I attended my brother-in-laws wedding last month so I finally had a reason to buy a Moroccan dress. My hubby found a tailor in the city, his dresses were a little expensive but the other shop was closed and I had only a couple days before the wedding to finish the dress. I decided on the light green dress pictured below with a sweet gold belt to match. He makes a lot of the dresses by hand but also has help from family in Morroco. He was sewing the braided designs onto a dress seen below.
One of his hand made belts...
This piece was over the top, each flower was made individually and sewn onto the fabric, it felt like it weighed 10 pounds.
He's a nice guy to took up tailoring when he was a boy and really loves making items.
XCITE AlGhanim introduced us to their new Jaime Oliver line of products which was held at Gaucho Grill in Avenues Mall. There is an all-in-one cooker introduced to us that does several types of cooking at once. You can cut and slice items directly into the pan that includes self-stirring which allows you to leave it unattended and it will cook at the exact set temperature meaning you won't burn up your meal.
There is a blender, mixer and food processor included in his line.
We were entertained by the German juggler Sir Julian and he was definitely a unique character.
Paparazzi
You can find more about Jaime Oliver's home cooker here. A big thank you to Al Ghanim!
We at Operation Hope would like to thank all of those who voted for our cause!! Your votes helped OH to win the Philly Cream Cheese "Spread Some Inspiration" contest!
Mrs. Sheryl Mairza
Dear volunteers, patrons, well wishers, friends, team and everyone else that continue to believe in Operation HOPE’s Mission of Mercy, we would like to extend our deepest Appreciation and Thanks to each one of you.
With the help of your votes, We, Operation HOPE Kuwait won the 1st position in Philadelphia Cream Cheese’s (from Mondelez International, formerly Kraft Foods) ''Spread Some Inspiration' campaign in its fourth edition. OH founder, Ms. Sheryl Mairza was awarded the inspiration trophy for initiating the OH mission from its humble beginnings in 2005 at the recent Brunch award ceremony held in Dubai on May 14th, 2013 where OH was also awarded a cash prize of USD 10,000.
The campaign that celebrates and recognizes the unsung women heroes of the region for their contributions in philanthropy, community development and charitable causes thereby bringing much needed awareness was originally launched in line with the International Women's Day... in 2010 and this year witnessed a partnership with UN Women - the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and empowerment of women globally - for the second year in a row.
Thanks to each of your vote, the prize money won would go towards our 2013 Winter Warmth Outreach Program, wherein we provide warmth hampers to over 2,500 street workers in Kuwait.
Fatima Al Qadiri and Khalid Al Gharabali made this funny video about "chai dhaha" (which is a gathering of women who gossip and complain) and it is comedy.
Ever wonder why there are tissue boxes in every Kuwaiti house and car?
In the Gulf, the formula: Hygiene = Wealth is deeply embedded aka the more "hygienic," the wealthier a person. This post-oil obsession with hygienic products—wet wipes, disinfectants, tissue, hand sanitizers, etc, relates to a sanitized, generic aesthetic preferred in the Gulf. This behavior is an attempt to control the organic chaos of the original, pre-oil and dust-ridden environment. Behavior that has become more pronounced with the increased variety of local hygienic products, in line with consumerist tendencies.
Fatima is also know for her music, here is one of her older videos:
Warning: The above video contains butt shaking with Arab chicks dancing Ma'alaya style which is kind of like the Arab version of twerking (yes I used Miley Cyrus' video because her video was the only one that wasn't x rated)
This morning one of my co-workers told me about an incident that happened a few days ago, an ITT convoy coming back from Ali Al-Salem via Jahra was attacked by a huge gang of people. I don't know if they were Kuwaiti or bedoon considering the area but he said they had parked a car on the street or highway they take from Ali Al-Saleem and a huge gang of people started throwing rocks at the trucks. For some reason none of the ITT drivers thought it was important enough to report it until the next day. So now it has become a hush hush incident and not too many people know about it.
That incident of course is a security concern and should have been reported immediately. I think they should all be fired for not reporting the incident to the right people. Their route has been changed and KMOI now escorts them to the base. If that wasn't bad enough an Egyptian driving a water tanker attacked an MRAP military vehicle in the Adan hospital area. He repeatedly rammed the MRAP vehicle until it was forced off of the road knocking off a generator. The police were called and from what witnesses say the whole Kuwaiti police department was there although I haven't read anything about it in the papers.
This is a picture of an MRAP for those who don't know.
My mom told me about a new scheme from Wataniya using your phone to charge you for wireless internet. She has had her phone number since 2004 and recently every time she re-charged her phone using a phone card it was empty by the next day. After losing 15 KD she called Wataniya and was asked what kind of phone she has, she told him she has an iPhone. So the new thing is Wataniya has some how made wireless accounts for customers and if you hook up to any wireless network your card is charged. She thinks it may be from using her wireless internet at home as she only turns on wireless when she's in her home. Has anyone else had this problem?
Last week I was heading to the gas station in Fintas when I had to brake suddenly to avoid hitting 20 foreign nationals crossing the road. There were hundreds of them on both sides of the street standing around. I don't know if they were on strike or what but they seemed to be working for the Sea base in Fintas? There was one lone police officer standing there but no officers guiding traffic. It was kind of like they were playing Frogger with the traffic on that road because everyone speeds on that road and then suddenly coming around the curve there is a sea of people.
