Loyacy January 2012 Issue

LoYACY [Lo - yak - e]

Jan-- Feb 2012 4th Issue

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 1

Profile

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

Twitter.com/blogyacy

Facebook.com/blogyac

www.Blogyac.com 2 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

‫‪ / 3‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

4 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

‫‪ / 5‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Contents 9 - 8 ‫) ص‬3( ‫من انا؟‬

Step In .. Step Out Pg 36

Spoken Culture Pg 10 - 12 15 - 14 ‫عندما تتجمع الفنون ص‬

Socks

Unveiling Bianca

Pg 40 - 41

ُThe Guy’s Guide Pg 16 - 17 La Regina Di Saba

Pg 38 - 39

I want to ride my bicycle Pg 42 - 43

Pg 20 - 22

LoYAC Alumni Pg 52 - 55

The Avant Guard Approach Pg 48 - 50 26 - 24 ‫رياضة الكارتيه ص‬ A Model LoYAC-er

Parliament In Practice Pg 32 6 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Mapper Extraordinaire Pg 56 - 58

Pg 28

The 3rd Concept

Pg 64 - 65

Young Local Talents Pg 68 - 69

Bus Stop Pg 70 - 72 Gender Man-ifesto Pg 78 - 81

The James Bond Formula Pg 82 - 85 Personal Style Pg 86 - 89

Skyrim

Pg 94 - 95

All New But Still Porsche 101 - 100 ‫خواطر ص‬

Photography

Pg (19) & (92)

Games Pg 102 - 104

Horoscopes Pg 105

Equiat Pg 90 - 91

Events Pg (60)

Pg 96 - 98

Events Pg (30) 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 7

LoYACY Staff Nadia Al Saqqaf Editor in Chief Naser Al Wasmi Editor Nora Al Ruwaished Staff Writer AbdulMohsen Al Mayyas Staff Writer Photographer Abrar Al Shammari Staff Writer Ahmed Nassar Staff Writer Fahad FKWT Staff Writer Rana AbdulRahim Designer

8 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

F160 Liane Al Ghussain

Cover Artist Horoscopes

Contributing Writers Mrs.Fareah Al Saqqaf Bibi Al Falah Saud Al Hendal

Letter from the Editors Dear Readers, Happy New Year! A new year means new potential; potential for progress, for creativity, for growth. In this issue of LoYACY, we have reflected on and explored several topics with the aim to inspire, cultivate and encourage a forward thinking generation and as always reported faithfully back to you on each of our individual journeys.

We delved into some issues of local transportation with our feature “Bus Stop Blues” and “I Want to Ride My Bike”. We’ve featured local go-getter entrepreneurs like Bianca Simonian, and Dhari Al Moawad (LoYAC Alum). We’ve spotlighted literary local talents like Musaed Al Haddad, and Saud Al Hindal. We’ve applauded the efforts of the youth of the EQUAIT movement and featured Kuwait’s young Karate champs.

In the world of the arts and culture, we’ve chronicled the LoYAC Academy of Performing Arts’ one-month workshop with Azerbaijani dance experts Yelena and Zakir Aghayev. We’ve unlocked the secrets of James Bond and presented yet another young, upcoming artist: Anfal Al Baqsami.

A special thanks goes to our mentor and guide Zeina Mokaddam for incubating our fledgling project into a dependable periodical. Thank You! It’s always sad to close a chapter of time with the end of a year; particularly the year that brought about the opportunity for us to write for you in our humble, little publication. However, the excitement a new year brings definitely compensates.

So, LoYACY’s new year resolution is to always present you with thought-provoking material that will hopefully get you to write us some feedback that we can use to grow into the magazine you want us to be.

With lots of love, Nadia & Naser

LoYACY is composed of a group of young writers with the goal of publishing abstract viewpoints and relatable information to the masses. We seek to capture the essence of the Kuwaiti youth in an array of articles ranging from intellectual topics to current news and local events. We attempt to reach our audience through a multimedia publicity effort underlined through the guiding principles of honesty, vigor and exceptional journalism. As always, we are looking for new voices to contribute to our growing relationship with the youth. We encourage independent freelancers to contribute, so please share your voices and help us become a true embodiment of our generation. You can get in touch with us through the “Contact Us” section on blogyac.com or twitter.com/blogyacy. If you opt for a more old school approach, you are more than welcome to drop by our offices in Bayt Lothan.

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 9

‫‪Memoirs‬‬

‫''كتاب كوفي الذي بدأت‬ ‫قراءته في عام ‪ 99‬ولم‬ ‫أتوقف عن االستعانه به‬ ‫حتى اليوم ‪ ،‬أصبح مرجعا‬ ‫دائما لي علمنى أمور‬ ‫كثيرة‪''.‬‬ ‫''أنا من يجب ان يتغير إذا‬ ‫أردت لدائرة تأثيرى أن تكبر‬ ‫وتشمل التأثير في ابنتى‬ ‫وربما آخرين‪''.‬‬

‫أدعيه ‪.‬‬ ‫دورى كأم لها فال فائدة ترتجى من أي نجاح آخر ّ‬ ‫أصبح الموضوع أو السؤال الذي يسيطر على تفكيرى هو كيف أثبت‬ ‫لها أننى أحبها دائما حتى وإن كنت غير راضيه عنها ‪ ،‬كيف تكون‬ ‫المحاسبة والعقاب بحضور المحبه ‪ ،‬كيف أفهمها بأن حبى لها ال‬ ‫يعنى االستجابه دائما لرغباتها وأن محاسبتى لها إن هي أخطأت‬ ‫وصرامتى في ضرورة احترام القواعد والقوانين التى أضعها ال تقلل‬ ‫من حبى لها أو ثقتى بها بل هي دليل عليه ‪.‬‬ ‫هذه المعادلة الشائكة هي ما كنت أبحث عنه ‪ ،‬وبصراحة شديدة‬ ‫فقد كان هاجسي وهمي كله منصب على محور واحد وهو « كيف‬ ‫أغير نادية لتصبح مطيعه لى « هذا المستفز هو الذي دفعنى للجوء‬ ‫إلى كتاب كوفي « العادات السبع للناس األكثر فاعليه « جاءت إجابة‬ ‫كوفى في أول صفحات الكتاب وجاءت إجابة صادمه كاآلتى ( أن ابنتى‬ ‫لن تتغير وأن سلوكها قد يزداد حدة وتطرفا إن أنا ركزت اهتمامى‬ ‫وطاقتى على تغييرها وإننى لن أملك القدره على التأثير عليها‬ ‫إن لم أتغير أنا أوال ) هذه اإلجابه الصادمة أو هذا االكتشاف الصادم‬ ‫يسمى بلغة كوفي « ‪ « Paradigm shift‬أي التغيير الجذرى في الرؤية‬ ‫أو التفكير ‪.‬‬ ‫إذا األمر بات واضحا اآلن فأنا من يجب ان يتغير إذا أردت لدائرة تأثيرى «‬ ‫‪ « circle of influence‬أن تكبر وتشمل التأثير في ابنتى وربما آخرين‬ ‫‪ ،‬أصبح من الضرورى أن أحدد مكامن الضعف في شخصيتى وأغ ّيرها‬ ‫‪ ،‬وكان واضحا أن ضعفى يكمن في سرعة انفعالي ‪.‬‬ ‫فالقرار أصبح تغيير شخصيتى من شخصية انفعالية ( ‪ ) Reactive‬إلى‬ ‫شخصية فاعله أو مبادرة ( ‪. ) Proactive‬‬ ‫كان ذلك في عام ‪ ، 99‬ومن المضحك أننى وقبل أن ألجأ لكتاب كوفي‬ ‫لجأت لطبيب نفسانى وشرحت له أزمتى وحددتها له ببساطه بأننى‬ ‫سريعة االنفعال وسريعة الغضب ‪ ،‬حينها أجابنى بأن هذه هي‬

‫طبيعتى وقد تكون وراثية وال يمكن تغييرها !!! لم اقتنع بالطبع‬ ‫بهذه اإلجابة ‪ ،‬ولجأت لكتاب كوفى الذى جعلنى أتخذ قرار التغيير ‪،‬‬ ‫فالسيطره على انفعاالتنا ومزاجنا بيدنا إن نحن أردنا ذلك وهذا هو‬ ‫طريقنا للسيطرة على حياتنا ونجاحنا في التأثير على من حولنا‬ ‫وتحقيق كل ما نصبو إليه ‪.‬‬ ‫ساعدنى كتاب كوفي ‪ Habits 7‬في ترسيخ مفهوم وأبعاد الشخصية‬ ‫الفاعله أو المبادره ‪ Proactive‬في ذهنى وعلمت أن التحول المنشود‬ ‫لن يتم في يوم وليله ولكنه سيحدث إن أنا التزمت بخطوات صغيره‬ ‫كل يوم نحو هذا التغيير ‪.‬‬ ‫ومن المهم أن أذكر أن التغيير المقصود أو اإلرادى يسمى ‪Visionary‬‬ ‫‪ ، change‬فاإلنسان يتغير أو يتطور نتيجه لثالثة مسببات ‪ ،‬إما بسبب‬ ‫الزمن أي التطور التدريجي الطبيعى وهو ما يسمى ‪Evolutionary‬‬ ‫‪ change‬أو يأتى التغيير نتيجة كارثه أو مأساة نتعرض لها أي ما‬ ‫يسمى بـ ‪ Crises change‬أو بسبب رغبتنا في التغيير بقصد تطوير‬ ‫شخصيتنا وتوسيع دائرة التأثير وهو ما يسمى ‪Visionary change‬‬ ‫وهو أفضل وأقوى أنواع التغيير ألنه يكون مصحوبا برؤية أو هدف‬ ‫واضح لصاحبه ‪.‬‬ ‫وهذا األخير هو ما اخترته لنفسى ليبدأ مشوار التغيير اإلرادى منذ‬ ‫ذلك التاريخ وحتى اليوم ‪.‬‬ ‫كتاب كوفي الذي بدأت قراءته في عام ‪ 99‬ولم أتوقف عن االستعانه‬ ‫به حتى اليوم ‪ ،‬فأصبح مرجعا دائما لي علمنى أمور كثيرة ‪ ،‬وكشف‬ ‫لى حقائق جوهرية ساعدتنى ليس فقط في تحسين وتطوير‬ ‫شخصيتى بل في تطوير وإثراء عالقاتى اإلنسانية بشكل كبير‬ ‫وإيجاد أهداف كبيرة في حياتى وتحقيقها ولكن هل سيجيب على‬ ‫السؤال األهم في حياتى من أنا ؟ ولماذا أنا هنا ؟‬ ‫‪10 / Issue 4: Jan 2012‬‬

