Under The Abaya

summer.. it's extremely hot now here in saudi.. i've noticed that most young ladies here wear skinny jeans under the abayas and i used to do it too.. but after boiling for a while i decided to try a maxi skirt and, boy, was it a relief! i mean, if all u need to do is just jump in and out of the air-conditioned car and into an air conditioned school/hospital/mall/friend's house, jeans r fine but if u need to take a taxi, even five minutes in this sun and humidity is an ultimate test.. and of course in 'omra jeans r a big no-no.. so for all those covered girls here's my suggestion of what to wear under the abaya in the summer :)

p.s.: don't forget a loose top ;)

Have You Been To A Circus Before?

assalamu aleikum dear readers!
it's been a long time since i've posted on my blog, i dunno if anyone noticed but if you were waiting, i apologize.. and welcome to all the new followers :)

well, sentiments aside, not so long ago i actually had a chance to visit a saudi girls' school graduation party.. and let me tell you it was something! since it's a girls school, males were not allowed and as it happens at all female only gatherings here, the lades didn't miss a chance to show off their...everything.. well, it was kinda weird.. some came wearing night gowns, others - jeans or beach dresses.. and of course lots of make-up and perfumes

i have to say the girls' performances were just wonderful! so was the work of the school staff.. what really shocked me was the audience.. of course everybody was like 1.5 hours late, this is normal here.. but even when the action on stage started, women were still arriving and behaving as though nothing formal was going on - walking around, talking loudly, laughing and paying little attention to what was going on on the stage.. it all looked more like a dress rehearsal to me than an actual performance day.. this continued even when the principal was giving a speech but she didn't say one word to make them quiet, as if this kind of behavior was normal

it got even more interesting, however, when i saw some of the ladies sitting with their feet on the backs of the chairs in front of them, another one trying to do something like a shadow play in the light of a projector right in the middle of the performance.. and the young lady in a mini and high heels climbing over the rows just finished me off

this reminds me of my saudi friend who quite some years ago went to a performance of a visiting circus here in jeddah with her friend..  it was a mixed gathering, i have to mention.. and how weird did they feel when during the whole performance they were like the only ones clapping and cheering for the actors.. the circus stopped coming shortly after...

what is the reason for this kind of behavior? is it arrogance and lack of morality or is it just because people don't really know how they should behave in such kind of gatherings, simply because they don't have a chance to attend many (or any at all)?

Pork Actually

so i was watching rachael ray talk/cooking-show on a saudi-owned channel (where they cut all the indecent scenes and mute swear words).. she was making pork meatballs or something like that and every time she was actually saying pork they muted it! :) since when is the word pork haram? or do they think the viewers will want to eat pork after hearing the word? may be they will think it's allowed.. but please! even non-muslims know that it is forbidden in islam

so could there be a good reason for that?

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