Category Personal

Switched!


Although I have been a fanboy of Apple for a very long time, I never purchased any of their products until yesterday. The product is a white MacBook that I purchased from iMachines in Rashid Mall, Khobar (special thanks to my friend Mahmood who helped me with the whole thing). This is the first post I’m writing using the new machine. It is a very good-looking laptop with a bright screen and a keyboard that is not ordinary at all. The Mac OS X needs some time to get used to it, but so far almost everything has been straightforward. More on that later.

Eating Bitter Lemons

Well, not really, but I just felt like saying it :-) Now let’s get serious: Bitter Lemons International, a Middle East roundtable, have invited me to contribute to their weekly issue, which features four different writers providing their own perspectives on a particular topic. This week’s issue focuses on blogging in the Arab World, featuring Esra’a al-Shafei, Mona Eltahawy, Ammar Abdulhamid, and myself. Read, and please let me know what you think.

Some friends have visited Qatif last week to exper…

Some friends have visited Qatif last week to experience Ashura Commemorations. I wanted to be there as well, but unfortunately my final exams this semester coincided with the occasion so I had to stay in Riyadh until the 15th of Muharram. Shiites in Qatif, unlike their counterparts in Ahssa (aka Hofuf), enjoy more freedom when it comes to celebrating religious occasions like Ashura. This is probably because Ahssa is a mixed area while Qatif is amlost purely Shiite. Although some say Qatifis are enjoying this freedom because they are more rebellious, but that’s another story.

Apologies for not updating in ages. I was going th…

Apologies for not updating in ages. I was going through some rough times and it’s been quite hectic around here lately. All of a sudden, my laptop has decided to go blind (read: screen is dead) and since it would cost me about 40% of its original purchase price, I have decided to retire it and buy a new machine. However, I’m practically broke and I will need a loan to do that, so I guess this will take some time. I don’t have an alternative machine, so for the time being updates would be few and far between. More apologies, and Peace.

Girls Wanted

Since I started Saudi Jeans about a year ago, several people have accused me that I hate Saudi Arabia. Some told me to leave the country, some just told me to shut up. I did not care, because I do not need my loyalty for my homeland to be approved by anyone.

However, a few weeks ago, I almost wrote a post titled “I HATE SAUDI ARABIA.” I did not write that, because I know that I don’t hate my country. I love my country, but I hate many things about it.

I went with a couple of friends to IKEA to grab some stuff for the new apartment. At the door, the security guy called on me. He told me I’m not allowed to enter because I was wearing a sleeveless shirt. I tried to understand what was wrong with my clothes, and even the security guy, who, for my surprise, was very polite (usually, security guys in this country are rude and dumb), could not tell me. “If I let you in, my supervisor will punish me,” he said.

I told my friends they can enter, and I would be waiting for them in the car. Setting in the car, I tried to figure out what could be the reason for preventing me from entering the place.

Please, correct me if I’m wrong. Tell me. Enlighten me. Is the sight of a young man in a basic plain white sleeveless shirt would hurt the feelings of these ugly creatures living in our so-conservative-for-no-good-reason-and-no-good-explanation society?

And you know what? After my friends got back, they told me that they have seen several men in sleeveless shirts inside the store. The only difference is that these men were there with their mothers/wives/fiancés/sisters, or any other female sort of company. “Ahmed, there is nothing wrong with you. It’s a girl problem, all you need is a girl!” my friend, half jokingly, told me.

I know this may sound desperate and hopeless, but I’m going to ask for it anyway. I’m looking for a Riyadh-based decent girl, interested in accompanying a 21-year-old blogger, for going to malls and other public places. The pay will be in the form of a dinner or a drink, depending on the timing and length of the job. If you find me boring, I promise I won’t bother you anymore. I care about your privacy as much I care about mine. No questions asked. If you are interested, please email me: alomran at gmail dot com.