‫من انا ؟ السؤال األهم في حياتنا‬ ‫بقلم‪ :‬فارعه السقاف‬

‫لعل المرحلة الحرجة التى كانت تمر بها ابنتى نادية والتى أجمعت‬ ‫القواميس والمراجع العربية على تسميتها « بمرحلة المراهقة « في‬ ‫حين أننى أفضل أن أطلق عليها مرحلة الشباب المبكر ‪ ،‬أقول أن‬ ‫هذه المرحلة وماصاحبها من تقلبات مزاجية مربكه البنتى كانت‬ ‫تؤرقها وتوترها ‪ ،‬كما كانت تؤرقنى وتوترنى وتضعنى أمام حقل ال‬ ‫ينتهى من التجارب هذه المرحلة كانت تمثل تحديا كبيرا لى واختبارا‬ ‫هاما استفزنى للتعجيل في عملية البحث في كتب الـ ‪ Selfhelp‬ففي‬ ‫الوقت الذى دفعنى فيه االكتئاب إلى اللجوء لمختصين في علم‬ ‫النفس وإلى كتاب كاميرون « ‪ « The Artist’s way‬وجدت نفسى‬ ‫أمام مستفزا آخر للبحث ال يمكن الهروب منه بل وال يمكن تأجيله‬ ‫‪ ،‬فلم يعد الهدف األول البحث عن الذات ‪ ،‬بل أصبح الهدف األول هو‬ ‫كيف أتعامل مع ابنتى التى كانت قد بدأت تخطو أولى خطواتها نحو‬ ‫‪ / 11‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫الشباب ‪ ،‬إذ كانت هي بحاجة إليجاد شخصيتها حتى أن تصرفاتها‬ ‫بدأت تأخذ منحنى التحدى والتمرد الذى اعتبرته تهديدا لسلطتى‬ ‫كأم ‪.‬‬ ‫كانت المشاعر واالنفعاالت تتقاذفنى ‪ ،‬كما هي تتقاذفها بل وأصبحت‬ ‫ردود فعلي تجاه تصرفاتها سريعه ومرتجله حتى أننى كنت كثيرا‬ ‫ما أندم عليها الحقا ‪ ،‬فيدفعنى قسوة العقاب إلى اصالح ما افسدته‬ ‫باالعتذار واالفراط في التدليل ‪.‬‬ ‫هذا التأرجح غير الموزون جعلها تتمادى في تمردها ‪ ،‬مما زاد من حدة‬ ‫التصادم بيننا ‪ ،‬وهو بدوره ما زاد حيرتى فبدأت أشهد فشلى في‬ ‫التأثير عليها وتوجيه سلوكها وكل فشل أشعر به يصحبه مزيد من‬ ‫المرارة واإلحباط ‪.‬‬ ‫بدأت أشعر حينها بأننى وإن فشلت في أهم دور في حياتى وهو‬

Culture

Spoken Culture Written By: Abrar Al Shammari

When you introduce yourself to others, you say your name, without giving it much thought. Next time you say or write your name, pause for a moment, very briefly; reflect. Ponder on the timeless stories your name carries. Contemplate the meaning of your name. Think about why you were given that particular name.

Consider the religious, historical, and cultural connotations that your name may possess. The history of your family, your ancestors. Say your entire name - do you know the story behind every letter of it?

crossed your mind that your culture’s depth is immensely profound? Your culture, which is a combination of several different elements, is a huge part of your identity.

As an Arab, have you ever stopped and thought about the role your culture plays in your everyday life? Your everyday speech, your kinship with others, the gestures you make with your hands, the phrases you use when expressing yourself. Has it ever

The last time you were telling your significant other how much you cared for them, you probably used terms of affection. You might have said “roohi”, you might have playfully squeezed their face as Arabs do and kissed them and said “asal”.

12 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Your culture is your vernacular language, your spiritual beliefs, your historical background, your heritage, your ancestors’ stories, your morals, your values, your food, your traditions, your greetings, your curses, your literature, your songs, your jokes, your proverbs, your words, your prayers and wisdom.

The significance and romanticism behind the word “roohi” is endless; you are calling them your soul, your spirit, the life in your chest, the radiant light within you that brings you hope and love and faith and joy. Such intimacy, all within one word!

And as you squeezed their face, you told them they were honey. You told them they were sweet on your tongue, and healed you as honey does, a common medicine amongst Arabs. What is more intimate than telling someone that they heal you?

The last time someone achieved a point of success, you said “mabrook”. You did not say “congratulations”. You said “may you be blessed”, and somehow it was deeper, somehow it carried more meaning.

Many Westerners have attempted to depict Arab history and culture by pub-

Artist and Calligrapher: Khalid Shahin lishing English books about this topic, but their language never quite manages to grasp the proper portrayal of our heritage and modern-lives. Perhaps this is because when an Arab writer is the author behind a book, us readers feel a bond to him, just by reading the words he has written off of the papers we hold in our hands. We can sense it, the moral imperative he has taken to make sure that he is not ignorant of our history, nor neglectful of our ancestors.

Nizar Qabbani, the Syrian poet who wooed thousands of women and wrote about each and every one of them, whose words are still used in songs and in declarations of love today. Many Arab men know that to make a woman swoon, he can recite words that will make her knees go weak: Nizar Qabbani’s words. This literary-immortal’s poetry has been translated into English,

Nizar Qabbani

but does not carry the same depth or beauty if one were to compare the two versions.

edly burning in hell for the sake of pursuing his heart’s passion, the object of his desire.

Perhaps the terms of endearment he uses may contribute to how beautiful his writing is, and how he often refers to spirituality to illustrate the sanctity of his love. Sanctity, no less. Sacred, holy, Heaven-sent. Nizar tells a woman he is infatuated with that he has been feeling so guilty about how shamelessly often she has been on his mind that he feels that every thought has been a sin, and that he has kissed Heaven goodbye because he indulges in those thoughts with such pleasure that he believes hell will be worth it. This is a perfect example of how language can capture culture, spirituality, and passion. This Muslim man raised to believe that lust is a sin would not mind alleg-

Integrating culture into his poetry countless times, Qabbani has written entire books about his undying love for what he refers to as an ailing Beirut.

He refers to Beirut as a woman, as only Arab writers can, since in Arabic a country is always referred to as a female. He tells her he loves her, he is sorry for how violated the other countries have left her, he is so ashamed he was not a better 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 13

Culture

man and did not protect her as well as he should have. He apologizes, he tells her the outsiders overpowered him, and that he hopes on the Day of Judgment, she will pardon him when he stands before God. He clings to his culture, and incorporates it into his every line. He declares to his lover that if he were to choose between the highest Heavens and the opportunity to spend all of eternity running his fingers through her hair and touching her skin, he would choose her in a heartbeat.

Heaven, the greatest reward in Muslim belief, is dismissed in his mind, and loses its significance when he looks at her. That, alone, illustrates the depth of his devotion.

Think of Nizar’s love for Beirut. Think of Qais’s devoted longing for for Laila. Think of “Alf Laila w Laila”, and how fascinated the King was with Shahrazad. Think of how much kinder it sounds to hear mabrook 14 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

versus congratulations, to hear “assalam alaikom” - peace be upon you - versus hello, which is a word with no meaning whatsoever. Think of how you sound when you swear in Arabic versus how you sound when you’re angry in English. Do you know many people in Kuwait who can actually keep their second-language in tact when they lose their temper? I know guys who forget their English altogether. Even if they are arguing with someone who doesn’t speak Arabic, they start lashing out at them in their mother tongue, completely forgetting that the person in front of them doesn’t speak that language. Because that is the language that takes over you when your guard is down. Your curses simply can’t be translated, because the curses lose their angerelement. They sound wrong and unnatural.

Perhaps the enthusiasm towards our

language is so poor in Kuwait because of how awfully boring the Arabic-linguistics classes are made to be for students. But if you look hard enough, you see everything it has given you. It has given you a connection to the rest of the Arabs all over the world. It has given you an insight into your ancestors’ past; you can pick up a book written hundreds of years ago in Arabic and you would understand it. It has given you terms of endearment that make your lover’s heart swell with affection. It has given you that feeling you get when you are in a Western country and see an Arab man unable to communicate with a foreigner, and you help him - because you have that bond. It has given you endless attributes of your identity. Look at yourself hard enough, and you will see it all over you.

‫‪ / 15‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫‪LAPA‬‬

‫االستعراض كثقافة يجب على أغلب الناس‬ ‫أن يمارسوها ويتعلموها واإلقبال عليها‬ ‫كمتفرجين أو كاستعراضيين‪ ,‬نحن كدولة‬ ‫صغيرة ديمقراطية ومتفتحة وغنية فنيا‬ ‫مقارنة بباقي الدول الخليجية أستغرب‬ ‫هذا الخمول في الحركة الفنية النوعية‬ ‫والنشاطات الثقافية‪ ,‬رغم أننا دولة محافظة‬ ‫إال أن هناك فرق بين الثقافة واإلباحية!‬ ‫مازال هناك عدم جدية من قبل المتدربين‬ ‫والمقبلين على مثل هذه النوعية من‬ ‫الفنون وأعتقد ذلك ناتجا عن عدم وعي‬

‫الشباب ألهميتها وقيمتها الثقافية وأيضا‬ ‫لعدم وجود مادة تعلم في المدارس وهذا‬ ‫ما تقدمه ( االبا ) وتتفرد به كأول أكاديمية‬ ‫كويتية تتخصص بالفنون االستعراضية رغم‬ ‫أنها منظمة غير ربحية إال أنها ال تبخل أبدا في‬ ‫جلب أفضل األساتذة من مختلف دول العالم‬ ‫لطلبتها واألعضاء المنتسبين إليها بأسعار‬ ‫رمزية جدًا ال للربح وإنما فقط لتغطي تكاليف‬ ‫ومصاريف األكاديمية لتستمر‪ ,‬ورغم عدم‬ ‫جدية بعض األعضاء والطلبة إال أننا نستطيع‬ ‫أن نتلمس التقدم الملحوظ واإلقبال على‬

‫مثل هذه الورش الفنية وأعتقد الضعف‬ ‫ناتج عن عدم معرفة األغلبية عن نشاطات‬ ‫األكاديمية وأيضا التخوف من التقدم والذهاب‬ ‫إليها لعدم وجود التشجيع الكافي‪ ..‬ولكن‬ ‫حان الوقت لبدأ تلك الخطوة وأنا من خالل‬ ‫هذه المقالة أدعوا أي شاب أو فتاة من الذين‬ ‫يجدون في أنفسهم الموهبة والرغبة في‬ ‫تنميتها بأن ال يترددوا باإلقبال واالنضمام‬ ‫ألكاديمية لوياك للفنون االستعراضية ( البا‬ ‫) فمازال هناك الكثير والكثير مما ستقدمه‬ ‫لكم لتقدموه للجمهور‪.‬‬ ‫‪16 / Issue 4: Jan 2012‬‬

‫عندما تجتمع الفنون في عرض واحد‬ ‫بقلم‪ :‬فهد‬

‫والجاز والتانغو والرقص المعاصر والفلكلوري‬ ‫كنت أجد تشابها في الحركات ولكن أدائها‬ ‫يكون مختلف كوضعية القدم وحركت اليد‬ ‫والتفاف الرأس وما إلى ذلك‪ .‬دائما ما تكون‬ ‫هناك تلك اللمسة التي تفصل بين جميع‬ ‫نظيراتها من الرقصات مثال على ذلك في‬ ‫البالية تشتهر بوقوفها على أطراف أصابع‬ ‫القدم ألداء حركاتها الجميلة والمتزنة ولكن‬ ‫في الرقص األذربيجاني كان مختلفا هذه‬ ‫المرة حيث الوقوف يكون على عظم أصابع‬ ‫القدم بشكل مستقيم وثابت‪ ,‬لم يكن‬ ‫سهال أبدا القيام بذلك حيث يجب أن يقوم‬ ‫أشخاص محترفين جدا بالرقص األذربيجاني‬ ‫ومدربين منذ الصغر‪.‬‬

