Watch Out Your Abaya

this is a sticker they have on escalators in IKEA here.. i have never seen anything like it before, usually in europe they warn you about long coats and stuff, so it made me smile :)


and i'm wondering, do they have such stickers on escalators in other muslim counrties?

Sparkles

girls like sparkle.. here in saudi you can find sparkly hairclips, rings, shaylas, abayas.. but how about having some sparkle on your... plate!

i found these in danube supermarket and they also have serving dishes and small bowls of the same design.. i think they would be great for a glamorous girls-only party

what do you think? is it glam or is it over-the-top?

Pantalon Abaya

here's a new abaya style from a saudi designer eman joharjy based in jeddah - pantalon abayas.. the designer claims it to be "the perfect hijab for active saudi women. Whether working hard at the office or while jogging, these exclusive abayas are made from great quality material with innovative design"

innovative? definitely.. however, i would still stick to the classic version of an abaya

what do you think? would you wear something like this?

Fulla In Saudi

i'm sure many of you know fulla, an 11.5 inch doll marketed to children of islamic and middle-eastern countries as an alternative to barbie

the concept of fulla evolved around 1999, and she hit the stores in late 2003 after barbie was banned in saudi arabia because she did not conform the ideas of islam shared by the saudi society

fulla was created by a uae manufacturer from dubai and was developed to have long coal black hair and brown eyes, but later, dolls with lighter hair and eyes were introduced.. she was dressed in a black abaya and head scarf for the saudi market, and a white scarf and pastel coat for other countries.. her outdoor clothes have since become more colorful, but her shoulders are always covered and the skirt always falls below her knees, as muslim women (and men) are expected to dress modestly

fulla is named after a fragrant jasmine flower found only in the middle east.. she's 16 years old, she's arab and her personality was designed to be loving, caring, honest, and respecting her parents.. she's good to her friends.. she's honest and doesn't lie.. she likes reading and of course fashion

fulla has two friends, yasmeen and nada, as well as a little brother and sister.. an older protective brother is in development for her, as well as a teacher and doctor fulla, which are two careers that fulla's creators believe to be respectable.. fulla will not have a boyfriend, because muslims do not believe in romantic relationships out of wedlockin saudi arabia, animated commercials display fulla's life, such as showing the doll saying her prayers as the sun rises, baking a cake to surprise her friend, or reading a book at bedtime.. they also often promote modest outfits, as one of fulla's commercials had warned, "when you take fulla out of the house, don't forget her new spring abaya!"



more about fulla on the official website

No Reservations In Saudi Arabia

if you are an american you might have seen this show on tv.. i've found this episode of no reservations show on youtube and just looooved it.. it shows the nice side of saudi which pretty much nobody knows or hears about.. and ta-da! it was filmed in jeddah where i live :) i also loved this danya girl, she's so sweet and bubbly mashAllah.. in a word, do watch!

Eid Gift Ideas From Saudi

eid ul-fitr is almost here and saudi residents are busy making their last preparations for the grand event

but not only are they buying new clothes for themselves and their children (as the egyptinas usually do), but they also clean their houses and refresh them by buying new furniture or refurnishing the old and buying gifts!

so because everybody wants their homes clean and renewed by eid, carpet washing and furniture upholster businesses get more profit in the last days of ramadan than they do during the year
during the last week of ramadan the malls are crowded with last-minute shoppers.. buying gifts for children instead of giving them traditional token money is a new trend in saudi.. one of the reasons for this is that children who don't know how do deal with money properly, often misuse it.. so grown-ups these days prefer to get them such suitable gifts as stuffed toys, clothes, video games and books, as well as giving a small amount of token money

my favourite part of it all is that other members of close family also get some gifts! so here are some gift ideas from saudi- jewelry.. well, everybody knows that "diamonds are a girl's best friends", so a piece of exclusive jewelry is always welcome but with the budget being tight and avilability of highly attractive artificial jewlelry, there are cheaper alternatives.. plus a number of stores here have special offers where you can buy a whole set of accessories (wrist watch, ring, pair of earrings and necklace) with a reasonable price.. a similar package for men (wrist watch, pen, key ring and a pair of cuff studs) is also available

