Time for Change !

I’m done with school work and totally burnt out. So I take a 3-day vacation with my kids and leave our home to the sea. I spent 3 days without the laptop, the mobile phone, newspapers, TV or any connection with the “outer world”. I had a DVD and a book that I randomly selected from the pile of books and documentaries I kept for when the time is right!


The kids and I were determined to have a great time and we did. The weather was unbelievably beautiful. I spent the day on the beach reading my book and watching the kids swimming and building their perfect little city in sand. Needless to say, I loved the book! I couldn’t put it down.

As I read, I thought “what a perfect timing!!” Then I watched the DVD, with my kids, and I was certain this was no coincident. It is time for CHANGE!








I will write in details later about both The Secret and The Zahir. But what I wanted to share with you for now is my new revelation. I was wise staying out of politics. I was smart focusing on my home and children and what really matter to ME. It was correct to assume that there is hope in everything and everybody. And I was right seeking what really makes me happy. I was on the right track and lost my way. And now the universe is conspiring to lead me back on track.

Both the book and the DVD address, through different approaches, address how we trap ourselves into patterns of thinking that bring us depression, misfortune, and anxiety. The irony is that we create these patterns in search of HAPPINESS. Once you get the courage to break these patterns, the WORLD changes.

The great thing is that this is not philosophy or psychology; it’s Quantum Physics!

I will be explaining more about that, but for now I just wanted to promise you: No more wining, no more bad news and no more “cursing the dark”. I will either light a candle, or give you a smile or simply shut up!

Bada3o Shabab El Kuwait :*

Update!

This is the whole thing :)

Click Here for the complete session of the Kuwait National Democratic Alliance (Tahalof)

Sign the petition

No Comment !

Al-Rai Al-Aam, March 28, 2007

The Inconvenient Truth

Did you like these nature snapshots? Do you know that within your age span this is all what will be left of nature .. snapshots!

This was my first weekend without school work and tight deadlines. So I began working on many projects that have been shelved for a while. One of them was watching Al Gore Documentary on Global Warming.

I watched the whole documentary with my kids thinking “I know it all” but good educational DVD for my kids. But I was wrong!! I was shocked of how little I knew on the threat and impact of Global Warming.

The documentary is a wake up call reinforced with hard facts and undisputable evidence. It is easy to follow and great for kids and adults the same. Yet, don’t watch it if you are not willing to take action!

The documentary basically connects the dots. Why are we having strange diseases lately like SARS and Avian Flu? Why are old and basically extinct ones like Cholera and Smallpox are coming back aggressively?

Most importantly, what is the reason behind the changes in the climate patterns, the increase of intensity and frequency of floods and tornadoes and the melting North and South Poles? Why certain insects and parasites like mosquitoes, lice and fleas are are increasing? Why are my favorite animals the Polar Bears are drowning in the North Pole?

The answer to that all is Global Warming and our conscious and unconscious contribution to it. Most scary is that the threat is no longer to the “future generations” .. the treat is to us now and here. Earth as we know it, will vanish in less than 50 years!

The good news is that this is reversible and we can do something about it. Watch the documentary and TAKE ACTION !!

Divide and Conquer

I was planning to have a fun post this time to celebrate the end of my school work and gaining my Masters. But my terrorist kids would not allow me ;)

My favorite son A. Temi, brought this article to my attention:

The Redirection: Is the Administration’s new policy benefiting our enemies in the war on terrorism? by Seymour M. Hersh.

I don’t want to spoil your fun reading it, but in short the author provides a detailed and supported account of the otherwise notion that we are being led to a bloody sectarian war to serve the interests of the US, KSA and Iran.

To tease your appetite to read the article, here are few quotes:

“The Saudis and some in the Administration have been arguing that the biggest threat is Iran and the Sunni radicals are the lesser enemies. This is a victory for the Saudi line.”

“The Administration is trying to make a case that Iran is more dangerous and more provocative than the Sunni insurgents to American interests in Iraq, when—if you look at the actual casualty numbers—the punishment inflicted on America by the Sunnis is greater by an order of magnitude,” Leverett said.

