hey friends,
Today I am going to make a change in my articles regarding Saudi Arabia. I am going to write about Saudi people who make a difference in the country. These people are people who I may know in person, or people who are written about in the papers. These people may be very public figures or very private people. Some of my choices may seem controversial, but in my mind, these are people who when I look at make me warm in my heart and I have genuineness happiness for them. I am not going to go into depth into why I nominate these people, but just simply into how these people, in my opinion, show to the world that there are some amazing Saudis!
So, today, I nominate my favorite Saudi, Mr. Khaled al-Maeena.
Mr. al-Maeena is the editor of Arab News, my favorite Saudi newspaper. He has been in the forefront of having reforms in the kingdom, but at the same time also speaks for his faith and the country. He writes on all kinds of topics, ranging from world politics to Saudi issues to speaking out for the people on their plight in the kingdom. He writes for Arab News, and his articles are also published in papers around the world.
My father knows him well, and the cool thing is that Mr. al-Maeena also knows Urdu, so often times we speak in Urdu. I have had the privilege of meeting him several times and I think he is an awesome Saudi friend.
Mansur
Today I am going to make a change in my articles regarding Saudi Arabia. I am going to write about Saudi people who make a difference in the country. These people are people who I may know in person, or people who are written about in the papers. These people may be very public figures or very private people. Some of my choices may seem controversial, but in my mind, these are people who when I look at make me warm in my heart and I have genuineness happiness for them. I am not going to go into depth into why I nominate these people, but just simply into how these people, in my opinion, show to the world that there are some amazing Saudis!
So, today, I nominate my favorite Saudi, Mr. Khaled al-Maeena.
Mr. al-Maeena is the editor of Arab News, my favorite Saudi newspaper. He has been in the forefront of having reforms in the kingdom, but at the same time also speaks for his faith and the country. He writes on all kinds of topics, ranging from world politics to Saudi issues to speaking out for the people on their plight in the kingdom. He writes for Arab News, and his articles are also published in papers around the world.
My father knows him well, and the cool thing is that Mr. al-Maeena also knows Urdu, so often times we speak in Urdu. I have had the privilege of meeting him several times and I think he is an awesome Saudi friend.
Mansur
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Michael Jackson Freed!
Hey people,
I got home from Chilis with my sister just in time to hear my dad shout "Mansur, there are only 7 minutes left. HURRY UP!!" My sister and I ran upstairs to see on Sky News a huge notice saying "Time left for Michael Jackson verdict: 7 minutes." For so many months now the nation had been engrossed in the trial of Michael Jackon, who was being charged with 10 charges, ranging from molesting a child, to providing alcohol to a minor to lewd misconduct.
Somehow, in my heart I had a feeling that MJ was being framed. I also thought back to that other case that was settled out-of-court where MJ paid the child accuser some obscene amount to quieten him down. I felt as if the parents of the other kids decided to follow suit, sue MJ and make some money off it. In the post-trial analysis, it did turn out that MJ won because the mother of the child gave conflicting reports, which worked in favor of MJ. I also think the race card was being played; had MJ been a white person ( I know he looks white but change in skin color doesnt make him from a different race!) maybe the trial would not have taken this long. Remember OJ Simpson and how long his trail took place? Remember Mike Tyson and how long his rape trial took place?
In some ways, I also think justice has been done. However, having said that, I must also say that I find MJ to a be a weird person. Watching that one documentary by Martin Bashir, it certainly showed MJ to be a weird person. Also, several of the kids, including Macaulay Culkin of the Home Alone fame, admitted MJ slept with them in bed. Why would MJ do that?
Confession: I love listening to some of the songs by MJ, mostly the ones released in the 80s. My fondest memory is when my elder brother would pretend to be MJ, and myself along with other friends of ours would dance behind him to the song of Thriller! We were of course kids from ages of 8 to 12! We used to love listening to his song, and there was also the thrill of listening to MJ when his songs were clearly banned from Saudi Arabia.
Mansur
I got home from Chilis with my sister just in time to hear my dad shout "Mansur, there are only 7 minutes left. HURRY UP!!" My sister and I ran upstairs to see on Sky News a huge notice saying "Time left for Michael Jackson verdict: 7 minutes." For so many months now the nation had been engrossed in the trial of Michael Jackon, who was being charged with 10 charges, ranging from molesting a child, to providing alcohol to a minor to lewd misconduct.
Somehow, in my heart I had a feeling that MJ was being framed. I also thought back to that other case that was settled out-of-court where MJ paid the child accuser some obscene amount to quieten him down. I felt as if the parents of the other kids decided to follow suit, sue MJ and make some money off it. In the post-trial analysis, it did turn out that MJ won because the mother of the child gave conflicting reports, which worked in favor of MJ. I also think the race card was being played; had MJ been a white person ( I know he looks white but change in skin color doesnt make him from a different race!) maybe the trial would not have taken this long. Remember OJ Simpson and how long his trail took place? Remember Mike Tyson and how long his rape trial took place?
In some ways, I also think justice has been done. However, having said that, I must also say that I find MJ to a be a weird person. Watching that one documentary by Martin Bashir, it certainly showed MJ to be a weird person. Also, several of the kids, including Macaulay Culkin of the Home Alone fame, admitted MJ slept with them in bed. Why would MJ do that?
Confession: I love listening to some of the songs by MJ, mostly the ones released in the 80s. My fondest memory is when my elder brother would pretend to be MJ, and myself along with other friends of ours would dance behind him to the song of Thriller! We were of course kids from ages of 8 to 12! We used to love listening to his song, and there was also the thrill of listening to MJ when his songs were clearly banned from Saudi Arabia.
Mansur
Monday, June 13, 2005
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Hey friends,
I have to let you know that I will not be blogging for the time I will be in Saudi. Hearing certain things about how dangerous it is to write from here in Saudi, and how the authorities can catch out people writing about Saudi Arabia critically is kind of off-putting for me. I guess I have been taking things too lightly. Is it a mistake that I was the only one who has a picture up?
There was some discussion earlier about what would happen if the Saudi authorities catch me out. That is something to think about, and while I have been stating that I don't go beyond what the writers in local newspaper say about the issues here in the kingdom, for an expat citizen in the country the situation would be completely different. If I were a Saudi writer, I may be safer. if I were writing from abroad, knowing that I am comign back to Saudi, I would safer. But I am an expat in Saudi. Would I have enough power to reason with the Saudi government if they catch me? Will they understand my reasons if I should have to explain why I was blogging? Will they understand me if I tell them that I was never here to criticize the government? Will they understand me at all?
A personal story related to me by a family friend put things into perspective. He was a student who had come in from the US for his summer berak to Saudi. When time came for him to leave, he was caught just minutes before he got onto plane. He was listed on the no-exit list. He was not allowed to leave the country. He was taken to the Saudi jail, interrogated severly, all the while not telling the parents where their son was. After a month, the student was released, all traumatised and all. It turned out that he shared a name that was almost similair to another person they were looking who was critical of the Saudi government through his writings.
I do believe that although the times here in Saudi have changed from 20 years ago where people are now more outspoken than ever before, there are still some sections of people who are intolerant and would have more power to have me jailed or arrested.
Maybe I am becoming paranoid? Maybe I am getting conspiracy ideas in my head? Maybe I am carrying this too far, but it's better to safe than sorry, right?
(If there is anyone out there who could help me in my dilemma whether I should continue to write about Saudi issues or not, please let me know all that you can! Is it safe? How safe is it? Should I just concentrate on other non-Saudi matters? Should I not write about Saudi at all? Gosh, I am stuck and a little bit scared!)
Thanks,
Mansur
I have to let you know that I will not be blogging for the time I will be in Saudi. Hearing certain things about how dangerous it is to write from here in Saudi, and how the authorities can catch out people writing about Saudi Arabia critically is kind of off-putting for me. I guess I have been taking things too lightly. Is it a mistake that I was the only one who has a picture up?
There was some discussion earlier about what would happen if the Saudi authorities catch me out. That is something to think about, and while I have been stating that I don't go beyond what the writers in local newspaper say about the issues here in the kingdom, for an expat citizen in the country the situation would be completely different. If I were a Saudi writer, I may be safer. if I were writing from abroad, knowing that I am comign back to Saudi, I would safer. But I am an expat in Saudi. Would I have enough power to reason with the Saudi government if they catch me? Will they understand my reasons if I should have to explain why I was blogging? Will they understand me if I tell them that I was never here to criticize the government? Will they understand me at all?
A personal story related to me by a family friend put things into perspective. He was a student who had come in from the US for his summer berak to Saudi. When time came for him to leave, he was caught just minutes before he got onto plane. He was listed on the no-exit list. He was not allowed to leave the country. He was taken to the Saudi jail, interrogated severly, all the while not telling the parents where their son was. After a month, the student was released, all traumatised and all. It turned out that he shared a name that was almost similair to another person they were looking who was critical of the Saudi government through his writings.
I do believe that although the times here in Saudi have changed from 20 years ago where people are now more outspoken than ever before, there are still some sections of people who are intolerant and would have more power to have me jailed or arrested.
Maybe I am becoming paranoid? Maybe I am getting conspiracy ideas in my head? Maybe I am carrying this too far, but it's better to safe than sorry, right?
(If there is anyone out there who could help me in my dilemma whether I should continue to write about Saudi issues or not, please let me know all that you can! Is it safe? How safe is it? Should I just concentrate on other non-Saudi matters? Should I not write about Saudi at all? Gosh, I am stuck and a little bit scared!)
Thanks,
Mansur
Movie :: The Bourne Supremacy
Hi friends,
My dad and I saw The Bourne Supremacy today, starring Matt Damon. If you remember, there was a movie called the Bourne Identity released several years ago. Well, The Bourne Supremacy is the second part.
