Undefined Declarations

UD Recipe Story: Nia’s Mexican Salsa and Guacamole Dip

I’ve always been a huge fan of Mexican cuisine, so I was very excited when my Mexican American friend Nia suggested to make some authentic dips at my place.

Nia’s recipes for the traditional salsa and guacamole dips are authentic ones, that have been passed on from one generation to another. It’s so generous of her to share with us these original and one-off recipes that only real Mexicans know how to make!

Let’s start with the ingredients for the salsa and guacamole dips:

Avocados: choosing the right type of avocados is essential to the success of this recipe. You need to look for Mexican or U.S. avocados that are: smaller in size, dark green in color, and tender at touch.
White onion
Large tomatoes
Cilantro
Lemon
Fresh green chilli peppers
Fresh garlic

How do I make Salsa Dip?

Fry four whole tomatoes in a frying pan over medium-high heat.

2. Add the fresh chilli peppers and garlic to the pan, and fry them along with the tomatoes until the tomatoes are soft. You need to make sure that you toast the tomatoes until they become soft and you are able to mash them with the spoon.

Add the chilli peppers and garlic to the pan

3. Once the tomatoes are soft, put all the ingredients in a blender. Add chicken stock powder (Nia brought this from the States), salt, and cilantro.

4. Blend the mixture until it turns into a liquid. This salsa is meant to have a liquid texture, so turn up the blender speed to the max 😀 Luckily, my blender has a “Dip” setting, so we used that. We also used the standard high speed setting to bring the dip to the texture we wanted.

Nia blending away... — Nia blending away…

Et Voila! You’ve got your authentic Mexican Salsa Dip!

How do I make Guacamole Dip?

As I mentioned earlier, the main element in making a good guacamole dip is choosing the right type of avocados. Trust me, I’ve once tried to make guacamole with very hard and dry avocados and the result was not edible! So make sure that you:

Get smaller avocados that are from Mexico or the U.S. only.
Choose the ones that are dark green in color, but not too dark because those are too ripe and will not be OK to use.
Touch them to see if they are tender and soft. Because that’s how they should be.

2. You start off by scooping out the avocado from the peel into a medium size bowl.

Nia scooping out avocados for our guacamole :) — Nia scooping out avocados for our guacamole 🙂

3. In a bowl, you add the avocados to the chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped cilantro, some salt and lemon.

Adding the ingredients for the guacamole dip

4. Bonus Tip:

When mashing the mixture, separate it into two bowls. In one bowl, you can mash it all you want until it turns into a “dip” texture and all the ingredients have been mixed together. You can leave half or less of the ingredients in their solid, whole texture to add them to the mashed mixture. This will give your dip an extra edge as it will have some crunchy pieces that give it a fresh and wholesome texture and taste 😀

Lastly, present your dips in some dip bowls or any other bowls that you might have. We added ready-made sour cream to our third dip bowl 🙂

You can have your dip with sour cream chips, regular corn chips or fresh cucumber and celery sticks for a healthier snack 🙂

I hope that you will try and make this recipe one day, as it was truly tasty and so fresh! I even used the left-over salsa to make a Mexican-style shakshooka the next morning!

A big thank you to my sweet and adorable friend Nia for the recipe and the kitchen work….Hopefully we’ll cook up an authentic Mexican meal one of those days….Stay tuned to the blog for more recipes from our cozy kitchen X

All the ingredients for a cozy night in... — All the ingredients for a cozy night in…

Undefined Declarations’ List: Top 10 Mostly Used Arabic Words

Since I’m a native Arabic speaker, my expat friends regularly ask me about common words and how to say them in Arabic. I must admit that Arabic language and specifically the pronunciation of words can be quite tricky. That’s why I decided to compile a list of some widely used Arabic words and their meaning in English.

I also plan to write a List post every week, so please feel free to suggest ideas for my next post. Whether you’re confused about the way some groups or communities act, why Arab women tend to dress up and wear too much make-up, what do Saudi people have for breakfast…whatever the dilemma you are facing, I will try my best to provide an explanation and help simplify your time spent living in the Middle-East 🙂

If you still haven’t seen my first Top 10 List post, you can have a look at it here and learn some basic facts about the Gulf region.

Moving on to today’s topic, I present to you my list of the Top 10 Mostly Used Arabic Words:

1. Ahlain, Hala Wallah, Ahlan, Sabah El Khair.

The first three words mean: Hi. But they are more used in a Saudi accent in this example 🙂 The last word in the above line means: Good Morning.

