The (in)famous slogan of our national air carrier is “Proud to serve you.” That’s a nice slogan, except for the fact that the kind of services provided by Saudi Airlines is nothing to be proud of, especially in their domestic flights. I have had my share of bad experiences with them, and I heard countless of negative stories from friends, family members and complete strangers. But forget about us, whiny customers, for a moment and check out this funny story featuring none other than Khalid al-Molhem, the Director General of the troubled airline, who found himself on board a Riyadh-to-Jeddah flight that was delayed for one hour. Why? Because the pilot was late. I guess Arab News got it right in their first line: “Talk about the worst possible day to be late for work” hehe.
Category Humor
How to Wear a Ghotra
Although the header of this blog shows my picture in a thobe and ghotra, those who know me know that I don’t wear them very often. And whenever I wear the ghotra, which is usually in a wedding or similar occasions, I face the dilemma of how to wear it. Unlike the necktie, where you are limited to a few choices when it comes to how to tie one and there are guidelines and tutorials on how to do it, there are so many different ways to wear the ghotra and there is no such thing as The Ultimate Ghotra Wearing Guide. However, last week I received an email that showed two dozens styles of ghotra wearing, and I thought I would share some of them here…
Modesty
Very simple. Just throw one end of the ghotra on the opposite shoulder and you are good to go.
Eagle
Similar to Modesty, only this time you take the other end of the ghotra and left it on the aforementioned shoulder.
Mr. X
Throw both ends of the ghotra onto the opposite shoulder. Suitable for desert trips and cold weather.
VIP
This one is usually sported by ministers and big officials, as well as in weddings and receptions. You just let your ghotra down, probably with some little folds on both sides of the mirzam, which is the area of the ghotra in the middle of the forehead.
Teachers
Again, you let the ghotra down only this time it goes behind your back. It is very simple and makes for easy quick movement, which is why it is perfect for teachers.
Schoolboys
Modern with a traditional touch, this style is popular among students. You bring one end of the ghotra from behind and put it in front of the opposite shoulder, while the other end remains in the back.
Abu Rashed
Named after Khaled Abu Rashed, lawyer of the infamous drifter Abu Kab, who allegedly mastered this style. You through one end of the ghotra above your head while leaving the other end as it is.
Balance
As you can see, this one looks like a scale from the front. You through both ends above the head with a slight angle while leaving space to form what resembles scalepans.
Cobra
This one got very popular in the 90’s, and it gets its name from the highly venomous snake. You need a large amount of starch to preserve that look, and you need to be careful when you move your head because quick moves might destroy it.
Butterfly
Unlike the Cobra which limits the motion range of the neck, probably causing a long lasting pain in the area, this one allows for freer movement. Easy and flexible, it makes for a full view of the face and it has a touch of elegance to it.
Bint al-Bakkar
The name has a historical background that I don’t fully understand, but this style has become one of my favourites lately. Not easy to master, but when done right it is quite steady and looks very nice.
Bonus
Here’s a picture of me and my brother Hassan during a recent engagement party in Hofuf, both sporting Bint al-Bakkar:
Search Engine Terms (1)
Examples for search terms people used on their way to this blog, followed by commentary from yours truly:
– asphalt vs jeans
Jeans wins. Every time.
– how to have fun in riyadh
You don’t. You can’t.
– italian culture club jeddah
Is there such thing? UPDATE: Souma says there, actually, is.
– is it safe to visit to beirut in july 20
I was there in August, and it felt pretty safe.
– jeans not like my daughter dubai
Sorry what?
– saudis think emiratis are liberal
Do we think that?
– happy ending love boring
Oh come on! Love is not boring. Love is nice.
– nightlife in riyadh
Yeah, right!
The Alternatives
If you think SaudiFlager is not such a bad idea, brace yourself for this: NaqaTube, a website from Saudi Arabia that aims to offer a clean alternative to YouTube, preventing the youth from watching profane or sexually explicit video clips online.
Abu Ibraheem, one of the moderators of the website who did not wish to reveal his real name, told Arab News that clips on NaqaTube are religiously safe and often edited prior to being uploaded. The site also censors clips that are against the government, individuals and scholars, or which mock people in general. Abu Ibraheem added that women’s images are totally forbidden, along with music.
Okay, stop laughing. Let’s get serious. Let’s forget that YouTube’s TOS clearly prohibit pornography or sexually explicit content, videos showing bad stuff like animal abuse, drug abuse, under-age drinking and smoking, or bomb making, and graphic or gratuitous violence. Let’s forget the question of whether women’s images and music are halal or haram.
This is not the first attempt by religious people to make clean alternatives of popular internet offerings. Before NaqaTube there was GodTube, JewTube, and IslamicTube. Heck, a Saudi company have been promoting a whole clean internet under the name Gnet for years.
Although I never thought that building Arabic/Islamic alternatives to popular internet services is exactly a good idea, I find myself today not minding it very much. More choices to the people is not a bad thing, I guess. But I still wonder about the prospects of these projects, especially after the recent acquisition of Maktoob by Yahoo!. Is this a sustainable business model? Can these alternatives survive the competition by focusing on such specific niches?
Two Cartoons
Al-Watan newspaper have been on a roll with their cartoons recently.
Man: black is the king of colors, and a sign of modesty.
Woman: ok, so why don’t you and your son wear the king of colors?
Saleswoman? Noooo
Housemaid? Disgrace
Nurse? Shame
Misyar wife? Done
Hypocrisy
Ouch! Painful but true. (thx Thumar)
Craving Driving
Craving is one of the common symptoms of pregnancy. Usually, women during pregnancy tend to crave certain foods not normally considered a favourite. Those cravings are not completely understood, but many doctors think they are related to hormonal changes. However, they are not limited to foods, and in our local culture pregnancy cravings are taken very seriously due to the belief that if a craving is not satisfied the baby will be born with a skin mark that resembles the craving.
Now, why am I talking about this? Well, this is why…
A policeman was patrolling the ring road in Hofuf, east of Saudi Arabia, when he noticed a car that was being driven in a strange manner. He asked the driver to pull over. To his surprise, the driver was a woman, and her husband was in the passenger seat. The husband tried to convince the policeman that he had to let his wife drive because she is pregnant and has been craving driving the car for days. The husband said he knows it is illegal for women to drive, but he allowed her to do so because she was craving it so badly and he was afraid his baby would be harmed. The policeman handed a ticket to the husband and warned him not to repeat the offense.
Moral of the story? Pregnant or not, Saudi women should not crave driving because they will simply be asking for a ticket. Unless, of course, they have a big fat wasta, but that’s another story…
Saudi Jeans 
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