Japan Fukuoka's Airport

when we got our tickets, we saw GATE 60! Honestly, we were impressed... For a small airport to have 60 gates is impressive indeed.

Little did we know it was a sham :P Pure propaganda lol

Where did gates 6-59 go? lol

Starbucks Restrooms

I was having a drink at the new starbucks in York Tower on the Fahaheel express. In Maidan Hawalli? or is it called Shi'ab Al Bahri? Anyway, its close to Villa Fairuz...

It is new, and beautiful and quiet. Very cozy atmosphere.

I went to the restroom and saw this.



Ok, this image below i know what it means... its a man and his umbrella.



Now see below, can anyone tell me the difference?

:)

Games + Puzzles and Child Development

I often wonder about child psychology and how a child’s brain develops. Knowing that these early years have a profound impact on later years, I always think ahead about how I’ll treat my children.

Looking back, and this is only based on my personal opinion, the games and puzzles that I played during childhood. I think… again, I stress that “I think” these have played a big role in the way I think (for better or worse?).

Chess: Strategy, definitely this helped me to think a few steps in advance. Trying to predict the opposition’s every move. It also helped in teaching me how to bluff and reading into the opponent’s face.

Spot the Difference: Awareness and alertness are the by-product of playing this game. I still remember playing it with my grandfather Baba Naser (God rest his soul). And the element of time and competition also makes this whole process faster and forces the brain to process information quicker.

Memory Card Game: You know this one right? Lay out a deck of cards (or two) and try to guess and then remember positions of the cards, two of the same makes a point… etc. etc. do I need to say which part of the brain this helped? Cooking? No seriously, memory. A good memory is definitely one of my strong points. I remember every KD I lent to people (I’m kidding, I’m not stingy… but really… the two people I gave Laptops to, you owe me 260 KD and 230 KD… you know yourselves)

Stories: My father, every Thursday night on the drive back from chalet to home, used to tell us stories, and they’d continue from week to the next, sometimes lasting a month or so. I remember those stories would leave me marveled, enchanted, in a hazy day dream the next Friday. The whole atmosphere, the night ride back, the darkness and the empty highways, staring outside the car window and watching the highway lights flashing by, was just soil for enchantment. (I think I’ve covered this idea in a previous post, a good book to read about this is USES OF ENCHANTMENT). If I can factor out one thing that contributed most to my child like imagination which is with me to this day (and might be the largest contributing factor to my creativity) then it would be those Thursday night stories.

Kout Bu 6: I’m kidding…

Word Games: Scramble, Hangman, crosswords and other word games I wasn’t particularly into, I think they would have helped my vocabulary if I did play them when I was a child.

Are there any other games that might have helped in the development of us children? Please let me know your opinions and feedback regarding this.

Books

What a sight. I was leaving my room and i saw these... i think they're old books that we'll recycle or give away... I felt blessed... growing up in a home with lots of books is such a blessing...

Please buy more books.
Please read more books.
Please have more books.

Statistically, children that grow up in homes that have lots of books are smarter... they don't necessarily need to read the books by the way. (from the book Freakanomics)

Cinescape - Kuwait National Cinema Company

Disclaimer: I do not own any stock in the company.

I might be out-dated but i have to confess this... last Friday was my first time to book online for a movie in a Cinescape theater.

I must say, i AM impressed. It was very easy and simple. I didn't think it was that simple.

Thank God we have a company that is up to date with technology.

Okay, if i must complain... and I MUST :-/

1. The popcorn or nachos could be better...

2. The advertisements were not shown correctly. And frankly if i'm one of those advertisers i'd be angry for not seeing my ad played properly.

3. More movies are needed, not just summer block-busters.

But, I am very happy with that company. 3 KD a ticket is not that expensive compared to USA and UK (UK cinemas are thieves)

For a monopoly, Cinescape is doing a decent job... really...


PS. is it just me, or their logo sucks? What is it? what does it mean?

الخطوط الكويتية الزباله

ايه نعم... زبااااااااله! وانتوا بكرامة

من كثر ما انا مقهور راح اكتب باللهجة العامة

ذاك اليوم لسوء الحظ اضطريت اروح المطار صوب الخطوط الكويتية علشان اخلص جوازات زوار يابانيين. كانو ناطرين بقاعة التشريفات و انا رحت اطلع لهم التذاكر

كان المطار مزحوم كأنه يوزعون تذاكر إبلاش

كالمتوقع... كان في شي خربان بالمطار. سير الجناط للكويتية كان خربان و على قولة الفني "ما يستحمل جناط وايد لانه قديم" كفوا والله

المهم... انا كنت في جانب درجة رجال الاعمال و الاولى ولكن استغربت من كثرة الأشخاص من جنسية معينة معروفة ان دخلها محدود

الي صج مستغرب منه كيف كانت معاملة موظف كاونتر التذاكر للجميع و بالذات ذيك الجنسية... إسلوبه كان مزعج و صارخ و وقح