2. Keefek?, Keef Halek? The answer: El Hamdellah bkhair.

The words “Keefek” and “Keef Halek” mean: How are you? The answer means: Thankful to God, I’m OK.

3. Baba, Mama.

Baba means: Father, and Mama means: Mother. However, this is also relevant to the community and could change according to where the person comes from. This is how a spoiled Saudi girl calls her parents :p

4. Habibi, Habibti, Hayati.

Arab people in general are very emotional. They like to use the above words when speaking to random strangers even if they don’t know them that well or are despising them at the moment!

Definition: Habibi means my love and is used for a male. While Habibti is used when speaking to a female. The word Hayati means: my life and can be used for both girls and boys. Didn’t I tell you Arabs are highly emotional beings? 🙂

5. Shukran, Afwan.

Shukran means: Thank you. And Afwan means: You’re welcome.

6. Ma El Salamah, Tesbah Ala Khair.

Ma El Salamah means: Good Bye. It also means with good wishes or safe and sound. Tesbah Ala Khair means: Good Night.

7. Forsa Saeedah.

Definition: Nice meeting you.

8. Yallah.

Yallah means: Let’s go. But can be used in a sentence to tell someone: come on, hurry up, or “oh well“.

9. Khalas.

Khalas means: it’s over, all set, or to end a conversation when you don’t want to talk anymore about a specific topic 🙂

10. Inshallah, Mashallah.

Inshallah means: God Willing. It’s the equivalent to saying: Hopefully. And Mashallah means: Praise God. And it’s similar to saying: Touch Wood and so is the verbal way of touching wood in the Muslim world 🙂

Bonus:

I was out for dinner with my dear friend Pinay Flying High when I mentioned to her that I plan on writing this post. She suggested that I include her favorite Arabic word: Shuhada.

Now although Shuhada is an Arabic word, it is pronounced differently depending on the Arab country the person is coming from. But since the Lebanese Arabic dialect is considered one of the easiest ones to learn and master, most non-Arabic speakers pick up that accent and use it in daily conversation.

Being the Saudi Diva, I would have to include the Saudi version of the word “Shuhada” and that is: Drum roll…..Aish Hatha? 🙂

I hope that you found these basic Arabic words useful and that you will try to practice using them the next time you are chatting with an Arab 🙂

Dubai Restaurant Review: Mo’s

When my coolest Saudi friend Memo was in town and we were planning to meet up for lunch, I suggested to take her to Mo’s; the new American casual dining place at the brand new Citywalk mall in Jumeirah.

Since Mo’s is part of the group that brought us Caramel, me and my BFF had high expectations for the food, like very high 🙂 Caramel at DIFC is one of our favorite hangout places for a fun night out or a casual lunch. The music they play at Caramel always makes us sing along since we are 90’s girls and the food was never disappointing. Except for the last time I was there for Thanksgiving dinner with my American friend who like me wasn’t so impressed by the turkey or the pumpkin cheese cake slice that were part of the set menu.

Memo has also expressed to me how she felt that Caramel was no longer offering exceptional dishes like the ones we were used to on our first visits to the hip American diner.

At Mo’s, the menu options are not the same ones offered at Caramel. We decided to go for the cheese quessedillas for starters…

For the main course, I had the chicken Asian salad. This one was similar to the one on Caramel’s menu. However, there wasn’t anything special about it. And I wouldn’t order it again.

Lovely and sweet Memo had the fried chicken salad. The chicken pieces were humongous and my friend only sampled her plate before ordering a caramel latte.

Latte: the safest choice at Mo's — Latte: the safest choice at Mo’s

Will I go back to Mo’s and give it a second chance? I highly doubt it. There are way too many new places to check out and even the all-time favorites like The Butcher’s Shop and Grill and The Noodle House have outlets in this cozy mall. So I wouldn’t be out of good eateries to lunch or dine at on my next visit to Citywalk.

What’s your favorite American eatery in Dubai? and how would you rate it to original American cuisine?

If you are a Western expat living in the Arab region, make sure you stay tuned for tomorrow’s post: Top 10 mostly used Arabic words.

Bye for now 🙂

The Rebellious Saudi Diva checks out Citywalk!

