Favorite spots in kuwait

On a Friday morning you can find the roads quiet enough to get some good shots.

Sweet things!

What could be sweeter than 21 day old newborns? One girl, one boy. Absolutely adorable! I almost wish that they were all mine, especially the older kids. They are all so lovely!

Back in the USSR!!! (My USSR)

chuck n terri

me n zahraa

me n chuck

These are my friends, the best ones I have here in Kuwait. I don't always get to see them as often as I would like but now I can come to my blog and see them everyday. Yeah, right. Just not the same! Working 13 hour days makes one tired so I cherish the time I am with them! Here's to my friends, Chuck, Terri and Zahraa! I wish everyone could have friends like mine! No, these are mine...you can't have them. Get your own damn friends!

The Night the Diet Died

No words needed here. You see it and you can imagine what happened after that! The cupcakes are made from scratch by my sister and the brownies are made from a box by my dad. No pictures, unfortunately of the Dead Animal barbeque--good enough to make a vegetarian turn into a carnivore, rodeo beans, potato salad and some poor, lone vegetable that no one noticed!

On a clear day you can see forever!

We had a dust storm the other night. Driving from the Hilton to Hawally on the Fahaheel Expressway was a challenge. It was like a snowstorm only gray, not white. Sandy, not wet. Dusty, too. The neon signs alongside the highway seemed to be floating in the air since we could not see the buildings! A little creepy, very eerie. It didnt help when some motorists insisted on high speeds, sand storm or not!

These are the remnants of the storm, a few days later...and it is not unusual weather for Kuwait.

Gotcha!

These need no explanation. They are "trash kitties." They are disgusting, breeders of disease and more of their ilk. But they didnt ask to be born. Just helpless creatures inhabiting a hostile universe--at least for them. I saw a few new ones last night and today they are gone! Wonder what happened?

A feast for the eyes...

Yes, there are flowers in Kuwait! Who knew? This is a well-kept garden at the university on the Adailiya campus. It is absolutely lush and beautiful throughout the year.

Inside my room...

Here it is. Everything in its place. We shall see how long that will last! You can see the printer underneath the chair. Yes, it is still there as I have not figured out how I am going to set it up with my computer which is a laptop. It is a project in the works as we speak.

A room with a view....

This is how it looks out my window. Nothing special. Nothing romantic. Just the normal cityscape in a very crowded area. Well, in an extremely crowded neighborhood. Sometimes it can take more than ten minutes just to get out of the neighborhood on to a major road and some would say that is excellent time! Dont complain!

Urban Jungle

Trash is collected everyday. Maybe it should be twice a day in this area!

A Sad Day in Hawally

Suddenly I heard sirens and I looked out the window and saw smoke just a block away. Then I saw others running to the site and a crowd was gathering. I couldnt resist so I too went down to see what all the commotion was about. I couldnt tell anymore than what is shown here. The next day, though, I read in the paper that there was a fire in Hawally and a 31 year old woman had died. What a pity.

Do you like cats?

I just adore them! Even homeless ones. Wouldn't it be nice to have a shelter for them? Well, that is something to think about, among so many other projects.

A Night at the Spa!

This was one of the pleasant nights with the girls. We were getting massages, pedicures and manicures. About eight people inside a tiny apartment stuido. Fun and closeness all in a night to remember!

Relaxing on the beach...

Can you see the tanker? That's right, we are swimming with the tankers!

My Favorite Place to Eat in Kuwait so far...

Here it is! A great location on the Arabian Gulf with friendly cats poking around the patio! I always go for the salad bar which doesn't impress the cats one bit! They adore the burgers and chicken tenders which I never order.

Saturday morning fun at the local market!

Here is David and some of his delicious ice-cream. I did try this one--it was frozen yogurt!

Ok, the rest of this I just found colorful and fun to photograph!

More exciting food from Makati in Philipines!

This milkfish was one of the best dinners I ever had!

The insides were taken out and rearranged somehow with spices and other items and carefully put back! Unforgettable!

Starbucks again! But we didnt eat there!

We have just finished a fabulous traditional Philipine meal! It was so exquisite!

Food from the Philipines!

Made by my lovely friends, Loren and Tracey! Vegetarian dish with bokchoi and more!

Take a look at my new year's peas!

Here they are in all their multi cultural glory! There is a pepper from Lebanon, cabbage from Kuwait, garlic cloves, fresh ginger and some tumeric, cumin all lovingly put in a crock pot with a healthy tomato paste base! I started my peas on New Year's day but the soaking took most of the day. By the time I started the cooking, it was too late to have them to be ready to eat, but I ate a few anyway to ensure good luck this year! I think they are beautiful and I love drinking the juice. Everything is fresh as possible. I also add some coriander, fresh, on the top when I serve it. Fresh herbs add a delicate and fragrant touch!

Goodbye to Starbucks and all that!

At least for me.

This is a great place to read the three newspapers, Arab Times, Kuwait Times and Al Watan. But it is impractical to go there everyday and the newspapers do come out everyday. What to do--I am a news junkie. Starbucks over here is new and more expensive than in the USA. Us expats have to pay more because of who we are! And it is not nearly as good as what you can get in the USA. We have local bakeries and during the last two years I have tried almost all of their offers. Usually sharing with a friend to control the calories or having a little crumb in a tiny paper cuplet at their coffee seminars. Cheesecakes are good in any country but the brownies and chocolate cakes are no match for stateside treats. I will say good bye to those starbucks extras for sure, will order only a short cup of daily coffee with a touch of cinnamon (short not listed on the menu, guys, but they have it) and definitely not any white flour or sugar things. The only exception will be the dark chocolate expresso coffee beans. Maybe once a year.....maybe. At least they dont give me heartburn like those zataar croissants do. In case you dont know what zataar is a lovely combination of spices from wikipedia:

Spice mixture
Za'atar is generally prepared using ground dried thyme, oregano, marjoram, or some combination thereof, mixed with toasted sesame seeds, and salt.[4] Some varieties may add savory, cumin, coriander[5] or fennel seed. A Lebanese variety of Za'atar usually contains sumac berries, and has a distinct dark red color.

It is fabulous. Sometimes eaten for breakfast as a dip using olive oil and bread. Havent done it this way, though.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Today in one of the three English newspapers, an American lady made the police beat. Seems she was using her American friendliness to a Banglideshi guard at the building where she was living and he misunderstood her attention. The headline of the story said he "got fresh" with her so she clocked him and sent him rolling down some stairs. He is nursing his injuries. Dont know any more than that, but those things are very interesting to read! Since I am new to blogging, I will see about how i can bring in the link. You can find it in the Arab Times, January 1, 2009!