Once the movie started playing, my dad and I were completely involved in the movie. Not a word was uttered. Right from the first scene, right down to the last one, it was pumped-up, adrenaline-rush, fuel-filled movie. It was also a very intelligent movie, not one of those brainless-no-nonsense action movie. Damon portrays Bourne, an assassin killer emplyed by the CIA, who suffers from amnesia. The movie picks off where it left off in the first part.
A botched CIA operations job in Berlin suddenly leads all roads to Bourne, and Bourne is on the run. Bourne tries to regain his memory of who he is and why he is a target. The CIA meanwhile try to capture Bourne. It's an awesome vat and mouse thriller/ suspense that spans from India, to Italy to Germany to the States. The action is continous. The suspense is high, and the ending is completely satisfying. Another thing with this movie is that it doesn not insult the inteligence of the viewers. All the sequences make sense and look completely plausible and real.
All right, I am off now.
Mansur
My dad and I saw The Bourne Supremacy today, starring Matt Damon. If you remember, there was a movie called the Bourne Identity released several years ago. Well, The Bourne Supremacy is the second part.
Once the movie started playing, my dad and I were completely involved in the movie. Not a word was uttered. Right from the first scene, right down to the last one, it was pumped-up, adrenaline-rush, fuel-filled movie. It was also a very intelligent movie, not one of those brainless-no-nonsense action movie. Damon portrays Bourne, an assassin killer emplyed by the CIA, who suffers from amnesia. The movie picks off where it left off in the first part.
A botched CIA operations job in Berlin suddenly leads all roads to Bourne, and Bourne is on the run. Bourne tries to regain his memory of who he is and why he is a target. The CIA meanwhile try to capture Bourne. It's an awesome vat and mouse thriller/ suspense that spans from India, to Italy to Germany to the States. The action is continous. The suspense is high, and the ending is completely satisfying. Another thing with this movie is that it doesn not insult the inteligence of the viewers. All the sequences make sense and look completely plausible and real.
All right, I am off now.
Mansur
Movie :: Rosemary's Baby
Hey everyone,
Last night, I watched a movie I had been dying to watch since I was young. It is reputedly one of the best horror movies ever made. It's called Rosemary's Baby, directed by Roman Polanski. I saw this DVD at a rock bottom price in the local supermarket, and decided to get it. I was in for a treat and was definitely scared. Rosemary and her new husband, Guy, move into a new apartment in New York, befriending an elderly couple who live near by. But when another girl in the block commits suicide, Rosemary starts getting more attention than she desires, from all the wrong people. And now with her (late) friend's warnings about witches in mind, she has a new problem - the protection of her forthcoming child. But it may not be the child that needs protection.
I am not going to spoil the ending, because the ending is the most shocking thing. Throughout the movie, I was with Rosemary and I would say out loud to her to do this or do that. I was rooting for her. That was the great thing about the movie: it involved me on a very personal level with the characters. Towards the end, I was literally on the edge of my seat because I wanted so much for Rosemary to do what I wanted her to do. What's also scary about this movie is that everything is so real. There is not a single second when I could say, thats impossible. Everything seemed so plausible and real. This stuff could happen.
This movie is not like any other cheap horror movies, like The Grudge, The Ring, Scream, Friday the 13th, Nightmare series, The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project etc etc. I wish they would make more horror movies like this. Its real, and its scary. ('ll give you a small spoiler: Ro finds out later in the movie that her husband has made a deal with the neighbor, who practice witchcraft, to have a baby and then give it to them, so her husband can get the promises of resurrecting his failing acting career. You see, the whole idea of witchcraft in the movie seemed so normal. The director has you believing normally in the unnormal stuff!)
Mansur
Last night, I watched a movie I had been dying to watch since I was young. It is reputedly one of the best horror movies ever made. It's called Rosemary's Baby, directed by Roman Polanski. I saw this DVD at a rock bottom price in the local supermarket, and decided to get it. I was in for a treat and was definitely scared. Rosemary and her new husband, Guy, move into a new apartment in New York, befriending an elderly couple who live near by. But when another girl in the block commits suicide, Rosemary starts getting more attention than she desires, from all the wrong people. And now with her (late) friend's warnings about witches in mind, she has a new problem - the protection of her forthcoming child. But it may not be the child that needs protection.
I am not going to spoil the ending, because the ending is the most shocking thing. Throughout the movie, I was with Rosemary and I would say out loud to her to do this or do that. I was rooting for her. That was the great thing about the movie: it involved me on a very personal level with the characters. Towards the end, I was literally on the edge of my seat because I wanted so much for Rosemary to do what I wanted her to do. What's also scary about this movie is that everything is so real. There is not a single second when I could say, thats impossible. Everything seemed so plausible and real. This stuff could happen.
This movie is not like any other cheap horror movies, like The Grudge, The Ring, Scream, Friday the 13th, Nightmare series, The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project etc etc. I wish they would make more horror movies like this. Its real, and its scary. ('ll give you a small spoiler: Ro finds out later in the movie that her husband has made a deal with the neighbor, who practice witchcraft, to have a baby and then give it to them, so her husband can get the promises of resurrecting his failing acting career. You see, the whole idea of witchcraft in the movie seemed so normal. The director has you believing normally in the unnormal stuff!)
Mansur
Movie :: Open Water
Hi everyone,
Ok, so one time my friend I went on this diving trip with a bunch of people off the coast of an island in Barabados. There were couple of more couples, honeymooners mostly, several single guys and girls and a family. I was really exicted about the driving trip. The workload of both me and my friend had overloaded us with stress and pain... and we both needed a break from the hectic schedule. A diving trip in the sunny ocean seemed just the right thing. The boat ride was amazing, and we immediately felt a sense of isolation- away from the hustle and bustle of the crazy chaotic world.
Once we got there, someone interrupted us and asked us if we saw his mask and snorkel and we said no. He was really upset and started cursing himself. This meant he will not be allowed to come into the water with the rest of the group. I noticed one of the crew member was taking a body count and saw how he had written a big 20 on his note pad. Soon we stopped at the spot, and everyone put on the diving suits and gas tank and jumped into the water. Guys and girls jumped in. The poor guy without the mask was sitting there alone. My friend and I had an amazing time underwater. Now, what happened is that one of the couples returned to the boat. The crew member marked 2 people returned. 18 more people to return. The man without the mask asked the woman if he could borrow hers, and she said ok. So this man quickly got into the diving suit and went with the woman's husband into the water. The crew member did not see this. So, when everyone returned to the boat, he counted 16 people who returned and then counted the last 2 as the man without the mask and the woman's husband. So he counted 20 and the boat left.
My friend and I suddenly noticed that we were the only ones underwater and quickly rose to the surface. No one was there. It was 930am. We gave each other company. 1045am. Where the heck is the boat. 130pm. Something stung my friend. In an instant, there was a huge fin right in front of us. Sharks. Panic ensues. We dont know what to do. One shark followed by two sharks. At night, there is a whole family of shark. We just bob up and down in the salty ocean water. My friend loses the gas tank because my friend is getting sick from bobbing up and down all day. My friend throws up. It attracts more fish. The next day, while we are still waiting for help, I feel a huge bite in right leg. It feels like as if someone drove three knives into my calves. It doesnt pain as much as I thought it would, but I felt the bite. My friend went down to see the bite, and came up back screaming: there are giant sharks everywhere. I panic. I cannot stay strong anymore. I give up.
So guys, none of that really happened to me. This synopsis is from a movie I watched last night. It is called Open Water, and it is based on true events. I will not spoil the ending for you. It is the least expected ending. Go watch it! Now! Butw atch it only if you dont plan on going into the ocean soon-- because this movie put me off from going into the oceans now...at least for the time being!
Mansur
Ok, so one time my friend I went on this diving trip with a bunch of people off the coast of an island in Barabados. There were couple of more couples, honeymooners mostly, several single guys and girls and a family. I was really exicted about the driving trip. The workload of both me and my friend had overloaded us with stress and pain... and we both needed a break from the hectic schedule. A diving trip in the sunny ocean seemed just the right thing. The boat ride was amazing, and we immediately felt a sense of isolation- away from the hustle and bustle of the crazy chaotic world.
Once we got there, someone interrupted us and asked us if we saw his mask and snorkel and we said no. He was really upset and started cursing himself. This meant he will not be allowed to come into the water with the rest of the group. I noticed one of the crew member was taking a body count and saw how he had written a big 20 on his note pad. Soon we stopped at the spot, and everyone put on the diving suits and gas tank and jumped into the water. Guys and girls jumped in. The poor guy without the mask was sitting there alone. My friend and I had an amazing time underwater. Now, what happened is that one of the couples returned to the boat. The crew member marked 2 people returned. 18 more people to return. The man without the mask asked the woman if he could borrow hers, and she said ok. So this man quickly got into the diving suit and went with the woman's husband into the water. The crew member did not see this. So, when everyone returned to the boat, he counted 16 people who returned and then counted the last 2 as the man without the mask and the woman's husband. So he counted 20 and the boat left.
My friend and I suddenly noticed that we were the only ones underwater and quickly rose to the surface. No one was there. It was 930am. We gave each other company. 1045am. Where the heck is the boat. 130pm. Something stung my friend. In an instant, there was a huge fin right in front of us. Sharks. Panic ensues. We dont know what to do. One shark followed by two sharks. At night, there is a whole family of shark. We just bob up and down in the salty ocean water. My friend loses the gas tank because my friend is getting sick from bobbing up and down all day. My friend throws up. It attracts more fish. The next day, while we are still waiting for help, I feel a huge bite in right leg. It feels like as if someone drove three knives into my calves. It doesnt pain as much as I thought it would, but I felt the bite. My friend went down to see the bite, and came up back screaming: there are giant sharks everywhere. I panic. I cannot stay strong anymore. I give up.
So guys, none of that really happened to me. This synopsis is from a movie I watched last night. It is called Open Water, and it is based on true events. I will not spoil the ending for you. It is the least expected ending. Go watch it! Now! Butw atch it only if you dont plan on going into the ocean soon-- because this movie put me off from going into the oceans now...at least for the time being!