Personal Post: Revealing the Mystery behind this Lifestyle Blogger

Ironically, as I sit to write this post at a cafe in the JBR Walk, at a table nearby sits a family from my country. They remind me of the life that i had left behind in the summer of 2009…a decision that I take pride in making – despite all the challenges, confusions and compromises that came with it.

Today’s post is a sequel to my previous personal post about my lonely single life…it is also the first in a series of personal posts that I aim to publish on a weekly basis as part of my new blogging schedule. I would like to start by thanking everyone who commented on that post and expressed their concern by sharing their views and opinions from personal experiences. Your care and support is highly appreciated and I’m truly blessed to have loyal and genuine fans and friends.

Publishing that post actually helped me greatly in understanding some of the reasons behind my single status at this age (check my About page for a clue). The answers came from my supportive followers, and they clarified a lot of the confusion surrounding this topic. Basically, the comments and discussions brought to my attention a very important point; the fact that I need to sort out my own life before I can be ready for any commitment. What this means is that prior to thinking about being in a serious relationship with anyone, I need to achieve some personal career goals and reach more advanced levels in the personal, career and financial areas of my life.

This is not to say that I have been lounging around the house (or city in my case) for the past couple of years. I simply chose to change careers into a not so easy field – journalism – at a not so great time – world recession. Add to that, my illusions and high expectations of thinking that I had super powers and would be able to reach that goal without going back to school!

Fast forward four years later and endless trails and errors, I enroll at University to take an undergraduate course in journalism.

A decision that I am proud to take.

Now how is getting a degree in journalism and becoming successful relate to my single status? Simply said, getting a degree from an International University and then aiming to become successful career wise and financially should inevitably attract the right kind of men my way. Plus, when I’m more happy and comfortable in my own skin, I will undoubtedly emit positive vibes that will attract decent and successful men, not push them away…

So for now, focusing on my education and blog seem to be the right thing to do, for various reasons.

Not that I had been doing anything different really…I just wanted to write this post as a justification for my obsessive compulsive blogging behavior and to provide a clear explanation for my followers and friends!

The next time you find me preoccupied with my next blog post, or glued to my i-phone updating my blog’s Facebook Page, you’ll understand that I now have legitimate reasons for my compulsive blogging habits. And you will realize the long-term vision and reasoning behind my eternally “busy” state of mind!

Another enlightening conversation that I recently had with my American friend who labels me as “blog crazy” confirmed the comments from my followers on the subject…while in the Arab and Eastern culture generally, it’s agreed on that the man’s role in the relationship is to provide for the family, this is definitely not the case in the Western social system. My friend summed it up as: “what can you bring to the relationship?”. And that is exactly the missing element in my story. Since I come from a Middle-eastern background, I was always accustomed to having my father support me throughout the different stages of my life. Yes, I was working at some point when I was living in Saudi, and at that time I was capable of supporting myself. But once I have decided to change careers, things have taken a different turn.

Many people have told me to take it easy and to “not blog too much” or “work too hard”, but without knowing the main goals behind my commitment, they can’t be blamed, can they?

Apart from finding a partner and realizing my career goals, becoming financially independent will help me detach from my family. Which is one of the main goals of my life. Why would I want to do that, you may ask…I think we can leave that for another post 🙂

Will I progress from being a somewhat pampered and spoiled GCC born and raised brat to the successful and financially independent journalist and blogger that I aspire to be?

At least when I finally reach my goal and realize my dream, I can proudly and firmly say that I did it all by myself…and most importantly; that along the process, I managed to live two widely and extremely diverse lives…

Thank you to Pink Pepper Photography for the fabulous images!

Undefined Declarations’ List: Top 10 Facts About the Gulf Region

1. Not everyone is super rich.

2. There are only two seasons in a year; summer and winter. The skies are mostly clear and sunny, and it rarely rains.

3. Life happens in shopping malls.

4. Apart from some designated areas, you rarely can walk from one place to another. The streets are not walkable.

5. Food plays a major role in our daily lives. We tend to eat big meals for lunch AND dinner.

6. We are very family-oriented.

7. We are used to the comfortable lifestyle and don’t enjoy struggling for anything! (although I am learning to appreciate the rewards of hard work).

Me at Macy Gray's Concert! — Me at Macy Gray’s Concert!