“The Saudis still see the world through the days of the Ottoman Empire, when Sunni Muslims ruled the roost and the Shiites were the lowest class,” Frederic Hof, a retired military officer who is an expert on the Middle East, told me

Nasr went on, “The Saudis have considerable financial means, and have deep relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafis”—Sunni extremists who view Shiites as apostates. “The last time Iran was a threat, the Saudis were able to mobilize the worst kinds of Islamic radicals. Once you get them out of the box, you can’t put them back.”

This time, the U.S. government consultant told me, Bandar and other Saudis have assured the White House that “they will keep a very close eye on the religious fundamentalists. Their message to us was ‘We’ve created this movement, and we can control it.’ It’s not that we don’t want the Salafis to throw bombs; it’s who they throw them at—Hezbollah, Moqtada al-Sadr, Iran, and at the Syrians, if they continue to work with Hezbollah and Iran.”
In quoting Hassan Nasrallah - Partition would leave Israel surrounded by “small tranquil states,” he said. “I can assure you that the Saudi kingdom will also be divided, and the issue will reach to North African states. There will be small ethnic and confessional states,” he said. “In other words, Israel will be the most important and the strongest state in a region that has been partitioned into ethnic and confessional states that are in agreement with each other. This is the new Middle East.”


Robert Baer, a former longtime C.I.A. agent in Lebanon, has been a severe critic of Hezbollah and has warned of its links to Iranian-sponsored terrorism. But now, he told me, “we’ve got Sunni Arabs preparing for cataclysmic conflict, and we will need somebody to protect the Christians in Lebanon. It used to be the French and the United States who would do it, and now it’s going to be Nasrallah and the Shiites.

Most members of the intelligence and diplomatic communities acknowledge Hezbollah’s ongoing ties to Iran. But there is disagreement about the extent to which Nasrallah would put aside Hezbollah’s interests in favor of Iran’s. A former C.I.A. officer who also served in Lebanon called Nasrallah “a Lebanese phenomenon,” adding, “Yes, he’s aided by Iran and Syria, but Hezbollah’s gone beyond that.”



The idea is that it is in the interest of all the big players in the region for us to break down into fighting and independent racial and religious groups. BUT, neither of those players gives a damn about us. The only thing we have to survive is our UNITY. Our unity and consolidation saved us before and will save us in the future.

Who dares ?!

Who Is Next ?

حيوانات تجارب أم أغبياء؟

انقطعت منذ فترة ليست بقصيرة عن متابعة الأخبار والمشاركة في المدونات لانشغالي بالدراسة والعمل والبيت وغيرها من متع الحياة الدنيا .. ولكن هذا الموضوع اثارني على عدة اصعدة مما دفعني للكتابة لأستطلع آراءكم

الهندسة الوراثية من أكثر المواضيع اثارة للجدل حول العالم لما لها من أثار وتوابع انسانية وصحية واقتصادية وسياسية! ورغم التاريخ المديد نسبيا لهذا العلم الا انه لم يصل بعد لمرحلة الوضوح والاستقرار خصوصا في الجوانب المتعلقة بالبحث العلمي ، اخلاقيات البحث والاستخدام ، الآثار بعيدة الأمد وغيرها من القضايا التي مازالت تحت البحث والجدل على كل المستويات

ومن أهم تطبيقات الهندسة الوراثية هو استخدامها في مجالات الزراعة وتحسين المنتجات الزراعية. اذا يقوم العلماء بتغيير جينات البذور لتتمتع بقدرة أكبر على مقاومة الحشرات والآفات الزراعية والمناخ القاسي. وحيث ان المحاصيل المعدلة جينيا لا تحتاج الصيانة المعتادة من المزارعين فانها على الأغلب أرخص ونسبيا أكبر حجما وأجمل شكلا. من اهم المحاصيل المعدلة جينيا الارز ، القمح ، الذرة والصويا وأعلاف الماشية

