I guess I can see the charm and appeal of a lavishly placed chandelier, like this extravagant/ginormous one hanging in the staircase at a hotel in Jeddah.
Despite that I can't help but notice (apart from the obvious expensive cost and high electricity consumption), these things radiate heat and must be a hassle to clean. I hope they're anchored in there pretty tight, because I can see this crystal framed illuminating machine becoming a killing machine if it were to fall on someone. (God forbid!)
Still it is rather enchanting and just adds to the luxuriousness of this country. Enjoy!
Here's all you gotta do! Go out in the desert sun, with your favorite pair of sunglasses on, do not apply sun block or SPF lip balm (for a crimson red pout), hang outside (go for a walk, ride dirt bikes, sit at the beach) under the sweltering/scorching Arabian sun for a few hours, preferably during the hottest time of the day (11am to 2pm). Once you get home remove (peel) the sunglasses from your face for a reverse raccoon mask! AND you're done!
Enjoy!
All jokes aside sunburns are very serious. Melanoma is the cause of at least 75% of deaths related to skin disease...I had no idea of any of this, but once I got this horrible sunburn, I began researching natural ways to sooth sunburns, only to find a whole lot more than I bargained for! As a heads up for all you new comers, I also discovered the very hard way that the sun here is 80 percent (I made this statistic up) hotter and more damaging than back home. I could spend hours out doors and the result wouldn't be this....!
If cancerous cells forming on your skin doesn't scare you off of tanning without an appropriate sunblock on, then I should also inform you that the results of this "tan" were not pretty. I had blisters on my lips and right on the apples of my cheeks....worst off all once it stopped hurting like hell and started to heal...my skin began peeling off like dried glue! Also my nose looked like I was in clown makeup! That was just the EWW on top of the cake!
[Incase you're wondering...I am much better now, thank you for your concern ツ]
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Mama went shopping! (4 E!D)
As I spent this Eid all by my lonesome in the Kingdom as everyone around me celebrated happily with friends and family. I reckoned all bets were off, and I would celebrate it by myself rather than sitting around eating peanut butter straight from the jar and sulking (which I was doing for the first two hours on the morning of Eid), instead I would do some grocery shopping, (all other stores were closed in the morning/afternoon...good thing too or else my credit cards would have felt the wrath of my loneliness) And seeing as all bets were off, I figured why not splurge on junk food and comforting deliciousness-es, and so I did just that! After returning from my trip to the grocers, I got to baking cookies and apple cinnamon slices, and made a pot of coffee, I got fancy with a caramel cappuccino and even made a green tea soy latte! I played wild and interesting beats and danced around while the kitchen swarmed the house with scents of warm biscuits, cinnamon, caramel, Belgian chocolate and popcorn. I phoned a few friends and wished them a happy day, then I moved on to making a play list of movies that I would watch in the darkness of my bedroom. I played them so loud it drowned out the sound of my air conditioner and the joyous squeals from neighbors and other children playing on the street. I crashed halfway through my movie list, and went to bed with a smile on my face (or was that just chocolate smeared in the shape of a smile?)
I hope you can always find a way to be happy. XOXO
"Haadeth" the Arabic word meaning 'accident' or more specifically 'car accident'. Also known as the most common answer to the question “How did she/he get injured/die?” (In the Kingdom)
Why are there so many 'haadeths' you ask?
My answer would be, MONEY! The equation goes on like this -->Money (lots of it) = Buy a new car + Slap happy person behind the wheel, eventually smashes car, watches car burn up into fiery flames= Goes and buys a new car. That's just my opinion!
Apparently the real reasons are as follows: the number one reason for so many car accidents here is, human error (Translation: Underage/non licensed drivers). The second reason, speeding (Translation:Imagine a car trying to compete with a jet!). It seems they both go hand in hand. The faster you are moving, the less response/reaction/judgment time you have to decide what to do next before you go colliding into another vehicle, palm tree, or even a camel at 120k/h thus resulting in a collision/loss of limbs/fatality.
Car accidents are SO frequent here that I bet I could get a picture of a car disaster everyday of the week, if I wanted to and had the time. Fortunately (or unfortunately I'm not sure which yet) I am very busy. However, there are websites dedicated to just this...Getting pictures of messy car related accidents, seems like it's more of an encouragement than a warning...! But who am I to say? I only know a little about some things.
Here are a few that I've taken.
The best part about this one, he was still trying to drive it!
Ouch!! I hope everyone made it out ok.
I really wish people will learn to drive the speed limit, wear their seatbelts and just focus!
For those of you with children, you know what it's like to go shopping with a bunch of mini-yous running around your ankles and pulling at your clothing (or abaya), always wanting/needing something, bathroom, water, “I’M BORED"....And before you know it the mall is closing and apart from trying to keep it together and clean sticky stuff off of you and your child you haven't gotten anything done or shopped for anything. SO! Here they came up with the bright idea of adding a play area for children to keep occupied while parents run errands...If you're thinking a few swings, slides and a sand box then you're very mistaken. As in most malls here, there is a full out carnival like fun fair for children to play in.
WHICH is yes, very entertaining for the youngns and is relieving for the parents, but I feel what wasn't taken into account was the amount of NOISE these carnival-gyms create. I was out with a couple of friends and we were discussing our shopping slash eating slash downtime plan in the mall. And we were literally screaming and had to use exaggerated hand gestures like we were in the military trying to give secret signals. One of them had a vain popping out her forehead because she was talking (and by that i mean screaming) so loud for so long just to get a point across... Which by the time she was done screaming was--> 'Let’s meet up on the top floor so we can jump out a window together and save ourselves the trouble of losing our voices!'
Like it's not already a hectick experience especially during holiday and sale seasons there is now the added joy of bloody murder screams that drown out all other sounds, even the ones in our heads telling us to jump off a cliff! ☺
I suppose I'd be more inclined to the idea of this death-scream-making-machine, if they let me play on it! BUT it's only for small children. I don't think I was ever 'small' even as a child. Humph!
Still I suppose overall we should be grateful there's a place for our married friends with children to pop their little brats in while we do our thing.