I tried to find some info in the Arab Times but there wasn't anything about it. The whole area has turned into a bachelor city and it's time for us to move because it doesn't feel safe anymore. Imagine if all of the bachelors got together and protested, they could probably take over Kuwait if they wanted to.
KUWAIT CITY, Feb 23: Latest census on registered marriages in Kuwait unveiled
a ‘phenomenon of spinsterhood’ of shocking rates, which necessitates the society
to exert tremendous efforts in eliminating the problems encountered by girl and
families in this regard, reports Al-Seyassah daily.
According to the
statistics, approximately 30,000 Kuwaiti women of ages between 25 and 64 years
are ‘spinsters’ as they have never been married.
After reading and
analyzing the causes of the growing phenomenon, psychologists and sociologists
said the increasing phenomenon of spinsterhood in the Kuwaiti society will
result in serious demographic and psychological repercussions on the structure
of the society.
They indicated that the problem cannot be tackled by
issuing laws that restrict marriage to a non-Kuwaiti or encourage marriage
through financial incentives and facilities.
They insisted that the
problem can be solved through awareness campaigns to urge young men and women to
marry as well as urge parents to make it easier for those who wish to marry
without demanding excessive dowry.
The psychologists and sociologists
suggested a set of ‘immediate solutions’ such as giving priority in employment
to citizens who are married to Kuwaitis, banning marriages to foreigners and so
on.
Regarding the psychological effects on these unmarried girls, they
indicated that referring girls as ‘spinsters’ could make them feel inferior and
insecure.
Maybe those are the lesbians who don't want to marry? Between Kuwaiti men marrying foreigners and Kuwaiti men who are gay I guess the number of available men decreases?
After a devastating tornado wreaked havoc on much of Joplin, Missouri in May of 2011 the town found a financial savior in an unlikely source: the United Arab Emirates.
The tornado, which killed 161 people and destroyed six public schools, had left the community in an almost hopeless situation until the UAE reached out through their embassy in Washington.
It's not the first time the UAE has reached out to the United States for charity, as the nation has embarked upon a campaign to provide assistance to the most dire of the areas in the country.
See, not all Arabs are terrorists or have bad intentions.
A new bakery popped up in my area and so far it's pretty good. My mom bought some little cheesecakes and chocolate cakes and everyone enjoyed them. They also have yoghurt that's not as expensive as the other joints. Of course it's still new and will need some time to get adjusted but so far so good.
It is high time someone from the Ministry of Health starts checking on their nurses who refuse to change their gloves when taking blood!!!!! Yesterday we had a new guy go to Fahaheel for his medical procedures for his residency. He asked the nurse to please change his gloves, he refused, after asking several more times he went to the manager and the manager put his hand up to the guy and told him that if he didn't want to do his medical then he could leave. Really??? This is the third time we've had an employee rejected from that clinic for the same problem.
A lady was told to go sit on the bus after she asked the nurse to change her gloves. Do they not realize how serious of a problem it is? They are dealing with people from all over the world carrying God knows what and they can't change their gloves? They did the same thing with my kids and I raised hell which invloved the manager and a few choice words. They did change their gloves! There was 2 boxes of gloves sitting on her table and she refused. Finally she snatched off her gloves and started talking to the other nurse in Indian language.
Does anyone in the Ministry know or even care about it? This is the easiest way to spread diseases, not to mention it's disgusting! I've heard gloves are kind of a luxury item that's why they don't change them every time. I was also told that an American lady found thousands of boxes of gloves being sold in Friday market that had Ministry stamps which means someone is stealing them and selling them.
Hello people! Wake up, it's time for someone to regulate the medical system! It's sad to think I have to fight with a nurse (who is supposed to be helping people ) to change her gloves. I'm sure Kuwaiti people don't really care because they don't have to experience it but it is needed to prevent the spreading of diseases!
It was a nice sunny day for a yard sale. Operation Hope had a pretty good turn out and all of the donated furniture was sold quickly. We had rented out spaces for individuals to sell their goods and I think they made some money as well. Overall,Esther's Attic is doing very well and we have been able to help so many more needy people with the funds from Esther's Attic.
If you are interested in stopping by please do so soon as Esther's Attic will be closing soon for the summer and will reopen when the weather is cooler. We will always be taking donations no matter what so please keep bringing your clothing throughout the year.
Again,we are still in great need of donations. We accept items in good condition, we do not accept used underwear or lingerie. I was the one who got to open the bag of used thongs which was not what I expected.
For a rewarding, spiritual and informative experience. This is a 1 ½ tour of one of Kuwait’s most famous landmarks. Ladies are required to cover - long sleeves and long ankle length skirt, otherwise the mosque will provide a cloak. If you have your own scarf you’re welcome to bring it. Camera’s allowed. Children welcome. This tour meets directly at the Grand Mosque.
My friend had this shirt on the other day and I thought it was really cool. She had seen it in the airport in Dubai so her hubby ordered it online for her birthday. The shirts are a little expensive but totally unique. I will suggest they make bigger sizes for "real women".
I love the idea of blending old and new ideas. The shop originated in KSA which is kind of surprising. They may be opening a branch in Kuwait soon. Check out their website for more information.
Japan Order is a Kuwaiti company that has an office in Japan in which they order all kinds of items from there and have it delivered to Kuwait. Cheaper than getting a flight there...