Mansur
Movie :: Mr. Holland's Opus
Hi friends,
About a week ago I watched a movie called Mr. Holland's Opus, with Richard Dreyfuss. I am never into orchestra and classical music as such, but this movie got me. I was stuck with a lump in my throat and there is a personal reason for that.
The movie is about Mr. Holland who starts his new job as the music teacher in the 60s at the school. The movie spans about 30 years into his life of teaching the students. From the 60s to the 90s, we get to see how classical music becomes more of a challenge to teach. Mr. Holland is asked each year to prepare the music class to perform at the end of each school year, and with each passing year it becomes more difficult because the beauty and the meaning of classical music diminishes each year, as rock and roll and rap are introduced. But Mr. Holland is as obsessed with classical music as he was in the 60s. He goes out of his way to encourage the students to do their best. He helps one female student to learn to play the clarinet effectively. He helps one football player student to learn to play the drums for the marching band. He helps another student learn how to sing better for the school play. He is there to help his music students realize their dreams.
However, tragedy strikes when he and his wife realize that their son is born deaf. Mr. Holland is devastated. He had dreams of teaching his son music. His son cannot hear a single note of music. There is some tension in the married couple. Mr. Holland focuses his energy toward his students, not acknowledging his deaf son. His wife spends time with their son. But it is right before the end, where I became emotional. Mr. Holland, realizing that he has been neglecting his son for far too long, performs for the school, which includes students from the School of Deaf. His son is sitting there. The band starts to play, and Mr. Holland starts to sing. But when he starts to sing, he uses his hands to communicate to the deaf students. The scene was amazingly touching, it gave me goosebumps. I knew how much it would mean for the son to be able to connect with dad, and it was so awesome for the dad to connect to his son this way. After all, the song he sings is dedicated to his son.
I wont give the ending away, which is extremely touching and heartwarming, yet sad. Some people did not like the ending, but then if you pick the smallest of small details, no movie is perfect. Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor award in the Oscars. I think this is his best performance to date. Well, why was I so emotional at that one scene. Its because I am also 90% deaf and I know excatly how deaf people feel. For someone to touch out to the deaf people like Mr. Holland did, is the best gift one can get!
Mansur
About a week ago I watched a movie called Mr. Holland's Opus, with Richard Dreyfuss. I am never into orchestra and classical music as such, but this movie got me. I was stuck with a lump in my throat and there is a personal reason for that.
The movie is about Mr. Holland who starts his new job as the music teacher in the 60s at the school. The movie spans about 30 years into his life of teaching the students. From the 60s to the 90s, we get to see how classical music becomes more of a challenge to teach. Mr. Holland is asked each year to prepare the music class to perform at the end of each school year, and with each passing year it becomes more difficult because the beauty and the meaning of classical music diminishes each year, as rock and roll and rap are introduced. But Mr. Holland is as obsessed with classical music as he was in the 60s. He goes out of his way to encourage the students to do their best. He helps one female student to learn to play the clarinet effectively. He helps one football player student to learn to play the drums for the marching band. He helps another student learn how to sing better for the school play. He is there to help his music students realize their dreams.
However, tragedy strikes when he and his wife realize that their son is born deaf. Mr. Holland is devastated. He had dreams of teaching his son music. His son cannot hear a single note of music. There is some tension in the married couple. Mr. Holland focuses his energy toward his students, not acknowledging his deaf son. His wife spends time with their son. But it is right before the end, where I became emotional. Mr. Holland, realizing that he has been neglecting his son for far too long, performs for the school, which includes students from the School of Deaf. His son is sitting there. The band starts to play, and Mr. Holland starts to sing. But when he starts to sing, he uses his hands to communicate to the deaf students. The scene was amazingly touching, it gave me goosebumps. I knew how much it would mean for the son to be able to connect with dad, and it was so awesome for the dad to connect to his son this way. After all, the song he sings is dedicated to his son.
I wont give the ending away, which is extremely touching and heartwarming, yet sad. Some people did not like the ending, but then if you pick the smallest of small details, no movie is perfect. Dreyfuss was nominated for Best Actor award in the Oscars. I think this is his best performance to date. Well, why was I so emotional at that one scene. Its because I am also 90% deaf and I know excatly how deaf people feel. For someone to touch out to the deaf people like Mr. Holland did, is the best gift one can get!
Mansur
Book :: Why Do People Hate America?
Hey everyone,
I am reading this book which I saw someone reading on the London Underground back in 2003. I had meaning to get this book for a long time, and I finally found it in one of the local bookshop here. It was kind of hidden at the back of the shelf, over shadowed by the other huge books. I picked it up and it is amazing so far. It's called Why Do People Hate America?
I haven't finished it yet, but what I have read so far is very insightful and the authors don't delve too much into politics, but keep everything on a human level. They start off by talking about what the events of 9-11 meant to the American people, and then goes on in the following chapter, why the Americans think people hate them, and why the people hate American so much. But the interesting thing they point out is that the rest of the world has a very strong love-hate relationship with the United States of America. Countries like Iran and Iraq have a hate relationship with Americans, yet these very people watch American movies and listen to American music or even go to the States for universities or jobs! So that is something really interesting.
Even I don't agree with the American's foreign policies in the Middle East, or for that matter, anywhere else in the world, and yet I watch American movies, wear American branded clothes and eat Happy Meals from McDonalds.
It is quite a sensitive issue for all concerned. I know some people who are so vocal about America and say stuff like Death to America, and these very people have their kids studying in the US. How hypocritical. There are some people I know who rejoice when they hear American soldiers being killed in Iraq, and these very people buy all things Americans.
Anyway, this book has already given me an insight into all that the United States has been doing in the political arena. For sure we know that America thinks it is a Superpower, or as the book calls it, a Hyperpower. America thinks it can dictate the rest of the world.
Ok, I have four more chapters to read. You all have a nice day!
Mansur
I am reading this book which I saw someone reading on the London Underground back in 2003. I had meaning to get this book for a long time, and I finally found it in one of the local bookshop here. It was kind of hidden at the back of the shelf, over shadowed by the other huge books. I picked it up and it is amazing so far. It's called Why Do People Hate America?
I haven't finished it yet, but what I have read so far is very insightful and the authors don't delve too much into politics, but keep everything on a human level. They start off by talking about what the events of 9-11 meant to the American people, and then goes on in the following chapter, why the Americans think people hate them, and why the people hate American so much. But the interesting thing they point out is that the rest of the world has a very strong love-hate relationship with the United States of America. Countries like Iran and Iraq have a hate relationship with Americans, yet these very people watch American movies and listen to American music or even go to the States for universities or jobs! So that is something really interesting.
Even I don't agree with the American's foreign policies in the Middle East, or for that matter, anywhere else in the world, and yet I watch American movies, wear American branded clothes and eat Happy Meals from McDonalds.
It is quite a sensitive issue for all concerned. I know some people who are so vocal about America and say stuff like Death to America, and these very people have their kids studying in the US. How hypocritical. There are some people I know who rejoice when they hear American soldiers being killed in Iraq, and these very people buy all things Americans.
Anyway, this book has already given me an insight into all that the United States has been doing in the political arena. For sure we know that America thinks it is a Superpower, or as the book calls it, a Hyperpower. America thinks it can dictate the rest of the world.
Ok, I have four more chapters to read. You all have a nice day!
Mansur
Movie :: Super Size Me!
Hi everyone,
I watched this movie again last night which I had seen earlier called Super Size Me! I was having a conversation with my brother who told me he has vowed to never take his daughter to McDonalds again. I asked him what's the big deal? Why target McDonald? Why not Burger King? Pizza Hut? Subways? I even told him that if I eat Biryani for a whole month for three meals, I would probably end up in the same situation as the guy in Super Size Me. So I watched the movie again last night, and man oh man, I am not eating McDonalds again! When I had read Fast Food Nation, which talks about all the unhealthy practices that takes place in making McDonald, I thought that was it: no more McDonalds, but I continued having it. Super Size Me is about Morgan, who is a relatively fit person, who embarks upon a one month diet of McDonalds' meals, three times a day. He has some rules: he will only super-size the meal if he is asked by the cashier and he has to have everything from the menu at least once.
I remember, back in 1998, when I started university, I had McDonald's at least four times a week for one whole semester, which is about 4-5 months! I mean, I literally had McDonald's sandwiches four times a week as my main meal (I don't eat fries at all and always take Diet coke). I had no other option: the cafeteria at my university would not serve dinners and everyone in my dorm block would go together to McDonalds! I can tell you two things: I gained weight fast and I started to suffer from acid indigestion and heartburn. I had to take medications for that, and once I reduced drastically my consumption of McDonalds, I found my health to be normal.
The movie talked about how the Cheese in McDonald's has some kind of ingredient which causes people to be addicted to the food. I tell you, we are not even half sure where the food comes from in McDonalds. One of my favorite food from McDonalds was Chicken Nuggets. The movie last night reminded me that Chicken Nuggets come from old chicken with unusually large breasts; those chicken are killed, processed in the machine, and the nuggets made from the breasts, which are then deep-fried, freezed and shipped all over the world! I fell sick in my stomach! Guys, if anything, fast food may seem to be great, but its all temporary. I refused to eat McDonalds today and have made a solemn oath to myself to not have McDonalds again!
Mansur
I watched this movie again last night which I had seen earlier called Super Size Me! I was having a conversation with my brother who told me he has vowed to never take his daughter to McDonalds again. I asked him what's the big deal? Why target McDonald? Why not Burger King? Pizza Hut? Subways? I even told him that if I eat Biryani for a whole month for three meals, I would probably end up in the same situation as the guy in Super Size Me. So I watched the movie again last night, and man oh man, I am not eating McDonalds again! When I had read Fast Food Nation, which talks about all the unhealthy practices that takes place in making McDonald, I thought that was it: no more McDonalds, but I continued having it. Super Size Me is about Morgan, who is a relatively fit person, who embarks upon a one month diet of McDonalds' meals, three times a day. He has some rules: he will only super-size the meal if he is asked by the cashier and he has to have everything from the menu at least once.
