Dust ... *cough* ... *cough* ...

Spider webs!

Its been really long since I've posted anything on my blog ... Its been a hectic year really ...

Let me start by wishing you all "Ramadan Kareem" (better late than never, right?)

Secondly, work has sucked the life out of me ... plus 3 children to take care of can be quite a handful too! But its worth it to see them happy & healthy!!!

So what's the latest on the Bahraini blogosphere? Any major happenings I might have missed other than the genius decisions of blocking Google Translator?

I hope all's well and that all my dear readers are happy and healthy.

Love

Soul

Moving House

We should be. Sometime this week. Actually I'm being a bit too optimistic, but I am determined to move into my new dream house before Eid. I have had it. We have packed around 50% of our stuff (which are endless by the way) and we are currently living out of boxes, which can be very annoying.

We now have 2 Air conditioners installed on the second floor bedrooms, but are still waiting for the parquet people to arrive!! Also the rest of the AC units should be fixed this week.

I'm itching to scrub those floors and bathrooms, itching to clean the kitchen and start stacking my stuff in there...

Can't wait...its been 2 years of constant worry, back & forth visits to the site, the kids are getting restless, and so am I...

Will keep you posted on the latest progress...

Love,

SoulSearch

Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan Kareem everyone.

A time for us to give everything a break, from stuffing ourselves blind to reflecting on the state of the world.

I love the temporary change in routine that Ramadan brings. The absence of food & drink during the day allows for more time to think of my life, my career, my future, my beliefs. I've always had this sort of feeling, of cleansing, of purity, of serenity during the Holy Month.

I wish you all a serene Ramadan

وكل عام وانتم بخير

Back Online...

Hello World,

I'm back online, back at my desk, back to the corporate world after 3 weeks of bliss. Its true that it flew by too fast, but its been amazing. Great bonding time with the kids, and great changes on the home front.

The construction of the house is almost done. Here's a quick summary:

1. All carpentry work has been finished (finally)
2. All plumbing has been fixed.
3. All wiring has been done,

As for pending jobs, these are:
1. Some painting touches still need to be finalized,
* the oustide fence,
* Amina's room
2. We need to buy and install the Air conditioning (We're thinking of Carrier, any suggestions?)
3. Entire cleaning process of the house needds to be done.
4. Finally the parquet...


But most importantly, we are now waiting for the power to come. We must wait for the electricity inspector who then gives us the green light! so to speak...

I'm hoping we could move in before Ramadan which is a week away, but I doubt if that can be done. I'm 50% packed but it would take more than one week to pack and upack 8 years of my life. And its not just me, its the kids as well.
I want to be careful during this transition as they need to adjust more than we do.

Its a huge house, and they have been used to living in a cramped apartment that was their whole world!!! They will be starting school on the 3rd of Septmeber too!!! Aaaaarrrggghhhh
A moment of panic there, but life goes on...

So that's where we are now...

Hope all's well on your front ;)

Love,
SoulSearch

Soul Time

The best part of my career is ...
My annual leave...


Have a Soulful time everyone...

A Tribute Blog

Taking a look at the Bahraini Blogs Agregator this morning, I stumbled upon a noteworthy blog, done by a loving and dedicated mother in memory of her daughter.

http://samaralansari.blogspot.com

I did not know Samar. But I was very touched by her mother's dedication in loving memory of a child who has so quickly passed away.

Its heartbreaking to read and watch the youtube tributes for a daughter who no doubtedly had left beautiful memories for a family that have loved her and probably always will.

Too close to home...

Just when I thought incidents such as the one that happened in Karzakan were a one time screw up, we wake up to very similar scenes in our own neighborhood. This time East Riffa.








This car belonged to the neighborhood's mosque Imam. Does that have any connection with what has happened?

Its sad.

I'll let the picture do the talking

Street Hooligans

What happened last night? What provoked a gang of 30 to 40 hooligans to do what they did last night? What's happening to Bahrain? When folks just want to get a good night's sleep to be able to go to work the next day and earn an honest living?

Does violence solve anything?

Majid Asghar Ali from the Police Force is dead. And for what? Does this help Bahrain in any way? Does this violence serve any cause?

It was a total shock to read the papers this morning. I almost choked on my coffee and sandwich!

God help us. Where are we going?

Peace people. You don't want to turn into another Lebanon. Trust me.

Peace for Bahrain.

SoulSearch

Stomp till you Dromp

What an amazing performance! We loved the show by Stomp at the gorgeous Arad Fort venue. I loved their rebelious take on making music!



I like to call it "The Art of Cordinated Chaos"






The noise they were making was hilariously put together... loved it

Watching them gave me a sense of freedom, a non-conformist attitude always inspires me. I especially loved their choice of music at the end of the show ... Smells Like Teen Spirit by Nirvana

Stomp was a fabulos grand finale to Bahrain's contribution to Art through Spring of Culture.
Love,
Soul...

