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?

Welcome To Reality

saudi arrested for murdering wife, brothers jailed for beating sister, hail pedophile murderer beheaded, - similar headlines can be found in a saudi newspaper every day.. many muslims around the world (and i used to be one of them) believe such things simply don't happen every day in ksa, for it's such an islamic society.. they come for hajj and umrah and see all the women wearing black abayas, often with niqabs, and men with beards wearing white thoubs.. hundreds of people praying in al-haram in congregation.. strangers approaching you in a mosque giving you leaflets promoting niqab.. yeah...

only, what you see when you come for hajj or umrah is not real saudi arabia.. in reality, it's basically like any other country in the world, with it's bad and ugly side.. ugly with a specific saudi twist, hushing it up and pretending it doesn't exist.. you can find all kinds of crimes here that you will find in any other country in the world, from murders and rapes to spreading drugs at schools and molestation, only here they are committed in greater secrecy and might seem more outrageous at times, because you did not expect them to happen in this country

however, i don't want to go into details, you can read about the ugly side of saudi in the newspapers and on other blogs and websites.. i just wanted to let those still living in a dream know that all kinds of things happen here and it's not as safe as it seems to be, specially for the children

and by the way, even during hajj and umrah, be creful with your stuff, some individuals manage to steal even in al-haram mosque

Seven Things About Me

i was tagged by hijab chic to write 7 things about myself

"the challenge is to tell 7 things about yourself and then challenge 7 people and link to them and the one who challenged you"

so here we go

1. i'm not afraid of cockroaches... unless they are huuuge :)

2. last time i went skating, i broke my leg and had to stay home for a month.. i haven't skated since.. the good thing was that i didn't have to go to uni :)

3. i wish all the furniture in my home was white

4. my favourite kind of sports in winter olympics is biathlon

5. first time in my life i tried indian curry was at the age of 22.. how backward! :D i've loved it anyway

6. i only own two black abayas.. both are plain

7. i like washing clothes... in the washing machine :)

i tag princess, arab-mania, hamda issa-salwe, alice, deros, radiah, fatima

Women's Magazine - Middle Eastern Style

sayidaty is a women's monthly magazine, main office based in dubai.. it's like middle eastern cosmopolitan, only less shallow and with an islamic twist.. it's been on the market for 28 years now and is available in both arabic and english.. it talks about fashion, culture, lifestyle, health, marriage and what not.. you'll also find inspirational true stories in every issue

i find it cute how they use pictures of western celebrities or models and make them look more decent by drawing on leggings and t-shirts to cover the 'awrah :) take a look

Modesty Is The Best Policy

i had to have an x-ray of my chest taken today as part of medical examination.. in russia and norway one has to remove all the clothes above the waist to do so, which has always made me feel pretty uncomfortable.. in egypt you do the same but they give you a disposable robe in order to keep things decent.. well, here i didn't have to take any clothes off at all! isn't that lovely? :)

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?

It's Interesting To Know That...

...the name jeddah actually means grandmother in arabic.. according to a local legend, eve, the mother of humanity, is buried here.. the graveyard still exists, it's called hawa cemetery and can be found just outside of the historical area of the old city (northeast of al-balad)

saudis pronounce the name of the city more like jiddah, which means prosperity and happiness

another pronunciation is joddah and this means a narrow passage between two mountains or a long road