Laramie 3 years it has been, cobwebs trashing this place. Yet there was not one day that I haven’t thought about coming back and writing something.
I suppose 2020, a new decade and all, warrants a new post?
Can three years change a person’s life inside out? In my past three years it did, I can no longer remember the person I used to be then, on every level of my life that has been. I’ve laughed more, cried more, gotten some of the things I’ve wanted and lost as much in return. I’ve moved house, gone back to college, earned an MBA degree, yet here I am, thinking what next, and all I can think about is my trusty old blog that I haven’t written in for the past three years, and looking forwards to something I am not entirely sure what is.
I don’t even have pictures in this PC to upload to this post, I’d suppose a nice hi post would do for now. I have so much to say and to write down I do not know where to start really so perhaps I should start backwards and continue on from there? We’ll see.
For now, a loud HI with a big fat frivilous wave would do.
Highly acclaimed and an award winner, I had no second thoughts about picking Elif Shafak’s The Architect’s Apprentice. It took me a while to read through it, so many pages and so much details, tale upon tale you stumble upon and sometimes the details are of little and no consequences, but in the end you put it down and sigh, for this unusual, oriental, mystic tale of old is a telling of the circle of life for Jahan, a little foreign elephant mahout who became the apprentice of Sinan, one of the most renowned Architect’s of his time.
Though at times I was frustrated with the lack of a definite or a thrilling plot and with the amount of details, I adored the personality of master Sinan, who to my delight he is an actual historical character though Read more »
At this moment I’m sitting by the open window, a dark cloud is looming in the horizon and thunder has been rumbling on loudly for about ten minutes now. I’m the dictionary definition of a pluviohile, I literally open my eyes wide and begin to operate on an entirely different level when it rains, rain charges my soul the way Superman charges by the sun, hence this post that has been playing around again again in my mind.
I’ve also decided that perhaps I should have pursued a career in book-publishing. Why didn’t I? I don’t know, perhaps because it doesn’t pay too well? Perhaps I’m going to one day but until then I will stick to writing whatever comes to my mind in my little blog and you, my readers, will be the lucky ones to suffer through :p Read more »
Then comes the ending, was not a surprising one and I was not that impressed with to be frank but overall when I was done I was left with this silly smile on my face and a warm happy feeling, like someone draped you in a fluffy blanket and gave you a cup of hot chocolate… Its sweet, light, and worth the read if you are looking for a pick me up.
This is the third book I’ve read by Harlan Coben within 6 months and I have to say I’m left surprised and constantly guessing at the answer of the mystery again and again! Read more »
I have not one but two copies of life after life on my bookshelves, for whenever I’ve visited a bookstore for the past few years I’ve seen it on the best seller and highly acclaimed list of novels. I also got its semi-sequel, the second novel “A God in Ruins” that is based on another character but its not necessarily a continuation of the original story. The only reason I’ve put up reading this one was its sheer-volume of 600+ pages. I however finally decided to read it and its semi-sequel, for I’m in desperate need of a book that sucks me into its world and leaves reality behind. Read more »
I’m not a vegan, and can never be for my love of dairy is too great to abandon. In the recent year or so the Vegan movement seem to be taking over the planet for a moment -vegetarians, where are you?- and whenever I browse the social media account of a vegan I happen to come across one version or another of something they call “Nicecream” or “Nice Cream” and they keep raving about it the way they were raving about Read more »
For a while now almost every bookworm social media account I’m following was rearranging their collection of books in a colour-coded book theme so the end result would resemble a rainbow. I have an ancient photo of my bookshelves when I was a kid back in the early 90’s, my collection of some magazines were arranged Rainbow style but I have to look for the picture and scan it before I can share it with you, most likely in this post. Anyway, since my bookshelves are overflowing and organising the books in a readable manner became one messy affair, I thought I’d dedicate myself to this task and arrange all my books rainbow-style. After all, how hard can it be, right? Read more »