War on inflation...

Just the thought of prices increasing in Bahrain has given the greedy guys running the market the idea of raising their prices...
So i guess there are no authorities monitoring the hikes...
Read below:

تشتط غضباً بسبب ارتفاع سعر كيس الأرز

اشتطت سيدة بحرينية غضباً عندما أحضر الزوج إلى المنزل كيس أرز من ماركة «هبة الطبيعة« بوزن 40 كيلو من محل سوبرماركت كبير بمنطقة سترة وحين قرأت السعر قررت اعادة الكيس إلى السوبر ماركت واستعادة قيمتها والتوجه إلى سوبر ماركت أخرى تبيع الماركة نفسها ولكن بسعر أقل.
المحلان قريبان من بعضهما.. ففي الأول يباع الكيس بـ 24 دينارا وسبعمائة فلس وفي الثاني بـ 20 دينارا و500 فلس والفارق كبير بين السعرين مع أن الماركة واحدة.. والمثير أن المسافة بين البرادتين قصيرة جداً. وتمكنت السيدة من استرداد المبلغ وذهبت في الحال إلى البرادة الأخرى وابتاعت الكيس الأرخص وقالت لـ «أخبار الخليج«.. أين لجنة مراقبة الأسعار التي يقولون إنها تحمي المواطنين من جشع التجار

وتجاوزاتهم المستمرة؟!

أخبار الخليج

Kudos to her. Smart lady ...

To make a statement

Lately in Bahrain, Arson has picked up as the latest trend to make any sort of political statement you want. You don't like someone, you burn a car next to their house to prove your point, you dn't like someone else you burn their library!
Easy...
God Help us...

It doesn't pay to be cowardly...

Peace,
SoulSearch

Geant-smart move

I have been doing my monthly shopping at Geant ever since it has openend in Bahrain, and it has always bothered me the amount of plastic bags one small family can consume. It is scary.


With the new decision of charging money for plastic bags and he introduction of the Jute reusable bags, I am much delighted. I shall go ahead and buy 10 of those bags because I would imagine thats how many I would need as we fill up two carts for the whole month!!!

Fantastic, way to go Geant...Hope others will follow suit...

Peace,

SoulSearch

Welfare or Hellfare: Are we on the way?

To becoming a Welfare state?

So what's a Welfare State?

According to Wikipedia:

There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state:
the provision of welfare services by the state.
an ideal model in which the state assumes primary responsibility for the welfare of its citizens. This responsibility in theory ought to be comprehensive, because all aspects of welfare are considered and universally applied to citizens as a right. 'Welfare state' can also mean the creation of a "safety net" of minimum standards of varying forms of welfare. Here is found some confusion between a "welfare state" and a "welfare society" (see below) in common debate about the definition of the term.
the provision of welfare in society. In many "welfare states", especially in continental Europe, welfare is not actually provided by the state, but by a combination of independent, voluntary, mutualist and government services. The functional provider of benefits and services may be a central or state government, a state-sponsored company or agency, a private corporation, a charity or another form of non-profit organisation. However, this phenomenon has been more appropriately termed a "welfare society," and the term "welfare system" has been used to describe the range of welfare state and welfare society mixes that are found.



Some people disagree with the model of a welfare state, calling it the "nanny state" that causes an infringment on many personal freedoms. And we all know that is so possible in Bahrain!!

We need to consider...

Peace,
SoulSearch

To parquet or not to parquet...

That is the question being posed in our household today... I have to make the decision today. That's my deadline. I was thinking of mixing ceramic and parquet but that idea didn't last long! But today the guys in our new house are finalizing the flooring downstairs and they need guidance! I can't keep stalling anymore...







Anyone with parquet experience in Bahrain ... please help...



Some people tell me the weather in Bahrain isn't supportive of a parquet floor, its too humid, while others say its much better than cermaic or porcelain flooring, its healthier for the feet (huh?) or something along those lines...

What would you vote for?

Parquet or no Parquet?






Peace,


SoulSearch

The Rain...

Love the wet and cool weather in Bahrain today...

Rain,

Cool winds,

Traffic Jams,

Blankets,

Hot chocolate,

the kids like snowmen...

I love it...

Sword-wealding Head of State

On an official visit to Bahrain, President Bush honored us with his presence and asked us "to lend a hand of peace" to Israel. Awwwwwhh, the poor threatened Israelis, who so badly need our help. They are so frightened from the God-awful naughty naughty Palestinians who keep tossing fire-crackers at their parties and ruining the party mood.

Sorry Mr. President. You've got it all wrong...
You hold the sword so well. You definitely know how to wage a war or two, or three...

