6/12/2007
Allah Protect My Beloved Oman and it's People...
The cyclone came with a bang and it took us all by a shocking surprise!!...although we were all well informed about it…but many of us didn’t take the matter seriously! …however nothing in the world could have prepared us for this terrible tragedy that continuously struck my beautiful country for more then 24 hours! ….and it’s horrifying affects were beyond our comprehends!....
Some people lost their lives and the lives of their dear ones , some got severely injured, while other lost everything , houses and buildings were flooded up to second and third floors!!and some got destroyed !….businesses were damaged, roads and bridges got destroyed and gone without any trace!... cars were flooded and smashed everywhere!....electricity and water supplies were damaged!…
There was a great sense of fear and helplessness among us all while we silently prayed for the safety of our people everywhere here in Oman!…we watched the news holding our hearts! …there is so much that I want to write about, complain about!..and so much I feel appreciated and grateful for!… but i will leave it all for later!..
The life is slowly getting back to normal and I really feel blessed and lucky that most of us here in Muscat and Oman as whole; are fine and that although the damages are huge nevertheless they are all repairable inshaAllah..and may Allah(swt) have mercy on the souls of those who got killed and grant patience to all those who lost their beloved ones and compensate those who lost their homes, cars and their valuables ..ameen
5/11/2007
Poor Rich Greedy Family!...
4/05/2007
Blogers Behind Bars!...
I have came across some disturbing stories online …Seems some were accused of threatening the national security like what happened to two Iranian chaps , moreover their blogs were deleted ..and a French man was accused of criticizing his home town governor as a result he was threatened and then arrested but again set free!….and in china people are getting arrested right middle and centre …a good example is a biologist who got arrested for his bold views on his government policies in his blog .
Coming to our Arabic fellows the situation is not better in Egypt a bloger was arrested along with his wife ..because of his frank opinions of the president policies in his blogs.
Furthermore I have noticed that some blogers that I liked.. suddenly disappeared along with their blogs!
Like the highly talented nameless , whom I assume was an Omani girl ,apparently she deleted her 2 blogs after publishing a controversial article of a couple she witnessed beating up an Indian woman and her spouse here in Muscat!, the episode happened in the beach over a dog that the couple owned !.... While others simply vanished like the saudi bloger farooha who had very bold views in a very sarcastic way about her home town and there are some others like tranquility and sweetest taboo and more
Although I don’t have any idea of why did they delete their blogs nevertheless the sudden disappearance of their blogs does raise an eyebrow!..
So far I haven’t heard of any bloger being arrested here in Oman…..however there is one rare episode that seems the first around here !…about a certain forum called (a’sabla ) that was forced to shut down and it’s founder along with some of the members were brought to justice because they have criticized and verbally attacked some people among them were some officials who work in some government sectors…and I always thought that we Omani are generally more careful when we deal with political issues publicly or when it comes on displaying our personal thoughts/views on line!
I am pro freedom of speech and I truly believe that everyone has the right to express their opinion about certain issues of interest …we all have the right to criticize in a constructive way …however I also believe that no one has the right to slander anyone else’s name because of some personal issues, or because of some hidden agendas they have.
If anyone has any issues to settle with a person he/she can always take the matters to the court, but scandalizing the person name and calling him/her names by hiding behind a PC thinking that they can get away with it is such a cowardly act and it should not be passed unpunished. If this act was to be allowed then anyone can write anything about anyone else..and anyone can accuse anyone else of anything….hence the world will be a total chaos!
The problem is that some people can’t distinguish between their right of having freedom of speech, and when they are stepping on some one else’s right by attacking them verbally without any evidence, or in a more serious notion using abusive language….There is a thin line between stating the facts and being prejudice for some personal reasons
Quad the Dangerous Fun!
Recently a tragedy struck two families when their 15 year old boys got involved in a horrifying accident while ridding their quads..one of them was my niece's classmate...sadly both boys were killed in heart wrenching ways :(.…(Allah yer7amhom wa yesbar ahaleehom)...
It’s high time that the ROP take some serious actions about the quad riding…I have many family members who ride them among them my youngest brother who owns one too!..a relative of mine once had a major accident and was subjected to many operations to fix his broken bones ..and believe it or not he still rides them!
To be frank they are fun to ride...I tried them my self along with my kids and hubby in the way to Dubai…where they have some special places for them... .and unlike the riders around here we were wearing helmets ..and believe me when I say I haven’t seen anyone around here wear helmet not even my own brother although I always have an argument with him regarding this ..
Quads are causing chaos around here ..they ride them without helmets …they ride them anywhere ..even in public beaches !...the beaches are not save anymore ..kids cant’ play around freely without you being concerned that they might get under the wheels of a reckless quad rider!
Moreover it shocked me the other day when I saw on the road between Baushar and Ansab where the high sand hill is… a merely 12 years old boy riding a quad and at the back was a boy who was 8 years or so!..both weren’t wearing helmets…although the boy wasn’t driving on the road but on the side ..nevertheless this is very risky ..i wonder how their parents let them get away with this …!