8. Islam is the main religion that is practiced between GCC citizens.

9. Car drifting is a popular hobby amongst the youth, especially in Saudi.

10. PDA’s are not acceptable and are against the law. You could be punished if caught.

Random Post: Where is He?!

In Dubai, I can say that I mostly live the expat life. This means that although I’m Saudi and from this region, my lifestyle is not exactly similar to that of most local or Arab people. Since I’m single and living alone, I get the opportunity to explore the places and do the activities that I choose to do. I spend my free time doing things that I usually plan in advance with my expat friends. Yes, most of my friends are expats from different nationalities and backgrounds. And most importantly, I get to meet new people on a regular basis. I think that one of the great aspects of living in cosmopolitan Dubai is the possibility to meet and network with people from all around the world, to exchange cultural knowledge and to build an ever-expanding network of friends and business contacts.

Now I can’t complain much, because I’ve always enjoyed being independent and free from my parents’ obsessive controlling ways, but these days, I can’t help but feel exhausted, tired and in a way…hopeless!

Maybe it’s the accumulated stress of taking an undergraduate course at a University located at the other end of town from where I live, trying to update the blog whenever I get the chance, and making sure that my Facebook Page stays alive and my followers engaged and entertained.

But lately, I have been feeling an increased sense of loneliness and solitude creeping up on me, I am no longer enjoying my personal space and freedom as much as I used to, the idea of being single and free doesn’t appeal to me that much, and most of all, I’m fed up and tired of all the responsibilities that come with being single in the city!

Actually, it’s not my first time to talk about this subject, you might remember my post on my visit to a legendary spiritual temple in Hong Kong. While there, I even prayed for a husband and specifically made the prayers on the male statue which is believed to save single women! you can read all about that post here.

They say that you’ll meet that special someone when you stop looking and start doing the things that you love most. Well, that’s precisely what I’ve been doing all of my life! I was never actively looking or putting effort into that area of my life. I was always focused on career and education, and am proud to say that I still am. I constantly had other priorities in life, and still do!

So could it be that that’s the main reason that the Universe still didn’t bring that person my way? that maybe I need to start putting more effort into attracting him into my life? do I need to implement or follow some strategies that will bring us closer together? 😀

Here’s a short video from Sex and the City that summarizes what I’m trying to say in this post (note: the early dating part doesn’t exactly apply to my story):

Sex and the city – Charlotte

Of all the elements that being single brings, the one that I mostly despise is having to act as both a lady and a man in one person’s body. By saying this I am talking about the endless responsibilities that come with living alone and having to do everything by yourself. Therefore, if you are ‘the one’ and you happen to be reading this, I would highly suggest that you are prepared for the following responsibilities:

All technical and computer related issues.
Handling the payment of utility and services bills.
All legal matters (anything that requires preparing important documents and submitting them to official entities. Example: Visa application process).
All rent related issues. These could range from looking for an apartment, to viewing it, to negotiating a contract, to signing the agreement and everything in between.
Setting up stuff, assembling furniture, connecting electronic devices. (and of course maintenance and fixing when anything goes wrong).
All travel bookings, hotel reservations and other travel related arrangements.
Help in grocery shopping and general stuff around the house.

Now that I’ve got that sorted out, I would like to ask you ladies (single, engaged, married): What are your views on being single and emotional stability and security? Do you think that it’s possible to be single and living alone and still feel emotionally stable? how do you cope with loneliness in the city? who do you turn to for moral support? how significant is sharing your life with a partner is to you? at what stage of your life did you feel at your most happy and secure?

And finally, in searching for or finding that special someone, what did you find has worked most for you?

I conclude this post with the ever popular Rihanna and “Where Have You Been”:

Where Have You Been- Rihanna

A huge thank you to the highly talented photographer at Pink Pepper Photography for the images used in this post 🙂

Stay tuned to my Facebook Page for more images from that fun photo shoot at Pink Pepper Photography studios!

Event Review: The UAE International Coffee & Tea Festival

“Did you know that the UAE is the only country that has a coffee pot on its currency?”

I never really paid any attention to this fact until Sofia Khan, Marketing Manager at the International Conferences & Exhibitions organization told me about it as I sampled a freshly brewed cappuccino at the espresso and brew bar.