المشكلة ان تغيير الجينات عملية عشوائية، اذ ينجح العلماء بالتجربة والخطأ ودون دراية كاملة بنتائج التغييرعلى المدى القصير أو البعيد. كما ان العملية تخرج عن نطاق سيطرتهم حين تتلقح النباتات المعدلة بالأخرى الطبيعية بالتلقيح الطبيعي (الهواء ، الحشرات ..الخ). النتيجة كيمياء غريبة للمنتجات الزراعية لا يتعرف عليها جهازنا الهضمي أو غيره من أجهزتنا الحيوية. التجارب على فئران المختبرات تثبت ان تلك المنتجات تسبب أشكال مختلفة من الحساسية والأمراض الجليدية وأمراض المناعة والسرطان. الأخر ان تلك التغييرات الجينية قد تنتقل للبكتيريا مسببة أنواع جديدة من الميكروبات التي لا تؤثر فيها المضادات الحيوية الحالية. مما يهدد البشرية بأمراض وأوبئة لا يحمد عقباها

المنتجات المعدلة جينيا محظورة ضمن دول الاتحاد الأوربي والولايات المتحدة. لذا انتقل تسويقها الى الأسواق الصينية والهندية وغيرها. ولكن وعي تلك الشعوب وضع حدا لانتشار تلك المنتجات في دولهم. النتيجة المؤسفة … انتقل التسويق لأسواق الشرق الأوسط!! ومسوقي تلك المنتجات من كبار شركات الأغذية مثل نستلة وكويكرز وأمريكان جاردن غيرهم

جماعة السلام الأخضر أجرت مسحا لأسواق الخليج مؤخرا واكتشفت العديد من المنتجات الملوثه بالذرة والقمح والأرز الملوث جينيا في أسواق الكويت والأمارات وقطر. فماذا كان رد فعل الساسة وأولي الأمر؟ الأهم ما هو رد فعل الشعوب؟ الصحافة؟ مجلس الأمة؟ حتى الآن .. لا شيء يذكر

هل وصلنا مرحلة من التخلف وعدم الاكتراث لتسبقنا الصين والهند ودول العالم التي تعيش مجاعة حقيقية في وعيها البيئي؟ هل نحن حيوانات التجارب الجدد للهندسة الوراثية؟ أم هو ببساطة جشع التجار وتواطئ الساسة؟

Way to go Jimmy!

He might not be the most popular American president in the Middle East, especially after his role in the Camp David Peace Treaty, but right now he deserves our support!

I won’t guess much about his motives, but it is fair to say that Jimmy Carter’s latest book Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid was a definite act of courage. It is an unprecedented act of a former American President to publicly denounce the Israelis and the Israeli government. His book is a detailed account of how the Israeli government is hindering the peace process and encouraging terrorist retaliation. The book also highlights the double standards by which Israel runs its “State” and the Occupied Territory.

Not surprisingly, the Zionist Lobby in the US is going crazy over the book. He is publicly and personally attacked. He’s been labeled as anti-Semitic, terrorist and fundamentalist. Some have clearly accused him of promoting and justifying suicide bombing. For the past few weeks, there has not been a single talk show that did not attack him for the book. He actually revised the second edition of the book to delete a sentence that “might be understood as support for terrorism”.

Though the book has a clear “religious” flavor, it is a complete historical review since the Intifada. It is the first time ever that an ex-president has the guts to tell things from the “other” perspective.

I truly believe that we should show Jimmy Carter some support as opposed to the attack he’s receiving from the other side. Irrespective of his motives or history, it takes real courage to stand against the Israeli lobby at the most unpopular times.

So, I suggest that we promote the book, buy multiple copies and write to Jimmy for support at:

The Carter Center
One Copenhill
453 Freedom Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30307

E-mail: carterweb@emory.edu

Hope you enjoy the book!

To you ...

I received this in my e-mail box and I thought you might like it ..

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you think that seeing you in pain, would not bring a tear to me!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you think I don’t remember the first time we met!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you don’t see the thousand ways I try to make you happy!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you don’t realize how your smile brightens up my day!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you have to ask me for favors!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you think I would not be curious to know your new philosophy of life!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you go by what I say and do not understand what I don’t say!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you think that listening to your dreams would put me to sleep!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you would rather keep quiet when you really wanna talk!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you hesitate to ask me to stay back when you think we should be together!