‫زكير و يلينا من أذربيجان‬ ‫لم أكن أعلم ما هو الفلكلور األذربيجاني‬ ‫أو أألزري أو إن كنت حقا مهتما به كراقص‬ ‫وإستعراضي في المسرح حتى انتهيت‬ ‫من اليوم األول من ورشة العمل التي قامت‬ ‫بترتيبها أكاديمية لوياك للفنون االستعراضية‬ ‫( البا ) لمدة شهر كامل‪ ,‬لقد كان شعورا رائعًا‪,‬‬ ‫وإن لم يكن غريبا جدا عن ما قدمته في أخر‬ ‫مسرحية عملت بها إال أن حركات األقدام كانت‬ ‫تختلف في الحركة والسرعة إضافةَ إلى ذلك‬ ‫‪ / 17‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫لقد قام المدربان األستاذ زاكير واألستاذ إلينا‬ ‫بمجهود رائع مراعيان أنهم يتعاملون مع‬ ‫مبتدئين في الرقص سواء األذربيجاني أو‬ ‫غيره‪ ,‬فقاما بتصميم عدة رقصات للفلكلور‬ ‫األذربيجاني والتا نغو ورقص الصالونات‬ ‫والبالية لألطفال في ما يقارب الشهر فقط ‪,‬‬ ‫وبذال مجهودا كبيرا وحرصا بالغا على إنجاح‬ ‫هذه الورشة الغنية باالستعراضات الجميلة‬ ‫في هذه المدة القصيرة‪ ,‬علما أنهم قاموا‬ ‫بإعطاء رقصات عالمية متنوعة في بداية‬ ‫الورشة لتحديد مهارات الطلبة وتقيمهم‬ ‫لما يتناسب وقدراتهم الفنية كراقصين‬ ‫مبتدئين ونجحوا في إخراج عدة لوحات‬ ‫استعراضية بسيطة ورائعة من مجموعة من‬ ‫الطلبة الغير محترفين على خشبة المسرح‪.‬‬ ‫وكان العرض الذي قدمته ( البا ) في نهاية‬ ‫ورشة العمل بمثابة الدليل على نجاح‬ ‫هذه الورشة التي احتوت على ما سبق من‬ ‫لوحات استعراضية وأيضا على نجاح جميع‬ ‫األقسام المتخصصة للفنون في األكاديمية‬ ‫كالغناء والشعر والعزف الموسيقى والفنون‬ ‫االستعراضية كالهيب هوب والبريك دانس‬ ‫وغيرها حيث ضمت األمسية مجموعة كبيرة‬ ‫من المواهب الرائعة لتخلق أجواء جميلة‬ ‫تفردت بها األكاديمية‪.‬‬

‫أن أغلب الدول المجاورة ألذربيجان كروسيا‬ ‫كانت حركاتهم ومالبسهم متشابهه ولكن‬ ‫عندما تدقق قليال تجد الفرق في حركة القدم‬ ‫واليد وأيضًا رمزا وتصميما مختلف قليال‬ ‫حتى في اللباس فلكل بلد طابعه الخاص‬ ‫مهما كان شبيها بغيره وفي الحقيقة هذا‬ ‫ما ينطبق أيضًا ليس فقط على الحضارات مالحظاتي عن هذه الورشة ليس بما‬ ‫والدول وإنما في الرقصات أيضًا فمن خالل يستطيع تقديمه المدربين أو ( البا ) لألعضاء‬ ‫تجربتي في بعض أنواع الرقص من البالية والطلبة إنما فقر بعض األشخاص لفن‬

Advice

The Guy’s Guide to Buying a Girl’s Gift Written By: Bibi Al Falah

To me, the easiest possible person to shop for is a girl. It doesn’t matter if it’s my mother, friend, or colleague. This is because girls have an infinite number of products that are of interest to them.

Clothes? Yes. Beauty products? Yes. Jewlery? Double yes. They even appreciate sentimental gifts, like a framed picture of a beautiful moment. While these gifts may all seem cliché, they are just general categories. The actual item you end up picking is what really matters; this is what shows that you truly know a person.

As a girl buying for another girl, getting a present is a much easier affair. For 18 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

one thing, we are much more perceptive than you men. We remember what colors a girl usually wears, what make up she likes, what jewelry styles appeal to her, and even something she may have mentioned wanting months ago.

For men, this is a much tougher process.

WHAT DO I GET HER?!! Should I get a necklace or a pair of shoes or a ring or a nice scarf or a ring AND a nice scarf or maybe just the new iPhone AHHH what should I get?!!!! First of all, breathe. Think about the girl. Usually, there is someone in her life that can help you with this. A best friend or sister is usually your best bet.

See if they have some free time and take a whirl around the mall with them. Chances are you won’t leave empty handed. If you can’t reach any friends or family, DO NOT PANIC. There are some safe triedand-tested presents that will save the day.

First of all, don’t even think of buying perfume. Everybody knows that perfume is what you get somebody when you don’t have the time or effort to put into a real gift. Just a side note about perfume: every girl already knows which perfume she likes, and this is not a product that we like to change often. Most importantly, perfume is so specific to each woman.

Shoes

It doesn’t matter how pretty the packaging is, if it doesn’t smell good on us, there’s no way we would ever wear it. Instead, let us discuss some fail-proof choices that will definitely make a girl happy.

Tricky tricky tricky. If you’re brave enough to take this route, you had better be sure of two things: her shoe size and her style.

Shoes are always a tough gift to get, because even when you know a person’s size, every shoe fits differently and is best when tried on. If the style you’re getting is very casual, like a pair of Uggs, then size isn’t as much of a worry. If you’re getting a pair of designer heels on the other hand, try to get someone who lives with the girl to find out what size she buys from that brand or a similar brand. For example, if you want to get a girl a pair of Prada heels, it would help if you knew her heel size from another Italian brand like Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana or Fendi. NOTE: Christian Louboutin is a French brand but these shoes are made in Italy, and therefore have Italian sizing like the other mentioned brands. Remember, it’s always best to make sure you have a gift receipt when buying shoes for a girl.

Jewelry Whether you are buying a present for your mother or significant other, jewelry can be a safe bet depending on how you approach it. The more complicated a piece of jewelry is, the less likely it will be a success. Keep the design simple and elegant.

You can always request a gift receipt but it feels so much better to get it right the first time. Also, don’t just buy something with a heart on it because you assume all girls like hearts (or stars or whatever the shape may be). Try to go for a more neutral design that isn’t too specific, like a single diamond on a necklace or bracelet. If it’s a family member, try to notice what kinds of jewelry they usually wear. Does she wear gold or silver more? Does she change her earrings often? Noticing these little things will get you a long way. I have to say that in this country, Cartier is definitely the jeweler of choice. The staff there is so experienced and helpful, you could even tell them your budget and they will show you what is available. If you go to Tiffany’s, stay away from their chunky chain link designs. I advise this simply because I was gifted both the chain bracelet and necklace from them in the past and they rust terribly. If you’re looking for a mid-range option, Swarovski is also a safe bet. If you want a gift that is SUPER exclusive, there are some wonderful new jewelry designers emerging in Kuwait. One label is called “Th’haba” and another is called “May Jewelry”. May creates wonderfully innovative custom Arabic letter jewelry and Th’haba has a gorgeous collection of unique designs. Both of these jewelry lines can be found on Facebook.

Bags Although bags don’t have sizes, they can be just as complicated as shoes. When buying a girl a bag, it’s always safest to go with a clutch (small evening bag). This is because she can wear it for dinners and events and will definitely find something to match it to. If you want to buy a luxury everyday bag, make sure to stick to neutral colors so that the girl isn’t stuck with a purple bag that doesn’t match anything.

When all else fails, get a spa package

Clothing It’s never easy to buy a girl clothes. Size and fit are always an issue, not to mention whether or not she will like the style. To avoid any problems, stick to an item where this is not an issue, like a beautiful cashmere scarf in the winter or a timeless leather belt in the summer (Hermès, anyone?).

Photos courtesy of May Jewelry

Nobody is going to be angry with you if you hand over a massage package from Spa Time. Do consider that although massages are wonderful, this might suggest you couldn’t think of what to buy, so it’s best to save this idea as a last resort.

I hope this helps with all of your gifting woes. The best way you could possibly prepare is to listen to a girl over time; we usually mention things we are lusting over without even realizing it. Finally, it never hurts to present your gift with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. Happy gifting!

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 19

Faith Al-Fahad Branding & Commercial photography

Creative Advertising Smart Branding Elegant Packaging Fun Business Cards Commercial Commercial Photography Photography And Much more! www.HaveFaith.Biz /faithalfahad.branding

20 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

@faithalfahad

[Ecstatic] Photography by: Faith Al Fahad

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 21

Arts

La Regina Di Saba Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

Awadh Ghaddaf. The artist launched his exhibition of work based around Queen Bilqīs and the journey of the Hoopoe bird. Since 1988 Ghaddaf has been living in Sassenheim, Holland where he’s accomplished much of the artwork seen in the gallery. Graduating from the Hungarian University of Fine Arts in Budapest, Ghaddaf has been featured in over 50 international exhibitions.

Using different media, from paintings on canvas, woodcarvings and even hammered copper and brass, he created textiles, graphic prints and monuments revolving around the story. He chose to use a historical idea brought to life by a story that originated in the Arabian Peninsula. Yemen was and still remains to be the location where the throne of Queen Bilqīs resides. European expression focused on Queen Bilqīs side of the story. Knowing King Solomon had powers over the winds and the Jinn (demons) and to appease the King’s anger, the Queen arrives in Jerusalem baring gifts of a caravan of camels loaded with rare spices, large quantities of gold and precious jewels.

According to religious texts and mythology there once was an ancient kingdom in Yemen, twelve centuries past, ruled by a beautiful, opulent queen – the queen of Saba’. Accounts vary according to each monotheistic religion; the story of Queen Bilqīs with the Prophet and mighty King Solomon are chronicled in the Qur’an, Bible and Torah. They describe the royal encounter between King Solomon and the unnamed Queen of Saba’, who, being intrigued by the stories of Solomon’s wis22 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

dom and wealth, embarked on the 1,400mile journey from Saba to Jerusalem to meet him. She crossed the desert sands of Arabia, and traveled along the coast of the Red Sea, up into Moab, and over the Jordan River to Jerusalem, a journey that, at that time, took at least six months of travel.

The National Council of Culture, Arts and Letters’ exhibition hall in Dhahiat Abdullah Al-Salem was overwhelmingly full of artwork depicting the story by Yemeni artist, Ali

His work on this gallery took Ghaddaf on a journey to many art galleries all across the world to view and explore in search for different artists’ interpretations and how different cultures portrayed the story. He found that most historical art from the 15th century up to the 18th century displayed the story in the same perspective. They show the Queen Bilqīs loaded with gifts in hopes of forgiveness. “I looked at the other side of the story”, Ghaddaf said. Solomon sent the Hoopoe bird with a message to Queen Bilqīs, “So why not take the bird’s side of the story and the journey it took in delivering the message to the Queen and how the people of the Kingdom of Saba’ had their influence” Ghaddaf explained, since Queen Bilqīs would always consult her people in fear of taking a unilateral decision.

The Artist Ali Awadh Ghaddaf Here he began to imagine the Hoopoe’s journey and how he traveled to arrive in Yemen to the Kingdom of Saba’. The stages and places the bird went through before arriving at the throne of Bilqīs, and how it would land from one region to another in search of the Kingdom. Beginning with what was a single piece in the year 2000 he developed an entire gallery composed of 250 works of art, 90 of which were exhibited here, over a span of ten years. He would generate a protruding effect on certain parts of his art making it more prominent and looking almost three-dimensional. He

describes his studio as being flooded with different works of art in an array of media and how it became his love and obsession all at once. This exhibit began its launch here in Kuwait and will move on to be displayed in different countries in the Arab region such as the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and finally in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Ghaddaf embarked on an artistic journey to explore the different possible scenarios in an attempt to envision Queen Bilqīs, he pictured the most beautiful woman trying to capture her beauty in several images.

He depicts the Hoopoe bird flying over the Kingdom of Saba’ where its people are portrayed worshiping the Sun. In a few of his pieces he painted and carved the Jinn carrying the throne of Queen Bilqīs under the orders of King Solomon. Illustrating the Jinn as mystical creatures, a mix between man and beast, with wings. Even though each piece speaks of the same journey and hold the same atmosphere, if you look closely they individually depict the tale differently and are unique in the content of the story. The imagery, colors and beauty in the details sets the imagination loose 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 23

Arts

allowing a great variety of outcomes that would have taken place translating the story visually. Ghaddaf said, “At times, I would close my eyes and day dream for hours to express the perception of the story.�

It took three trips to Holland and back in order to deliver the entire shipment of art 24 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

since 90 percent of the masterpiece collection was produced in Holland. The wonderful part of all this is the time and commitment spent, ten years, not continuous of course. He explains that there is a pleasure in the dedication made and in the elimination of all distractions to focus on a single topic. To draw what you please and create

in full freedom unrestricted in time, location or form. Linked together like a chain, the works of art share the same blood, giving a modern vision to an ancient story.