On the cover of this book there is a little sticker stating that reading it will fill the void left behind by the Girl on the Train, or was it Gone Girl? I’m not really sure, but it is being compared to current IT suspenseful crime novel and so I’ve started it with high excpectations. I did enjoy it, it was a good crime with a very gasp-out-loud-surprise kind of twist and a proper ending that lays to rest most of your questions, yet there was something missing from the story that would make it as good as either Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. Read more »
Years ago, I read Rosamund Lupton’s debut novel Sister and was mesmerised instantly. Though I was not a fan of her bestselling second novel Afterwards, I did keep an eye out for anything new by the writer and finally managed get a copy of The Quality of Silence. I read the description on the back and though it wasn’t something I’d usually be picking up on my own, I still had a taste of the delicious writing of sister and I hoped I’d come across it again, hence the eagerness I felt as I started this one. Read more »
Fan of Mexican food? I absolutely am, in fact Mexican ranks second as my favourite cuisine of all times. Whenever I crave a fajita, a sizzling one with all the works, I usually head to one of the American franchises around Kuwait. However, since I’m trying to live a healthier life sans the excess salt, fat, and surprise spice that attacks my stomach mercileccily I began to make mine at home. This recipe must be the easiest, lightest, and quickest way to get a guiltless fajita fix. Read more »
The mysterious Six Years by Harlan Coben started off by a man sitting in a church watching the love of his life marry someone else. As heart breaking as you’d imagine, especially with the bride’s parting request, you flip a page and now you are given new hope for the doomed lovers as the bride is now a widow. As the professor, the hero of this novel, cannot resist the urge to go and pay his respect at the funeral of the man who stole the love of his life, he finds his life turned upside down and everything he once believe shattered in one single life, its fair to say he never seemed to recover from the side effects of that trip. Read more »
Let me start by stating the fact that I do not like cauliflowers.
In fact, I loathe them.
The smell, the taste, the texture. I’m a vegetable loving vegetarian who actually does crave broccoli but never could stand to be within a metre of cauliflower in any shape or form including the very famous fried cauliflower and eggplant sandwich we call Meshakkal in Kuwait. Never was a fan. The same goes for sweet potatoes, I just could never understand their over-sweetened taste nor embrace it as a vegetable. Read more »
A deceptive husband and respectable novelist, whose entire life is built on a web of lies, is basking in his own fictitious success and leading a double life without a care in the world. It is only when his affair doesn’t go according to plan and he decides to take matters into his own hand that his lies start unravelling one by one, for he made a terrible and grave mistake that cannot be undone no matter how hard he tries. Read more »
If you’ve been around my blog for a while then you’ll know how much I love and admire f2o’s artistic talent and designs, so much that my book cover is actually illustrated by f2o<3 Just before Ramadan was out and everyone ready to flock the country to their summer vacations Fatima Al-Othman, the lady behind f2o, sent me a bag of her latest products: colouring books, a current trend in its own, featuring f2o’s children, Essa and Asya, with the Alphabets in Kuwaiti dialect. Read more »
A few days back I was invited by Triangle restaurant to try their new and different menu. I like triangle a lot and have seen pictures of their “new” items so needless to say I made sure to go with a good hungry appetite knowing exactly what I wanted to try. Lets say I was not disappointed at all and I’m warning you, dangerous pictures are awaiting you below.
Lucky for me, I arrived on a Saturday during a lull in the lunch service. It was between lunch and dinner and so I had the place to myself and took as many pictures as I’ve liked without bothering other diners. By the time I got to my main course though, the restaurant had filled up and there was a waiting list! So if my colourful pictures make you want to have your next meal over at Triangle, make sure to call before you go to make sure there are available tables. Waiting list I tell you! Read more »
And why not?
I’m assuming that quite a large percentage of people in normal households of Kuwait would say no. After all, should they even consider recycling, where would they take their recycled garbage to anyway? Garbage sorting and collecting isn’t that exciting nor that maintained in households where house help exists. Sure, when we travel and we are forced by the laws of the country we are in we do indeed recycle, as painful sometimes as it seems, and they say its better for the environment and I’m not negating that for it must have a tangible effect on the planet of entire countries enforce them, so why not here in Kuwait? Read more »
Book Review: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the long awaited 8th book!
