VICTORY!

YOU DID IT EGYPT! 

Eighteen days of struggle, but you did it!

S.

Broken Records

Guess who's getting her bangs trimmed soon?! (I love her hair).

Today was boring, and so left with very few options with which to entertain myself, I decided to watch some TV. I settled on MBC1, my go-to channel (but only because I couldn't find the remote control), and settled down to watch a popular talk show called Kalaam Nawa3im. The title of the program roughly translates to "Speech of The Soft", and it's more or less the Middle Eastern version of The View. I'll give you a moment to take this in. 

Done? Good. 

Where were we? Ah, yes... Something about women.

Jokes aside, I want to shift gears and go for a more somber tone. Today's episode was about domestic abuse, namely between married couples. The guests were a married couple, a man and woman of Egyptian nationality with two (it might have been three) children. The man openly admitted to physically beating his wife and children, and went on to express his reasons for such behavior. His main argument was that he had been raised in a 'military-like environment, devoid of democracy (in the domestic sense)", and so superior/inferior roles exist within a marriage and within a family. Of all the filth he spewed, the most horrific thing he said was, (I'm paraphrasing AND translating here so don't quote me):

If my daughter commits a fault, I will hit her. If she commits a fault as an adult, I expect her husband to hit her. 

I honestly cannot describe how much these words break my heart. I get a lot of shit from people about being a feminist, and sometimes I do get tired of the stigma and ridicule. However, it only takes one second of hearing things like the above quote, and I snap out of it. Since this is the 'Month Of Love', I'll save a better written and researched post about domestic violence in the Middle East for later. However, I do want to emphasize one thing:

It's 2011... If he (or she) hits you, then it's not love. It's not healthy. You owe it to yourself (and to your children of you have any) to leave or demand a change for the better. Ask your partner to seek help, be it from a professional or the local Imam, do whatever you have to. Just don't leave a bad situation as is, hoping it'll mend itself.

Remember that no matter who you are, no matter what you've done in your life, no one should have the right to lay their hand on you. You deserve more, you deserved to be loved, and you deserve to be respected. Never forget that.
 

Spinning an old tune,

S.

Gag Me

The song's name has been changed from 'S&M' to 'Come On' in some regions, namely the UK.

While today's post veers slightly off topic, it's something that's been bothering me for a while now. Add the recent release of the above train-wreck to my simmering frustration, and I've had it. 

Seriously.

Before I move on, I'll just take a cyber second to make clear how I feel about love & sex. This isn't to explain myself or my opinions, but rather to put everything into context. After all, what are words without context?

Growing up, we spent a few years in Sweden and this may or may not be common knowledge but the Swedes are high functioning hippies. What does that mean, you wonder? It means that their relaxed approach to human sexuality is what I took away from my time there. Well, I took away a lot from my time spent there, but this is the most relevant for the issue at hand. (I promise to write about my time in Sweden in greater detail sometime soon). So in short, my stance is as follows: 

• If it's mutual and consensual then it's none of my business.
• I'm not a prude, but leaving somethings unsaid and private keeps them special. 
• That's all.

'S&M'... What a tragedy. 

I don't have anything against Rihanna or her music in particular, but 'S&M' is the straw that broke the camel's back (kinky, I know). I'm not going to attempt to explain what S&M actually is, but I'll just say this: Rihanna has no fucking idea what she's doing. My super-human ability to analyze the hell out of anything suggests that she's trying to convey the sometimes sadistic relationship between celebrities and the press/paparazzi. I get it: sex sells. However, I'm just not buying into this constant degradation of something we should be treating with more respect.

While not entirely original, the song is layered. The lyrics are average, the beat catchy and the hook insane. Nothing out of the ordinary when it comes to Pop music. Hell, I've even jogged to this track, and I like the entire album (Loud) for what it is: cookie-cutter Pop. I'm telling you all these things because I want you to understand that I don't have any grievances with RiRi or her sound. I do have a problem with this particular music video. 

'S&M' is not the first, nor is it the last, tribute to this irritating trend. Upon closer examination, it's not as ridiculous as I remembered it before I began writing this, but it pays the price for being the most recent misstep. It's just so sad to see people so willingly sell out and turn the extraordinary into something menial, cheap and ordinary because they want record sales. I'm all for free speech, and have been a vehement opposer of censorship since middle school, but this? 

It's just lacking, in taste and thought.  

Seeking out the sacred,

S.

PS - I gotta say though, RiRi looks damn fine.

Vibin'

It's almost February, and foam is illegal this year. We'll see about that...

As you all know, I'm currently on winter break from KU and so I've been taking it easy for the past few days. You know the drill: eat, sleep, cry about your life, eat some more, go to the gym and repeat. What can I say? I'm a party animal. Also, if Kuwait had clubs, I feel fairly confident in saying they couldn't handle me.

However awesome whatever I just implied may be, I digress...

Let's get down to business, and by business I mean let's pick apart the finer points of our Kuwaiti society. (When I blog about Kuwait in a harsh manner, I include myself in the pronouns used. Genius? Yeah, I'd like to think so. I'm still an outsider though).  

Today's target: Wataniya. 

Before I move forth with this social crusade, I'd like to make a few things clear:

• I am Wataniya customer myself, so I have earned the right to talk smack about them. 