I remember, back in 1998, when I started university, I had McDonald's at least four times a week for one whole semester, which is about 4-5 months! I mean, I literally had McDonald's sandwiches four times a week as my main meal (I don't eat fries at all and always take Diet coke). I had no other option: the cafeteria at my university would not serve dinners and everyone in my dorm block would go together to McDonalds! I can tell you two things: I gained weight fast and I started to suffer from acid indigestion and heartburn. I had to take medications for that, and once I reduced drastically my consumption of McDonalds, I found my health to be normal.
The movie talked about how the Cheese in McDonald's has some kind of ingredient which causes people to be addicted to the food. I tell you, we are not even half sure where the food comes from in McDonalds. One of my favorite food from McDonalds was Chicken Nuggets. The movie last night reminded me that Chicken Nuggets come from old chicken with unusually large breasts; those chicken are killed, processed in the machine, and the nuggets made from the breasts, which are then deep-fried, freezed and shipped all over the world! I fell sick in my stomach! Guys, if anything, fast food may seem to be great, but its all temporary. I refused to eat McDonalds today and have made a solemn oath to myself to not have McDonalds again!
Mansur
Movie :: The Ring Two
Hey everyone,
I finally managed to see The Ring Two today. I was so unsure if I should watch it or not, and I think I wasted two hours of my life and 30Dirhams on this movie. I so felt like I was watching a re-make of the first part. The Ring, part one, was so much more tense and creepy. There was this sense of tension and suspense when we see that Rachel has only one week to live. There was that creepy, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday titles that showed up. There was the suspense of finding out who the girl is, and what the video is all about. The first scene where the two girls discuss the video was downright scary. In fact, the best thing about the first part was the clippings in the video and sheer horror shown in it.
However, in the second part, we only get to see the videotape once(not the video clippings) and later on, we see only glimpses of the video. It seemed like a re-hash of the first part! The movie had the same beginning-middle-end like the first part. In fact, the first scene in this movie was very pale in comparison to the first one. The similarity is used to the extent of even having the same male character, who Rachel enlists the help of, and having him face the same fate like that of the male character in the first part I felt like I was watching a re-make of the first part, which made the movie very predictable. There was some attempt to give the audience some back story as to who the girl is, but not much is shared with us. I can only think of one good scene which was executed well (the bathtub scene at Max's house). I was extremely disappointed from this movie. I know the original Japanese version has three parts, and I am only hoping that the third part of Hollywood's version would surpass this mediocre part two.
I also saw Constantine about two weeks ago, and four days after release, the UAE Committee removed the movie from the theatres. They want to censor the movie. So the same movie will be re-released this coming weekend. Apparently someone from the Dubai Municipality saw the movie and was offended with the depiction of the angel Gabriel in a negative light. So the movie will be censored now. This seems absurd, because Dubai re-released The Passion of the Christ, and the whole premise of that movie is not in terms with Islam's concept of the Crucifixion and yet that movie was left untouched! Disappointed in Ring Two!
Mansur
I finally managed to see The Ring Two today. I was so unsure if I should watch it or not, and I think I wasted two hours of my life and 30Dirhams on this movie. I so felt like I was watching a re-make of the first part. The Ring, part one, was so much more tense and creepy. There was this sense of tension and suspense when we see that Rachel has only one week to live. There was that creepy, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday titles that showed up. There was the suspense of finding out who the girl is, and what the video is all about. The first scene where the two girls discuss the video was downright scary. In fact, the best thing about the first part was the clippings in the video and sheer horror shown in it.
However, in the second part, we only get to see the videotape once(not the video clippings) and later on, we see only glimpses of the video. It seemed like a re-hash of the first part! The movie had the same beginning-middle-end like the first part. In fact, the first scene in this movie was very pale in comparison to the first one. The similarity is used to the extent of even having the same male character, who Rachel enlists the help of, and having him face the same fate like that of the male character in the first part I felt like I was watching a re-make of the first part, which made the movie very predictable. There was some attempt to give the audience some back story as to who the girl is, but not much is shared with us. I can only think of one good scene which was executed well (the bathtub scene at Max's house). I was extremely disappointed from this movie. I know the original Japanese version has three parts, and I am only hoping that the third part of Hollywood's version would surpass this mediocre part two.
I also saw Constantine about two weeks ago, and four days after release, the UAE Committee removed the movie from the theatres. They want to censor the movie. So the same movie will be re-released this coming weekend. Apparently someone from the Dubai Municipality saw the movie and was offended with the depiction of the angel Gabriel in a negative light. So the movie will be censored now. This seems absurd, because Dubai re-released The Passion of the Christ, and the whole premise of that movie is not in terms with Islam's concept of the Crucifixion and yet that movie was left untouched! Disappointed in Ring Two!
Mansur
Movie :: Black
Hi friends,
Imagine a world where you cannot see. You are immersed in total darkness. Then imagine you cannot hear anything; you are stone deaf. Imagine you were born this way. What would life be like for you? What would life be life be like for your parents? For your sibling? This is the premise of the movie Black, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has made several other amazing movies, including one of my all time favorite, Khamoshi-The Musical. Bhansali has made an incredible movie, and has extracted outstanding performances from the lead characters in Black.
A short synopsis:
Michelle McNally, born to an Anglo-Indian family, is deaf and blind. She is a bright and intelligent girl and she lives in the world of black and this frustrates her because she desires to speak. Therefore, because of her frustration she becomes harsh and cruel on numerous events.Debraj Sahai is an alcoholic, a teacher to the deaf and blind children. The principal of the school believes in his ability and sends him to the McNally house to teach Michelle. Debraj's arrival at the McNally home is far from favorable, as he arrives intoxicated, annoyed and impolite.
On encountering Michelle, Debraj realizes that the only way to tackle her is to distress her, be violent at times and at the same time, show her the love.Debraj succeeds and Michelle amazingly learns her first word - Ma. But this is just the beginning. There are several battles to be won. His dreams of Michelle going to a college with students without any disability. But, at this stage, Debraj starts to suffer from Alzheimer. He slowly forgets everything including all words and their meanings. The roles are now reversed!
My Views:
If there is one Indian film to see this year, it should be Black. It has an amazing potential to be a cross-over film into Hollywood. There are no songs, no dancing around the trees, no love triangles, no obligatory villains, no cheap side-kick comedic scenes. Black is made pretty much like any Hollywood film. The dialogues are almost all in English. I usually don't watch a lot of Indian films, and I am glad I watched Black. I prefer watching these type of Indian film, instead of the usual dance-galores, brainless kind of films. Almost everything about this film is perfect, from acting, to music, to cinematography, to costume, to locales to everything else.
There was so much attention paid to the details, it made it a lot more fun to watch the movie. For example, when we first meet Michelle, she is in a house, where the surroundings are black. But when the teacher comes, and Michelle slowly opens up, the room is slowly filled with white light, signifying the transition made from darkness to light. Another subtly effect the director has used is the effect of snow in the film. Little things like this make a huge impact in the movie. Several issues are discussed as well: sibling rivalry, parents, what would other people say, student-teacher relationship, longing for love, and so on.
One of the question I had in mind was: how do you teach a student anything when the student is blind, deaf and cannot speak. The answer was given in the movie, and it made total sense.
Another great thing in the movie was how Mr. Sehai tells Michelle that 'black' is power and strength, and not evil and loneliness. The fact the Mr. Sehai takes the time to tell Michelle all the positive aspects of the color black was really interesting, since I always associated the color black with evil, darkness and scary stuff. The most touching part for me in the flm was how the young and old Michelle acted in film. I was convinced that the actress is actually blind and deaf, and all small nuances made a huge impact in the acting. The transformation the two main actors went through to portray the characters on screen is convincing enough to make me believe in the reality of the characters.
Black is not your regular Hindi film pot-boiler. It is actually a very different film, and at times I felt like as if I was watching an English film. I am very sure this movie will be nominated for Best Foreign film at the Oscars. I think there should be more Indian films like this, and Bollywood should do away with the escapist type of films, which are filled with lovey-dovey songs, overly-romaticized relationships, songs in Switzerland, one hero fighting of ten villains, fight scenes and all.
Mansur
Imagine a world where you cannot see. You are immersed in total darkness. Then imagine you cannot hear anything; you are stone deaf. Imagine you were born this way. What would life be like for you? What would life be life be like for your parents? For your sibling? This is the premise of the movie Black, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has made several other amazing movies, including one of my all time favorite, Khamoshi-The Musical. Bhansali has made an incredible movie, and has extracted outstanding performances from the lead characters in Black.
A short synopsis:
Michelle McNally, born to an Anglo-Indian family, is deaf and blind. She is a bright and intelligent girl and she lives in the world of black and this frustrates her because she desires to speak. Therefore, because of her frustration she becomes harsh and cruel on numerous events.Debraj Sahai is an alcoholic, a teacher to the deaf and blind children. The principal of the school believes in his ability and sends him to the McNally house to teach Michelle. Debraj's arrival at the McNally home is far from favorable, as he arrives intoxicated, annoyed and impolite.
On encountering Michelle, Debraj realizes that the only way to tackle her is to distress her, be violent at times and at the same time, show her the love.Debraj succeeds and Michelle amazingly learns her first word - Ma. But this is just the beginning. There are several battles to be won. His dreams of Michelle going to a college with students without any disability. But, at this stage, Debraj starts to suffer from Alzheimer. He slowly forgets everything including all words and their meanings. The roles are now reversed!