This mess should be put to an end and here are some of my suggestions:
1- ROP should forbid ridding on the beaches or any other public places
2- No driving on the roads ...like the boats the Quads should be carried on in other Vehicles to reach the ridding arenas.
3- No driving without helmets
4- Like U.A.E we should encourage people to make more and more commercial quad clubs..on the sand hills..Where kids can enjoy the ride safely….they can add a cafeteria or a snack bar and a play ground for the younger kid….so the whole family can enjoy......
5- There should be some sort of license issued to every quad owner ..and there should be an age limit to be able to own one ...
6- Any breaking of the rules above should be fined…or on a serious notion they should be jailed for endangering their own and other people’s lives!...and if the rider is under aged then his guardian should be held responsible for his actions ...
Tubes!
I hate tube lights …I feel they are ugly and they spoil the beauty of any building, street,etc… and God they are everywhere here in Muscat ..on those tacky small coffee shops all over the streets and on so many houses! … even on some new pretty ones!….my neighbors have them too ..and they annoy me every time I sit in my garden !... !
And this is because most of my fellow Omanis just love a tube ligt!..i can understand their reasons ; it’s like day light so it’s eye friendly…it’s cheap …it has more power saving so less electricity bill…and unlike the normal bulb it runs for a long period of time…..
I think tube lights should be banned from being fixed out side any building... and they should only be permitted to be fixed indoors…beside there is a new alternative for the same day light affect (that I hate too but still it’s more tolerable)..although they are a bit expensive but they have the features of the tube lights..so the fluorescent lovers can always use that for thier out side lighting ..!
9/29/2006
The short story...
We all live each day as it comes forgetting that this short journey has an end…it doesn’t matter how long we live …we all are going to face the end of our story....the end that called death….no one can explain the concept of death...of not being there any more..the concept of non existence.... it doesn’t has an exact date nor time nor place..it can happen any time anywhere…..and it only takes a moment...a brief moment…we are here alive and then we are no more…
so are we prepared?..can we say honestly and modestly that: yes I am a good Muslim i am doing whatever Allah ( SWT) and his prophet Mohammad (SAW) ordered me to do and I am not doing whatever they forbidden me ….so yes I am prepared to face my fate ..to become lifeless body..can you say fearlessly that yes I am ready to meet my creator who will judge my every action no matter how tiny it was….…
it’s sad how we forget that we are not going to live forever ..that when our day comes…. we can't set the clock back …because our time is up in this short life ..and that the things that we did might cost us a life time of blessing ..an eternity of being immortally happy and young...a ticket to get whatever our heart desired for whenever we like …and it's all because of Allah’ mercy ….in other words we might lose a lifetime in heaven…Instead we might end up being punished in an unknown eternal horror …the hell ….
Now let’s do a short mathematic calculation of this…..we might live max a 100 year( that’s the best possibility ) although the odds are that most of us will die before hitting this unwished for age …
let’s then subtract 11-13 years out of it( the years of childhood before we hit puberty) as we are not countable of the mistakes that we have done before this age …so if we live a 100 year only 89-87 will be countable …imagine we are throwing an eternity of happiness for these few years…that might not be all rosy.....just to fulfill moments of desires…. isn’t it frightful that we might be throwing our selves in an eternal hell … shouldn’t we ask ourselves is it worth it ?!!!
9/19/2006
Diving...!
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This is my youngest brother ..and these amazing pics are of him diving in Malyasia ..i wish i could dive too!
9/18/2006
A Fish Market Called al-Shatea Plaza!..
Last Wednesday i went to watch a movie in shatea plaza..to my horror the place was so crowded it was stuffed like a fish market( although I have never been to a fish market before but that's a metaphor we use whenever there is a chaotic place ahem) !.... believe me it was a total chaos!...people were standing everywhere ..it was difficult to walk among them …it took us 15 minutes just to get a chocolate bar and a bottle of water from the canteen as we already had our dinner so no nachos for me thank you! …and it took us ages to get into the theater so we ended up getting inside 9:45 in a 9:30 show because of the huge line up and the mix up of the people who were standing to buy a treat and those of us who wanted to enter inside!!! ..then when finally we got seated according to our seat numbers (thankfully) as not every time it’s the situation in alshatea…so many times you get to sit where ever you like and that’s terrible because some times when you go in a group you end up getting seated separately!...Anyways that wasn’t the end of it !...in the theatre whenever someone else came up….other people were asked to move from their seats because they weren’t seated according to their tickets number! ..and I was hello!...where was the ticket guy when these people got seated ?!! I mean wasn’t he suppose to show them their seats before they got seated instead of asking them to move on later on?!...it was a total mess!!..what puzzled me more was when a group of six girls came in and guess what the house was already full!!..they stood for a while and then they rushed out and seemed very upset!!...now how on earth they got tickets for the show when there were no seats available?!!And to think that our kids think that al-shatea plaza is a cool place and it’s the ‘in’ among the cinemas of Muscat ( as if we have many of them!)…and they consider alBahja for raw!! ….duh what’s so cool of being in a place like that?!..raw or not give me alBahja cinema any time!...at least there you have a place to sit while waiting for the show to begin …..and your way isn’t blocked when you want to get inside the theatre , and a gentleman guides you direct to your seat …so no mess up afterward …one more thumps up for albahja is that it’s nachos are far more delicious compared to alshatea!..al-shatea plaza should expand it’s hall a bit and make it more organized to separate the entrances of the theatres from it’s canteens ..it should have a place for people to sit while waiting..but seeing it’s location I don’t think they can be able to do that! ..unless they emerge the shops that are beside it !