- perfumes and oils.. i think this is one of the gifts for muslims - not only is it a wonderful fragrant gift always easy to get, but applying a perfume is sunnah of our beloved prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).. these days perfume shops also have special offers - gift packs which in addition to the perfume include shower gels, soaps, body lotions and bath oils of the same brand, available for both men and women

- clothes.. everybody wants to wear something new in eid.. however, make sure you know the preferances and size of the reciever (it'd better be a close relative of friend).. otherwise, why not give a nice scarf to a sister?

- electronic gadgets, such as mobile phones, laptops, gaming devices, music players and so on

- gift boxes comprising traditional sweets (like baklawa and konafa), nuts and chocolates.. these are especially popular in eid

are you going to present your loved ones with any gifts this eid?

sources: arab news, saudi gazette

The Heart Of Entertainment

if there's one hot spot you can't miss out when in jeddah, it is undoubtedly tahlia street.. located in what was once the outskirts of jeddah, it has become the heart of city life for those who live here.. in the early nineties, tahlia gained attention as a cruising road for the young generation to show off their cool cars.. later the introduction of a great number of cafes, fast food chains and restaurants changed the dynamic nature of the street turning it into food mecca

now if you’re a shopaholic, tahlia is definitely where you can get your fix.. this is where the label conscious will find high-end designer brands.. for fashionistas who prefer a mix, there are a number of shopping centers located along tahlia to choose from.. for the young ones, most malls have an amusement level dedicated to entertaining children with rides, games, and activities.. some of the malls also include a hyper grocery store.. plus here you'll find a full size ikea which will provide you with any interior needs you might have

tahlia, however, is not only about fun and games.. there's a business-oriented center located towards the very beginning of the street.. plus saudi arabia’s three cellular service providers have outlets located on tahlia, giving easy access to all of your communication requirements.. ATMs and bank branches are also readily available on the street

but since tahlia has it all, everyone loves to go there.. therefore it can be quite congested with traffic on the weekends

tahlia starts from the corniche (the coast) down to makkah road and is constantly being renovated and redesigned with new shops and restaurants.. with the relaxed criteria for construction, taller buildings are being erected on tahlia, while adding a much-needed change to the jeddah skyline.. with all the amenities available, it’s no wonder that tahlia is considered jeddah’s - and possibly the kingdom’s - entertainment hub

source: destination jeddah

Shopping Hardships

shopping is great here, everything is so much cheaper, specially at the time of sales like now (yaaay!), you can find all kinds of things and the quality is good.. to my mind there are only two problems with the malls:

1) there are no fitting rooms for ladies

this almost made my eye twitch.. how am i supposed to buy jeans without trying them on? well, the idea is that a woman is not supposed to remove her garments anywhere except for in the safety of her home.. so you can buy all the things your soul desires (and your budget allows), try them on "in the safety of your home" and in case something doesn't fit, return or exchange it.. another option is to try them in the mall's toilet.. emm, well allow me to just leave this option to the others...

2) all the shop assistants are men

all of them.. even in lingerie and make-up stores.. the former is embarassing.. i once entered a lingerie shop, to test the waters so to say, and i was wondering if any of the women would be brave enough to buy that black lace garter belt infront of all these men.. i wouldn't

and men in make-up is emm.. out of place? today my friend and i went to a mall.. we entered a make-up store and asked for eyeshadow brushes.. the guy showed us to the place where make-up brushes were displayed, handled us a bunch of brushes, then another bunch and then he said something so true about most men: "sorry, i know nothing about make-up".. oh... okay...

rumour has it though that they are currently training women to work in lingerie stores.. please hurry! and train some for make-up stores too