My Views:
If there is one Indian film to see this year, it should be Black. It has an amazing potential to be a cross-over film into Hollywood. There are no songs, no dancing around the trees, no love triangles, no obligatory villains, no cheap side-kick comedic scenes. Black is made pretty much like any Hollywood film. The dialogues are almost all in English. I usually don't watch a lot of Indian films, and I am glad I watched Black. I prefer watching these type of Indian film, instead of the usual dance-galores, brainless kind of films. Almost everything about this film is perfect, from acting, to music, to cinematography, to costume, to locales to everything else.
There was so much attention paid to the details, it made it a lot more fun to watch the movie. For example, when we first meet Michelle, she is in a house, where the surroundings are black. But when the teacher comes, and Michelle slowly opens up, the room is slowly filled with white light, signifying the transition made from darkness to light. Another subtly effect the director has used is the effect of snow in the film. Little things like this make a huge impact in the movie. Several issues are discussed as well: sibling rivalry, parents, what would other people say, student-teacher relationship, longing for love, and so on.
One of the question I had in mind was: how do you teach a student anything when the student is blind, deaf and cannot speak. The answer was given in the movie, and it made total sense.
Another great thing in the movie was how Mr. Sehai tells Michelle that 'black' is power and strength, and not evil and loneliness. The fact the Mr. Sehai takes the time to tell Michelle all the positive aspects of the color black was really interesting, since I always associated the color black with evil, darkness and scary stuff. The most touching part for me in the flm was how the young and old Michelle acted in film. I was convinced that the actress is actually blind and deaf, and all small nuances made a huge impact in the acting. The transformation the two main actors went through to portray the characters on screen is convincing enough to make me believe in the reality of the characters.
Black is not your regular Hindi film pot-boiler. It is actually a very different film, and at times I felt like as if I was watching an English film. I am very sure this movie will be nominated for Best Foreign film at the Oscars. I think there should be more Indian films like this, and Bollywood should do away with the escapist type of films, which are filled with lovey-dovey songs, overly-romaticized relationships, songs in Switzerland, one hero fighting of ten villains, fight scenes and all.
Mansur
Movie :: The Shawshank Redemption
Hello all,
"Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free." What am I talking about? Thats the tagline from one of my favorite movie of all time: The Shawshank Redemption!
I remember it was back in 1995 when I got the movie on video. I was only watching it primarily because it is an adaption of the novella written by Stephen King. I wanted to see how well the adaptation is. In the process, I got much more that just a movie. I got a life lesson.
In short, the story is told from Red's (Morgan Freeman) point of view. He is convicted of a crime and is in prison, which is called Shawshank. Andy (Tim Robbins) is wrongly convicted of a crime and is also sent to the prison. He goes through a very difficult time intially, being beaten and raped, but then, as he talks to Red, ultiamtely says what forms the crux of the movie: you either get busy dying, or get busy living! At the time, I did not really pay much attention, but as I watched the movie several times more, I let that one line affect me more and more. Andy, who goes through a difficult time in prison, ultimately chooses to live his life, and not let all the unfortunate cirsumstances bog him down. Andy's actions affect Red, and Red ultimately finds himself, and realizes who he is as a person, and when he arrives at the parole office, he is freed after convincing the parole officers about his convictions and what he learned from his time in prison. It is the Shawshank prison where Red redeems himself.
What was heart-warming for me though was what the tag line says: FEAR can hold you prisoner, but, HOPE can set you free. I can let fear take control of me, and it can be fear of smallest of small things (like lizards and cockraoches) to public speaking, to presentations, to marriage to fear of death. But I can reverse my thinking, and instead of fear, can begin to hope. I can hope for a successful out come of public speaking, hope the jury likes my presentations, hope for a successful marriage and hope for a life in heaven in the afterlife. Once I begin to hope, I know there is personal freedom. I think like a new person, someone who is set free by the hope, and not captivated by fear.
This movie has become one of my favorite movie, because it is a great metaphor for how life should be lived. Plus it has one of the best twists in the movie, long before the Sixth Sense came out! The movie did not do too well when it came out on the theatres, and people shied away from it. Once it came out on video, it became a classic. Now it is one of the most watched movies. I would highly recommend you to watch it. If you have seen it, would love to know what you thought about it! :)
Mansur
"Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free." What am I talking about? Thats the tagline from one of my favorite movie of all time: The Shawshank Redemption!
I remember it was back in 1995 when I got the movie on video. I was only watching it primarily because it is an adaption of the novella written by Stephen King. I wanted to see how well the adaptation is. In the process, I got much more that just a movie. I got a life lesson.
In short, the story is told from Red's (Morgan Freeman) point of view. He is convicted of a crime and is in prison, which is called Shawshank. Andy (Tim Robbins) is wrongly convicted of a crime and is also sent to the prison. He goes through a very difficult time intially, being beaten and raped, but then, as he talks to Red, ultiamtely says what forms the crux of the movie: you either get busy dying, or get busy living! At the time, I did not really pay much attention, but as I watched the movie several times more, I let that one line affect me more and more. Andy, who goes through a difficult time in prison, ultimately chooses to live his life, and not let all the unfortunate cirsumstances bog him down. Andy's actions affect Red, and Red ultimately finds himself, and realizes who he is as a person, and when he arrives at the parole office, he is freed after convincing the parole officers about his convictions and what he learned from his time in prison. It is the Shawshank prison where Red redeems himself.
What was heart-warming for me though was what the tag line says: FEAR can hold you prisoner, but, HOPE can set you free. I can let fear take control of me, and it can be fear of smallest of small things (like lizards and cockraoches) to public speaking, to presentations, to marriage to fear of death. But I can reverse my thinking, and instead of fear, can begin to hope. I can hope for a successful out come of public speaking, hope the jury likes my presentations, hope for a successful marriage and hope for a life in heaven in the afterlife. Once I begin to hope, I know there is personal freedom. I think like a new person, someone who is set free by the hope, and not captivated by fear.
This movie has become one of my favorite movie, because it is a great metaphor for how life should be lived. Plus it has one of the best twists in the movie, long before the Sixth Sense came out! The movie did not do too well when it came out on the theatres, and people shied away from it. Once it came out on video, it became a classic. Now it is one of the most watched movies. I would highly recommend you to watch it. If you have seen it, would love to know what you thought about it! :)
Mansur
Book :: The Kite Runner
Hey,
Since I wrote down the books I have read, and am reading at present, I want to take this opportunity to talk to you about my favorite book so far: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
This is a story of an Afghan man, Amir, who migrated to the US due to the damage done to his native country of Afghanistan. He writes about the time he was growing up in Kabul. His best friend was his servant’s son, Hassan. The title Kite Runner refers to Hassan, who is the best person in Kabul to run after the kite after Amir, who is an expert to fly kites, has cut it. Something devastating happens to Hassan, of which both Amir and Hassan have to bear the cruel circumstances. Their friendship is torn apart, are separated and totally changes their lives forever.
“Unfolding against Afghanistan’s destructive history, from the fall of the monarchy to the oppression of the Northern Alliance to the advent of the Taliban, The Kite Runner is the heartbreaking story of fathers and sons, friendship and betrayal, the casualties of fate, and the possibility of redemption.”
What touched me the most in this book were two things. One, the portrayal of the father-son relationship, which is often rocky and unfulfilled. The pain, and the desperate need of approval of his father, Amir has to live life knowing that his father is too busy for him. Two, the friendship between Amir and Hassan. Something devastating happens, and friends react differently to what one would expect and drift apart. The awesome thing is that although the relationships have been broken, there is redemption for Amir. He is able to give new life to the dead relationship.
The book starts off slow, because it takes time to establish the characters and to familiarize with the family members and the ritual of running for kites. Once that shocking incident happens, the book reads like a fast paced novel. I simply could not put it down and managed to finish it within two days. I wanted to know desperately what happens at the end. I wanted to know so much if Amir can redeem his past relationships. Of course, there are loads of shocks, surprises, twists and anti-climax occurring in the book that I could not see from afar. Highly recommended, and my favorite book of the year, so far!
Mansur
Since I wrote down the books I have read, and am reading at present, I want to take this opportunity to talk to you about my favorite book so far: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.
This is a story of an Afghan man, Amir, who migrated to the US due to the damage done to his native country of Afghanistan. He writes about the time he was growing up in Kabul. His best friend was his servant’s son, Hassan. The title Kite Runner refers to Hassan, who is the best person in Kabul to run after the kite after Amir, who is an expert to fly kites, has cut it. Something devastating happens to Hassan, of which both Amir and Hassan have to bear the cruel circumstances. Their friendship is torn apart, are separated and totally changes their lives forever.
“Unfolding against Afghanistan’s destructive history, from the fall of the monarchy to the oppression of the Northern Alliance to the advent of the Taliban, The Kite Runner is the heartbreaking story of fathers and sons, friendship and betrayal, the casualties of fate, and the possibility of redemption.”
What touched me the most in this book were two things. One, the portrayal of the father-son relationship, which is often rocky and unfulfilled. The pain, and the desperate need of approval of his father, Amir has to live life knowing that his father is too busy for him. Two, the friendship between Amir and Hassan. Something devastating happens, and friends react differently to what one would expect and drift apart. The awesome thing is that although the relationships have been broken, there is redemption for Amir. He is able to give new life to the dead relationship.
The book starts off slow, because it takes time to establish the characters and to familiarize with the family members and the ritual of running for kites. Once that shocking incident happens, the book reads like a fast paced novel. I simply could not put it down and managed to finish it within two days. I wanted to know desperately what happens at the end. I wanted to know so much if Amir can redeem his past relationships. Of course, there are loads of shocks, surprises, twists and anti-climax occurring in the book that I could not see from afar. Highly recommended, and my favorite book of the year, so far!
Mansur
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Movie :: Cube & Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Hi friends,
I watched two movies today, and funnily enough, both movies required me to make more use of my grey matter in my brain. One was called Cube, which is an independent Canadian sci-fi film, and the other one is called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (don’t ask me what the title means!)