Let me remind you that Palestinians have been in diaspora for 60 odd years. They have been stateless across the globe and live in tents in the Occupied Land while the Israelis continue to expand their settlements on stolen lands...

Dear Mr. President,

How would you feel if you had to live in a tent all your life, rummage thru the rubble of your home, watch strangers confiscate your property, and kill you son or daughter for suspecting them of supporting their freedom movements?
Wake up and smell the Palestinian +Iraqi blood spilling everywhere, or is it only OIL up your nostrils?

(Operation Iraqi Liberation = OIL)

Peace,

SoulSearch

Cold...Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrd

Woke up to a very cold morning, the dusty mistaken for misty ones didn't help my allergies!

But its lovely to feel the cold finally come to Bahrain! We seriously need a break from the heat and the airconditiong...

Check out the temp:

9 DEGREES, celcius that is!! My kids were so jumbled up with shawls and jackets my son coul hardly walk!!! hehehe ... and the comments I get, are "Mom, relax, its not snowing!"

Cheeky monkeys!!!

You can also see that my car has run past the 40,000 km mark! which means it needs maintenance!!!

Peace,

Soul

2.0.0.7 - The year that was

With the New Year just around the corner, I need to look back at what 2007 gave me and the world...
I love lists, so I composed one:

In 2007:

1. I turned 29, the last year in my twenties.
2. My kids turned 5 & 3, I need serious parenting tips.
3. I set my mind on getting a new job, and I did.
4. Didn't get a new phone yet, I wanted a Nokia N95, (I heard prices went down to BD 170???)(What happened???)
5. Iraq is still a burning war zone.
6. Gun-totting disturbed teenagers continue to massacre people in schools colleges.
7. Dubai continues to build taller buildings - aka Burj Dubai.

8. Tripoli, Lebanon sees clashes led by the brainfarts, so-called Ansar AlIslam
9. Discovered I have mild reumatism.
10. My best friend Nishani has a new baby boy - Ameer. Wish you both best of health.
11. My brother Hamood gets a new job after waiting for 4 years. Good Luck Aeuturnus!
12. Attended congress in Dubai. Jumeirah.
13. Israel continues to use Palestinians as target practice.
14.No solution for the Darfur problem yet.
15. Clashes in Bahrain during the National day holidays. 1 person killed.
16. No fireworks lit Bahrain's skies this year either.
17. Construction work continues on our house. First stage completed. Finishing in progress.
18. We still use loads of plastic bags. We need to be more environmentally aware.
19. Lost 3 kgs this year.
20. Just heard Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated in Pakistan.

Wishing everyone a peaceful and prosperous year ahead.

May 2008 be better year for the world.

Peace and Love,
SoulSearch

On shopping and religion

I am so enjoying the 10-day break. It is serious medicine for the soul. I have been so engrossed at work, these past 2 months, that I welcome this amazing alignment of holidays that gave us 10 days of sleeping in late, chicken nuggets lunch with the kids, and an endless amount of mopping around the house in pjs. However, we decided to do a little Eid shopping in our friendly neighbor the K of SA. The overpowering stench of stupidity did not leave my nostrils since the second we set foot on the causeway. Here are 5 reasons why I will not be travelling across the causeway unless I absolutely had to:

1. You can't have a decent two hour shopping spree without having the whole shop shut down on you for prayers. Don't they realize that people should be given the freedom to worship and not have worship shoved down tehir throats 5 times a day?
2. Store managers get jumpy and nervous and would rather kick you out of their shop as soon as they can, than to have the religious police close down their shops!
3. If you thought traffic in Bahrain was a nightmare, think again. Many of our neighborly drivers prefer to jump a red light or claim your lane as their own at any time they choose.
4. There are absolutely no changing rooms for ladies in any retail outlets, even my 5 year old daughter was not allowed to try on her clothes anywhere, because "she's a female". Outrageous!
5. It hurts me to see how women are totally inferior to men on many a level. They are treated in a humiliating way, that I would not be able to take if (God forbid) I had to ever live there!!

I could write a whole load more but my blood is boiling at this point and I would rather stop.

Have a good holiday people...
Peace everyone,
SoulSearch

The Bahraini Blogging Scene

I love our cyberspace community. every other night for about an hour I browse around for some good blogger entries by fellow bloggers, and no sooner I am in stiches!!!

Some of you guys are really funny!

Of course, Mahmood's Den is the platform from which I dive into other bloggers' pages, and I end up trying to link everyone...

Its lovely,

I'm happy...

I want to read somemore insights, some more ideas, some more frustrations, some more achievements by Bahrain's Bright Geeks!!

Hehe :)

Tonight I'm linking Evil Odd, you're not so evil afterall!

You're hilarious...

Thanks for your cool posts

Keep on blogging guys/gals...

Post it out there!!!

Peace,

SoulSearch