By danderma | August 1, 2016
I’m writing this post with a head buzzing with thoughts, heart fluttering with feelings, and eyes brimming with tears as I’m in a roller coaster of emotions that’s been tumbling since I returned home from work and sat with my iBook copy of the long awaited 8th book of Harry Potter, the one with the Cursed Child.
Is it really an 8th book? A proper sequel to the battle of Hogwarts set 19 years later? I couldn’t allow myself to get too attached the the book nor let myself believe it was a “real” or “100% authentic” new Harry Potter book. I was afraid. I didn’t want to be let down by it, I know its based on a sold out play and its not only J. K. Rowling’s name on the cover, I’m not sure what to expect and I had a feeling that… well.. this story is only make belief and this Harry book is a fraud. Read more »
Yes, the title is correct. This post and these pictures are telling the story of an Indian Alphonso mango tree, planted in a farm in Wafra area on the soil of Kuwait. The tree felt at home enough to bear not only regular Alphonso mangoes, no no, JUMBO alphonso mango fruits and there were enough of them to make it into a carton and arrive at my doorsteps about ten days ago! Read more »
I’ve been bored by, well everything really. Do you ever seem to think that everything in life is the same? Same activities, same faces, same places, same routine, same old and nothing is new happening anymore?
Enter the key hunt for the By Parker’s restaurant!
You see, there is something about having to earn your entry into a new food establishment. I recall once reading something like that in a magazine about a spot in a trendy hipster part of London, that unless you answer the gatekeeper’s riddle you won’t be allowed to climb through the wall into the restaurant or something. I loved the intrigue, the being there but out of reach except for the worthy kind of attitude. Of course its also fun, that’s why I’ve been following the SnapChat of by Parker’s in Dubai forever and deciding that the moment I set foot in Dubai, on the very night I do, I’m not going to rest until I do hunt for the key and actually claim it for myself. Read more »
Would it suffice to say I was wallowing away on my couch with the remote control in my hand?
No? Wel that’s not entirely accurate either. I don’t know, I was around, I always am, would you believe me if I say not one day did pass without thinking about writing in my blog and actually composing posts in my head? And talking to you, my dear faithful I don’t know why you still stick around since I was barely there reader?
So where? It’s complicated. I wanted to try something out, I had my suspicions, and I was right. I also, no it will be a bit much but.. erm, well in March or April I was watching the movie the Read more »
“What do you do when you’re visiting someone’s house and their garden starts vanishing?” Read more »
Turns out I have a string of Cecelia Ahern’s books that I’m yet to be read, this one I thought I missed entirely but it turns out I began reading a hardback edition in 2014, got to page 20, then let go of it and totally forgot all about it. The reason being that the story didn’t start off well and was kind of slow. I actually contemplated putting it down again and perhaps checking both of my editions into my “maybe not” shelf on my good reads account, but I’m glad I stayed on, I really am. Read more »
I and the Ploughman’s sandwich go way back, summer of 1993 to be exact which makes our friendship 23 years old come summer! I did already tell you about it in my trip to Richmond upon Thames post when I talked about the first ever packed lunch I picked up on my own and headed to a bench on the park to eat it and enjoy my own company and thoughts. I was 13, I never had a packed lunch, or sat in a park alone, or tried the cheddar ploughman’s before and it was from M&S, and I can still remember the softness of the bread as I bit into it, the sharpness of the cheddar, the crunch of the tomato and the tangy sweetness of the “spread” that, mixed with a hint of creamy mayo, really made all the difference back then, implanting the memory of having that sandwich deep in my memory and opening a doorway to a special place in my heart for the sandwich to forever reside. Read more »
Whenever I want a palate-clenasing from all the disappointing or long boring reads I make sure I reach out for a Cecelia Ahern, I could always count on her for a wholesome and enjoyable read and her latest novel, The Marble Collector, didn’t disappoint me at all. It was an easy read, didn’t take a lot of effort to read or digest, and had enough intrigue between the pages to keep me flipping the pages at a quicker page than usual. Read more »