Cube, which has a cast of unknown actors, was the better of the two movies for me. It is a sci-fi, suspense film. It starts of by one man waking up in a room, which is a cube shaped. There are 6 doors leading off from each side of the room, all four walls, and ceiling and floor. He opens one, and proceeds to the next room. From the new room, he opens another door, and crash!bang!boom! He sets of the booby trap and is killed horribly. That is just a preview of what’s to come. We follow six more characters that all wake up in this room, with no previous recollection of how they got there. They are the Cop, Student, Doctor, Escape Artist, Mute and an Architect (!). They all try to figure out how to proceed to the next room, without entering one which has the booby traps. Each of them has a gift and they all put to use their gift to get out of the cube. For most of the time, you are sitting there wondering what the Cube is, will they ever get out and is the next room they enter a safe one!
Cube is a great movie, because it comments on how the social structure of the society is breaking down. The people argue and bicker, but at times do wonders when they work collectively. There are a lot of symbolisms in the movie, but it is interesting to know that there can be more than several interpretations to this movie. This movie came out in 1997, and somehow is not widely available on the market. If you get the chance, watch it, and be prepared to use your grey matter!
The other movie I watched is called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Carrey and Winslet play two characters that meet up in a subway train and decide to stay together. After a tumultuous relationship, Winslet enlist the services of Lacuna, who erase the memories Winslet has of Carrey and their relationship. Carrey meets up with Winslet again, and Winslet, not knowing who Carrey is, ignores him. Carrey is upset and he also proceeds to get the same procedure done. While at the time of his memories being erased of the girl he loved, he realizes that they shared a deeper passion, and in the midst of the procedure, realizes that he does not want to have her erased after all. The rest of the movie follows how the company is after Carrey’s memories, and how Carrey is fleeing from them to save his memories.
It is a heavy movie, no doubt, and we managed to get through the movie with the subtitles on. There are confusing scenes, where you don’t realize what’s happening. Having said that, I thought it was an interesting concept and got me thinking, is there any part of my memory that I would like to have erased? Maybe some sad incident or some unpleasant one in my life? But then, maybe that memory served a purpose in my life. I mean, lets say, I had a bad relationship with a girl in school. Would I want to erase that memory just because it makes me sad and angry—but then again, that particular memory serves a springboard for me to deal with such situation and emerging as a stronger person. Both movies were critically acclaimed, and have been widely watched. As for me, I am going to relax in my bubble bath now to drain away all the heavy thinking!
Take care,
Mansur
I watched two movies today, and funnily enough, both movies required me to make more use of my grey matter in my brain. One was called Cube, which is an independent Canadian sci-fi film, and the other one is called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (don’t ask me what the title means!)
Cube, which has a cast of unknown actors, was the better of the two movies for me. It is a sci-fi, suspense film. It starts of by one man waking up in a room, which is a cube shaped. There are 6 doors leading off from each side of the room, all four walls, and ceiling and floor. He opens one, and proceeds to the next room. From the new room, he opens another door, and crash!bang!boom! He sets of the booby trap and is killed horribly. That is just a preview of what’s to come. We follow six more characters that all wake up in this room, with no previous recollection of how they got there. They are the Cop, Student, Doctor, Escape Artist, Mute and an Architect (!). They all try to figure out how to proceed to the next room, without entering one which has the booby traps. Each of them has a gift and they all put to use their gift to get out of the cube. For most of the time, you are sitting there wondering what the Cube is, will they ever get out and is the next room they enter a safe one!
Cube is a great movie, because it comments on how the social structure of the society is breaking down. The people argue and bicker, but at times do wonders when they work collectively. There are a lot of symbolisms in the movie, but it is interesting to know that there can be more than several interpretations to this movie. This movie came out in 1997, and somehow is not widely available on the market. If you get the chance, watch it, and be prepared to use your grey matter!
The other movie I watched is called Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Carrey and Winslet play two characters that meet up in a subway train and decide to stay together. After a tumultuous relationship, Winslet enlist the services of Lacuna, who erase the memories Winslet has of Carrey and their relationship. Carrey meets up with Winslet again, and Winslet, not knowing who Carrey is, ignores him. Carrey is upset and he also proceeds to get the same procedure done. While at the time of his memories being erased of the girl he loved, he realizes that they shared a deeper passion, and in the midst of the procedure, realizes that he does not want to have her erased after all. The rest of the movie follows how the company is after Carrey’s memories, and how Carrey is fleeing from them to save his memories.
It is a heavy movie, no doubt, and we managed to get through the movie with the subtitles on. There are confusing scenes, where you don’t realize what’s happening. Having said that, I thought it was an interesting concept and got me thinking, is there any part of my memory that I would like to have erased? Maybe some sad incident or some unpleasant one in my life? But then, maybe that memory served a purpose in my life. I mean, lets say, I had a bad relationship with a girl in school. Would I want to erase that memory just because it makes me sad and angry—but then again, that particular memory serves a springboard for me to deal with such situation and emerging as a stronger person. Both movies were critically acclaimed, and have been widely watched. As for me, I am going to relax in my bubble bath now to drain away all the heavy thinking!
Take care,
Mansur
Book :: Life of Pi
Hello friends,
When someone recommended me to read the Life of Pi, I kind of refused to do. I am not a big maths fan, and I was not in a mood to read something about that mystery Pi number used in trigonometry. However, at the bookshop, I saw the cover of the book and decided to read it. It is quite a fascinating cover. A small lifeboat, with a dark skinned boy curled up on side, and a Royal Bengal tiger on the other side of the boat, drifting on the ocean, surrounded with sharks underwater. Hmm, this doesn’t seem like anything to do with maths. I was not prepared for what I read in this book.
To make you comfortable, all you maths hater, Pi is actually a short nickname for the narrator of the story, whose real name is Piscine Molitor Patel. Pi is named after a swimming pool, which his father went to in France. Piscine is French for ‘pool.’ Pi is an Indian boy, who recounts his tumultuous childhood humorously. The highlight of his experiences is when he decides to be a Hindu, Christian and a Muslim, all at the same time. He attends the mosque on Fridays, temple on Saturdays and church on Sundays. It is so fascinating to know how Pi gets involved in all three religions, and one of the funniest passages in the book is when the Imam, Hindu priest and the Christian priest all end up at Pi’s parents house to convince them that their faith is the true one!
Pi also talks about his interest in Zoology and Religious Studies, which he double majored in at a university in Canada. He talks about the animal life, and connects the animal kingdom to how God made the animals and how they all co-relate and co-exist with one another! However, the highlight of the book, which forms the chunk of the book, is when the ship that Pi and his family are traveling in to Canada is shipwrecked, and Pi takes refuge in a lifeboat. Alongside with him on the boat are a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan… and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger!
Short, and I mean short, summary: Pi is a student of zoology and religious studies, and his childhood was spent in India, where his father was the owner of a zoo. He recounts his experiences as he dabbles with religion and other spiritual matters. His family decides to emigrate to Canada, and so they sail on a ship with all the animals. The ship is wrecked, and Pi manages to get on a lifeboat, and with him several of the animals, the tiger being the most ferocious one. The rest of the book talks about his experiences on the boat, and I am not going to talk about anything else because you have to read it!! =)
I cannot tell you how much fun I had reading this book, When I finished it, I felt like as if I was right there with Pi on his shipwrecked lifeboat. I felt like as if I had just returned to my home after traveling with Pi on the raging seas. I could still smell the tiger’s breath, the salty waters, the smell emanating from dead animals, the sounds of waves crashing against the shore and Pi’s thoughts! Ultimately, I think what the writer wanted to convey through the story was that the world is obviously created by a Creator, and when you look at nature in it entirety, it is difficult to not believe that there is a God. Life of Pi is the winner of The Man Booker Prize 2002. I don’t know where I was when this book came out! I plan on reading it again and again!
Warmly,
Mansur
When someone recommended me to read the Life of Pi, I kind of refused to do. I am not a big maths fan, and I was not in a mood to read something about that mystery Pi number used in trigonometry. However, at the bookshop, I saw the cover of the book and decided to read it. It is quite a fascinating cover. A small lifeboat, with a dark skinned boy curled up on side, and a Royal Bengal tiger on the other side of the boat, drifting on the ocean, surrounded with sharks underwater. Hmm, this doesn’t seem like anything to do with maths. I was not prepared for what I read in this book.
To make you comfortable, all you maths hater, Pi is actually a short nickname for the narrator of the story, whose real name is Piscine Molitor Patel. Pi is named after a swimming pool, which his father went to in France. Piscine is French for ‘pool.’ Pi is an Indian boy, who recounts his tumultuous childhood humorously. The highlight of his experiences is when he decides to be a Hindu, Christian and a Muslim, all at the same time. He attends the mosque on Fridays, temple on Saturdays and church on Sundays. It is so fascinating to know how Pi gets involved in all three religions, and one of the funniest passages in the book is when the Imam, Hindu priest and the Christian priest all end up at Pi’s parents house to convince them that their faith is the true one!
Pi also talks about his interest in Zoology and Religious Studies, which he double majored in at a university in Canada. He talks about the animal life, and connects the animal kingdom to how God made the animals and how they all co-relate and co-exist with one another! However, the highlight of the book, which forms the chunk of the book, is when the ship that Pi and his family are traveling in to Canada is shipwrecked, and Pi takes refuge in a lifeboat. Alongside with him on the boat are a hyena, a zebra (with a broken leg), a female orang-utan… and a 450-pound Royal Bengal tiger!