‫‪ / 25‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫‪Sports‬‬ ‫فوناكشى جيشين‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -3‬جوجو ريو‪ :‬وهو أسلوب عنيف نوعا ما‬ ‫يمتاز بلوى مفاصل الجسم اسسه االستاذ‬ ‫شوجين مياج‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -4‬وادو ريو‪ :‬وهو أسلوب شهير في اليابان‬ ‫ويمتاز بانه انحدر من الفن اليابانى جوجيستو‬ ‫طوره االستاذ كينوا ماينونى‪.‬‬ ‫‪ -5‬شيدوكيكان‪ :‬وهو من اساليب الفول‬ ‫كونتكت العنيفة وهو مشهور في اليابان‬ ‫وامريكا واوروبا‪.‬‬ ‫يعتبر الكاراتيه أكثر فنون القتال انتشارا في‬ ‫العالم وذلك بسبب سفر الخبراء اليابانيين‬ ‫تالميذ مستر فوناكوشي (جيتشين‬ ‫المرحوم بطل الكارتيه يعقوب الهندال‬ ‫فوناكوشي) لنشر الفن في مختلف أنحاء‬ ‫العالم وفي مصر مثال ‪ 460000‬العب كاراتيه‬ ‫يختلف ترتيب االحزمة من مدرسة إلى أخرى أو‬ ‫من بلد إلى آخر‪ ,‬يربط جاكيت الكراتيه بحزام‪،‬‬ ‫طريقة التدريب‬ ‫ويكون هذا الحزام من ألوان مختلفة للداللة‬ ‫ينقسم التدريب إلى ‪ 3‬مجاالت‪ :‬الكيهون على مستوى المهارة القتالية التي وصل‬ ‫والكاتا ‬‪‪‬والكوميتى‪.‬‬ ‫إليها مرتدي الحزام‪ ،‬والتي تتراوح بين‬‬ ‫أوال‪ :‬الكيهون تدريب الحركات األساسية في ‪ Kyu‬‫» المستوى المبتدئ «كيو‬‬ ‫الكاراتيه والتي تساعد في تدريب الكاتا‬ ‫‪« Dan‬‫والمستوى المتقدم»دان «‬‬ ‫والكوميتية فهي تعتبر البنية األساسية‪.‬‬ ‫ثانيا‪ :‬الكاتا السلسلة من الحركات أو القتال ويكون أختيار لون الحزام على أسس معينة‬ ‫الوهمى حيث نتخيل وجود خصوم في و على فترات تدريب مثل‪ :‬حزام أبيض (‬ ‫االتجاهات األربعة والقيام بحركات الدفاع مبتدئ)‪ ,‬حزام أصفر‪ ,‬حزام برتقالي‪ ,‬حزام‬ ‫أخضر‪ ,‬حزام أزرق‪ ,‬حزام بني‪ ,‬دان ‪ -1‬حزام‬ ‫والهجوم في االتجاهات األربعة‪.‬‬ ‫أسود الدرجة األولى‪ ,‬دان ‪ -2‬حزام أسود‬ ‫ثالثا‪ :‬معنى الكوميتيه القتال الحقيقى بين‬ ‫الدرجة الثانية‪ ,‬دان ‪ -3‬حزام أسود الدرجة‬ ‫اثنين فقط‪ ,‬أوعن طريق فرق ولكن كل مباراة‬ ‫الثالثة‪ ,‬ويسري التسلسل إلى الوصول إلى‬ ‫يتم اللعب بين اثنين فقط‪.‬‬ ‫دان ‪ – 10‬حزام أسود الدرجة العاشرة‪‬.‬‬ ‫‫زي العب الكارتيه‬‬ ‫ويندر عدد الذين يحملون أحزمة سوداء‬ ‫متقدمة‪ ،‬ألن عدد المتدربين يقل عندما‬ ‫‫يتألف زي العب الكارتيه من جاكيت أبيض يصلون إلى درجات األحزمة المتقدمة وذلك‬ ‫مع بنطال أبيض‪ ,‬على أن يتوسط البنطال لظروف العمر أو الصحة أو عوامل أخرى‪ ،‬وفي‬ ‫بين الركبة والكعب‪ ,‬وان يتوسط الكم حالة وصول أحد المتدربين إلى الحزام األسود‬ ‫اليد بين المرفق والرسغ‪ ,‬وطول الجاكيت من الدرجة السادسة ‬(‫دان‪ )6‬له الخيار في‬ ‫يكون بين نصف الفغذ والركبة‪ ,‬و يوجد ارتداء حزام أحمر وأبيض أثناء التمارين للداللة‬ ‫به أحزمة متعددة وملونة حسب مستوى أنه وصل إلي مرحله متقدمة في التدريب‬‬ ‫المتدرب وتختلف عدد االحزمة من دولة إلى‬ ‫أخرى‪ ,‬وهذا الزي هو في األساس من رياضة‬ ‫رياضة الكاراتية في الكويت‬ ‫الجودو‪,‬واللون األبيض للزي يعبر عن النوايا‬ ‫تتمتع لعبة الكاراتية في الكويت بألخص‬ ‫النقية يرفض األفكار الشريرة المرهبة‪‬.‬‬ ‫ودول الخليج بشكل عام بصيت قوي‬ ‫‫حزام الكاراتيه‬‬ ‫وسمعة عالية بين االلعاب الرياضية األخرى من‬ ‫‫لمتابعة ما ذكرناه سابقا عن حزام الكاراتيه‪ ,‬رياضات الدفاع عن النفس‪ ,‬وذلك يعود لحب‬

‫الشباب الكويتي لهذة الرياضة ألنها تعلم‬ ‫الفرد كيفية الدفاع عن النفس والثقة وعدم‬ ‫الخوف والجرأة والقوة‪ ,‬وهي توصل الشخص‬ ‫إلى إتزان جسماني وعقلي يجعله يتحكم‬ ‫بنفسه أكثر في الظروف الصعبة‪.‬‬ ‫مثال على بعض محبي والعبي لعبة الكاراتيه‬ ‫هم أبناء عائلة الهندال الست الذين دخل‬ ‫كل منهم هذه اللعبة عن قناعة وحب‬ ‫وشغف وكل أخ يكن بمثابة الدافع والقدوة‬ ‫ألخيه األصغر لذلك أشتهروا جميعهم بهذه‬ ‫الرياضة ألنهم أصروا من القلب على متابعة‬ ‫ما بدأه األخ األكبر منهم‪.‬‬ ‫الالعب واألخ األكبر هو يعقوب سلطان‬ ‫الهندال وهو العب نادي الشباب ومنتخب‬ ‫الكويت للكاراتيه‪ ,‬توفى ( رحمه اهلل ) في عام‬ ‫‪2000‬م‪ ,‬تاركا ورائه بصمة ال تنسى في نفوس‬ ‫أخوته ألكمال ما بدأه بإصرار‪ ,‬وبصمة أخرى‬ ‫مشرفة في تاريخ اإلتحاد الكويتي للكاراتيه‬ ‫حيث أقيمت أكثر من سبع بطوالت بأسمه‬ ‫في مواسم هذه الرياضة‪.‬‬ ‫أكد األخ الثاني في ترتيب أخوته مشعل‬ ‫الهندال بأن التقدم وأحراز الميداليات في‬ ‫البطوالت المسماه بأسم أخيه والمناسبات‬ ‫األخرى سواء محلية أو عالميا‪ ,‬يكون بمثابة‬ ‫تكريم بسيط ألخيه األكبر‪ ,‬ودافع لمن خلفه‬ ‫من أخوته‪.‬‬ ‫بعد حصولة على المركز األول والميدالية‬ ‫االذهبية في بطولة العالم عام ‪2004‬م‬ ‫والميدالية الذهبية في البطولة الدولية في‬ ‫إيران وحصولة على جائزة أفضل العب في‬ ‫‪26 / Issue 4: Jan 2012‬‬

‫رياضة الكاراتيه‬ ‫بقلم‪ :‬سعود الهندال‬

‫بطل الكارتيه مشعل الهندال‬ ‫أن أصل نشأة الكاراتيه في اليابان على جزيرة‬ ‫(اوكيناوا)‪ ,‬وسبب موقعها الجغرافى الممتاز‬ ‫حيث قرابها على الصين ادى إلى تفاعل تجارة‬ ‫ناجحة مع جيرانها الصينيين مما جعل بعضا‬ ‫من ثقافة الجزيرة متأثره قليال في ثقافة الصين‬ ‫وفنونها القتالية‪ ,‬حيث كان االوكيناويين‬ ‫يسافرون إلى الصين لتعلم فنون القتال‬ ‫وبذات (الوشوو) حيث طورو الكاراتيه من‬ ‫فنونهم القتالية المحلية وبعض من فنون‬ ‫قتالية صينية وهي (الوشوو) بالتحديد‪,‬‬ ‫(اوكيناوا) كانت محكومة في تلك الفترة‬ ‫بنظام اقطاعى‪ ,‬حيث كانت فترة االقطاعيين‬ ‫في اليابان و كانت الحروب االهلية كثيرة في‬ ‫ذلك الوقت‪ ,‬وعندما ارادت اليابان التوحد‬ ‫في فترة (ميجى) وإسقاط الحكم االقطاعى‬ ‫في جميع اليابان‪ ,‬هناك بعض المناطق في‬ ‫اليابان كانت ال بد وان تتوحد بالقوة‪ ,‬ومن‬ ‫هذه المناطق (ارخبيل ريوكو) التي توجد فيه‬ ‫‪ / 27‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫والية (اوكيناوا) التي ظهر فيها فن الكاراتيه هاذا المنطلق اشاعو اليابانيون الكاراتيه في‬ ‫فقد هاجمتها قوات هائلة من الساموراى عام جميع اليابان على الجزر الرئيسية والعالم‬ ‫‪1600‬م واسقطت النظام االقطاعى الحاكم الخارجي‪.‬‬ ‫(لالرخبيل) وعند ذالك اقامت قوات الساموراى‬ ‫التسمية‬ ‫عملية حظر السالح على سكان الجزيرة خوفا‬ ‫من الثورات ضدهم فاراد االوكيناويين ان كلمة كاراتيه كلمة يابانية تتكون من‬ ‫يستعملو اعضاء جسدهم كاسالح لدفاع مقطعين (كارا) بمعنى فارغ و(تيه) بمعنى‬ ‫عن النفس على جزيرة (اوكيناوا) وبعد ذالك اليد أو القبضة بذالك تصبح اليد الخالية‪.‬‬ ‫وحدتها الحكومة اليابانية في فترة حكم أو بمعنى آخر فمعناها أستعمال اطراف‬ ‫االمبراطور (ميجي) عام ‪1879‬م وبعد أن الجسم كاألصابع وقبضة اليد والركالت‬ ‫ارجع (ارخبيل ريوكو) وجزيرة (اوكيناوا) إلى كأسلحة طبيعية للدفاع عن النفس‪.‬‬ ‫الحكم اليابانى اراد (فوناكشى) ومجموعة‬ ‫بعض أنواع ومدارس الكاراتيه‬ ‫من خبراء فنون القتال اليابانيه في طوكيو‬ ‫‪ -1‬الكيوكشن‪ :‬وهي إحدى االساليب األكثر‬ ‫ان يجعلو الكاراتيه فن قتالى عسكري يابانى‬ ‫عنفا في الكاراتيه والمشهورة في اليابان‬ ‫مؤكد من جمعية اليابان لفنون القتال وبعد‬ ‫اسسها السنسي اوياما‪.‬‬ ‫ذالك اساس الخبراء اليابانيون للكاراتيه‬ ‫و(فوناكشي جيتشين) جمعية اليابان‬ ‫‪ -2‬الشوتوكان‪ :‬وهي إحدى أكثر اساليب‬ ‫للكاراتيه‬ )‪‪ (Japan Karate Association‬ومن‬ ‫للكاراتيه شيوعا في العالم اسسها المعلم‬