• I own neither a BB nor an iPhone. My phone is one of those awesome 5KD phones that doubles as a weapon. Blunt force trauma is your friend.

• Despite how ridiculous this chat culture has gotten, I neither judge nor condemn those who use it. It is pretty lame if that's how you hook up with people though. Like, whatever happened to Marina mall? Remember that place? Romance is just dead these days...   

The other day I was just laying on my bed and in the midst of a fierce staring contest with my ceiling, I was rudely interrupted by my phone. I had just received a sext text. Me, being the social hermit that I am, there were really only two possibilites as to why someone would text me:

• Friends want to go out for brunch (RARE).
• Wataniya sending me another promo SMS (Not so rare.... All the while reminding me how little of a life I have).

Anyways, I received the following twexts (Twext: When you receive more than 1 text at a time. Think obsessive boyfriend... Or Wataniya. Copyright pending):

First in Arabic (You have no idea how long it took to type this up. The things I do for you punks... Also, it's slightly jumbled because of format, but you get the picture.)

دردش على راحتك و تواصل مع أصدقاء جدد مع WCHAT ارسل "دردش" الى 1666 او اشترك عن طريق الواب من موبايلك. للمزيد اتصل على 122.

Then in English (this is where shit gets good),

Be anyone, and chat with everyone anonymously with WChat! To join now, send "WCHAT" to 1666 or login via WAP from your mobile phone. Call 121 for details.

HOLD THE PHONE KUWAIT.

So, what I am to understand from this is that it's NOT okay to socialize with the opposite sex without social stigma, BUT it's TOTALLY cool if I want to spend an entire night talking to strangers? Oh, talking to strangers ANONYMOUSLY? The fact that the "anonymous" angle is the selling point for Kuwaitis is disgusting. The fact that this company supports this disgusts me. The fact that Kuwait is sold as being an "Islamic Nation", despite the blatant bullshit I see everyday disgusts me. 

Seen outside my chemistry class in KU. Ironic? Yes.

Honestly, I don't blame the youth here for being so strange and bizarre. How are they supposed to develop like normal human beings when everything with the opposite sex is stigmatized? (Well, unless it's anonymous and being pushed forth by your phone service provider). I don't give a shit what the Salaf say, interest in the other (or same) sex is normal. What's not normal is oppressing generation after generation of young people, until you're left with nothing but an entire country of sadistic and sexually confused people. All this bullshit, and people wonder why Kuwait's social structure is crumbling underneath its own weight? 

Wataniya, keeping you socially connected and emotionally isolated since 1999.

Feeling the frustration,

S.

PS - How do you feel about Kuwait's "conservative" society being so transparent?

The Good Stuff

You can do it Kuwait!

Today, October 15th is Blog Action Day. The international community of bloggers will be coming together and participating in this event where they all write about a united topic. This time around the topic is water.

Unfortunately, this has been one hell of a busy week with university and so I didn't have a chance to prepare a lengthy, self-righteous and most-likely obnoxious post in which I would shame you all for choosing to drink Evian and not caring enough about the droughts around the world. 'Tis life, and so all I really have to offer on this day is a bit of insight, some advice and maybe leave you with a few questions you should ask yourself next time you are privileged enough to have a drink of clean water. 

Living in Kuwait, most are well aware of how precious clean drinking water is. We are lucky enough to have a government that has access to enough resources to provide us with this elixir that sustains all life. However, many nations are not so fortunate. A myriad of reasons keep water out of hands of those who need it the most, and it often boils down to money and politics. Pun intended. 

Our planet being what it is, we should all aim to try our best in putting forth and effort when it comes to preserving the water we do have. Below are some tips you could consider adding to your daily routine:

1. A "Navy-style" shower: Turning on the water, getting wet, and then turning it off while you scrub down and lather up your hair. Once you're ready to rinse, turn on the water and zoom!!! You'll avoid wasting precious water in those minutes you're not actually using it. Also, try to keep it UNDER 10 minutes in length, and the planet will thank you.
2. Thoughtful Brushing: Similar to the previous tip, turning off the faucet while you're brushing your teeth. It may not seem like much, but it makes a difference when you consider the fact most people brush their teeth for 3-5 minutes a day, twice a day. 
3. Fancy Pants Water? No thanks! Instead of using up an endless stream of plastic water bottles and harming the environment, consider buying a cute and colorful reusable bottle. It'll brighten up your day, and help you monitor how much of the good stuff you are taking in, so you'll avoid unintentional dehydration and stay on top of your health.

For further inquiries into this matter, look no further than the site itself, which you can visit by clicking here. 

For a mind opening article about the devious business behind water companies (written by a modern day Rocker!), click here.
From one of Kuwait's own, an informative set of facts and a deeper look into the political aspect of this topic can be found here. 

I hope I've given you something to think about and some useful tips you can implement in your day-to-day life. I know sometimes we, regular people, can feel fairly helpless when it comes to big serious issues like the global demand for water, but any small step taken brings us that much closer to a more just world.
For further reading (and let's be honest, better posts), visit the site which i've linked above and empower yourself to make a difference.


Putting her generation's digital age to use,

S.

Tell me if you participated in the even or your thought about this topic in the comments below. I'd love to hear your opinion.