(p.s.s i had an urge to take a pic of the situation but knowing how we omanies react to strangers taking our photos stopped me!)
9/17/2006
My New Digital Joy…
Finally I bought a new digital camera just before our travel to turkey… it's Casio Exilim 10.1 mega pixel ..its simply amazing ..the pics I have shot are so clear and are so poster like! ..as if they were shot by a professional photographer and not by humble moie!…it makes our previous canon 3.2 mega pixel camera look like a toy!...i went on buying a 2 GB memory card along with it and even after taking 1400 pics and some short video clips i still have almost 1 GB left!...
9/16/2006
a Holiday in Turkey... a Pure Turkish Delight…
Turkey was in my list of the countries that I wished to visit for a long time now…and this year finally my wish came true as I had to spend 17 days in it’s 4 beautiful cities , Istanbul, Antalya, Fatya and Bursa …and frankly we loved them all..
I fell in love with every thing of this beautiful Islamic country ….the well organized cities , the amazing sceneries and historic sights ,the food ,the sweets, the nice weather, the friendly and helpful people, even their catchy and soft music…..although I couldn’t understand the lyrics that much maybe a few words here and there as they use some Arabic and Persian words….we enjoyed everything but mostly the cruises and the shoping...
This is a country that I recommend everyone to visit to have a delightful holiday …with family or even for those who want to have a romantic and unforgettable honey moon.. Turkey is one of the most beautiful countries that i have ever seen.... if you can't take my word for it then take a look at some of the pics that i have shot and judge for your self!
Off - On..!
To those who are kind enough or have some time to waste to view my blog ..you may have noticed that it has been a while since the last time I have written/published anything…and this was due to many reasons ..but first let me tell you why do I write!
Writing was always my passion ..ever since I was a kid …I used to write in both languages Arabic and English ..at those time my younger siblings were my readers..and in school sometimes I used to show few of my teachers the short paragraphs I used to write and mostly they were my own personal thoughts and ideas about life , friendship …etc…in my early teens I used to write short romantic stories as well!...that I never got to keep and got rid off …cause I found them silly because mostly they were affected by my own readings of mills and boon love stories…one of my sisters who was my regular and devoted reader (hehehe) still teases me about them!..
At collage time I used to hang my writings on the door of my hostel room …and believe it or not sometimes I caught girls copying whatever I wrote cause they liked them!..i wrote my thoughts as what we call it in Arabic خواطر ......whenever something bothered me or whenever any idea flashed in my mind …. that put me in hot water once!..because some stupid girls felt offended about what I wrote (duh)…..... they felt that i was talking about them .. they even went to the management and complained about it then i was asked to stop hanging my writings on my door!....talk about freedom of speech!.....although i always talked generally as I said what I wrote were my own personal ideas, feelings and thoughts about true friendship , love, honesty, life , family…etc and I never mentioned any names!..but as we say in Arabic
اللي على راسه بطحة يتحسسها. …anyways that didn’t stop my other fans from asking me to see my latest thoughts…;)
I love meaningful discussions.... at my house whenever there is a discussion you will catch me in the middle of it ..honestly speaking up my mind!.... thats why i joined a forum and was posting in it because i feel when we discuss we exchange ideas ..we learn new ideas ..we learn about different people, thier cultures, thier experiences and thier thinking patterns... but we don't have to agree with whatever we learn ...sometimes we might give or need to get a sound advice about the issues botheing us too....in short we learn from each other..and broaden our horizons..
So why did I stop?...I was kind of busy with some issues in my life with all the sickness around me…and there were many things going on in my tired mind … but the most important reason was because I have lost the interest of writing ….my mind was off the net as whole…I felt that it’s a useless hobby..It's a huge waste of time .. I stopped posting in omanforum which I was very fond of in the past too …I was like what’s the point?...its not as if we are going to make a difference ..a change ….it bothered me so much that I thought of deleting the blogs
so when those personal worries got sorted out I had the chance to clear up my mind and went out holidaying with my own family and I went out of the country for 17 days too… believe me nothing helps and relaxes a stressful mind more then going out and exploring a new country with loved ones …
5/06/2006
A Change for the Kids...
We find these small plastic boxes near the cashiers in many shops around Muscat…to name few..i have seen them in alfair , city plaza and select shops…sometimes they have tags written on them like the above pic..that reads (because you care ..you can spare)..other times they have the logo of the handicapped association … and some times it reads (a change for the kids)...…I asked the saleswomen in city plaza and alfair they said they are for the handicapped! ….
Now the question is…who is really getting the money?...are they giving it to the orphanage or the handicapped school.. or even to some needy families?… or are these shops or their staffs are taking advantage of us customers?!