Girls ages 12 -18

LOTHAN YOUTH ACHIEVEMENT CENTER

www.acmilankuwait.com

28 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

@ACMILANKUWAIT

55138686

NOW OPEN

January 2012 Course

REGISTRATION FOR

‫نفس البطولة‪ ,‬كان ألخوته بمثابة البطل‬ ‫السينمائي الذي يظهر في جميع المناسبات‬ ‫والمحافل الرياضية إلقتناص الميداليات ورفع‬ ‫علم الكويت عاليا‪ ,‬ومثلهم األعلى الذي‬ ‫يقتدى به في هذه الرياضة‪.‬‬ ‫مخاطر الكاراتيه‬

‫ويتمسك بها‪ ,‬وعدم مشاركته مع المنتخب‬ ‫في البطوالت الخارجية لفترة طويلة‪ ,‬لذلك‬ ‫يجب ان يتحلى المقاتل بروح العزيمة واإلصرار‬ ‫حتى في وقت اإلصابة وعدم المشاركة ليجني‬ ‫ثمر عالجة باللعب مرة أخرى مع المنتخب لرفع‬ ‫أسم الكويت وتكريم أخوته الذين سبقوه‬ ‫والذين تلوه في هذه اللعبة‪ .‬فلوال روح الحب‬ ‫واألخوة والتشجيع بين هؤالء األخوة لما كان‬ ‫لهم أسم في عالم رياضة الكاراتيه‪.‬‬

‫أشار االعب نواف الهندال الحاصل على المركز‬ ‫األول والميدالية الذهبية في بطولة آسيا‬ ‫مع منتخب الكويت إلى أن كما لهذه اللعبة المشاكل التي تواجه العب الكاراتيه الكويتي‬ ‫جوانب مفرحة وإيجابية‪ ,‬لها زوايا خطرة‬ ‫وإصابات كثيرة‪ ,‬فالالعب في هذه اللعبة األخ الرابع من أبناء الهندال العبو الكاراتيه‬ ‫بما أنه يستخدم جميع أطراف جسمه فإنه‬ ‫سعدون الهندال الحاصل على المركز األول‬ ‫معرض لإلصابة في اي وقت‪ ,‬مما أدى بالالعب‬ ‫نواف الهندال بعد إصابته إصابة شديدة والميدالية الذهبية في البطولة العربية‬ ‫بالركبة إلى حرمانه من الرياضة الي يحبها الثانية التي اقيمت بالكويت وتتويجه بكأس‬ ‫‪ / 29‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫المركز األول‪ ,‬قال بأن نسبة مراعاة اإلتحاد‬ ‫الكويتي للكراتيه بالعبيه قليلة جدا‪ ,‬وقلة‬ ‫األهتمام بالالعب عند إصابته بإصابة أثناء‬ ‫التدريب أو في البطوالت‪ ,‬بعد ذلك يتوجب‬ ‫على الالعب العالج على نفقته الخاصة ألكمال‬ ‫ما بدأ‪ ,‬ومن ثم يعود إلى المنتخب ليرى‬ ‫بأنه أصبح من الالعبين الغير مرغوب بهم‬ ‫بسبب إصابته وعدم أختياره للمشاركة في‬ ‫المعسكرات التدريبية أو البطوالت الخارجية‬ ‫إلى بعد فترة طويلة لكي يوافق اإلتحاد‬ ‫الكويتي على إمكانيته وجاهزيته على اللعب‬ ‫من جديد‪ ,‬وهذا ما يجعل الالعب محبط‬ ‫وسلبي عند ممارسة الكاراتيه ويجعلها نقمه‬ ‫عليه بدل من أن يكتسبها نعمة لصالحة‪.‬‬

Memoir

Duaij al Own: A Model LoYAC-er Written By: Naser Al Wasmi

On a winter morning, Duaij Al Own walked into the LoYAC offices not so he can join the part-time program or even see the happenings of the organization he’s been a part off.

Al Own came to make a contribution, to give back to the organization that he claims has been an integral part in his career.

“It’s just a small contribution, I felt they gave me an opportunity that changed my life, I felt like I needed to give back,” a humble Duaij said, “promoting and talking for the organization I’m not so good at so I said, at least, let me make a small contribution.”

The biggest contribution he made that morning, however, was not the donation he gave the non-profit, but the news he brought with him: he has been hired full-time at the Marriot as a follow-up to his part-time participation in LoYAC’s Summer Program.

Al Own is an impressive young man with a busy schedule. He embodies that which LoYAC aims to bring out in the youth that we are so proud of by balancing the four aspects of well-being: the physical, mental, 30 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

emotional and spiritual. His phone wakes him up at 6 am every morning so he can get in a few hours at the gym before he attends his morning classes. At the Gulf Institute of Science and Technology, he’s taking a demanding course-load in Finance.

When classes are done, Duaij, unlike most students, goes on to fulfill his shift in the Marriot hotel. Upon finishing his work, he returns home for a meal and some R&R, only to wake up to study until midnight.

Curious, isn’t it, for a young Kuwaiti male to be so driven. The question is, how and when did he abandon the Kuwaiti complacency in pursuit of a more challenging and rewarding lifestyle.

“I got sick of it,” a smiling Dhuaij said, “I was tired of the routine of wasting time.

Their isn’t much to do, the same thing was happening: mall, driving around, chalet, cafes, the same thing.” He criticized a lifestyle that most Kuwaiti youth are happy to relish in. The “off-time” activities of wasting time with friends didn’t appeal to this young man, rather he opted

for one of work, study and fulfillment.

“I guess you can say it happened when I went to the states for three months. I wasn’t even there for work or anything, but I just saw the lifestyle there, how everyone was constantly doing things to better themselves and their lifestyles.” Upon returning, Duaij said he went through a period of introspective reconstruction of his life. He asked himself how he could spend his time more efficiently. So he joined the Summer Program 2011 at LoYAC and began appreciating his time. The most impressive thing was, that even after the 6-week program was done, Duaij continued on the model of balancing the four aspects of life, as can be seen in his daily routine.

Truly a model LoYAC student, Duaij has continued to progress and improve himself.

It’s products like this young man that LoYAC is proud of, he took an experience not just as a chance to get some money and make some friends, but as a life-changing lesson from which he will benefit in his career ahead.

We wish him good luck and all the best.

‫‪ / 31‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Events

32 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Kuwait Eco-Quest

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 33

Parliament in Practice Written By: Omar Al Kalouti

British Member of Parliament Mr. Abbas with LoYAC Summer interns Yazan Al Shahabi & Omar Al Kalouti I began my internship at the Westminster office of Anas Sarwar MP on Tuesday May 31st and ended on Thursday June 30th. For most of the internship, I worked directly with Mr. Sarwar’s chief researcher/assistant/manager – Mr. Yassar Abbas. Overall, Mr. Abbas was an amiable person who actively wanted me to make the most of my time in Parliament.

Working with Mr. Abbas, I was able to engage in a variety of activities that made my time in Parliament a tremendous learning experience. For instance, I was able to analyze and answer many of the emails Mr. Sarwar received from constituents or interest groups. These dealt with issues ranging from the treatment of circus animals to the proposed cuts in welfare spending.

This afforded me a privileged insight into the varying factors that influence a representative’s decision-making and into the 34 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

relationships between political representatives and their constituents. Simply put, the experience allowed me to grasp the concept of democracy with more depth.

Inevitably, my time in Parliament also stimulated my interest in British politics.

Whether through reading or experiential learning, I became familiar with the British political landscape in addition to the details that inform parliamentary business. Through Mr. Sarwar, I also came in contact with an interest group: the Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East. I attended one of their fundraising dinners, during which I was lucky to converse with two other Members of Parliament about both British and Middle Eastern politics.

Furthermore, I was exposed to Mr. Sarwar’s work in the International Development Committee of the House of Commons – a parliamentary group dealing with international development in which he is

an active member. Namely, I researched and drafted articles about his proposed law concerning corporate transparency in the developing world [Resource Extraction (Transparency and Reporting) Bill]. I also wrote an ‘Early Day Motion’ which was published on his behalf and signed by 80 MPs. Finally, when I had spare time during the day, Mr. Abbas was happy to let me attend parliamentary meetings open to the public. Thus, I attended several ‘Committee Meetings,’ in which parliamentarians discuss specific issues. Notably, however, I attended a session of ‘Foreign and Commonwealth Office’ questions in the chamber of the House of Commons, in which Members of Parliament question and scrutinize the work of the Foreign Secretary.

I would like to thank the Lothan Youth Achievement Centre for this wonderful opportunity – one that I will fondly look back to for years to come.

‫‪ / 35‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

LoYACY thanks Zeina Mokaddam and PH7 for their support We Love You! 36 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Read between the lines Go online

www.studentalk-online.com

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 37

Fiction

Night Out: Step in ... Step Out Written By: Musaed Al Haddad

As the clapping settled down…the sounds of the piano start to ease its way to my ear…her body was dancing with the light…she stood closely to the mic…as if she were whispering a complement. She started to sing … I rested my face on my hand which was pivoted on my elbow ... giving her my soft attention… she notices it...and rewards me with a “wink” which I send back with a smile.. “Oh my...I hope it’s not the salad on my face” I thought to myself...a quick check put my doubt to rest.

She sings… her soft voice finding its way between the piano cords…everyone starts to feel the vibe …everyone starts to feed off her energy. A lovely, sweet song... at first I was not in the mood to get into it… into the groove… so I just took my time and let it come to me… her singing was so precise, as if I was witnessing a surgeon with hands of God at work…very skillful… she stopped...we clapped...she smiled.

I stepped in… it was dark, you cannot make out people’s faces... all eyes where fixed towards the light… and like every one, I looked at the light too… three guys faced the many eyes…they’re too cool for their own sweat… It was late, and I am on my 36th hour with no sleep…nevertheless… here I was…At Scott’s, Ronnie Scott’s….the best Jazz club in London. The expression on everyone’s face was vacant... some are here to look cool. Some are here for the music. For me, I’m only here to unplug.

My table was great… Slightly elevated with a small flickering candle… and a full view of the stage...I was comfortable... its too dark for anyone to tell that I am not shaved and under dressed… Tables are crammed to each other too closely for anyone to notice that I’m alone… last but not least.. Every one is listening rather than talking … which is also an advantage to have for someone out alone I looked hard and long at the bent card on 38 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

my table…looking at the word“Reserved”...I looked at it hard enough til it became a blur…I realized then how tired I was… ”clap…clap…clap” I hear …the number was finished. I clapped too...

(Just to be nice…it costs nothing) I laid back giving room to the waitress to serve me my Greek salad and orange juice... “No soda for me please!”…

The dark was a great cover for all the salad on my face “Eat slowly” I told myself...“I’m supposed to enjoy it not inhale it”…then I thought “what else can you do with food?? A lot!…Ah…Never mind” “Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for our main event … vocalist…

Miss Lundy” clap…clap...clap… she was black very short hair…her white dress shinning in the spotlight which half a meter above… angled at

with was was her.

Little chat with the audience… a joke here ... a joke there… I start to smile ... and said to myself “what a long hard day!!”

Song after song ...the stress starts to lift, I start to think...to imagine…

I start to get a sense of normality…for I have no memories with Jazz… I can have a vacuum of thoughts…nothingness… yeah… that’s what I need…unplug “you were lovely…” she said…The session was over …she blew a kiss to all of us, wishing us a good night….I thought... second session? Naah too tired...