The espresso bar was one of many stands at the fifth edition of the Dubai Coffee & Tea Festival. An event that brings together coffee and tea exhibitors, talented baristas and caffeine addicts like me 🙂

The cappuccino made from Nicaraguan coffee beans was not my first coffee cup for the day. In fact, from the time that I had arrived at the caffeine-infused trade show and while waiting to meet with the organizers to get quotes for my journalism feature story, I had been sampling various types of coffee from the different exhibitors. So by the time I had met with the organizers, I was already in an extremely hyper and high-energy mode! The caffeine high left me with no choice but to attack the organizers with my endless questions on everything from the event aim and vision, to the coffee industry in the UAE, the types of coffee and tea and the coffee roasting and brewing process!

I even sat in a corner of the hall near the organizers’ section and I had what one of the organizers called “my own office”!

I greatly enjoyed my conversation with the event director, Ryan Godinho. Ryan had so many interesting facts to share with me about coffee and about the event.

For example, did you know that there are more than 50,000 types of coffee? and more than 200,000 tea varieties?

Ryan, who started his career as an apprentice barista in Australia, also spoke to me about the progressive coffee industry there, the developed cafe culture and the highly-respected and well-paid barista profession.

The event wasn’t only about exhibitors promoting their coffee products or coffee machines though. The event hosted SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) certified training workshops. These programs covered coffee grading and evaluation techniques, coffee preparation and craft roasting skills.

Another main feature of the show was the National Barista Championship. In which local baristas compete in front of an International panel of judges who came from various destinations. The winner of the UAE Championship gets the opportunity to represent the country at the 2014 World Barista Championship taking place in Rimini, Italy.

I was also delighted to speak to Anselm Godinho, Managing Director at the International Conferences & Exhibitions organization. Anselm explained to me about the event and the coffee industry from a rich business perspective. He gave me insight on a lot of topics including the original route of coffee history. He said: “Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia, then moved to Yemen, Turkey, Austria and finally London.”

Anselm helped answer my query about the lack of organic coffee exhibitors by explaining to me that there is no certifying body for organic coffee. In addition, organic coffee looses a lot of its positive effects through the heating process. That’s why it’s not very common to brew organic coffee.

After noting down a total of 23 pages of quotes and information at the show, I think I can confidently say that I was undoubtedly alert with extremely high energy levels from all the coffee that I sampled at the event!

With a gold-trimmed box containing an exotic selection of Swiss luxury organic tea blends and highly informative and interesting conversations with friendly event organizers, who wouldn’t want to return to the UAE International Coffee & Tea Festival next year?!

I know I definitely will…if not for another blog post or feature story, at least to gratify my uncontrollable coffee addiction 🙂

Boon Coffee: Ethiopian Beans Roasted in the UAE

My Complimentary Luxury Organic Tea Blends :) — My Complimentary Luxury Organic Tea Blends 🙂

Personal Makeup Artist Course at The Annex Institute Dubai

I don’t want to sound like a drama queen, but when I was growing up, I always tended to do things at a later stage than my friends. Starting and learning how to put on makeup was no exception! I guess my mind was always preoccupied with other life-changing decisions…like mapping out and working on my next plan to get more personal space and freedom. For example, in the summer before I left Saudi to go study in London, I was busy communicating with London College of Fashion to enroll at a course there, preparing and sending my documents, taking the IELTS test, deciding on accommodation options and other legal matters.

Makeup was always something in the back of my head. I had the basic products and I knew how to use them at beginner level I would say. I had no idea how to do an evening look or blend different eye shadow colors to make a cool effect. My personal concept of makeup began and ended with mascara and a tinted lip balm 🙂

If you were following my blog lately, you might have read my post on the Annex Institute; a brand new creative school based in Downtown Dubai. The school offers various creative courses covering hair, Makeup, film and photography.

I was lucky to attend a ‘Personal Makeup Artist‘ course at the school. Where I finally got the opportunity to make use of my Smokey Eyes kit that I had bought over the summer and never got a chance to test out since I have no clue as to how to achieve the look!