Anyways shouldn’t the boxes be a little stronger?..so no one can mess with them?....shouldn’t there be an official announcement of some kind from the handicapped association or whoever is benefiting from these moneys?.. and shouldn’t the ROB or whoever is responsible of protecting us citizens from frauds to monitor this so whatever is collected gets indeed to the right hands!
4/07/2006
Masks & Shadows...
One of life’s hardest traumas is how sometimes you think you know some people and you feel that you are so close to them and can sense what they feel and think ….only to wake up one day and open you eyes to a different reality ..a harsh reality that strips your soul…and cut your heart to so many tiny peaces…and you drown in a sea of sorrows ….and realize that whatever you felt was a mere reflection of how you feel about them ..it was a shadow of your own thoughts toward them… and that they never were what you thought..and when all the masks they were hiding behind fall down… you stand helpless alone trying to pick up the peaces of that beautiful picture once you shared…only to discover that it never was real ..and that it was just a pretty painting your heart desired for ..that was made with colors of love…a love you held so dearly for them through out the years that you shared….but then you realize that they are not worthy of it..because they never did care enough…and while you bared your soul to them in the sun they were wearing masks all the time and hiding behind shadows..!
4/03/2006
Only Eyes Please!!..
(البرقع ,الخمار,اللثام)Al-lbarqa3, al-letham, al-’7emaar (the face veil)!
In some parts of our Islamic countries some Muslim women wear them…some of them are forced but some others choose to cover their faces!…although this habit has nothing to do with the Islamic dressing code of a Muslim woman…..but in a country like Saudi it’s considered as a must! …one of their late and well known scholars 'Ibn baz' had even issued a fatwa regarding the face veil... stating clearly that any woman doesn’t cover her face is indeed committing major sin!!That’s why when I went there two years ago some sheikhs screamed at me in the Haram in Makkah and asked me to cover my face every time I did the 9awaff…and they were actually saying things like..
(غطي وجهك
يا أمرأة فلا تكونين فتنة ينظر اليك الرجال فيأثمون و تأثمين)meaning..(cover your face woman..you are a distraction...when men look at you they will commit a sin and your will commit a sin too)!!
At first I tried to ignore them but when they repeated it constantly, I got angry and I wanted to go to them and tell them ( so you people think you know better then Allah (swt) and his Prophet( saw)..but instead I calmed my self down…when I told my brother, sister and my mom whom were there with me..they laughed and said this is Saudi and that we should respect the Saudis believes!!..what believes I ask you?! aren’t we all Muslims?... don’t we all follow the same Quran and sunnat Alnabi? so where did they bring this from?! ..This is a traditional thing and they know it …and it has nothing to do with Islam ..face veil is old bedwen thing!...Saudi people should know that…what they are doing is because their men's selfishness and over charged jealousy that makes them can't tolerate any other man eyeing their women!!... that’s why they forbid women to wear anything but black out doors!!... furthermore the women there wear black gloves and socks too!!..how sad!…
It's something acceptable when you do a thing and say it’s a tradition….and that you are following the society’s norm….. however it becomes something different altogether when you claim that what you are doing is a religious thing..this is not acceptable because then you are committing a bed3ah ..as you are making up things on the Almighty Allah (swt) and his prophet (saw)..and this is the biggest sin ever!
In some parts here in Oman like Dhofar and Sur women wear face veils too ..but here it’s more of a tradition thing …and I never heard anyone of them claiming that it’s a religious thing….and it's strange how some of the veiled women apply so much eye make up! ..so you will see heavy and colorful eye shadows, thick and long eye liners and sometimes they put false eye lashes or colored lenses too..it’s funny really!....
I used to make fun of women who wear face veils and call them walking tents or batmen!…but not anymore…actually now days I feel sorry for those of them who are forced to wear them and pressurized by their narrow minded men( their fathers, brothers , and husbands) …those kind of men think they know better and they don’t care about how the women feel…its tough enough to wear a head scarf especially in hot weathers but still it’s tolerable..but to cover your face it’s like a hell…
I have witnessed some sad situations of veiled women..here in Muscat, Saudi, and Dubai… once in a hot summer in the wild wadi (a water theme park ) in Dubai….while the rest of us were having fun in the water…trying to cool off in the hot weather…and enjoying our time with our families…..i saw two women fully covered from heads to toes…sitting on a bench holding the towels !!..while their husbands and kids were having fun..and I was like what the hell were they doing there in this hot weather dressed like this ?!...if they can’t join why didn’t they stay in their hotels?!...The situation gets even sadder in the restaurants…when they try to eat or drink without taking the veil off….so while tilting their heads down …with one hand they lift up the veil …with the other hand they push the food inside the veil..it's a very tough situation!...makes one feel sorry for them..!
The bottom line is please don’t get me wrong I am not judging anyone here, what I am trying to say is face veil is not a part of Islamic dressing code..nor the hand gloves…so no one should dare to claim otherwise .. moreover no one has the right to force any woman to wear it, if she doesn’t choose to...
3/28/2006
The Myth of Old Movies..!