I AM NOT YOUR FRIEND IF …
you take too much time to tell me what I mean to you!

أبغض الحلال

تعد معدلات الطلاق في الكويت من الأعلى عالميا اذ تصل حسب آخر احصاء الى 33% من نسبة الزيجات في السنة مقارنة بمعدل 41% في الولايات المتحدة. وحوالي 70% من حالات الطلاق تقع ضمن السنوات الخمس الأولى من الزواج وأكثر من 80% في أقل من 10 سنوات من الزواج

وتشير الدراسات الرسمية ان من أهم أسباب الطلاق في الكويت: الزواج المبكر ، التوقعات غير العملية من الزوج/الزوجة، ، الاختلاف على القضايا المالية والاجتماعية، تدخل الأهل، ضعف الوازع الديني، تعدد الزوجات .. الخ. وتؤكد الاحصائيات علاقة عكسية بين المؤهلات الدراسية ومعدلات الطلاق. فكلما انخفض المؤهل الدراسي زادت نسبة الطلاق. كما تتمحور الدراسات (ان جاز تسميتها بدراسات) حول الآثار السلبية التفليدية لهذه الظاهرة على المدى القصير والبعيد دون أي تعمق في المتغيرات أو اضافة متغيرات على الاحصائيات للبحث عن علاقات جديدة بين المتغيرات والمسببات. مثال: ما دور التكنولوجيا ؟ الانترنت والأقمار الصناعية؟ تشير الدراسات الصحية لزيادة معدلات العقم وانتشار الأمراض الجنسية. كيف يؤثر ذلك على الحياة الزوجية؟ هل هنالك علاقة؟ ماذا عن الزواج المسيار؟ الشذوذ الجنسي؟ المخدرات؟ للأسف لا يوجد بيانات كافية لدراسة العلاقات بين تلك المتغيرات وان كان لها أثر في ظاهرة الطلاق

من منظور آخر يمكن أن يكون الطلاق مؤشرا صحيا على استقلال المرأة وتحررها من القيود الاجتماعية التقليدية المتمثلة بالزوج أو الأب. فمن المرجح أن تعود نسبة من زيادة الطلاق لتطور أوضاع المرأة وتحررها النسبي مما يجعلها أكثر قدرة على مواجهة الظلم و/أو الاستغلال والمطالبة بالطلاق في حال الانتقاص من حقوقها أو حقوق أبناءها. ولكن هذه مجرد فرضيات لا يمكن اثباتها أو انكارها لعدم وجود بيانات وافية في هذا المجال

ومهما كانت أسباب الطلاق الا انه من النادر أن يحدث بشكل حضاري أو عقلاني. ففي معظم الأحيان يستخدم الزوجان أو أحدهما اجراءات الطلاق للانتقام من الآخر أو لرد الاعتبار وذلك بالتلاعب في قضايا المؤخر أو الحضانة أو النفقة وغيرها من اجراءات الطلاق

الأهم والأخطر في قضية الطلاق هم الأبناء. فسواء كان الطلاق مبررا أم لا فالابناء ضحايا أبرياء في هذه العملية لابد من حمايتهم خلال وبعد مباحثات ومفاوضات الطلاق. فمن الضروري ألا يتحول الأبناء لوسيلة ضغط أو ورقة مفاوضات. كما يفضل ابعادهم عن تفاصيل المفاوضات والضغوطات الاجتماعية والقانونية خلال فترة الانفصال

الأبناء هم الأبطأ في التأقلم مع فترة ما بعد الطلاق. فقد يجد كلا الوالدين حياة جديدة وقد يسامحا بعضهما ولكن يبقى الأبناء – بغض النظر عن أعمارهم – متعلقين بأمل عودة الوالدين لبعضهما وعودة المياه لمجاريها. لذا يتوجب على الواليدن التعامل مع ذلك بحساسية ووعي شديدين. وهو أمر يتطلب تدريب وقراءة واستشارات نفسية نادرا ما يتوفر أي منها في الكويت أو العالم العربي