During the day course, Chief Creative Officer and Makeup Artist Aqeel Al Nasser used me as a model for a highly elegant and sultry brown Smokey Eyes look. While applying the makeup, Aqeel explained every step that he did with high precision and detail. I must admit that I learned so many makeup tricks that I wasn’t previously aware of like:

The correct way to apply and blend eye shadow and blusher powder.
How to avoid the smudged mascara look (that I’m famous for sporting).
Essential contouring and highlighting techniques.
The correct way to apply eye liner.
The types of brushes to use for each product.
As much as I hate to admit this, but I was introduced to gel liner for the first time 😀

Aqeel even went on to explain to us the right way to clean our makeup brushes, which after trying out myself, I couldn’t imagine how increasingly efficient and effective it was! It makes your life so much easier, that you wonder how you would previously spend hours washing brushes in the sink with liquid soap and water! Or maybe that was just me being lost in my own world of life-changing missions and not knowing about this basic tip 🙂

Whether you are an expert in makeup application and evening looks or are a basic makeup user like me (who only owns a total of 4 brushes), the super friendly team at the Annex Institute will help you progress to the next level of your learning curve…their courses are certified by Internationally acclaimed organizations and institutions. With their many hair and makeup courses, they can accommodate to all levels and skills. Just drop them a line and they will offer you a course based on your requirements and interests.

Being the tom boyish girl that I am, I am now looking forward to taking my next course at the Annex: Creative Business Course. It’s a three-day Introductory business course to help you start your own creative business.

But before that, I must finish reading my Blog Inc. book…and I need to make time for the course once my University term ends or at the beginning of my next semester 🙂

Yes, despite being a Diva, I also have a very masculine and career-oriented side to me that you can’t ever hide 🙂

Now that I know how to put my own makeup in a professional way, it’s your turn to learn the essential tips and tricks of makeup and beauty. Check out the Annex Institute’s web site and follow them on Facebook!

Web Site: http://www.annex.ae/

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/annexdxb

P.S. Do follow the Annex’s Facebook Page, as they regularly post useful and interesting hair and makeup tips on a daily basis! I’m a fan and I can say that I’ve learned a good number of tricks from that page 🙂

My Unsponsored Beach Day!

So it seems that most of my fans can’t really afford to spend time reading my posts…and I’m honestly getting tired of trying to promote my posts, my Facebook Page or my baby blog. That’s why, I have decided to write short posts (OK mostly because I don’t have the time to write long posts anymore with the University commitments and stuff) and to spare you the agony of having to go through lines and paragraphs of content that you might not even find interesting!

Having said that, if you are someone who just happens to actually read my posts from beginning to end, then speak now or forever hold your peace (or something like that). Oh and do comment on my Facebook Page’s link to the post, as the comments section on the blog’s web site is currently messed up and I haven’t got the time to sort it out (didn’t I tell you I’m short on time these days?!)

I had done a couple of brutally honest beach club reviews before the crazy Dubai summer months began. You can check out my latest one here.

But since I felt like I was melting in the shade while doing that review and since it wasn’t sponsored by any entity and since I developed a small facial skin defect after doing that review, I decided that I had gone too far with my blogging compromises and that it was time to regain some of my sanity before I went out and did another Dubai Beach Club Review.

Fast forward four months later, I find myself back on the beach club review track. This time, joining the Russian, Italian and British tourists at one of JBR’s private stretches of beach: Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort and Spa.

As my blog’s title suggests, my day at the resort wasn’t sponsored in any way. I paid the exact fee for the weekend day pass (350 AED), I took my own photos, I paid for my own lunch at the walk and later the two refreshingly tasty iced coffees that I had!

And I would like to add that I was doing this for the rest of the beach club reviews that I had previously done on this awesome (even if no one agrees!) blog.

Now in staying true to my words in keeping this post short and simple, I present to you: My Unsponsored Beach Day in images 😀

The Rebellious Saudi Diva after a stressful week of blogging and studying

A Failed Attempt to Read my Blog inc. Book

See? didn’t I promise to keep this post short and sweet? That was my lovely beach day in a nutshell…I was delighted to have my intelligent and sweet friend Sarah as my buddy for the day. We always have fun and interesting conversations since we both come from similar backgrounds and cultures (Iran and Saudi)…We basically support and empower one another since our parents always seem to be against what we are doing or even planning 🙂 Yes, it can be tricky and complicated at times….well, more like all the time 😀

I’ll never forget that summer night when me and Sarah were sitting at one of the juice bar cafes at JBR walk (over a year ago) when we first met…we were talking about how our lives are full of struggles and how nothing ever comes easily to us. Then Sarah lifts up her small bottle of water and says: “For us, even this is a struggle.” Referring to the act of drinking bottled water! Yes, it’s a sad reality I know….and I hope that you will sympathize with us by at least following my random and silly posts on my blog’s Facebook Page and maybe commenting on a post or two.