Short, and I mean short, summary: Pi is a student of zoology and religious studies, and his childhood was spent in India, where his father was the owner of a zoo. He recounts his experiences as he dabbles with religion and other spiritual matters. His family decides to emigrate to Canada, and so they sail on a ship with all the animals. The ship is wrecked, and Pi manages to get on a lifeboat, and with him several of the animals, the tiger being the most ferocious one. The rest of the book talks about his experiences on the boat, and I am not going to talk about anything else because you have to read it!! =)
I cannot tell you how much fun I had reading this book, When I finished it, I felt like as if I was right there with Pi on his shipwrecked lifeboat. I felt like as if I had just returned to my home after traveling with Pi on the raging seas. I could still smell the tiger’s breath, the salty waters, the smell emanating from dead animals, the sounds of waves crashing against the shore and Pi’s thoughts! Ultimately, I think what the writer wanted to convey through the story was that the world is obviously created by a Creator, and when you look at nature in it entirety, it is difficult to not believe that there is a God. Life of Pi is the winner of The Man Booker Prize 2002. I don’t know where I was when this book came out! I plan on reading it again and again!
Warmly,
Mansur
Movie :: The Woodsman
Hi everyone,
The movie review for this week is: The Woodsman.
The Woodsman stars Kevin Bacon and his real-life wife Kyra Sedgwick. Bacon plays a pedophile that has been released from jail after 12 years. He starts work at a timber factory and is given a place to stay at, which is ironically opposite a children’s school He meets this woman at the work place and they embark on a dangerous love affair, and once he discloses why he was in jail, their love story takes a tumble. All the while, there is an officer who visits Bacon regularly to monitor his progress and all. Will the woman stay in his life? Will Bacon succumb to temptations? Will he be successfully treated of his sickness? Will the small schoolgirl he meets damage him and her?
This movie is not for the faint-hearted, or for the squeamish. The subject matter is such that its not comfortable viewing. The movie takes us into a mind of a pedophile and the struggles he undergoes. They are, after all, humans as well. Just because they do something which is not accepted by society does not mean they should cursed and banished. Bacon does a superb portrayal of a man stuck between his desires to be healed and temptations that draw him closer to some of the school kids. One scene, in particular, totally riveted me and I was so uncomfortable. Bacon sees this one girl, who goes to the local park/ woods to do some bird watching. Bacon follows her one day and they strike up a conversation. It is finally revealed that the girl gets no attention from her father, and so she enjoys Bacon’s company. Bacon finally asks the girl, “Would you like to sit on my lap?” I won’t tell you, because you have to see it to see the powerful drama. The whole set up is one disturbing, unsettling scene.
I think it was a great movie because it deals with a subject matter that is taboo, and yet pretty much existence. The acting is controlled, and well acted, and Bacon does a great job of drawing sympathy, as well as hatred, for the way the character thinks. We want for him to succeed and overcome his disease, yet we also hate him for what he does to little children. In the whole movie, there are no scenes between Bacon and any kids, save for one I mentioned above. This movie is not about pedophilia or abuse of children; it’s about what a pedophile goes through in his mind. It carefully draws a line between sympathizing and chastising Bacon’s character. We are not asked to show our support for him, yet we are not asked to shun him. We are simply asked to see who he is and the struggles he has to face. A brave, strong and well-intentioned movie.
Mansur
The movie review for this week is: The Woodsman.
The Woodsman stars Kevin Bacon and his real-life wife Kyra Sedgwick. Bacon plays a pedophile that has been released from jail after 12 years. He starts work at a timber factory and is given a place to stay at, which is ironically opposite a children’s school He meets this woman at the work place and they embark on a dangerous love affair, and once he discloses why he was in jail, their love story takes a tumble. All the while, there is an officer who visits Bacon regularly to monitor his progress and all. Will the woman stay in his life? Will Bacon succumb to temptations? Will he be successfully treated of his sickness? Will the small schoolgirl he meets damage him and her?
This movie is not for the faint-hearted, or for the squeamish. The subject matter is such that its not comfortable viewing. The movie takes us into a mind of a pedophile and the struggles he undergoes. They are, after all, humans as well. Just because they do something which is not accepted by society does not mean they should cursed and banished. Bacon does a superb portrayal of a man stuck between his desires to be healed and temptations that draw him closer to some of the school kids. One scene, in particular, totally riveted me and I was so uncomfortable. Bacon sees this one girl, who goes to the local park/ woods to do some bird watching. Bacon follows her one day and they strike up a conversation. It is finally revealed that the girl gets no attention from her father, and so she enjoys Bacon’s company. Bacon finally asks the girl, “Would you like to sit on my lap?” I won’t tell you, because you have to see it to see the powerful drama. The whole set up is one disturbing, unsettling scene.
I think it was a great movie because it deals with a subject matter that is taboo, and yet pretty much existence. The acting is controlled, and well acted, and Bacon does a great job of drawing sympathy, as well as hatred, for the way the character thinks. We want for him to succeed and overcome his disease, yet we also hate him for what he does to little children. In the whole movie, there are no scenes between Bacon and any kids, save for one I mentioned above. This movie is not about pedophilia or abuse of children; it’s about what a pedophile goes through in his mind. It carefully draws a line between sympathizing and chastising Bacon’s character. We are not asked to show our support for him, yet we are not asked to shun him. We are simply asked to see who he is and the struggles he has to face. A brave, strong and well-intentioned movie.
Mansur
Movie :: The Village
Hi friends,
The Village is probably the most misunderstood movie since it was released. It is directed by the same man who brought us The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. I am not going to stop myself from revealing the twist in the movie because that is essential to my take on the movie.
The movie starts off in a village somewhere in rural America. People are dressed up in old colonial style clothes, and there is no sign of modern civilization. There are no telephones, televisions or even electricity. The people of the village eat together and they are basically a close-knit group of people. The rules and decisions are made by a group of elders who are in charge of the village. However, people are forbidden to venture beyond the village into the woods, because those “creatures” are there. These creatures are attracted to the color red, which is why all red berries and flowers are thrown away if they are seen anywhere in the village. These creatures sometimes enter the village, and everyone has to hide in their basement bunkers. The entire village is surrounded with fire-lit torches to prevent the “creatures” from entering.
To make a long story short, there are two men who love the same women, who is blind. One of the men shoots the other man out of jealousy. The man who shoots is also somewhat a looney. The man who is shot is the one who the girl loves. The girl decides to venture beyond the woods to go to some bigger town to get the medicines. So the girl’s father takes her to a secret shed and reveals to her * plot spoiler * there are no creatures. The girl’s father reveals to her that the looney man would actually disguise himself as the creature and try to scare the people so they wouldn’t go beyond the woods. The girl leave the village, encounters another ‘creature’ in the woods, which is killed and eventually reaches a boundary wall of some sorts. Once she is over the wall, we see a car coming. We suddenly realize, with intercuts between the girl and the elders back in the village that * plot spoiler * that these people are actually living in the 21st century.
It transpires that each of the Elders had someone close to them die or been through a tragedy of the worst sorts, so they decide to leave the modern civilization and live in a village, secluded and isolated from the rest of the world. For them, it was a return to innocence.
For one to appreciate this, one has to understand the motivation behind it. The director made this movie in response to the events of 9/11, where he felt that a lot of people were affected by such a huge tragedy, and would have liked to return to innocence. One could read deeper into the move by even comparing the group of Elders to Bush’s Cabinet. However, the director chooses to keep the movie personal and emotional, as opposed to political and brash.
I for one certainly enjoyed the movie the second time I watched it, since the first time I was confused with the twists in the movie and was like “is that it?” Once I saw it again, I appreciated the movie on a whole new level. I also long to escape the myriad distraction of modern civilizations. While I don’t deny the amazing benefits that modern inventions has given us, I would like to distance myself from it at the same time. I see so many people who are caught up in the rat race of trying to make the most money, to get the latest phone, to get the latest car, to follow the latest fashion, to attend the most talked about party and so on. If I don’t keep up with the Jones’ so to speak, I will be left behind. I want to relinquish my cell phone and just live on my landline phone. I want to relinquish my email and live on postal mail. But the situation is such that I am forced into keeping an email account and cell phone.
Don’t get me wrong. These inventions are great and beneficial as well, but I personally would like to do without it. I am sure some of you are thinking, gosh, what a hypocrite, since he is blogging on the Internet. Like I said, I am not against it, I just wish I did not have to live with it.
I remember growing up in Saudi; I had such an innocent childhood. People would be very neighborly, so much so, my brother and I would play with them on the roof of our building every singe day, despite the different ages, religious and racial backgrounds. I see kids today and I see kids glued to the TVs, music that they should not really be listening to, addicted to the internet, young boys and girls dressed up like teenagers and so on. Where is that innocence? Where is that time when people were neighborly? Where is that time when I would see kids playing out on the empty plots? Are we coming to an end of innocence of children or am I deceived? Which is why I love that movie Phenomenon, starring John Travolta. That movie is all about making a return to innocence, and then realizing that you cannot return to innocence without having to endure complications in life! That would have be in a completely different post. Anyhow I got off track, keep this perspective in mind, and maybe you would learn to appreciate the movie as well!
Mansur
The Village is probably the most misunderstood movie since it was released. It is directed by the same man who brought us The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. I am not going to stop myself from revealing the twist in the movie because that is essential to my take on the movie.
The movie starts off in a village somewhere in rural America. People are dressed up in old colonial style clothes, and there is no sign of modern civilization. There are no telephones, televisions or even electricity. The people of the village eat together and they are basically a close-knit group of people. The rules and decisions are made by a group of elders who are in charge of the village. However, people are forbidden to venture beyond the village into the woods, because those “creatures” are there. These creatures are attracted to the color red, which is why all red berries and flowers are thrown away if they are seen anywhere in the village. These creatures sometimes enter the village, and everyone has to hide in their basement bunkers. The entire village is surrounded with fire-lit torches to prevent the “creatures” from entering.