لذا فمن الضروري عند دراسة ظاهرة الطلاق في الكويت ان يخرج البحث عن الاطار التقليدي وان تدخل متغيرات كثيرة في الاعتبار. الأهم هو توفير الأدوات اللازمة لكافة الأطراف المعنية للتعامل مع واقع الطلاق وبالأخص الأطفال – الأدوات الأهم هي ورش العمل والكتب والاخصائيين القادرين على بناء المهارات اللازمة لتخطي الطلاق وبناء حياة جديدة على أسس صحيحة وصحية

Hallucinations

I truly wish that you are having a better Eid and New Year Eve than I am! I have a nasty flu that kept me in bed the past 2 days. My kids went out celebrating Eid with my family, came back, went to bed and I was in a complete coma through it all. I remember waking up, taking a peak at the TV, taking my medicines and falling to sleep all over again.

Now that I am relatively better, I am trying to recall some of the things I heard and saw while in and out of coma! I remember waking up around 6 am on the news of hanging Saddam on the Eid morning. I remember that thinking that the timing is off. And that his death was not as “satisfying” as I thought it would be.

Later that night I saw interviews on Al-Jazirah, CNN and Arabia across the Arab world mourning the death of a distinguished “Arabic Leader”!! Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Yemen .. even Iraqis !! I went to coma again hoping not to wake up again to a world where someone like Saddam Hussein is mourned and considered a great leader!

My next conscious moments were when a new CNN Presents show began. It was around the Da Vinci Code theory of the changes made on the Christianity beliefs across the centuries and the role of the Roman Empire is shaping the religion into its current shape and away from its originally intended message. I went to sleep again thinking, how can people still believe despite all this clear undisputed evidence that their faith had been tampered?!

Today I am a bit better. So I could stay up for longer periods and follow the complete stories in the news. One of the interesting documents I saw today was a repetition of a 20/20 episode titled “Where is Heaven?” Barbara Walters meets people of different backgrounds and belief systems and discusses the origin and meaning of heaven across cultures, philosophies and religions. She interviews a scientist who discovered a “God Gene” that basically proves that some people are genetically more inclined to “believe” than others.

Finally there was a Panorama show on the nuclear black market! The program illustrates in minute details the way Pakistan, Iran and Iraq obtained their nuclear powers with the blessings of the American and British intelligence. A large network of well trained Eastern and Europeans selling technology, hardware and Uranium to the area regimes in delicate coordination with the US and the UK. The trading was stopped only when the same network began doing business with Libya!

I am sick, tiered and drugged, so my little brain can not really comprehend how can some people SEE Saddam’s atrocities and still be blind to it. I don’t understand how can people TALK about the alterations in History and still believe in absolute truths? How come there are those who HEAR all about the nuclear black market in Germany, Dubai and Pakistan and still think that this can play to our benefit?

The truth is that we see, hear and comprehend what we want to see, hear and comprehend. Our perception is selective and highly biased by our beliefs and values. Hmmmm the “God Gene” ?! Can this be genetic ?!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I am really sorry I had to hide for so long. I missed you all so much. But I had million things to attend and blogging is kind of addictive.

The good news is that I am almost done with my school work. The bad news is that I got a B in one of the silliest subjects. That spoiled my otherwise perfect GPA :(

The kids are fine. They claim that they did well in their exams. But we’ll know after their winter break ;)

Now that 2007 is so close, I am revisiting my 2006 resolutions and assess my success. One thing I’m proud of is getting my Masters (almost). I lost 4 kgs of the 15 I planned to lose. And I am doing better in community service – I think. I failed to maintain regular exercise. And I have definitely did not improve my financial status.

The one achievement I’m proud of the most is that I managed to control my work/life balance. By the end of 2005 I used to do an average of 16 hours work/day including weekends. That significantly affected my social life and my bond with my kids. I made a conscious decision to cut on work hours and dedicate more time to ME and MY KIDS. I think I did well in 2006 on my kids front.