I stood up, trying to get adjusted to the light and the glare in my eyes...feeling my way through the chairs and tables...I got to the door...and felt the chill of a late night… I stopped and turned, for a final look at the stage, zipped my jacket and…

Stepped out…

1 1 20

Virgin Megastore - Marina Mall - Tel (+965) 222 44555 www.virginmegastore.me www.facebook.com/virginmena www.twitter.com/virginmegame

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 39

Social

Socks, the swagger within Written By: Naser Al Wasmi

On my morning commute, dull and devoid of paying attention to the impenetrable pace of morning traffic, I was looking around the Gulf Road and people watching when I noticed a biker straddling an enchanting new Ducati motorbike. Look, I’m not a fan of motorcycles but this was something else. It looked like it came straight out of Akira, the lines of the machine were elegantly fierce making it seem like the old Italian man who designed the motorbike got his inspiration while looking at grace of his long-time lover riding a wild stallion and hunting a saber tooth tiger in a field of burning poppy plants. The wheels were fat enough to evoke a sense of machismo and the rider himself was dressed awesomely futuristic. I love these momentary glimpses into the future, where every now and again you say to yourself ‘Finally! Now where’s my flying car and intelligence chips.’ As I was saying, this guy was 40 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

dressed up in metallic jeans, a cool body armor suit, and shiny ankle boots. This guy was the coolest thing since the internet, that is until I saw his white socks. “What? Really, you’re destroying everything that defined your entire existence cool biker dude,” I wanted to say to him. To imagine, under all that swagger, futuristic motorcycle man was wearing white socks was a super buzzkill.

That got me thinking about the importance of this underappreciated apparel. Consider the sock for the moment. Now aside from the primal necessity of socks and their role of keeping your toes warm, socks are perhaps the most understated deliberation of someone’s fashion sense. Socks are the tie to your shoe, the complement to your tie and the final brush stoke in your signature. When in doubt, buy socks as a present. God knows we all need more socks.

Everyone gets to that point in their laundry cycle where only the

“Losing a sock can be severely emotional, especially if it’s your favorite pair. However, cry, clench and tear your clothes as you might, nothing you do will help you retrieve that special one that got away. It’s an experience unlike anything else.” mutated socks are left, the ones with holes, missing patches of cloth and embarrassing patterns of kittens kissing angels. On the flipside, everyone has that favorite pair of socks, or that painful memory of a favorite pair of socks, which I’ll get to later. Needless to say, without socks, our lives would be a dismally vacant place with no hope for salvation and not to mention, historically devoid.

Although little evidence exists, socks are considered to be one of the first forms of clothing made by primal man. It makes sense to have covered their hairy caveman feet, as most of your body heat is lost in the extremities. However, the first record of socks was mentioned by the Greek poet Piloi in the 8th century BC. The Hellenistic invention was first created out of matted animal hair to keep the sentinels feet warm. There were other subsequent developments in Ancient Egypt and Roman civilizations. It wasn’t until centuries later that the big leap in sock production happened in around 1589 when an English clergyman by the name of William Lee invented the first sewing machine capable of making wool socks. It is said that Lee created the invention because the lady he was courting seldom diverted her eyes from her knitting needles. Lee’s peculiar expression of infatuation was the first introduction of socks, stocks and fishnets as symbols of desire and lust –one can argue not much has changed today. We’ve all seen Hans Holbein the Younger’s depiction of King Henry’s sex appeal in his painting; you know the one where Henry VIII calves were the envy of every virile man. Now flash forward a few hundred years and think of any James Bond girl sheathing a gun in her stockings. None the less, socks are everywhere in our history and excavated socks have been popping up

in sites dating back to 300AD. Which leads me to wonder, if socks are ubiquitous in excavations that must mean that loosing socks is no recent phenomenon ushered in by hungry washing machines; this must mean that people have been losing socks for centuries!

Fact: once a sock is gone, there is no finding it. No matter how meticulously you execute your laundry mechanisms; one will inevitably lose a sock. Losing a sock can be severely emotional, especially if it’s your favorite pair. However, cry, clench and tear your clothes as you might, nothing you do will help you retrieve that special one that got away. It’s an experience unlike anything else. With other things, there are search tactics or rather, formulas of locating them: if you lose your keys, curse violently while throwing things around and eventually they’ll magically appear in your pocket.

With a misplaced homework assignment, go to your computer and print another one, you’re not in 1980s. With a baby, just cry hysterically and the baby falls out of the sky and into your lap –I think it’s some biological phenomenon. But with a sock…nothing. In fact, I don’t think of losing a sock as losing something tangible. No, it’s more like a distant childhood memory of someone whispering in a dream. Or a lost song buried deep in your brain that you’ve heard many times but can never fully sing more than a fragment of notes.

Or that part in the original Zelda, when you’re lost. It’s really quite a shame. Is there some alternate universe where the lost socks of all of humanity are collectively raging in some debaucherous sockrave, sweating and tremulously grinding up against each other. I’m not sure and I’m afraid I’ll never know. All I hope for is that my lost socks are getting some major action in the Lost Sock Universe.

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 41

Profile

Unveiling Bianca Written By: Nora Al Ruwaished

“Who inspires me? Shouldn’t everyone just say their Mom?” Bianca chuckled as she brushed a strand of her blonde hair away from her brow. “No, but seriously, I would have to say that I try to constantly surround myself with people and places who inspire me, as difficult as that may be at times.”

What makes the young American-born girl’s electric blue eyes light up more than anything, is cooking for others. What started as a passion for Bianca eventually became a profession, but the route she took was anything but ordinary.

Initially embarking on a college career in environmental studies, she decided one day 42 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

that it wasn’t her forte and thus began her inspirational journey that eventually landed her right here in our little country of Kuwait.

“I moved to Paris and waited tables when I was seventeen. I relocated to Costa Rica to practice my Spanish skills, and while I was there I found myself doing nothing but watching the Food Network and wanting nothing more than to cook and be in the kitchen. People had always told me I should go to culinary school, so that was it.

I decided, and headed back to my hometown, Pasadena, California to go to Southern California School of Culinary Art”. From there she went to London to do her Intern-

ship for a year in several of Marco Pierre White’s French classic cuisine kitchens.

Gordon Ramsey of “Hell’s Kitchen” actually learned from White before making it big.

In Paris, Bianca worked at Mustang Café where only expats worked such as Danish, American’s and Spanish. Bianca is one of the few who take the uncharted route and she began searching for a place to stay when she got there. She shared an apartment with another American from New Jersey who she met at a cafe while looking for a place to stay. Bianca slept in the sole bedroom while her roommate inhabited the living room. “Our tiny kitchen is where you’d find

the shower. It was quite odd to be showering while your roommate is making coffee.”

Cuba was another adventure entirely. Bianca was traveling through Mexico, when her and her friend decided to pull out the daily limit of $300 from the ATM and head to Cuba on the next available flight.

They often visited a cantina where they enjoyed the live music, and ended up asking the woman who worked there if they could stay at her place for $15 a night.

This lasted one night, as there was no AC unit but an avid amount of cockroaches who would scurry over their bodies.

“In London I worked for a freak of a chef— Chris Brown. I won’t go into details but let me just say that it was in his kitchen that I grew my first layer of thick skin and learned no to take any BS from anyone. Working in kitchens can be very militant...ranks and all.

Earning the respect of your superiors isn’t easy. I didn’t have much of a problem doing so after that...” It turns out the insane chef threw a plate of undercooked asparagus at her and informed her that she didn’t deserve to be there. The next day he said she could come back, if she apologized.”

She nonchalantly mentioned that in between being a personal chef for the actress Lucy Lawless who played Xena: Warrior Princess, as well as for a wealthy family, she also became a certified trainer at 24 Hour Fitness. “Xena actually had blonde hair and she was always on some new diet kick. It was a lot of fun, and when her husband started working out I figured why not try to become a trainer so I can create a marriage between my cooking and my training for healthy living.”

Yet again, after deciding that the three jobs were overwhelming, the travel-queen set out on a quest to Armenia, where her father’s roots lie. Six-months after this journey she found herself in Kuwait where she was originally hired to be a trainer, and just two weeks later, her dream came true. She decided to fulfill every chef’s wish and open her own restaurant. Thus, the Early Bird we all know and love was born.

Of her extensive destinations of travel, she claims “Cuba is one of my favorite countries.

The people are so happy and just dance in

“Cuba is one of my favorite countries.

The people are so happy and just dance in the streets, regardless of their poverty. To have nothing and to still be so happy is to have everything.» the streets, regardless of their poverty. To have nothing and to still be so happy is to have everything. Oh, and Thailand. I loved Thailand.” She still considers herself to be a big-city type of girl, coming from LA, and admits that it is difficult adapting to a new country with such a small-town feel to it.

“Everyone knows everyone and there is no anonymity. I miss being just another face in the crowd, but I am coping and it is because I consider my biggest accomplishment in my life thus far to be Early Bird. I can’t leave it, no matter how homesick I am,” says Bianca.

Finding productive ways to spend her downtime, Bianca recently launched “Bird Talk” a video blog that goes into detail about her perspective on her life’s experiences, introducing people she meets along the way.

A woman with so much ambition surely isn’t stopping here, so naturally a discus-

sion about her future endeavors was in order. A third branch of Early Bird is opening in Salmiya, and Bianca’s dream is to open a boutique hotel under the Italian sun, including a restaurant containing a menu she creates herself, with nothing but fresh and natural ingredients. “Italian cuisine is my favorite—but most importantly Italian food in Italy. The ingredients are so fresh, the tomatoes are so ripe—I am in love with Italy.”

She loves cooking, playing all sports, and is obsessed with her cats, but most of all, this girl has an insatiable passion for life and all that comes with it—the good, the bad and all the in-betweens. “Sure everyone is bound to be reluctant about their decisions and choices, but what is the worst that could happen? To me it’s that I would die. To risk is to be alive, and there is a reason why the saying, ‘You never know until you try’ exists. Try it sometime. You might surprise yourself.”

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 43

Social

I Want to Ride My Bicycle Written By: Naser Al Wasmi

Since it’s only a matter of time before someone uncovers this most embarrassing of acts, let me start off by admitting I have reverted to being dropped off to work high-school, rich-boy style. Meaning my driver drops me off accompanied by the maid and the cook in the back seat. No reader, this is not because I can’t drive nor is it because I am a time-is-money businessman and I need those oh-so-precious 20 minutes to make important business calls. This is because somewhere along the two months that I was absent from Kuwait, we somehow managed to lose my car. Yes, I came back and, upon arriving at home, I found the car I was driving no longer existed at times like these I find it best not to ask questions but to simply go along, like a dead animal floating complacently down a slow river.

44 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

This servant entourage got me to thinking what other possible alternative means of commuting to work are plausible in Kuwait? Not many. You basically have three common options, which is either to drive, to have someone drive you to work, or, the most commonly used method in government jobs, skip and never show up. I was in Washington D.C. the last two months working at the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee, which is unfortunately located in Georgetown. For anyone who has ever visited the US capital you’ve probably noticed that they have a very clean, very touristsavvy metro system that pretty much transports you anywhere in the tiny district, with the exception of Georgetown. This was an attempt by the blue-blooded, rich folks who lived in this quaint part of town to keep out all the crackheads during the 80s and 90s, and

I honestly don’t blame them for it. Crackies are by far the worst type of homeless person. So I was in a dilemma of sorts: Either to take the metro, then a bus and some walking for a total of an hour, or to buy a bike and Armstrong my way through this beautiful city.

I opted for the latter, and I cannot begin to describe how pleasurable it made my mornings. The feeling of getting on a bike and leaving traffic behind is a sensation that is only tantamount to hugging a tree and having it hug you back. Biking to work is, hands down, the best way to commute. It’s healthy, good for the environment and energizing. Imagine, having your coffee-induced endorphins released naturally every morning. For all those health freaks out there, biking to work increases your metabolism by 400 calories on average. It was a revelation. Now that I’m back in Kuwait, however, I’ve tried figuring out a way to bike to work but the sad reality is I absolutely cannot. Even if there was a bike lane on our streets, I don’t trust the Kuwaiti driver enough to place my life in their hands. It’s really unfortunate because, especially in this time of the year, Kuwait is ideal for biking. It’s flat, the roads are smoothly paved and we have close to 30 km of coast-hugging road.

However, try convincing that mongoloid next to you to drive a bit slower and it all of a sudden becomes impossible to bike. The sad reality is, I will probably never bike to work in Kuwait. Unless, of course, I make my driver follow me in the car to serve as a barrier.

