Category Saudi Arabia

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.

On Unemployment in Saudi Arabia

One of the most pressing questions of last year was about the state of unemployment and if the worries on that regard were realistic and justified. The issue was more and more in the limelight especially after the efforts of the Ministry of Labor (MOL) to employ more women in the workforce was faced by fierce opposition from many conservatives who argued, in one of their many invalid arguments, that MOL should first work to provide jobs for unemployed men before even thinking about women.

Of course some conservatives were simply trying to take cheap shots at the liberal minister of labor Dr. Ghazi Al Gosaibi. You can say whatever you want about him, but I think Al Gosaibi should not be blamed for the mistakes of the Ministry of Planning and our dysfunctional educational system, because thanks to them and only them we have an army of unskilled college graduates and high school dropouts who their sole dream is to become pencil-pushers as a part of the government bureaucratic machine in order to receive big money for doing nothing.

The Ministry lack of planning which caused unemployment in some sectors has also led to a very high demand of local human resources in some other sectors. Take healthcare for example: less than 20% of workers in healthcare are Saudis. Compare this to the very small number of graduates from medical colleges here and you have a real dilemma. It is said that with the current numbers of graduates we will need about 500 years to come anything near Saudization of the healthcare system. Ironically, the biggest spending in the national budget goes to education and healthcare .

It is not hopeless, though, or at least that’s the hope. We are enjoying a second boom, and the mega projects launched recently are impressive and promising but we should not repeat the mistakes of the first boom because we might never have another chance; we simply can’t afford it. I pray that the lessons were learned, and please let us not fool ourselves again. Let’s work, and let’s work hard. It’s about time.

Keif Al Hal: How Are We?

Although I had it on my hard disk since the middle of December, I have decided to wait and watch Keif Al Hal on the TV screen instead of my laptop 14″ screen when LBC aired it on New Year’s Eve. Before going into my opinion about the movie, let me say that I totally agree with Abdullah Al Ayaf, a Saudi director, that the whole fuss over who made the first Saudi movie is irrelevant. It doesn’t really matter which movie was the first as much as which one is the best.

Prior to watching the movie, I had read almost every review written about it. The only friend who watched it told me it was very, very bad. He described it as a piece of crap, the worst movie he watched ever. When it was time to watch it, I put all that aside and sat on the couch with my roommate trying to enjoy it without any of the reviews in mind.

I think the main problem with the movie is that it doesn’t tell the story very well. I never heard of Bilal Fadhl before, I respect Mohammed Ridha as a reporter and critic, but I think Keif Al Hal would have been better off if the story was written by Saudis.

All the issues that the movie touches on are real and persistent in our society, but the correlation between these issues and the story is sometimes vague. I think the movie makers have made a mistake when they tried to make it “all things Saudi.” However, credits should be given to them for not trying to presume/suggest/impose solutions for our social plagues.

Casting was also one of the weaknesses of the movie. I wonder if the producers considered at any point the likes of Abdul-Rahman Al Nemr, Nasser Al Qasabi and Abdullah Al Sadhan or other good local actors to play some roles. Choosing Emarati actors for some roles was wrong. None of the actors performed exceptionally; the performance was mostly average or below. I was expecting more from Hisham Al Huwaish (Sultan); Ali Al Sebaa (the father) was slow like a robot; and Khaled Sami (the grandfather) has taken it so far.

I think Rotana intention was to make a romance-comedy movie, but did not quite achieved that. The “thing” between Sultan and Sahar (played by Jordanian actress Mais Hamdan) can hardly be considered a love story, and the lame jokes of the grandfather doesn’t make it a comedy.

My verdict: good; not great, not even very good, but good nevertheless. It is definitely better than I expected, especially after all the negative reviews, and it left me optimistic about what Saudis can make in the movie business even in the absence of film theaters in the country. Considering the large number of good Saudi novels published recently, I think the next Saudi movie should be based on one of these novels instead of writing one from scratch. Novels such as Al-Irahbi 20 by Abdullah Thabit and Al-Bahriat by Omaima Al Khamis are two good examples to start with. My rating of Keif Al Hal: 2.5/5.

Saudis Guys Don’t Enjoy Art?

I can explain: too many exams, too little time. But I’m not dead, I just don’t have time for blogging, or anything else for that matter. You have no idea what kind of an overwhelming stress and pressure pharmacy students have to go through.

I wanted to go to Hewar Gallery after reading about it on MagicKingdom‘s blog, and thank God I had the chance to do it last night on its last day. But I have to say I was quite uncomfortable with the way we were received over there. Apparently one of the organizers could not believe that two young men were actually interested in art, and not in chasing girls who might be there at the same time. He had to escort us to the 52nd floor and keep an eye on us while we were watching the paintings at the gallery. When we were leaving, he apologetically said he had to do it due to the strict instructions of security at the Kingdom Tower. Whatever. I also wanted to go to The Legacy of King Saud exhibit at the National Museum but could not do it. Maybe when I get back from Eid break.

Anyways, more blogging later this week. I will be leaving Riyadh on Monday, heading to Dhahran where I’m invited to a Christmas party, and then going home to Al-Ahssa to see my family and friends and spend Eid with them. Happy holidays everyone.

Zait o’ Za’tar

Growing up in Al-Ahssa (aka Hassa, Hofuf), one of my favourite meals was pastries served in these little diners run by Turkish workers that spread at different corners of the city. These pastries are similar in many ways to the famous Lebanese mana’eesh. When I moved to Riyadh few years ago I started to miss the pastries because I could not find any place in Riyadh that serves good pastries in reasonable prices. I mean: why oh why would a little man’oshat za’tar cost 5 or 7 riyals? No, thanks. I can get the best za’tar in Al-Ahssa for just 1 riyal.

But last week, thanks to a good friend of mine, I stumbled upon a new restaurant in the trendy Tahlia St., or what many people here like to call “The Champs Elysées.” The restaurant is called Zait o’ Za’tar, and I should say I was very surprised and pleased with the quality of their food. They simply serve the best pastries I had since I came to the city in 2002. You can always go for traditional choices such as labneh or cheese, but you probably should try some of their special offerings such as Mexican chicken or Za’tar with tomatoes and onions. And for those of you on a low-carb diet, they also offer ‘Lite’ variations of some items on their menu.

This time of the year is absolutely the best to visit Riyadh because the weather is really, really nice. It is still warm, and there is this refreshing cool breeze in the air. Considering the mild weather and that many restaurants in Tahlia St., including Zait o’ Za’tar, have tables on the sidewalk, it would be a good idea to enjoy a meal out there if you have some time. Know of another place in Riyadh which offer good pastries? Please let me know in the comments.

Living Colors


Living Colors Originally uploaded by saudi jeans.

I had lunch on Saturday at Living Colors of Faisaliah Mall. Like Fahad, I had the Chicken Panini with Balsamic and it was good; not great, but good. Better than the food was the design and the colors of the place and packaging. Living Colors have another branch on Tahlia St. (aka Prince Mohammed bin Abdul-Aziz St.).