OMG! My blog was flooded with more than 500 spam comments! What should I do?

I wrote the Fed Up post on a moment of depression, and to be honest with you, now I think that was too much negative feelings for one post. Of course, living in Saudi Arabia is not all rainbows and butterflies, but there is one thing you need to know and keep it on your mind: I love this country, and always will do. Studying and maybe working abroad for some time are favorite options to me, but no matter what happens, I want to spend the rest of my life here.

Probably some of you were right on that I need a break, but this is impossible now as I’m in the middle of a very important semester and my mid-terms start today. I’m really thinking about visiting Jordan on my short summer vacation. This is still uncertain, but if I had enough time and money by then I will do it for sure.

On the same topic, a friend emailed me after reading the post, advising me to try what he does when he feels down: go and spend some time with nature. Well, I like to go to the desert or the beach to get rid of the negative feelings and have some “me” time. The beach is not an option in Riyadh, and the problem with the desert is that I don’t know of any clean quiet area but in the same time not so remote from the city (I know of such place in Hassa that I go to every once in a while).

On a side note, I received a comment on some old post the other day, and as I always say, all comments are welcome. I have no problem with this comment, except that it is off-topic. I was talking about Shiites in Saudi Arabia and the commenter is unreasonably associating it with what happens in Iraq and the fact that discrimination is everywhere, which can be true but certainly not right. This is, btw, an approach that I’ve experienced with many people. Whenever we talk about Saudi Shiites, someone involves Iraq and/or Iran in the conversation. Probably I don’t understand politics, and probably there are stuff that I don’t know a thing about, but what I’m talking about here, and what I usually like to focus on, is an domestic issue. If we are serious about solving our problems, we have to admit them, and not to relate them to others. And that’s why I’m blogging.

Thank you all for your support and comments.

I guess the ministry of information has finally given its permission for Banat Al-Riyadh to be distributed in the local market. You can find the a big amount of copies of the controversial novel now in the major bookstores here in Riyadh, such as Jarir, Tohama, and others. On a related note, I’ve read this piece in NY Times on the rise of chick lit in some unexpected spots in the world, which got me wondering if we are going to see a Saudi writer brave enough to tackle this genre. At the end of the article, they say that neither “Bridget Jones’s Diary” nor any of Helen Fielding’s other books have been translated into Arabic; something that can be, according to the newspaper, “another great frontier” for this type of novels. I read “Bridget Jones’s Diary” a few years ago, I really liked it, and I think that chick lit can be a big hit in Saudi Arabia, as well as the rest of the Arab World.

I think the decision of Arab News to keep their content from Saudi readers behind some unexplained walls is foolish and it would hurt them more than they think. On the other hand, their competitors Saudi Gazette are missing on this opportunity to gain more readers online. The design of their website is awful and unprofessional. Furthermore, the fact that it does not work in Firefox makes it almost useless to me because I won’t run that piece of crap called Internet Explorer just to read their it (I have the IE View extension, but I never got to use it). I remember Okaz website had the same problem with Firefox, but after I left a comment on Fouad’s blog (who was involved with the new Okaz website) reporting the problem, it was shortly solved.

1 I’m sick of waking up from sleep, getting back from campus, or just leaving my room for whatever reason, only to find someone is gaming on PlayStation, and leaving no time for anyone else to watch any TV. Talk about inconsideration.

2 I’m sick of the fact that every place I want to go to in Riyadh is “for families only.” You made me hate families so much I think I’ll never start one.

3 I’m sick of a sick-minded guy who tried to steal my identity online, and now keeps on sending me freaky emails. Get over it, and then get a life.

4 I’m sick of this long-bearded racist freak in college, who attempts to mock my accent, and apparently purely hates me for the mere fact that I’m Shiite.

5 I’m sick of the dysfunctional train booking system, and that they have recently raised their prices 50%. I asked one of their employees about it and he told me it’s one of the preparations for the expected privatization of the National Railways Organization. I always thought privatization is supposed to offer better services for lower prices. It seems I don’t get capitalism. Silly me.

6 I’m sick of the internet illiteracy at KSU. Ironically, they formed an internet committee last year, and ever since they have been publishing photos of their meetings in the university newspaper every week. What have they accomplished so far? Nothing, really. It is so true: “You want to kill a project? Form a committee.”

7 I’m sick of going to the stadium, just to find myself surrounded by idiots who think a football match is the perfect occasion to show off their dirty dictionary publicly. Those idiots would curse everybody: the referee, the opponents, their own team and players, their fellow supporters, and even themselves.

8 I’m sick of watching movies on computer screens. Am I going to live long enough to watch movies in cinema theaters in this country?

9 I’m sick of people who suddenly decide to cover their faces from me. They put a wall that is unnecessary, irrational, and simply disturbing.

10 I’m sick of the fact that the living room of our apartment is always dirty just because some guy thinks it’s the normal thing for lads to live in a dirty place. I’m sorry, dude, I’m no Mr. Clean but I’d like to find a clear spot to sit on in the so-called living room.

I said that I will try to post more video clips from Al Jazeera Forum, and they are here, finally. First, there are two clips for Haitham Sabbah talking during the panel on blogging. There is also two clips for Shaden Abdul Rahman from her participation in the youth voice panel. And last but not least, here is the .3gp video of some sheikh talking to member of Shoura Council Mohammed Al-Zulfa, telling him to stop his calls for women’s rights. (Note: In order to watch these video clips, you have to download them to you hard drive first and then play them. None of these file can be played online. RealPlayer required)

A letter from Reporters Without Borders to King Abdullah.