OK, so maybe the post didn’t end up being as short as I had planned it to be…but I guess I still have to practice writing shorter posts. Especially after the extended and detailed reviews that I was mentally doing earlier.

Until the next post, you can continue to hear my endless rants and follow my silly posts by becoming a fan of my Facebook Page.

Beach Diva Signing Off…

Random Post: The Killers at Sandance, Physical and Emotional Exhaustion and Overall Chaos!

As I sit to write this post while sitting at my favorite cafe, I can feel the rapid pulse of my heart beat as I place my left index finger on the side of my neck. Yes, I’ve always been a weirdo and I tend to do silly things in public too!

Where have I been?

I must start by apologizing for not writing in such a long time. As many of you know by now, I have just started an undergraduate journalism course at a University in Dubai. Since I’ve decided to put this degree as a priority, blogging had to wait until I had the time for it once I was done with my assignments, University hectic commute and daily house errands.

I’m glad that I took the time off (unintentionally) though, as the break allowed me to reflect on my blogging ways and revise my strategy a little bit…well, more like go back to what I was doing when I first started this blog a little over a year ago. But I’ll leave that for you readers to discover 🙂

The Killers at Sandance Gig

At the time of planning this post, I had just gone to The Killers concert at the ever-popular Nasimi Beach and so this topic was in my notes for this blog post. The ironic thing about this show was that my British friend Lianne had told me about it way back in Ramadan…and when I told her that I wasn’t sure of who ‘The Killers” were, she played a music clip from her phone with one of their famous songs. For some reason, I assumed that “The Killers” were a British band and that I would be having an authentic British experience with a group of cool Brits (my friend Lianne and her friends).

Then while standing at the show with my new cool group of British expat friends, I explain my excitement to one of the members of the group, only to find out that The Killers are actually an American band from Las Vegas, Nevada!

That didn’t change the thrilling factor of the experience. As I still managed to have a great night with my British friends. Plus, being a fan of indie/alternative rock music meant that I still sang along and enjoyed most of the songs that were played that night. The Killers’ music style reminded me a lot of the band Green Day; one of my favorite bands that I used to listen to as a teenager.

Exhausted!

When I first started my course at University, I was trying my best to keep the blog and my usual active lifestyle going as much as I could. This however proved to be so draining as the semester went on and we started to have assignments to hand in. As much as I enjoyed attending all sorts of social and work related events and meetups, I now realize that I must keep it to a minimum if I wish to maintain my sanity and health!

It certainly isn’t an easy task trying to juggle all of the following at the same time:

Attending University classes and working on assignments.
Attending main social and work related events and other meetups.
Going for blog reviews, topics and writing posts.
Updating my Facebook Page (glad to discover scheduled posts!).
Following the world news and current affairs (on TV and radio) to be able to get at least one answer right at the Media Law and Ethics weekly news quiz :s
Attempting to read my current book on successful blogging.
Grocery shopping and other essential errands.
Housework chores (washing dishes, laundry, ironing clothes…)
Catching up with friends and making sure that I don’t disappear from the real world 😉

Revised Priorities

In a desperate attempt to save what’s left of my pride and self-integrity…

I will no longer push myself to attend social or work related events when I’m not in the mood for it or lack the required energy and stamina for socializing in a decent manner with other individuals!
I will put working for my journalism course first and everything else will come after that.
I will not bother much about giving my business card to new people and telling them about my Facebook page. Mainly because most will only store the card somewhere and will never put in the effort to type the name of my Facebook Page in the search box to check it out.
I will pay more attention to spending time with friends and the people who matter.
I will allocate more ‘me-time’ and try to relax with much-needed spa treatments and movie nights!

My Halloween Weekend

I plan to spend my long weekend doing low-key activities namely: lounging by the beach and reading, going to the cinema, having dinner with friends and getting a rejuvenating massage.

I will not dress up for Halloween or attend any parties…because I’m too tired to go shopping for a costume or dress up for the occasion! Yes, as you can tell I am seriously exhausted and could use a short break from an active social life.

Conclusion

Since this post is dragging for too long, I decided to leave some other topics for next time.

In the meantime, you could participate by telling me the following:

Do you sometimes feel like you have no control over your life? and that no matter how hard you try, things are just getting chaotic and messed up?

If so, what techniques and methods do you follow to get you back on track?

The Rebellious Saudi Diva Signing Off…