It really got me to consider a possible movement in Kuwait, the

whole Bike Mob events that are held in various biker-friendly cities. It’s quite simple in theory, you set up an online community where you can make announcements of upcoming rides. After establishing the date and time, bikers participating are asked to rally in a specific spot on their bikes. Once the “mob” has grown to a large enough size, you begin the ride, which consists of a pre-determined route on public roads, a bonfire and a stop at a local food joint. The genius of these bike mobs is that the participants’ numbers must be in the hundreds to work, or at least large enough to be able to stop traffic and occupy the streets.

Let me reiterate, these are not races; rather they are strolls enmasse where people can hang out, talk to fellow enthusiasts and listen to music from boombox bike rigs whilst riding. The beauty behind the mobs is that it adds certain strength to the biking community and provides you a bike ride down famous roads, free from the harassment of goliath Yukon suv’s. Think about it like a battle of sorts, the big cars are the mean wasps buzzing through and wrecking havoc vs hundreds of tiny ants who grow mighty in numbers. Especially at this time of year, one could really enjoy a nighttime stroll down Gulf Road, starting from Marina Mall and ending in a huge bonfire illuminating the Kuwait Towers.

Call to Parliament: Biking lanes and increased traffic Law Enforcement to make this Panda healthy again. Occupy Kuwait Roads!

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 45

BLOOD KBMC

4th Annual

Drive

KUWAIT BMW MOTORCYCLE CLUB...

BMW Motorrad is one of the most respected brands in the motorcycle world, with factory history dating back to World War I, BMW Motorrad came a long way with Motorcycles that are on the cutting edge of speed and technology.

BMW Motorcycle Club is an extension of BMW Motorrad success.

Achievement of BMW Club members is globally recognized after three members venture around the world with three BMW motorcycles, this serve as a great example of the class of achievement and objective maturity of the BMW Club members. Club theme 46 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

for all activities is Safe, Responsible, and Fun

January

SUCCESS 2011

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 47

Why We Are Doing This?

At Kuwait BMW Motorcycle Club (KBMC) we take our social responsibility very seriously. It is the club’s way to give back to society and our beloved country. Blood is a unique gift, a gift that can only be produce by another human being, a gift that is very precious and in high demand.

All the statistics shows the demand for blood donation is very high. One stats in particular stands out, this stats shows that one blood donor, can actually save three lives. Three lives from just 20 minutes of a person times. 20 minutes equals 3 lives.

There is not an easier way to be a hero.

For those who answer this calling, we are giving them a gift of having a good time!

For those who answer this calling, we are giving them a gift of having a good time!

In pervious campaigns, KBMC affiliated with Dar Al Shafa, Al-Seef Hospital, Kuwait Association for the Disabled, and Kuwait Thalassemia Society. In addition to oth-

er Biker groups to create a mega ride to a donation point to collect more than hundred sacks of blood.

This year, Kuwait BMW Motorcycle Club is in its forth Blood Drive under the banner of Ride-to-Sav3, is teaming up with Loyac to produce the strongest blood Drive yet. The Plan is to create a small carnival for Riders, Families and Kids. This carnival will be hosted at one of the Tourist Enterprise Company’s beach clubs The activity will involve 5 hours of Fun for kids (Face painting, magic show, character show, and much more), while Bikers will enjoy a nice day out with big screen videos, free food and drinks.

FUN

SAFE

Media campaign will involve blogs, newspapers, street signs, magazine articles, and social media.

Other commercial sponsors are included.

RESPONSIBLE

48 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

‫‪ / 49‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Education

The Avant Guard Approach Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

“They are taught how to grow their own food and maintain holistic remedies and an organic lifestyle”

The Vangardia Cooperative Learning School The Lorax is a children’s book by Dr. Seuss about the dangers of consumerism and the importance of taking care of the environment. Very serious topics but told in a way even children can understand. This is the required reading at The Vanguardia, a primary school located in the hills of Granada, Spain. A villa about half the size of Bayt Lothan surrounded by green grass and placed in the most natural of settings.

This year Mohammed Walid Ayyad, 29 years old, and his lovely dear friend Anna Otero started a new cooperative learning school. The Vanguardia is a primary school that teaches the importance of community, organic living and self-sufficiency; 50 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

all important things children should be taught. The students are all encouraged to take up art, music and whatever they are interested in. Of course the school’s curriculum includes the basics-- science, mathematics, and language. Then school adheres to a different, and somewhat a non-traditional, view on education. The Vanguardia seeks to break through the orthodox teacher-student relationship following the belief that a teacher should be a friend and not just an authoritative figure.

Mohammed and I met whilst filming his directorial debut of “I Wish We Were Dancers” at LAPA, LoYAC Academy of Performing Arts, earlier this year and made

it to the Dubai Film Festival. It’s an eightminute film that tells a story about a girl with MS who wishes to become a Ballet dancer. Mohammed is an editor at Al Watan, an independent Director, filmmaker and sound engineer. Ayyad is passionate about education, but the admiration is not so much in what he does, but in his inability to allow his struggle with MS (Multiple Sclerosis) to shake his faith in his cause.

“I got a message from my friend Anna who told me about the trouble she’s been having”, Mohammed said. Anna Otero, a lovely passionate woman that lives in Spain but used to teach art, dance and yoga here in Kuwait. Opening and operating a new

Mohammed Walid Ayyad & acclaimed film director Werner Herzog at The Dubai Film Festival 2011

school in Spain requires lots of time and planning. A strong believer in alternative methods of education, Mohammed told me he’s wanted to do this for three or four years now. He continued saying, “Looking at the way things are now, it’s really quite sad. For example, kids and their love for fast food, it’s not real food, its poison. Why would parents poison their kids? Why not eat at home or eat organic?”

He makes a very valid point. Most people’s favorite part of being at home is the food, and in many households that aspect has changed. He admits that we too are a broken generation in the sense of being part of the fast moving fast-food movement. At Vanguardia students learn basic agricultural practices as part of their curriculum. “They are taught how to grow their own food and

maintain holistic remedies and an organic lifestyle”, Mohammed said. The focus is on creating a healthier approach to their lifestyle, which is a key element in their method of education. They also focus on the idea of a community and working in groups as oppose to just working individually.

“We learn today mostly by methods of copying and repetition instead of enhancing creativity, this conflict is why my methods of learning might not go well down here” Ayyad said “Unfortunately if you look at standard school systems today, it’s like every man for himself. You do well, you do your homework, and you get a star. We’re building barriers when we should be building bridges”. Students at Van Guardia are taught to work together and learn from one another. For years, the Japanese have

focused on teaching children at a very young age to work together in groups. Research shows that teaching children collaboration at a very young age enhances their range of thought. The Vanguardia instills the idea of community resulting in a mutual growth of both the individual and the community to which they belong.

Systems of public education today are modeled to fit the interest of industry and economy, and Ayyad is exploring the alternative saying, “Schools are still operating and organized like factory lines: ringing bells and separate facilities. We educate them in batches depending on their age group, why do we do that? Why is there an assumption that the most important thing kids have in common is how old they are? If we want to develop educational standards we can’t keep adopting this production line mentality”. With the use of standardized testing we’ve been getting declining results, so why not go the opposite direction? He explained that by atomizing people and separating them we create a disjunction between them and their natural learning environment. Public schools here are created to just give the credentials to continue your life, to fit into a global economy. Why drive kids away from abstract and creative thinking? Carving them into someone that just fits, instead of allowing them to flourish.

Cooperative learning, as opposed to the 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 51

Education

fictitious epidemic of low public learning standards, focuses a lot on the arts in the beginning stages of learning. Mohammed said, “The arts especially address the idea of an aesthetic experience, when your senses are operating at their peak. When you’re in the current moment, resonating with the excitement of the thing you’re experiencing, when you’re fully alive”.

This is also true for science and mathematics as well but more so with the arts.

Cooperative education has been found to enhance “divergent thinking”, a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions. It isn’t the same as creativity or the ability to have original ideas rather it’s a special capacity for creativity; the ability to see lots of possible answers to a single question and different ways you can interpret it. In an experiment they tested 1,500 primary level kids to measure their capacity for divergent thinking.

Out of the entire sum, 98% of them scored at genius level, keep in mind they’re Kindergarten kids. This shows two things, one we all have this capacity for divergent thinking and two it mostly deteriorates with age.

If the public educational standards were 52 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

flawless, which they’re clearly not, this wouldn’t be the case but current educational systems are not being questioned.

The reason traditional systems have failed to be fruitful is that the natural needs of the students are not being met. Hopefully the aim with “Vanguardia”, Spanish for Van Guard, is to show people that there is another option, that they don’t have to conform and they can teach their children to become self sufficient. In the future it will be more than just a primary school, but a middle school and a high school as well. It’s idealistic, yes, but why not?

It’s a small start that will grow with time.

When asked why he didn’t begin his project here, he explained that “It would be very hard to start here and the reason Spain came to mind is because of my friend Anna Otero. Her ambition and her drive to raise her daughter, Al-Mudina, in this lifestyle.

We’d like it to be homework, we don’t want them to eat healthy at school and go home and eat fast-food.” When asked if he’ll start something similar here he said, “Yes of course! The name Vanguardia can be translated into many languages and its concept is universal”. Issues like these are not only lo-

cal but also global. He went on saying, “This is more of a reason to start a cooperative learning school regardless, and you got to start somewhere, whether here or in Spain”.

Right now private schools in Spain are ridiculously expensive and most people can’t afford them. Public standards on the other hand are in a really bad state. With The Vanguardia, they ensure that kids get the best standard of education possible and suitable prices for much lower than that of private education schools elsewhere in Spain.

Some may view such an idea as being radical, but it’s a concept that stands on its own and I’m proud to see someone taking that direction. While a lot of people may talk about change, very few act on it. We all seek the best education for our kids and it’s crucial to understand their needs just as much as what we want for them. The best way to approach education is to start at the root, and the children’s first lessons should always be good ones. Ayyad put it best when he said, “It’s not far from nature, and the planting of a seed doesn’t end with placing it in the soil. You need the right atmosphere and nurturing to enhance its growth.”

Date Jan 5, 2012

Jan 7, 2012

Jan 12, 2012

Jan 14, 2012

Jan 19, 2012

Jan 21, 2012

Jan 26, 2012

Jan 28, 2012

E : Everyone

Notes

An original mix of fiction and reality illuminates the life of comic book hero everyman Harvey Pekar.

Each week, Pierre and his friends organize what is called as "un dîner de cons".

Everyone brings the dumbest guy he could find as a guest. Pierre thinks his champ -François Pignon- will steal the show.

In 1965, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker accompanied Bob Dylan to England to make a film about the singer/songwriter's British tour. At the time, no one could have known how fortuitous Pennebaker's timing would prove to be. Within a few months of this tour, Dylan would forsake his role as The Conscience of Folk Music to pick up a Fender Stratocaster and play rock and roll. Within a year, Dylan would suffer a motorcycle accident that would put him out of commission for nearly 18 months.

80 Min

In Chaplin's satire on Nazi Germany, dictator Adenoid Hynkel has a double... a poor barber... who one day is mistaken for Hynkel.

110 Min

Good girl Sandy and greaser Danny fell in love over the summer. But when they unexpectedly discover they're now in the same high school, will they be able to rekindle their romance?

Macbeth is re imagined as a samurai in feudal Japan in director Akira Kurosawa's classic adaptation of the Shakespearean tragedy.

A man finds his heart and soul torn between loyalty to his family and a need to be redeemed from his violent lifestyle in this powerful drama from France.