What about you? What were your 2006 resolutions and what happened to them?

Why do you think we typically fail to follow on most of our resolutions?

Love you all and wish you the best of 2007 and the next millennium.

Sorry, we're closed!

Dear All,

I am stuggling with many critical assignments and life challanges ;) So I won't be writing for a while.

I miss you all and will try to visit whenever I have time.

See you all in Christmas !

Till then, stay safe, healthy and happy.

Bob Plutchik !

When I’m happy I buy myself flowers. When I’m anxious I begin a new jigsaw puzzle. And when I’m depressed I get the chocolate box :)But when I’m confused about my feelings I get Bob’s Flower !


The “academic” name for my flower is Plutchik’s Emotions Model. I am sure most of you have come across it in school if you had any psychology classes. I have only began to appreciate its value recently.

The single petal of the flower represents a single dimension of increasing/decreasing intensity. For example: serenity, joy and ecstasy represent one dimension of escalating intensity. The opposite petal (grief, sadness and pensiveness) represent the opposite dimension. So in total there are 4 basic opposing emotional dimensions.

The core circle shows how close and yet superficially different are the basic emotions. For example, check how close terror to admiration and amazement!

Most interestingly to me is the complex emotions representation in this model. Complex emotions are shown in the space between the flower petals. Each complex emotion is a result of the basic emotions on both sides. For example, love is a combination of feeling acceptance and serenity.

When you close down the flower you see the relations between the different intensity levels of the basic emotions. You can see how sadness, disgust and surprise are very close in their cores.

What I love most about this model is that it gives you the vocabulary to name you feelings most of the times, especially when your feelings are complex.

The other thing I like about it is that it helps a lot explaining what we perceive as “weird” relationships. For example: it makes sense why some people “admire” someone like Saddam Hussein when you see how easily people can confuse terror with admiration. Or why some express their rage as loathing or hate.

On of the things I still get confused with is whether I feel fear or lack of trust. Why am I uncomfortable with X person? Does she scare me? Or is it a trust issue? Or is the fear caused by the mistrust? It was a relief to me to know that the two are not very much different in their mechanism.

What I find challenging is finding the right Arabic word for each feeling that can easily distinguish the difference in dimension and in density. It is established that some cultures do not really have words for some of the feelings in this model.

My Question: Do you agree with the model? How can it benefit you? Have you ever suffered the confusion between to adjacent dimensions?

عالم ليس لنا

ما الذي يجعل دولة موطنا؟ الجنسية؟ الآلاف من البدون في الكويت يشهدون بعكس ذلك. مسقط الرأس؟ يمكننا سؤال الملايين من المهجرين والمغتربين من الجيل الثاني والثالث من العرب في البلاد والغربية وسيختلفون معنا. العلاقات والذكريات؟ هل يعني ذلك ان ابناء الدبلوماسيين لا أوطان لهم؟ هل معنى ذلك ان كل دولة لي فيها ذكريات جميلة يمكن أن تكون موطنا لي؟ هل الوطن هو حيث الأهل والعائلة وأصدقاء الطفولة؟ هل يعني ذلك انني لو جمعت أهلي وأصحابي وهاجرت لدولة أخرى ستكون هذه الدولة موطنا جديدا لي؟ هل هو جمال البلاد؟ طبيعتها؟ شهرتها؟ رخاؤها؟ خدماتها؟ حقوقي وواجباتي فيها؟ هل موطني هو الدولة التي تمنحني الاحترام والحرية والعدالة؟ كيف يمكن للعراقيين اذن ان يسموا العراق موطنا؟ ما الذي يجعل فلسطين موطن بعض الفلسطينيين واسرائيل موطن بعضهم الآخر؟ هل هما فعلا موطنان مختلفان؟! ما هو في الوطن الذي يجعلنا نتغنى: بلدي وان جارت علي عزيزة؟


أثناء الغزو توفرت لي فرص عديدة للخروج من الكويت بأمان ولكني رفضت لأنني اعتبرت ذلك خيانة عظمى. الآن عندما يسألني الآخرون أجيب ساخرة بانني سأسابق سيارة ... للحدود! ولكن بيني وبين نفسي لدي شك حقيقي بأنني سأصمد مرة أخرى لو تكرر الوضع لا سمح الله