Whenever I hear someone praising the good ole movies….the good ole BW or even the good ole colored ones …my mouth literally drops down..and i would be like what the hick are they talking about ?..what is so great about lousy set ups …over or under acting actors ..cheesy dialogues …fake lay outs..cartoon like graphics…silly love scenes especially the long GLUED lips kisses!!.... tacky clothes and weird hairdos!...now don’t get me wrong ..i know the cloth and hair dos reflect the fashion of that time the movie was made..but hey who have ever heard about a cowboy living in 19th century having a hairdo of fifties or sixties of the last century?....this is just ridiculous in a funny way…every time I watch an old movie be it English or Arabic I loose the interest and soon i become from a critic to one irritated watcher!..seriously it's like a torture!....so I end up making fun of it…or just stop watching it...
3/10/2006
And I Thought Only Omanies Know How!
I met a nice old British lady during my stay in Hamburg..she is the wife of a colleague of my husband…who was sent there by their work place too…they were in the same hotel as we were ..so obviously I had to run into her many times…especially in the mornings while our husbands were at work…so we had the chance to chat a few times..and when she knew that I was mother of three and my eldest was a teenager now..she had this shocked look in her face and said ..’you don’t look like you have a (xxxteen) old child..you look so young!, but your husband , well he looks that old!’...i laughed and told her that my hubby is only five years older then me..she shook her head in disbelief ..and said ‘he looks much older!’..a normal chat eh ?but seems that this woman couldn’t get over this! ..because every time we run to each other she would say the exact same things!..once she said this in front of my smiling huby too..and said that she thinks that I got married in a very young age …but I told her I was xx (in my very early twenties) when i got married i even told her my age now...
She is a very nice lady but believe me this was getting annoying!...i felt as if she was comparing her self with me!...as she talked about her own age as being in late 60s that means she was as same age as my mother if not more so how could she compare her self with me?!...this is not all ....i think she gave me the evil eye too..because soon I started to have huge white heads all over my face especially on my lips line and around my mouth..and they were very painful!..so I had to clean them and when I did they left ugly black marks on my face ..and soon new ones got formed! ..i thought maybe it was because of the weather...and that when I go back to Muscat they will disappear and stop ..but I was wrong ..because even when I came back home they are still there and new ones are forming every now and then!....so obviously this woman unintentionally put the evil eye on me ( '9rabetny 3yeen)!....and I thought that only Omanies know how to envy !(lol) .
3/01/2006
Danke Auber Nein Danke !
Expectations
This was my first visit to where Hitler was born Germany… …and believe me nothing could have prepared me for the welcome I have received from them in the airpor..it was the kind of welcome that I would never forget!…
although I have been warned by several people that the Germans are a bit of dry kind of people and not that much friendly .. my hubby is kind of a regular visitor as he always goes there because of his job…and my mom and two of my siblings gave it at a visit few months ago too…to take a second opinion regarding my mom’s health condition....
So I went accepting to see some conservative type of people..and I was fine with that..i wasn’t going there to socialize with them anyways!!..i was going to have a break and enjoy my self with my man..away from kids and all…but what happened in the airport made me get stunned for few hours that was the transit time in Frankfurt and the flight we took to get to our destination Hamburg …
First impressions …German flight(Lufthansa)….German airport(Frankfurt)!!
This is what happened ….after a tiresome flight that we took from Muscat and the transit in Riyadh we reached Frankfurt ..we were very tired but I was all smiles.. as I always feel very excited when I visit a new place!…..although a German hostess was hitting on my hubby so obviously throughout the flight ..but I wasn’t bothered a bit…on the contrary I was flattered and i thought ok..maybe she thinks that we were siblings and I told my hubby that but he laughed!!.... strangely I was told by strangers several times that we look alike! …..i find that odd because there is no resemblance between us two in any ways!….at two times some people even weirdly thought he was my father!!!...now that’s absurd cause he is only 5 years older then me although according to his passport he is 7 years older;)…it’s maybe because he doesn’t color his hair!!....anyways back to the hostess ..well I made sure that she knows that this was my hubby and not my brother(lol)… but then came another hostess who tried her luck by lifting up her blouse in the corner where only my hubby and I can see!!..aween to fix it!!.…
Now came the part I hated the most in my journey… we had to pass the metal detectors ..my hubby passed ..but when I did it went on…it was because of my watch so I just wanted to take it out and go back again but unfortunately they didn’t let me …then a women who looks and talks like a man approached me and with what I thought very rude voice asked me to take out my jacket suit..when i refused she raised her voice …I felt so humiliated …it was very embarrassing as they didn’t have any private room to check women as we do ..I was hesitating to take out my suit because I was wearing only a tiny and very short sleeves blouse inside …so I told her in English that this is a suit…she interrupted me with German screaming like I was some kind of a criminal in a jail!!..asking me to turn around while she was using the hand metal detector to search me…i looked helplessly at my hubby he nodded for me to do what she was saying so I did.. then this sick woman started touching me all over in a very bad manner!…she even tried to lift up my blouse!!!..which I held tightly!...i was so stunned that I stood there speechless..tears clouding my eyes…I felt I was being treated like a terrorist!..never in my whole life I have been so humiliated! …they even searched my small hand bag!....