إلي ماني قادر افهمه... وين تدريب خدمة العملاء؟ وين الإحترام؟ يا معؤد مو لازم شي بس على الاقل وين الأخلاق؟

لا و فوق هذا كله طلع الي جدامي سياحية تذكرته و كان واقف ويانا بالغلط... شوفوا لسان الموظف!!! لا و اخر شي يقوله "روح هناك يلا!و اسحب وياك ذيك العربانه" من صجه هذا؟

انزين صج انه هالمسافر مو درجة بزنس ولا الاولى بس هم عميل الخطوط الكويتية و شاري تذكرة بفلوسه مو بمهياوه

بالنهاية انا ماقدر ألوم الموظف... ماكو تعليم ولا راتبه مرتبط بالخدمة و الطيران هذا خلاص ما منه فايدة... طيارات مثل الناس ماكو, خدمة ماكو, تفنيش كامو... ماكو بماكو

-----
بالنهاية انا عندي طلب واحد
-----

انا ماحب ان اكون غير وطني فأرجوا يغيرون الاسم من الخطوط الجوية الكويتية إلى اي شي بس بدون إرتباط بدولتنا العزيزة

بسنا تشويه بالكويت... حراااااااام

سموها "الخطوط الجوية الزبالة" بهالإسم محد راح يتوقع خدمه زينه من الخطوط والكل سعيد

:)

Mark's Love Emails

If you don't follow US news, let me update you now on a small story.

The governor of South Carolina, Mark Sanford, was missing for a week or so and he came back to announce that he was having an affair with an Argentinian woman.

Now that is not what caught my interest. Infidelity is not news. Every now and then a political figure is caught having an affair, and i'm sure this happens alot in Kuwait as well.

i was reading the CNN page about this and i honestly was fallen aback at how beautiful his love emails are.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/24/south.carolina.governor.emails/index.html

i truly love the words he chose to use.

here...

"You have a particular grace and calm that I adore. You have a level of sophistication that so fitting with your beauty,"

and

"I could digress and say that you have the ability to give magnificent gentle kisses, or that I love your tan lines or that I love the curve of your hips, the erotic beauty of you holding yourself (or two magnificent parts of yourself) in the faded glow of the night's light -- but hey, that would be going into sexual details ..."

also

"...while all the things above are all too true -- at the same time we are in a ... hopelessly impossible situation of love...."

of course, I do condemn adultery.

But who knows... i am not and should not judge... i guess

Blackberry? CopyBerry!

Before you read... Please do not take any offense if you own a Blackberry...

Someone once said “if heaven doesn’t have blackberry service then it isn’t heaven at all, its hell!”

Actually I said that, I just said that so I can say that “someone once said ‘if heaven doesn’t have blackberry service then it isn’t heaven at all, its hell!’” so I don’t have to lie. Just like Abe Lincoln, I don’t lie.

Well, if I was a liar I guess I’d lie about that earlier statement wouldn’t I?

Anyway… So… Blackberry… WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE :P

Who needs to be connected to their emails all the time? Seriously, I think the only reason Blackberry came out, was for those people who work in banks like Citibank, J.P. Morgan etc (those who ruined the world economy by the way) who are on planes almost all the time visiting clients, would be connected to their email accounts. (This can be done using other phones but a bit more complicated)

Another reason to own a Blackberry might be integration with world class enterprise systems like Oracle and SAP, so business people can see daily sales, stock, etc, on their mobiles at any given time. (This can be done using other phones but a bit more complicated)

I guess now Blackberry is a “status symbol”. If you want to look cool and sophisticated and “important” carry a Blackberry.

Well… I don’t want to spend 199 KD on a Blackberry and pay 24 KD a month to get access to internet and to Blackberry services to look cool.

So… I will carry this! :P from far away and if I’m driving and holding it, it will seem like a Blackberry.

What do you think? It has the same shape and size as a Blackberry. The same style keyboard. This one even has a cool looking track ball center button thingy.

PS. Don't tell me "its a good phone", as a phone, Nokia is #1 :P

www.azizaan.com

we've moved...

www.azizaan.com

i used to have a website lol when it wasn't fashionable to have one.. back in hmmm 1999... i'll actually post pictures of that website soon :)

1. save this address www.azizaan.com

2. don't forget to read the post below about Lenovo.. its cool :P (plus.. they're paying my salary)

Lenovo S10 and W700

I was handed two Lenovo laptops to review...

Lenovo for those who don't know already is the company that bought the IBM PC division.

I have always been a fan of IBM laptops, the ThinkPads, and have grown very fund of the Lenovo lines as well. IBM wasn't strong in the consumer market but now i think Lenovo is doing a good job at it.

I do not want to get into specs, since you can go to www.lenovo.com and see for yourselves.

