Tora Bora

Tora Bora, a film directed by Walid Al Awadhi, premiered on August 23rd at a private screening event. I was privileged enough to be able to attend and watch the film, which turned out to be honestly mind-blowing. It breaks every Kuwaiti cinematic stereotype, and goes beyond the average Middle-Eastern expectations. I think it will definitely spark a lot of controversy, with good reasons. It touches on several political and religious aspects that the story boldly addresses, conveying the reality that many Muslims and Arabs all over the world are experiencing but refusing to speak up about. Everyone had been concerned that the film would not be approved by the Ministry of Censorship, but they all came to a mutual agreement that the film had to be shown in full-length; nothing would be censored.

The main plot of the story revolves around a middle-aged Kuwaiti couple — played by Saad Al Faraj and Asmahan Tawfeeq — on a long journey of torment to Tora Bora, in hopes of finding and bringing back their 22-year-old son, Ahmed. Ahmed joined the Taliban in pursuit of “Jehad” in the name of God and Islam. He was brainwashed into believing terrorism was the path to righteousness, and would guarantee him a place in heaven should he ever sacrifice his life for the sake of what they believe is defending his religion. He is surprised to learn that there is nothing to defend. They are killing ruthlessly, bombing schools and raping young girls. But once he’s in, there is no way out. And from there, the plot unfolds.

Tariq, Ahmed's older brother, played by Khalid Ameen.

The red carpet event on the 23rd was well-organized by Cinescape. The whole cast was there, as well as a number of other Kuwaiti celebrities who showed up to support this phenomenal event, including Mohammed Al-Mansour and Mansour Al-Mansour.

The crew:

The actors of the film are Saad Al Faraj, Sulaiman Al Bassam, Khalid Ameen, Asmahan Tawfeeq, Qais Nashef, Al Araby Al Sassy, Abdullah Al Tarawa, Yasine Ahjam, Abdullah Al Zaid, and several other upcoming actors.

Watch the trailer here:

Walid Al Awadhi is in the process of turning this film into a TV series as well.

I highly recommend you book your tickets on August 27th through the Cinescape website for the film’s release on the first day of Eid. It’s not a film that anyone should miss. It has even participated in the Cannes Film Festival 2011; I cannot do the film’s quality or story justice using just my words.

Saad Al Faraj and Walid Al Awadhi at the Cannes Film Festival 2011

The iPhone 5

This is what’s keeping me from buying an iPhone 4 now, or waiting for the iPhone 5 in October. Either way, my Blackberry can’t stay. I just wish Apple would release an official statement so I know what to do!

Not-So-Pretty Predators

Yesterday I was at a formal event at the Sheraton Hotel. There were a lot of well-known people there, mostly journalists and photographers. The guests were probably 60% men and 40% women. The story all of the journalists were there for was, in my opinion, a big story. So I’m not sure why the majority of the women there didn’t seem too keen on focusing on their purpose…and seemed more interested in becoming a story. Specifically, grabbing some guy’s attention — finding a husband. Now, these women aren’t normal women. They are creatures of a different species, and their hunting methods are of a peculiar kind. Feast your eyes on the bait they use to prey on their targets…

  Personally, I don’t see how this method is effective. Crayola faces are only appealing to 5-year-old boys, and even then their amusement is strictly for the sake of pointing and laughing their little hearts out.

As a method of seduction, I’d give this an F. When you are seducing your prey, you seduce them with something sweet, something they’d find visually appealing.

As a defense mechanism, I’d give this an A+! Ladies, if you want to scare off a guy that’s been getting on your nerves, or an admirer that you can’t figure out how to turn down, show up looking like this! He’ll be too intimidated to retaliate. He’ll run away with his tail between his legs and never come back. Unless your prey is a hyena, in which case you are in for a lot of loud taunting and the hyena’s pack keeping you in mind as a future target, or their go-to should they need a good laugh.

Kim Kardashian Got Married – YAY!!

So apparently Kim Kardashian got married yesterday to some Kris person.

First, here’s a quick recap of the current universal situation:

Somalia's citizens are starving to death

Ghazza is being bombed

Libya is being bombed

Egypt is politically unstable (though standing strong)

Iraq is consistently threatening to invade Kuwait

Iraq is under the power of American Marines whose presence there is absolutely unnecessary

Bahrain's racial discrimination has reached a new point altogether

Women in Saudi are still fighting for their right to drive

Bashar killing Syrians ruthlessly

London police issued an official statement threatening anyone who Tweets about the London riots

MEANWHILE…

Everyone else is fuming. Not over the things listed above, though. Because politics never hurt anybody…
Instead, they’re still absolutely furious that Justin Bieber got the Hottest Male award at the Teen Choice Awards! How dare they commit such an inhumane crime!

But to be fair, they’re not just angry about Justin Bieber. They’re also pretty happy about Kim Kardashian getting married. Heck, they’re celebrating! It’s like their own sister is getting married! GRIEVE people, don’t celebrate!! When a bimbo known for nothing but a sex tape gets married, the world grieves! Because when she gets married, it leads to a vicious cycle of stupidity reproducing itself — mini Kardashian bimbos will spread all over the world! Stupidity is a disease, a virus that spreads like wildfire!

FUN FACT!!! — Kim spent 20 million American dollars on her wedding.

Reflect on the events listed above, and compare that to the Utopian little world of ignorance Kim is living in.