To make a long story short, there are two men who love the same women, who is blind. One of the men shoots the other man out of jealousy. The man who shoots is also somewhat a looney. The man who is shot is the one who the girl loves. The girl decides to venture beyond the woods to go to some bigger town to get the medicines. So the girl’s father takes her to a secret shed and reveals to her * plot spoiler * there are no creatures. The girl’s father reveals to her that the looney man would actually disguise himself as the creature and try to scare the people so they wouldn’t go beyond the woods. The girl leave the village, encounters another ‘creature’ in the woods, which is killed and eventually reaches a boundary wall of some sorts. Once she is over the wall, we see a car coming. We suddenly realize, with intercuts between the girl and the elders back in the village that * plot spoiler * that these people are actually living in the 21st century.
It transpires that each of the Elders had someone close to them die or been through a tragedy of the worst sorts, so they decide to leave the modern civilization and live in a village, secluded and isolated from the rest of the world. For them, it was a return to innocence.
For one to appreciate this, one has to understand the motivation behind it. The director made this movie in response to the events of 9/11, where he felt that a lot of people were affected by such a huge tragedy, and would have liked to return to innocence. One could read deeper into the move by even comparing the group of Elders to Bush’s Cabinet. However, the director chooses to keep the movie personal and emotional, as opposed to political and brash.
I for one certainly enjoyed the movie the second time I watched it, since the first time I was confused with the twists in the movie and was like “is that it?” Once I saw it again, I appreciated the movie on a whole new level. I also long to escape the myriad distraction of modern civilizations. While I don’t deny the amazing benefits that modern inventions has given us, I would like to distance myself from it at the same time. I see so many people who are caught up in the rat race of trying to make the most money, to get the latest phone, to get the latest car, to follow the latest fashion, to attend the most talked about party and so on. If I don’t keep up with the Jones’ so to speak, I will be left behind. I want to relinquish my cell phone and just live on my landline phone. I want to relinquish my email and live on postal mail. But the situation is such that I am forced into keeping an email account and cell phone.
Don’t get me wrong. These inventions are great and beneficial as well, but I personally would like to do without it. I am sure some of you are thinking, gosh, what a hypocrite, since he is blogging on the Internet. Like I said, I am not against it, I just wish I did not have to live with it.
I remember growing up in Saudi; I had such an innocent childhood. People would be very neighborly, so much so, my brother and I would play with them on the roof of our building every singe day, despite the different ages, religious and racial backgrounds. I see kids today and I see kids glued to the TVs, music that they should not really be listening to, addicted to the internet, young boys and girls dressed up like teenagers and so on. Where is that innocence? Where is that time when people were neighborly? Where is that time when I would see kids playing out on the empty plots? Are we coming to an end of innocence of children or am I deceived? Which is why I love that movie Phenomenon, starring John Travolta. That movie is all about making a return to innocence, and then realizing that you cannot return to innocence without having to endure complications in life! That would have be in a completely different post. Anyhow I got off track, keep this perspective in mind, and maybe you would learn to appreciate the movie as well!
Mansur
Book :: Reading List
Hey there,
When the year 2004 began, I had made one resolution. I had resolved to read more books. I planned on reading one book per week. That means that I should have read at least 32 books by now. However, I have read only about 27 books now, with more waiting to be picked up from my bookshelf. These are the ones I have read or have started reading it.
* In Progress
** Recommended
*** My Favorite Book So Far
Mansour’s Reading List:
1) A Child Called It--- Dave Pelzer**
2) The Lost Boy--- Dave Pelzer
3) A Man Named Dave--- Dave Pelzer 4) Help Yourself--- Dave Pelzer
5) God Has A Dream--- Desmond Tutu**
6) The Kite Runner--- Khaled Hosseini***
7) Life Of Pi--- Yann Martel***
8) House of Bush, House of Saud--- Craig Unger
9) Plan of Attack--- Bob Woodward
10) Bush At War--- Bob Woodward
11) Les Miserables--- Victor Hugo*
12) The Alchemist--- Paulo Coelho
13) Manual of the Warrior of Light--- Paulo Coelho
14) Brick Lane--- Monica Ali*
15) Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff--- Richard Carlson
16) Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff with Family--- Richard Carlson
17) The Five People You Meet In Heaven--- Mitch Albom**
18) The Bookseller of Kabul--- Anne Seirstad*
19) Living the 7 Habits--- Sean Covey
20) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens--- Sean Covey
21) Sunni and Shiah Perspective on Islam--- Dr. Ahmad Salamah**
22) The Highway Code(I needed to know the rules of good driving, knowing that no one follows rules here in Jeddah!)
23) Stupid White Men--- Michael Moore**
24) Downsize This! --- Michael Moore
25) Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right--- Al Franken
26) Five Past Midnight in Bhopal--- Dominique LaPierre and Javier Moro
27) Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Skeptical Muslim--- Ziauddin Sardar **
The following books are on my bookshelf and are waiting to be read:
1) To Kill a Mockingbird--- Harper Lee
2) Maps for Lost Lovers--- Nadeem Aslam
3) Traveling with Djinns--- Jamal Mahjoub
4) The Namesake--- Jhumpa Lahiri
If anyone of you have read a good book lately, please let me know. Click on the Make a Comment icon and just write the name of the book.
Thanks. Sincerely,
The Bookworm, Mansur
When the year 2004 began, I had made one resolution. I had resolved to read more books. I planned on reading one book per week. That means that I should have read at least 32 books by now. However, I have read only about 27 books now, with more waiting to be picked up from my bookshelf. These are the ones I have read or have started reading it.
* In Progress
** Recommended
*** My Favorite Book So Far
Mansour’s Reading List:
1) A Child Called It--- Dave Pelzer**
2) The Lost Boy--- Dave Pelzer
3) A Man Named Dave--- Dave Pelzer 4) Help Yourself--- Dave Pelzer
5) God Has A Dream--- Desmond Tutu**
6) The Kite Runner--- Khaled Hosseini***
7) Life Of Pi--- Yann Martel***
8) House of Bush, House of Saud--- Craig Unger
9) Plan of Attack--- Bob Woodward
10) Bush At War--- Bob Woodward
11) Les Miserables--- Victor Hugo*
12) The Alchemist--- Paulo Coelho
13) Manual of the Warrior of Light--- Paulo Coelho
14) Brick Lane--- Monica Ali*
15) Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff--- Richard Carlson
16) Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff with Family--- Richard Carlson
17) The Five People You Meet In Heaven--- Mitch Albom**
18) The Bookseller of Kabul--- Anne Seirstad*
19) Living the 7 Habits--- Sean Covey
20) The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens--- Sean Covey
21) Sunni and Shiah Perspective on Islam--- Dr. Ahmad Salamah**
22) The Highway Code(I needed to know the rules of good driving, knowing that no one follows rules here in Jeddah!)
23) Stupid White Men--- Michael Moore**
24) Downsize This! --- Michael Moore
25) Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right--- Al Franken
26) Five Past Midnight in Bhopal--- Dominique LaPierre and Javier Moro
27) Desperately Seeking Paradise: Journeys of a Skeptical Muslim--- Ziauddin Sardar **
The following books are on my bookshelf and are waiting to be read:
1) To Kill a Mockingbird--- Harper Lee
2) Maps for Lost Lovers--- Nadeem Aslam
3) Traveling with Djinns--- Jamal Mahjoub
4) The Namesake--- Jhumpa Lahiri
If anyone of you have read a good book lately, please let me know. Click on the Make a Comment icon and just write the name of the book.
Thanks. Sincerely,
The Bookworm, Mansur
Music :: Freedom, Passion and Sacrifice
Hi all,
there is a song by the Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon that I really like to listen to. It was a song used for the movie, Jinnah. The song title is Azaadi, which means, "Freedom." "
Junoon se,
aur ishq se,
milti hai azaadi!
Qurbani ki bahon mein,
milti hai azaadi."
This means:
"With Passion, and with Love,
We get Freedom.
In the Arms of Sacrifice,
We get Freedom."
I listen to this song, because it talks about attaining Freedom, and although the song was used in the movie to convey the emotional, physical and spiritual struggle the Pakistanis went through to get a separate homeland from India, I think that the song can also be applied on a very personal level, to those who are seeking Freedom! With PASSION, LOVE, and SACRIFICE, can we get FREEDOM!
Yours singing away,
Mansur
there is a song by the Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon that I really like to listen to. It was a song used for the movie, Jinnah. The song title is Azaadi, which means, "Freedom." "
Junoon se,
aur ishq se,
milti hai azaadi!
Qurbani ki bahon mein,
milti hai azaadi."
This means:
"With Passion, and with Love,
We get Freedom.
In the Arms of Sacrifice,
We get Freedom."
I listen to this song, because it talks about attaining Freedom, and although the song was used in the movie to convey the emotional, physical and spiritual struggle the Pakistanis went through to get a separate homeland from India, I think that the song can also be applied on a very personal level, to those who are seeking Freedom! With PASSION, LOVE, and SACRIFICE, can we get FREEDOM!
Yours singing away,
Mansur
Music :: Hero
Hi friends,
One of my all time favorite songs by Mariah Carey. I know for sure there is a Hero in all of us; we just need to cultivate our souls and bring out the Hero in us. Hero doesnt mean, in the traditonal sense, someone rescuing others from the edge of the cliff. A hero can be someone who has made a huge difference in your life. Like, I have a certain Hero here in Sharjah; someone I look up to. He helps me in all the ways he can. When I am down he knows exactly how to get me up; and when I am up, he is there to share my happiness with me.
"There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear
Lord knows Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away
Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time You'll find the way"
Mansur
One of my all time favorite songs by Mariah Carey. I know for sure there is a Hero in all of us; we just need to cultivate our souls and bring out the Hero in us. Hero doesnt mean, in the traditonal sense, someone rescuing others from the edge of the cliff. A hero can be someone who has made a huge difference in your life. Like, I have a certain Hero here in Sharjah; someone I look up to. He helps me in all the ways he can. When I am down he knows exactly how to get me up; and when I am up, he is there to share my happiness with me.
"There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are
There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away
And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive
So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold
You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear
Lord knows Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away
Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time You'll find the way"
Mansur
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