when we walked away my hubby tried to cheer me up..he said maybe they are being more careful now because of the recent threats and that they were searching everyone … but I brushed my tears..and realized that I was treated like this because of the scarf I was wearing on my head..i realized this was my first trip to an European country with hijab….all my previous trips were without it…ok I still don’t consider my self a mohajibah just a mo7tashimah…but I am trying my best ever since I decided to wear a full hijab some months ago…and believe me its very hard when all of your life you are not used to wear it!
as we walked through the terminals I felt that they are staring at me and looking me from my head down to my toes like I was some kind of alien ..i felt so self conscious …. I told my hubby that I want to go back home right there in the airport!...he tried to make me on ease joking that they stare at you because you are beautiful duuuuuuh!!…he told me that I shouldn’t get bothered ..but because i am a sensitive person by nature and cant tolerate abuse of any kind… I decided not to wear hijab during my stay…I know now that how wrong and weak I was by doing that because later on I have witnessed some Muslim either Turkish or Persians women getting verbally abused and laughed at by some men but they didn’t care less they walked so proudly with their hijabs on …
German Cities Hamburg and Lunenburg
Hamburg is a beautiful city…that has many ancient buildings and beautiful churches ..and a large lake that is in the centre of the city….that makes it ideal place to have long walks … especially that our hotel was near by the lake in the centre of the shopping arcades…with the restaurants and coffee shops just blocks a way …..although the weather was freezing cold…nevertheless I enjoyed the shopping and the sight seeing along with the long walks that we had along the lake…and there are few attractions worth visting like musical plays...and I just loved the city’s layout…even if I didn’t like it’s people that much!... we even went to another city called Linburg… a nice place although I find it its more like a village then a city……it’s a bit quite but very beautiful …..a perfect place to relax or have a picnic or just stroll around its quite streets and enjoy the scenery …and I learned that having a navigator in the car helps a lot to get you easier to new places …
German people
They are so unfriendly…I have never been across such rude and unfriendly people in my whole life ….and funny is how they assume that everyone should know their language!..like they expect everyone to know it!…and when you talk in English ..they give you that rude look!!..and the way they treat others is so annoying …its realy frustrating not to understand a language ...even in the shops when it’s near closing time the salesmen/women would speak so loudly like they are kicking you out of the stupid shops!..and strangely they have this habit to stare at you!...both genders do that…I mean whenever we were out or dinning I would see someone staring at me…and believe me it gets very uncomfortable…
They never smile at you even their old women/men…they look at you proudly even when you give them your best Colgate smile!!...the only people who would constantly smile and speak English were the 5 *hotel staff where we were accommodated…me think they were trained and paid to smile… imagine a school to teach them how to smile!.....and only one old woman got very friendly and she approached me in one shop and asked me where I was from..and from her accent I am sure she was Greek.....she was very friendly and we had a short chit chat about the weather and she talked about her son and how he is living in a hot country like Thailand..
a second thing I have noticed that every time I would say Al7amdolilah or mashaAllah…they look at me in a sudden way!..it was kind of funny really…I never realized how paranoid they get from mere mention of lafth aljalalh Allah…I used to laugh about it and humur maybe they expect me to blow my self next!!!..how stupid!...Despite of all this I enjoyed my self very much throughout my stay ..unaware that i was about to face yet another tiresome and humiliating experience in the flight back home!
The Racist Journey Back Home
Although I was feeling very sad to leave my man alone and go back home but I was happy too to go back to my kids and my beloved Muscat…I was afraid of another military type of search so I decided I would only wear the hijab in the flight that takes me back home..so every thing went smoothly and I got the normal search..and my flight from Hamburg to Frankfurt was ok too..so after few hours of transit I finally got into the plane that was heading back home so I wore my hijab thinking that nothing would go wrong now that I am in the plane..but guess what! I was so wrong!!.. first the German hostess totally ignored me while she was serving the drinks as if I wasn’t there..so I called her and politely asked her if she thought I was invisible?!.. Smilingly she said sorry I didn’t notice you! I am new!!!..new! what this has to do with her ignoring me while she passed me by three times…and how can she be new when she seems older then me!!...and it’s not that I am a tiny child I am a grown up woman..and wasn’t she the same person who greeted me and said hello when I got seated before I wore my hijab!!..so how she couldn’t notice me!!..anyways I got angry when she asked me ‘so can I now get you something’ ..i said no! and I gave her a piece of my mind ..i told her you are very rude and I would report you, she kept on saying sorry…but that time I got so upset that I felt like crying..so she sent another hostess ..a Turkish man..he apologized on her behalf and said that she didn’t do it intentionally and not because I was Muslim !! ..now where did he get this idea from if it wasn’t discussed !..he said he was Muslim too..duh so?!!..he even offered me chocolates!!....he got on my nerves too cause he was talking to me as if he was talking to a child!! i told him I will report this incident …I was really fighting back my tears at the time…and I would have reported this!... only this woman became so paranoid so she would come and go asking me smilingly again and again if I needed anything…anyhow ..i forgot about it and then I heard another hostess making fun and laughing too!..ok I couldn’t understand her German and I didn’t see who she was… but I understood one word ‘Muzlem food’!!.. as when i booked for my return we requested for halal food and it seems she found this very funny!..so obviously she was laughing about this ..what astonishes me that there was a Hindu man and he was served vegetarian food so how come she didn’t make fun of him !!!..furthermore I was so upset that I just couldn’t eat ..so there I was lonely ….hungry and exhausted as I can never sleep in the plane no matter how hard I try… as we approached Muscat after having a one hour transit in Saudi..i felt relieved at last… and felt forgiving ..so I said bye and salam to the hostesses… I even smiled at them ….and since I was the only Omani in the flight and as soon as I found a porter I was the first to get out the airport …to be welcomed by my sister and my kids..and finally I thought this is the place I would never give up not even for a million rial ..i would never change my citizenship not even for the most beautiful countries..this is the place I belong to…home sweet home…
Conclusion
German will never be in my favorite list for holiday’s destinations …and I will never travel by Lufthansa airline not even if they had the cheapest fairs or even if they were the last airline in the world…
p.s pics are taken by me ..neat eh?..and i have the copy rights..(ahem)
2/06/2006
I Need a Break..