عندما كنت صغيرة كان ينتابني ذعر شديد من السفر خارج موطني وترك بيتي وأهلي وأصدقائي حتى لو كان سفرا قصيرا وممتعا. كنت أعود بشوق ولهفة لكل شيئ .. بما في ذلك الغبار والرطوبة والحر. الآن يصيبني الاكتئاب اللحظة التي تحط بها الطائرة مطار الكويت. أشكال المسافرين كافية لتذكيري بالعته والتخلف والغباء وقلة الذوق التي جعلتني اتغرب داخل وطني

قد يكون العمر ، وقد تكون التجارب المريرة وربما تكون الممارسات السافرة التي نراها من أولي الأمر دون احتجاج يذكر من الشعب العزيز .. بصراحة لا أدري ، ولكن شعوري العام هو انني لا انتمي. كانني كائن فضائي غريب متفرج على الأوضاع .. أشعر انني في عالم ليس لنا

سؤالي: كيف تعرّف الشعور الوطني؟ ما الذي يجعل الكويت وطنك؟

الى متى !؟

سؤالي: ما العمل؟

Chinese Crackpots!

I received this great story by e-mail, not sure who wrote it, and felt Compelled to share. Sorry for those of you who already read it.

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole, which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water.

At the end of the long walk from the Stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do.

After 2 years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house." The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? "

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you we would have no beauty to grace the house."

We all have our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

So, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path.

My Question: Where is your "crack" (as in flaw or imperfection for those of you with dirty minds) ? What flowers did it help you grow?

Growing Pains

When my elder son and daughter approached their teens I got my daughter this book: Ready, Set, Grow!: A What's Happening to My Body? Book for Younger Girls , and this book for my son: What's Going on Down There: Answers to Questions Boys Find Hard to Ask . I truly thought this is the logical thing to do since they are growing up and I am positive they have many question and doubts about what is going on in their bodies. I did not want them to get their information from unreliable sources and I wanted an entry point to discuss these issues with them.

I’ve put a great effort into choosing the right books. I ordered many, but decided to give them just these two books. I looked for books with simple and basic information, simple language, cartoon and not so graphical illustrations and scientific rather than social approach to sex education. The latter condition was because many books are American based and address the issue from the angle of “have sex but make it safe”. I thought it was too early to get into this discussion and too complicated to draw the cultural distinctions.

I was amazed by the angry calls and discussions I got from the mothers of my kids’ friends. They thought it was “inappropriate” to introduce children to such information. Some feared that this will “mess up” their kids’ heads. Others thought it was too soon to “open their eyes” to such issues. Others cautioned me against raising my children with such “Western” and “free” environment.

Was I wrong? I really don’t think so. I believe that these books or something similar should have been part of their school curriculum. It should not be left to the parents’ initiative and/or preference. Children should have sources for scientific and practical information about their sexual development. They should be able to turn to their parents and teachers as the primary reference for such information. Otherwise their alternatives are the hearsay, media, their imagination and most dangerous, the “bad” boys and girls in school! How can that be healthy or safe to our kids?

One of the mothers told me “sex is a private matter, should not be open for public discussion”! But so is going to the bathroom (sorry). Yet, they taught us in school all about the intestines and the digestive system. The children, at an early age know hygiene requirements. They can easily tell if they have urinary infection, constipation or diarrhea (very sorry). Do they have the same solid information about their reproductive system?

Lack of sex education at an early stage is the root cause to many of the problems adults face. By the time a young men or women are ready for marriage their heads are filled with superstitions, baseless anecdotes, myths, and unrealistic expectations. This contributes to many medical, psychological and social problems like infertility, impotence, sexual and gender identity disorders, domestic violence, divorce, infidelity .. and many others.