1984 VS Brave New World

Personally I think Brave New World applies to the Western World. The resemblance between 1984 and the Middle Eastern society, on the other hand, is endless. Media censorship and forced loyalty is one example, although only one of them applies to Kuwait in my opinion. I think our citizens are pretty devoted to our Amir allah y6awil ib 3omra. Unlike most other Arab nations, we don’t need to be ‘forced’ and terrorized into it. Allah y7afi’6 ilkwait 🙂

Soul Mates

Here’s how soul mates work, according to Paulo Coelho.

There’s a certain “texture” to each kind of soul. Only once you’ve touched the other person’s soul can you determine whether or not it is the same as yours.

In Wuthering Heights, Catherine says of Heathcliff, “Whatever souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” And it is so beautiful. The contrast between them is almost painful to the visible eye, both physically and character-wise. Yet they match. When you and another person ‘match’, you just know. You don’t doubt it. You feel connected, immediately. You know it the moment you lay your eyes on their face.

It correlates with the “big bang theory” but be what it may. The big bang theory–invented by Scientologists–says that the world’s existence began with one big BOOM. It just ‘happened’. No god, no seven-day-process. That theory also syncs up with the theory of matter: that nothing after that big bang can be created or destroyed. Everything is constantly being reused, and taking different forms and shapes. Shifting. Moving. Re-inventing itself, but never ceasing to exist. So that also includes atoms… Our atoms have been spread, scattered. Connected the dots yet?

The atoms in your body, match the atoms in another’s.

But that’s a lot of atoms, and that means they’re in MORE than one person. So you have a bunch of matches. Paolo Coelho thinks that you can have up to 7 matches. Seven soul mates, if you were to break down the atoms in your body.

Could be a person. An animal. A plant.

But you know, when you meet your soul mate. You feel interconnected immediately. You look at their face, and you know. It’s not necessarily romantic. Could be friendship, could be love, could be anything. You match; anything could work with you two. You complete each other.

Paolo Coelho addresses possible issues of soul mates in his book Brida. Mainly, he addresses the possibility of meeting and falling in love with two of your soul mates. For Brida, it is the most terrifying, truest inner battle.

Winter Collection

This picture is a reminder to all the girls spending hundreds on what they wear, and all the girls who look down on anyone that doesn’t spend a considerable amount amount of money on their outfit. To all the girls who help reinforce society’s standards of women having to be completely dressed up from head to toe, remember this picture the next time you say “God forbid I should ever dress in a way that might imply that I’m a simple girl! [and she says ‘simple’ like it’s a dirty word] God forbid I should ever learn modesty, God forbid I should ever become down-to-earth and abandon my precious extravagance.”

Peace in the Middle East

  Hebrew: Welcome
Arabic: In the Name of God (the Womb One) of Benevolence and Compassion

The hamsa is a shared symbol of the Arabs and Sephardic Jews. The word in Hebrew for hand is yad. Two hands together spell the word yedid in Hebrew – friendship. An apt symbol for rekindling the kinship.

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“Culture” VS Creeps

Today I was talking to my friend Mi7sen about social issues in Kuwait. We talked about animal abuse, domestic abuse, media censorship, but mostly focused on sexual harassment. Right now, I am trying to decide what issue I should dedicate my time and effort to for the next year or so. We came to the conclusion that abolishing  media censorship would be too difficult and too lengthy to achieve; likewise, putting an end to animal abuse and domestic abuse. Although I adore animals and have my own pets at home, and it breaks my heart to see puppies being mistreated at the Friday Market, it seems that issue will have to be temporarily put on hold – at least on my own personal agenda. And the same goes for domestic abuse; I’m all for women and children’s rights, and I don’t think anyone has the right to lay a hand on either of them. But the sad truth is, it’s very common here and most of the women feel too helpless to stand up for their rights.

Sexual harassment, on the other hand, has gotten so huge that it has become accepted as a part of our culture! It has become NORMAL for Kuwaiti guys to say “let’s hang out” when that is actually a secret code for “let’s go stalk girls”. Our society has taught boys and girls alike that if a girl is disrespected by a boy, she has brought it on herself. It’s like teaching girls “don’t get raped” rather than teaching boys to control themselves, because we are not animals that act based on our desires. But recently it seems that is the case. I don’t know a single girl that can honestly tells me she never worries about guys hitting on her when she goes to the mall, even if she’s dressed in the most simplistic outfit, jeans and a tshirt and still has bed-hair. We have to stop saying this is normal. It’s not normal for a girl not to feel safe in her own country because she fears that she might be stalked, publicly harassed, or disrespected.

Let’s define sexual harassment, shall we?

When you feel your womanhood is being demeaned sexually because of someone’s words or actions, you are being harassed. By the way, that could even include a dirty look – when a guy checks you out from head to toe in a way that is disgustingly ‘appreciative’, you feel like less of a woman, less of a person. When a guy publicly nudges his friends and loudly tells them to check you out, you are being harassed. When they stalk you, when they publicly hit on you in a way that humiliates you in front of everyone present, when you have to think twice before going to the mall on a Thursday night, then you are not living in a normal situation. It is ANYTHING but normal. We should be able to feel safe and secure in our own country. We should not feel the need to underdress just for the sake of ‘protecting’ ourselves from perverts. Leering, throwing rude comments, unwanted touches, lascivious stares,

In the UAE, if a guy sexually harasses a girl in any way, his photo is published in local newspapers. Naturally, the man is humiliated and A) never repeats his mistake. B) is used as an example to make sure no one else thinks of doing the same thing. But, if we were to apply that here, we would easily have 200 pictures a day. However, if this “Sensitivity Camp” were to be applied, I think we’d get real results.

Watch here:

Also, wise words of Mr. AbdulMohsen that I will make sure to remember: خالف، تعرف

because great minds have always encountered great opposition. 😉