The summer was very hot and very long ..but we couldn’t go for holidays because I was busy redecorating our house …also to build an extra bathroom …so we decided that we would go in the winter holidays..(ejazat nisf a’sana ) ….anyways all plans went into drain when my mom got very sick …and needed to be hospitalized…so before the holidays started she went into the hospital and only now she got discharged … and of course I couldn’t just leave her and go have fun with my own family…so
now when my husband asked me to join him for a week only in his work trip that lasts a month to an European country… I jumped with joy to the idea ..although he told me that i would be alone half of the day beacuse he would be busy..anyways i am fine with that....but the problem is ..how could we leave our schooling kids alone at home with the housemaid?…and who will look after their studies? …my two elders are fine..they can get along well on their own.. but occasionally they get back to me to explain lessons that were hard to understand…but my little boy is a lazy bone ..he doesn’t study by him self nor he does his homework if there was no one to watch over him… after giving it some thoughts..i asked my sis to stay with them and look after my boy’s studies ….and lucky me she had already decided that she would skip a semester of collage….so she would be home when they are back of school…although my hubby keeps insuring me that everything would be fine .. so I needn’t worry but I can’t help it…because this would be the first time that both of us leave the kids alone at home…although there was another time but they were very young at the time so I let the elders stay with my parents..and took only my little boy who was two years old ... anyways after spending the eid and most of the holiday going from one hospital to another and having to go through the emotional stress of that ....and the pain i was feeling for another matter that concerns someone very dear to me and was bothering me and giving me sleepless nights for so many weeks and kind of got sorted out and settled now ( i pray)..…although i am still not very happy because of it ...but i am accepting it and hope time prove us all wrong and prove (...) right for (...) choice and for (...) sake .....anyways for all these reasons I really deserve this break…..i just hope I don’t change my mind and back off in the last minute!…and if i do then i hope my husband doesnt get angry because of what he spent on the visa and ticket !..hmmm anyways he can always recover the ticket money !..(are you reading;) )
2/01/2006
Try The Blogger Personality Quiz...
i saw the test link in blogger Tranquillity's blog..and kind of did the test my self..try the link below.. just for fun..
here is what i got:
| Your Blogging Type Is Thoughtful and Considerate |
 You're a well liked, though underrated, blogger. You have a heart of gold, and are likely to blog for a cause. You're a peaceful blogger - no drama for you! A good listener and friend, you tend to leave thoughtful comments for others. |
Hamzah Moin..!
He is really funny!.....he makes me laugh every time i read an article of so many articles he had wrote in his website Maniac Muslim...he is very talented with a high level of sense of humor.....although he seems to criticize some practices done by Mulsims and tward them in his own home town.....but you can sense out clearly that he does it in a funny but very constructive way..and that he means no harm...some of the practices that he mentions are so common in our Muslim nation world wide...so it's a good thing that we point a finger on them and try to make a positive change..
check the site out i am sure you will enjoy this witty and funny kid's humor and if he doesnt make you laugh i am sure you will have a smile on your face..:)
1/30/2006
Falling in Love with The concept …..
Ever wondered why some people fall in and out of love more easily…why do they jump in a relationship after another …each time they would say this is the one for me..and believe me they do tend to be very serious and many times there would be marriage plans in the air!….so why do they change so quickly ..why the sudden change of heart why do they back off and soon forget all about that person!...
To think about it …the only explanation that could describe their behaviors .. is that these people are not really in love but they are in love with the idea of being in love …to be in that special state of mind ..to go through those special feelings…to live those special moments with someone they might like or maybe not..to feel the attention of another …and that’s the least that can be said about what they feel….so basically they are into the relationship for their own selfish reasons…and not because they genuinely care for the other….that’s why whenever the sparks of the moments are gone out of the relationship and they get bored…or the other party wants to get into a more serious notion or in a worst scenario want to break up!…either ways that wont affect them that much…and we will soon find them with someone else!..repeating the same old scene!....
1/29/2006
Hospital Companion...
