Back t Work Blues… and rant… January 3, 2009

Whats with this new cold weather? Shino hal bard?

Shino y3ni my last day of vacation im frozen on my stupid couch? Covered to my neck with my stupid throw? I cant type from under the throw!

Just cried a bit too, remembering my self shopping in tesco and almost hearing the little rings of items being scanned at checkout… what is wrong with me?

Whenever i travel for more than one week, i begin to miss the q8yism in q8… the smell of bukhoor wafting at home, the way the sun is always shining in ur eyes and blinding you… shabab il q8 il jyaker wearing shorts showing off their knees that are chal7a and legs that are so hairy, still you forgive that because they have such funny comments and humor that makes your heart warm. Banat il q8 il id3al, tossing their hair and eyeing you from top to toe then staring you in the eye before bitching about u in ur face to their band of girl friend… i miss all of that usually… believe it or not i do…

Not this time.

i cannot bear look around my haven, my sanctuary for many years, my living room… i do not open the tv and flip to see my favourite tv shows. I have a box set i brought from the UK for all episodes of Smallville since no one in the middle east bothered enough to show it up to season 3, it is lying on the floor gathering dust already. My eyes water each time i look at my pictures in the UK so much that Bu tootee is begining to get sick of me.

I look at al-qabas news paper and flinch, not wanting to look it in the eyes. Went to the co-op yesterday to buy something and i was so sick to my stomach i finished my shopping in 3 minutes tops. Even driving my car was not something i wanted to do.

and tommorow i have to go to work!!!!

dont get me wrong i love the nature of my work. i am working in the job i wanted ever since i was 7 years old. its the idea of being confined, controlled, like a prisonor, doing what im supposed to do for work and nothing else. Still… i have nothing else to do. I refuse to go out. I refuse to acknowledge that i am back here… i do not know what todays date is, i do not know what is going on around me, is there still majles omma or not? 7alooh or not? borsa ishloonha? i do not know. I have not been in the know about anything since over fourty days.

I did not even feel the Eid come and go!!!

What is wrong with me?!

All i am thinking of is, how appropriate would it be if i take next thrusday off work, board the morning british airways flight to UK, stay thursday, and most of friday, return on Friday night to reach Q8 on Saturday morning…

Not bad eh? grab a couple more mozzarela paninis from starbucks, that tub of Tzatziki i couldnt get from M&S before my flight home because it was new years eve and parties every where ensured that the shelves were emptied at every food store by 4 pm.

Can’t i do that? Well, i have the money, i have the guts and the desire…

But Bu tootee wont hear of it!!!

Ish hal na7asa y3ni?! “500 KD tickets one day!!! r u crazy!!!”

No, but i will BE!!!

b3dain it can easliy be reduced to 250 KD y3ni! Just don’t tag along!!!

Hhrrmpph….

See my lovely cupboard back there? filled with my diet staples “Chocolate and Coffee”

I miss my lattisimo machine … i couldnt bring it back because i had no space in my bags. I have to go unpack now… i do not really want to. But i have to …

Sigh….

 

 

Pictures of Woolworths Closing Down :( January 3, 2009

I remember my fixation with woolworths when i was a child. I would wander into it, have the time of my life buying stationary and toys inside, then filling a huge box with Pic and Mix sweets… the best sweets ever! Ay Sweet Factory!!! the smell of those sweets will never leave my mind, nor are rivalled in any other sweet stand or store…

I remember the rings, and the coca cola ones…. i remember my brothers favourite “the snake”… i remember they had a little wrapped chocolate with a strawberry creme center, one of my favourites… i remember also the Quality Street ones that i chose 3la kaifee…

I remember i would buy endless cheap stationary supplies for school. for many many years, london equalled woolworths in my eyes…

Then when i grew up, it was still a staple in every london visit. I would not top my mobile unless it was in woolworths, i would not buy bulks of chocolate to take back home illa from it… though i have stopped buying their sweets because they have proudly informed me that they used pork gelatine in making them… maybe thats why they were the best… i still loved to smell them and remember the old days…

I was last serviced by a nice blonde named claire, who was shaking uncontrollably… she dropped my changed and started apologizing about how she did not mean to offend me by throwing the change in my face? she was so sad, so distressed at being left jobless in january that in thanked god a million time we do not have to encounter such hardships in here.

and now … this is all there is left. I went it, took pictures o it. and thats all there is left to it.

Notice how, even though they have put out the closing down signs, they put some xmas decorations on them? How they still feel the festive spirit even in their impending defeat and loss of jobs?  w3lya

Bye Bye Woolies…

 

 

 

Pictures of Birmingham in the Festive Xmasy Winter January 3, 2009

This year i liked birmingham much much better than London…

The lights, the atmoshphere… much much better. I have a feeling that the stupid credit crunch in the UK has hit the lights in london badly, u can feel no festive spirit in them…

Anyways, for Asha’s lovers (like moi)… Ashas exists in Birmingham. it is more of a bar than a cosey restuarant and their idea of mild spices means order three bottle of water ane d a tub of yoghurt to soothe your taste buds. The portions are much more smaller than in Q8 and the popadamus and chutney complimentry starters are not so customary nor complimantery… but i liked the idea of having my favourite indian restuarant in Q8 just a train ride away.

In birmingham also there exists Cadbury World! if u havent paid them a visti… well, what are you waiting for? You walk in the factory and you smell the overwhelming heavenly scent of cadbury being wrapped all around you… mmmmmmmm i have no pix of it im afraid. My bad…

It is much more fun to shop at the Selfridges in Birmingham… it is more open and wide, more modern… the way selfridges of the future should be. and all the item there are untouched!!!

Let me share the pix now… nothing i type will equal what the pix will convey… keep in mind that i am so depressed now my tears wont dry… i just want to hob on the next train back…

A mall

Festive Lights....

View from Selfridges...

Selfridges Food Hall...

Jelly Beans Bull...

Selfridges from the Escalator...

 

Still on Selfridges escalator…

 

Selfridges Roof...

Our Indian Lunch from Selfridges Food Hall...