The S10 is a beautiful netbook and the laminated casing looks cool. It is very light as well. I have to say though that fingerprint marking gets shown quickly. (Is the red color feminine? or could be used by men?)

One problem with the red color is that you cannot put it in your dishdasha, it will show through the white fabric. (I dont think additional alteration of the dishdasha pockets is necessery) So maybe if there is White S10, it would be good for men.

the W700 now is another thing... I cannot honestly classify it as a laptop or a notebook, it is more like a Steriods-top. I tried to lift it with one hand... its heavy... seriously...

I believe the main feature in the W700 (it is apparent) is the additional side screen. This is extremely useful for Graphic Designers and Programmers. The screen is an extension to the main screen.

And another feature would be the screen size, it is larger than my home desktop pc.

The side screen W700 is the same size of the screen of S10.

Imagine someone walking in Starbucks with the Lenovo W700... i think he needs an additional table just for the laptop. You need someone to carry it for you maybe.

good or bad decore?

I'm decorating my new office. :D

I have these curtains but they look so dull and gray... So i wanted to do something different.

In london i visited an exhibition for the japanese artist Kuniyoshi. I really love his style.

It makes me feel sad that we don't have an art culture in Kuwait.

God bless the Art Association? (جمعية الفنون) they do make art exhibitions for local and foreign artists.

anyway... please let me know your opinion.

thanks

seriously? people are just insane!

text in RED are modifications made 1 day after posting this post

Okay! After sleeping on it... in hindsight i think i was a bit over the top.

I made some mistakes, (1) I have generalized one act of stupidity to mean that those people are stupid. (2) i was a bit hard on those people, if i want them to change, then certainly making fun of them is not the right way to go.

Thank you for your comments, and i'll try to change...

But please understand... (hard to believe but) my anger comes from a place of love :/

I'll go back and change some parts of the post, in red color... as a reminder of all the blood shed that was spilled lol
------------


Everyone once in a while, a someone would take the media and news by storm when he/she claims to have seen jesus christ on his bread, wall, ceiling... etc...

And i, like many of (comment here removed) people in the world, find it very amusing how human beings are like this! How they can force themselves into believing anything!

Meanwhile... Evolution is soooo far fetched???

And today... i got this email with this picture below...

It just goes to to show you that there are people like this in every faith... Basically... when you have "faith" its really hard to filter out whats logical and whats not... whats realistic and SANE and whats totally "wish-wash".

I also found a stone with a massage on it...


I hope i made this post a bit more friendly :/

bring Survival of the Fittest BACK!

If human beings have succeeded at one thing, it would be making sure that the old adage "survival of the fittest" doesn't apply any more.

the wiser not necessarily are better off
the fitter not always finish first
the smarter not necessarily live a better life

the world is off balance...

who has seen a fat lion? (in the wild, mind you)
who has seen a lazy gazelle?
who has seen an obese hippo (okay... well... they are like that by nature)


but you got the picture... in natural, the animal who's weight exceeds the norm, doesn't survive...

i'm not attacking over-weight people... but i think we need to start thinking more about our bodies... each creature has an optimal weight.

Hollywood and the media has and is over-glorifying thinness and "great" bodies. And lately there is a counter action to that where men and women enjoy their overweight bodies... but please remember.. the fight is not against hollywood and stereotypes...

TAKE CARE OF YOUR BODY...
then
TAKE CARE OF YOUR MIND...

but without a healthy body, the mind will not reach its full potential.

I apologize if i offended you.

ok i guess there are exceptions... there are SOME fat animals lol

Its easy... we can all do it...

less junk food, more healthy meals
less cakes, more fruits
less sitting watching tv, more exercise

a normal day in the office :/

I just sat in my office and checked my emails...

looking up... seeing in...

What i missed the most from studying in Orlando, FL, is laying on the top of my car and just gazing up at the night sky.

It would always fill me with serenity. I would feel at peace.


It is very weird... its a very strange contradicting feeling... You feel how small you are compared to this vast universe, at the same time, ironically you feel that you're one with it... You're part of it... IT'S part of you!


I love technology, i love lights, and i am thankful that our streets are filled with lamp posts and are lighting our nights... but i cannot help but miss... and yearn for some darkness to be able to appreciate the stars that shine every night without fail... but we are so blinded to them.

No wonder now a days everyone is so self absorbed... thinking the world revolves around them... because they HAVEN'T seen what the world looks like.. the endless, boundless stars out there...


Copernicus, and Galileo (who died for this claim) shattered the ego centric view of mankind that the earth is the center of the universe.

Darwin shattered the ego of man kind that everything was created in a matter of days for us.

And nothing bares a clearer testament to those geniuses than a starry night... With its infinite depth and beauty...

I seriously miss that... and i wish one day i'd retire to a quiet little place where i can delight at gazing into the sky every night. I miss looking up... and seeing in...


A dream of mine is to witness these Aurora's (or northern lights) some day... It is truly a humbling experience i think.