I came across a girl who was there for her very old grandmother..and she slept on the floor every night for months and when I expressed my surprise …she told me she slept for her late grandfather too who was unconscious for seven months!!…and lately I came across yet another girl who was there for her grandmother … and she slept on the chair every night! ….she was there for 8 months now!!.....i saw her once feeding her granny through a tube coming out of her nose…! It touched me so much that I cried ...and there was this other girl who slept on the chair too for her ill mother ..the list is endless…all I can say to them all ..baraka Allah feekom ( God bless you)…for being there for your loved ones ..these kind of behaviors make me feel that our society is still be2alf ‘7eer…al7amdolilah..:)
Mamaty....
you mamaty... mama….omah …amma …you are the best …you are the soul of my heart…….i have never seen someone who could put up with things so gracfully like you …no one has the big heart that you have…nor the patience …I look up to you …you taught me what love means …and what is it to love someone unconditionally ….from you I have learned that love is the other side of sacrifice and compromise…. you are the kind of person that makes any one fall in love with you instantly cause of your kind heart…you are so beautiful..your kind of beauty comes within the depth of your good soul and spreads all over your lovely face …that’s why you still are so beautiful …your light eyes light up with mist every time you see someone suffers ..you never turn away for someone in need…you always step to help…you care for us all…you are unique …or how else could I explain you…as I never seen someone else do the things you do…I have never seen someone else who could love her step children like you…or even amazingly love her husbands wife like a sister like you!..because of you we are one family…you amaze me…I love you so much ….I hurt when I see you hurt…my heart aches …please get well soon…for our sake for we are so lost without you...may Allah give you a long, long life and may He vanish all your pains…ameen...
DO YOU LOVE OUR PROPHET MOHAMMAD(SAW)?...
IF YOU LOVE OUR PROPHET MOHAMMAD(SAW)...BOYCOTT DANISH PRODUCTS...
1/17/2006
Shades of My Thoughts...
1- We hurt the most ..when the people whom we love the most cause the pain..
2- Sometimes if you want to gain something you have to lose something..
3- Hope is like a star in the darkest night..it doesn’t light your way..but it will always guide you to the light
4- When you love someone give your self to them but not completely..keep some pieces of you for your self alone
5- In love I am you...and you are me...but in thoughts I am I....you are you..we will share our lives together..but we will still be independent
6- freedom of choice is a privilege...not everyone can afford
7- If you worship Allah in true sense…you will never commit (kabaer) major sins no matter what the temptations are …no matter whom you are with …and no matter where you are
8- Honesty is a ticket to people’s heart..but remember sometimes too much of it includes the return ticket as well
9- Don’t imitate others ..you might lose your own identity in the process…and will just become another lousy photocopy..
10- We don’t choose who we are but we sure can choose what we become..
11- Money doesn’t change people’s characteristics ..but it shows us their true colors and what they really stood for all along..
12- Please stop nagging all the time..you are already feeling bad why make others feel miserable too…
13- To achieve the true happiness ..we don’t need to get everything …true happiness is when we make the most of what we get ..even if it seems so little …
14- Words may or may not reach our hearts ..but a genuine smile will always find a path of its own to our hearts …
15- Nothing stays the same ..the more you believe it …the more you will be able to accept anything that the destiny holds for you ….no matter how hard it may seem ..
16- Sometimes when I say I am sorry ..that doesn’t mean I was wrong and you were right ..it’s just a rational way to break up an endless argument… and to end a stupid fight
17- Sometimes life’s simplest things make us dance with joy ( remember that unexpected phone call from a friend you haven’t been in touch with for long, or even that short message sent by someone very dear to your heart…
18- When you appreciate others it shows that you appreciate yourself even more…but when you bring others down by making fun of them ..it simply indicates that you are trying to hide your own inferior complex by devaluing others..and how low you think of yourself ..
19- Three indications of true love: it can be heard by words of mouth, it can be felt through the emotions and it can be seen through the actions..
20- Our religion is a part of us ..it’s apart of who and what we are .. no one has the right to ask us to separate it from our daily issues or from whatever concerns us in our lives..
12/26/2005
A Criminal Cat in My Car!...
A cat got trapped in my car..what happened was when I came home one of my kids forgot to shut the door of the car so a cat leaped in….so when my hubby came late and saw the door open he shut it without realizing that there was a cat inside …
in the morning my housemaid saw the trapped cat and released it ….Unfortunately the damage was already done! ....as the stupid scared cat deep scratched the leather of three doors of my car trying to escape !.....the cat appealed guilty of its crime so we had to set it loose!...and fortunately for us the insurance agreed to fix it because we are one of thier good customers ..hmm well at last the 4 and half years insurance that we are paying for my car paid off..ok maybe it was a just a small amount and not to mention the 50 R.O that we had to pay for our share ! …..
Tv SMS or pure Rubbish ..
and as if the small chating bars underneath the channels screens weren’t enough!...the channel organizers started a new method to rip those stupid people off ..as now they are initiating new silly contests..where people have to send the answers via sms too…. I wonder how far these people would go before they realize the dirty games these channels are playing to make maximum profits on their behalf…talk about of being so extremly gullible!
life has it's ups and downs ..each day we face..it may has a smile or a tear or maybe a little of both...but we can face every challenge if we keep our spirits high..after all life is what we make it...
Archive
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