A mother told me that they will learn about all that in the Islamic Studies class. I don’t know about the current Islamic Studies curriculum, but the one I took had nothing of substance. I remember reciting the words (الجماع ، الاحتلام ، الحيض) and getting full grades in the tests without knowing what they meant. One time I asked my teacher about what (حيض) period meant. And she laughed and said “you’ll know when it comes to you” !!! Can you imagine the horror? Waiting for it to come!

Another told me: “when they are old enough they will ask us or find answers in books or the internet”!!! When is “old enough”? Which child in his/her right mind will come and ask their parents? How do we guarantee that the books, or even worse the internet sites, they seek will have the right information? What about the damage done till then?

My Question: What do you think about sexual education as a solid part of formal school education? What age/ grade school most appropriate?

عيدكم مبارك

عيدكم مبارك .. ودامت أفراحكم

See you all after Eid .. Till then ...

And REMEMBER ...


Don't feed the Elephant ?



Make the best of what life throws you ;)

Manage your emotions !!






Finally, take care of your valuables !

A Kuwaiti parks his brand new Porsche in front of the office to show it off to his colleagues. As he's getting out of the car, a truck comes speeding along too close to the kerb and takes off the door before speeding off.

More than a little distraught, the Kuwaiti grabs his mobile dials 777 and calls the police. Five minutes later, the police arrive. Before the policeman has a
chance to ask any questions, the Kuwaiti as usual starts screaming hysterically:

"My Porsche, my beautiful black Porsche is ruined. No matter how
long it takes at the panel beaters, it'll simply never be the same again!"

After the Kuwaiti finally finishes his rant, the policeman shakes his head in disgust: "I can't believe how materialistic you bloody Kuwaiti's are. You lot are so focused on your possessions that you don't notice anything else in your life."

"How can you say such a thing at a time like this? ", snaps the Kuwaiti.

The policeman replies, "Didn't you realise that your right arm was torn off when the truck hit you ?!!".


The Kuwaiti looks down in absolute horror "F***ING HELL!" he screams ................... "Where's my Rolex ???? "

عيدكم مبارك ،، وعساكم من عواده .. تهقون هالسنة بنسمع العيد هل هلاله بعد؟

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

I apologize in advance for anyone seeking answers in this post. I have more questions than answers here because this is an area where I realize how little I know about with each day I grow.

What is love? When do you know you are in love? Are there different kinds of love? Different degrees? Domains?

Some researchers see love as a civilized cover up to our mate selection instinctive routine. We “love” those who will help us create and maintain healthy and strong offspring. So we subconsciously seek a spouse who will provide good genes to our children and/or will provide to keep them healthy. This crosses my mind whenever I hear someone saying: “I love him! He’s from such a good family and has a great future”. Or when someone says: “She’s the love of my life! She is the best mother I could choose for my future kids”.


But what about the cases when we fall in love with the wrong person; genetically, socially, and all other measures! Can it be a malfunction in our instincts? Or is it forces other than survival and propagation? What about lust? How do we distinguish love from lust? What percentage of love is sexual attraction? Can you love someone that you are not attracted to physically? Doesn’t that explain why most hot and steamy love stories die after 6 months of marriage? Why some guys suddenly fall out of love once they get their way with the girlfriend?


Most challenging to me is that question of whether there are different kinds of love? How your love to your spouse is different than your love to your parents? Your children? You friends? And here I don’t mean the deference in expressing your love. Because for sure (or at least I hope) we express our romantic love differently than our parental love. My question is: as an emotion, how is it different on the hormones and neurotransmitters levels? Is it?

Let’s say you have two good friends of the opposite sex and you claim that you love one of them as a friend and the other romantically. What does that really mean? How is the feeling different? Is it the sexual component? Or something else? Or is it just the degree of love? You love one of them more than the other? If so, what about the third one that comes along and you love her/him even more?

Put differently, if someone asks you: who do you love more your mother or your spouse? Would you love one more than the other, both just the same or will it be comparing apples to oranges? If the latter, how?

Finally, how do we fall out of love? Do we stop loving? Stop caring? Hate? Lose interest? What does the cliché “I love you but not in love with you“ mean?


Your input is highly appreciated ;)