110 Min

107 Min

124 Min

96 Min

101 Min

Running Time Rating

Screenings Schedule for the Month of January Title

American Splendor Director: Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini Country: USA THURSDAY January 5th Year: 2003 Genre: Comedy | Drama Language: English Don't Look Back Director: D.A. Pennebaker Country: USA SATURDAY January 7th Year: 1967 Genre: Documentary | Music Language: English Le Diner De Cons Director: Francis Veber Country: France THURSDAY January 12th Year: 1998 Genre: Comedy Language: French The Great Dictator Director: Charlie Chaplin Country: USA SATURDAY January 14th Year: 1940 Genre: Comedy Language: English The Beat That My Heart Skipped Director: Jacques Audiard Country: France THURSDAY January 19th Year: 2005 Genre: Drama Language: French Throne of Blood

THURSDAY January 26th

SATURDAY January 21st

SATURDAY January 28th

M : Mature Audiences +18

The story is set in the post-apocalyptic community of Neo-Tokyo. Tetsuo is a fiercely individualistic member of a scroungy motorcycle gang. The despotic authorities, the robot-like police, and even the cycle gang pursue Tetsuo when he's bombarded with a new, insidious energy source that has rendered him telekinetic.

124 Min

T : Teens +13 Audiences

Director: Akira Kurosawa Country: Japan Year: 1957 Genre: Drama Language: Japanese Grease Director: Randal Kleiser Country: USA Year: 1978 Genre: Musical | Romance Language: English Akira Director: Katsuhiro Ohtomo Country: Japan Year: 1988 Genre: Animation | Sci-Fi Language: Japanese

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 53

LoYACY Congratulates LoYAC Alumni ...

54 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Dhari Al Moawad Mapper Extraordinaire 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 55

Faisal Al Buhairi International Concert Pianist 56 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Congratulations on your success!

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 57

Profile

Dhari Al-Moawad: Mapper Extraordinaire Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

As children, we all grew up playing different games that required nothing more than the pure imagination. We created an illusion of worlds and objects that existed only in our minds. We would chase each other through forests, across oceans and avoid melting lava that consisted of a mere rug on the living room floor. No one can deny the excitement they once felt on these mini adventures, and the sad 58 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

part is that we seldom experience anything close to that feeling of wonder that characterizes our childhood, until now.

Dhari Al-Moawad, is 22 years old, an industrial engineer and a self proclaimed Mapper Extraordinaire. A man with an idea fueled solely by his inner child. His idea was to create an experience that ultimately provides the excitement and feel of adventure and

competition that many games and forms of entertainment have lost today. Technology and 3D TV sets have brought us closer to the digital experience than ever before, but it still lacks the element of pure fun and folly.

K-lue is a game that’s simply about customizing your own adventure where separate teams have to search for clues around Kuwait. To achieve a certain objective within the game you experience many

experience saying, “It’s true that my game is inspired by these shows but I created a different formula”. With K-lue you experience an array of situations: daring, physical, and mental challenges. He combines this variety in order to provide a different and unique experience in every sense, “It all depends on the customer’s request”, he said. He uses a set of questions that are used to customize it to your needs and connect with clients on a more personal level. The idea within itself is really simple and strictly relies on talent and creativity.

unexpected situations and challenges that you’re required to overcome in order to proceed to the next stage or clue. A treasure hunt on a national level, it gives you a unique scavenger hunt experience.

Picture yourself reliving the fun moments of your childhood as an adult.

Skeptical? So was I, it seemed silly, but in the midst of the competition you magically become engaged in something so natural that you no longer resist and you become tempted to seek that inner child that lives in all of us. It will catch you by surprise and before you know it the game is over leaving you longing for more.

It all began in 2009 during Dhari’s second

year at university. It was a game Dhari and his friends played on the university campus.

“It was a new thing for me. I wasn’t sure if it was going to be successful or last at all” Dhari said. It began picking up attention and a friend of Dhari’s suggested that he should turn it into a business and do it on a national level, that the scavenger hunts should be nation-wide and not just on campus. Hesitant, Dhari decided to try it out and his friend insisted he would be his first customer.

Dhari began refining and developing his approach to the game and it picked up dramatically. Since his childhood he’s had a serious addiction to game shows, puzzles and riddles. Shows like the “The Crystal Maze”, “Survivor and “Yakazumi Castle” which is expressed in the way he puts everything together. A connection between his adult mind and his inner child is evident through the excitement on Dhari’s face.

Initially inspired by “The Amazing Race”, Dhari’s love for game shows inspired him to create something that offers a similar

Hearing of the idea and even after seeing it in application I was quick to judge. I’ve never been on a game show or participated in something that required me to run around doing random challenges in public, never even considered it. It was never so much fun driving around in traffic. The poetry of the riddles and clues exposed us to a feeling we seldom got doing anything else. We went to locations that we must have driven past hundreds of times before and never noticed. The sense of observation in the planning is just insane and Dhari implements his imagination in every aspect of the game.

The name K-lue was chosen for obvious reasons, but he chose to us the letter “K” to symbolize Kuwait saying, “I wanted something to represent my country. It ‘s something I’m really proud of and wanted to give back to the country I was raised in.” Plans to open a second branch in Dubai are already in play. It would act as a second hub to run integrated events with the Kuwait branch, something similar to the “Amazing Race” where players would fly to Dubai and continue the game there and head back for the finish line.

Dhari told me that he noticed now, especially with the young generation, many have become entrepreneurs and started their own projects but they’re too short sighted. He went on to say, “A lot of people started businesses while they’re in university that last a year and end up shutting down. They’re failing to develop on their idea. This is a message I would like to send to the youth, when you start something, don’t give up! Keep on going, find out what new approaches you can take and how to improve. It will grow with you, 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 59

Profile

“This is a message I would like to send to the youth: when you start something, don’t give up!”

it just needs time and patience.” Now entering his fourth year, K-lue is becoming a part of the entertainment field in Kuwait.

We are in need of something dynamic that provides a fun adventurous feel.

Dhari had previously joined LoYAC in the summer of 2006, and even though he was involved with LoYAC that year he explained that before that time he never experienced a full day of work. He learned to give back through volunteer work with out expecting anything in return. He held a certain sentiment and loyalty towards LoYAC despite the brief time he spent there saying “I saw something I truly admired in the people 60 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

behind LoYAC. The members of the board, these women, these mothers that are taking from their personal time and their family’s time and sacrificing it for the youth and their community. Family is something essential in our community and for them to take that time and invest it in us is a true sacrifice, this is why I appreciated them so much.”

We are in need of people like Dhari to show the youth that it is possible to become an individual in every sense. Proof that new ideas and possibilities are available. That what you want to become is possible, and all you have to do is be willing to make an effort and be patient. In the era of quick

fixes and instant satisfaction, people have lost the aspect of patience. “I sacrificed a lot of my time and my family’s time and time I could have spent with my friends and invested in myself”, he said. There’s a satisfaction when you see the fruits of your harvest, and the young generation have to understand that such things don’t come easy. All the influential people in our society and our role models reached where they are today because one day they gave a lot. Expecting to reach the same by just sitting back and doing the minimum just doesn’t make any sense. If you want something, you have to work to make it happen.

‫‪ / 61‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

LAPA

62 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

LAPA Recital

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 63

LAPA Talent Recital

64 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

A world of choices, what are you waiting for?

Lothan Youth Achievement Center Tel : 966533709 - 25723599 Ext: 132

REGISTER ONLINE NOW www.loyac.org www.facebook.com/lapa.kwt

‫ﻻﳒﺎﺯﺍﺕ ﺍﻟﺸﺒﺎﺏ‬ ‫ﻟﻮﺫﺍﻥ‬ ‫ﻣﺮﻛﺰ‬ 2012 ‫يناير‬ : 4 ‫عدد‬ / 65 132:‫ ﺩﺍﺧﻠﻲ‬25723599 - 966533709:‫ﺗﻠﻔﻮﻥ‬

Arts

The 3rd Concept

Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

A 3-week-long trip to Malaysia, Indonesia and the Far East that ended in Bali bring back what I can best describe as a “Forest of Furniture.” It took 24-hours on a plane and not to mention a 3-4 hour drive to arrive in the rural villages. For Hamad Al-Saab, it’s been a dream to design his own line of furniture. It all began as a collaboration between himself and his friend Ali Sultan with their artwork. The success they achieved became an incentive and a push to go through with creating their own furniture.

Hamad explained that the problem at first was finding the material and finishing they wanted. Finding the locations and platform that provide the materials they were looking for was difficult, especially here in Kuwait. This exhibit is 66 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

the second of it’s kind, the first being in March of last year also at Bayt lothan.

The exhibition prior to the one held in March was much less designed in comparison their latest one. They focused on using the raw material such as Teak, Tamarind and petrified wood on it’s own in an attempt to get a feel and understanding the material before going all out. With the help of their close friend, Eman Al-Jassim, who’s experienced in the field of furniture for over 15 years now, the artistic duo allocated materials from India, the Far and Middle East for historical and authentic pieces. Wanting to create something different by bringing their experiences together, Eman, Hamad and Ali came up with their brand name, The Third Concept.

The principal behind the idea is partially defined by the material used. The team wanted to jumpstart the “up-cycle” trend.

Now we’re all familiar with recycling, taking something old and obsolete and turn it into something new. “Up-cycling” is taking something with a high value or high-end and turning it into something of higher value. Hamad said, “If you see the material, we’re using the highest end wood, stone and glass.” Upon observing the pieces and attempting to carry them you may notice that they’re quite heavy; because the materials aren’t tampered with and left in their natural state. If you look more closely it resembles what furniture was like in the 80’s before everything became commercialized.

Hamad Al Saab & Ali Sultan

Most high end brands have began adopting a more commercial approach to their furniture manufacturing, using lighter and cheaper material to save on costs. When buying from commercial brands, the consumer is no longer investing in something of high caliber rather they’re spending money on the brand name instead. With this exhibit the team began developing a relationship with the material. “We started researching the Teak wood, Tamarind wood, petrified wood gaining more knowledge on the labor involved and the different things we can try,” Hamad explained.

Individually each one of the items has their

own identity, which is why they’re considered collectors’ items. They’re uncommon and resemble a form of functional art. The lines in the wood tell a different story and, like fingerprints, are never the same. In terms of home furnishing, the pieces are definitely not your usual. Many today look for something easy to purchase, to maintain, and to carry. It’s unorthodox in the sense that they’re going against the tide of what most furniture manufacturers are doing. If you look at their furniture, even though they are classic in their material composition, their design is definitely modern. Exclusivity is maintained by creating

a maximum of four pieces to each design.

Pillars that were once used at piers to anchor boats are now stands, wood from old fishing boats in Malaysia are now tables and drawers, natural stones that once laid idly were carved into pots, and wood that’s been petrified for over millions of years are now tables. The pieces aren’t exactly cheap, but in comparison to the amount of work and material used the prices are reasonable. In the end they created things we are all familiar with, tables, chairs, drawers and stands but with eclectically elegant touch and an exceptionally organic approach.

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 67

LoYACY

Congratulates

D-illusions on a

Fantastic Performance VIBE 2011

68 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

‫‪ / 69‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Young Artist

Young Local Talent Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

Anfal Al-Baqsami is 16 years old, an AIS student, born

and raised in North Carolina until the age of 6, and for as long as she remembers her form of entertainment was a coloring book and crayons. Even though she had her dolls, unlike other girls at her age she chose to draw. Her mother, a talented artist herself, always encouraged her to pursue it; art came to her almost naturally as a hobby at home and in school. About a year ago she began to take a more serious approach towards her work commissioned by members of her family. She began doing work outside the classroom, mostly portraits, as well as artwork that was displayed at Ghadir Gallery as a part of a charity exhibition to help

70 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

raise money for cancer patients. She describes her art as meaningful and mostly contemporary, that it holds content and is inspired by a specific idea. She enjoys using Acrylic; portraying women and faces in much of her artwork, relating mostly to one her favorite artists “Korno”. Her dream is to one day have enough art work to exhibit in a gallery of her own. Her concept for her school projects for the past couple of years focused on the aspect of culture saying “I can relate to my own culture more than anything and there is so much behind it”. The featured piece began as a cultural study defining where she comes from. She later added the text saying “Blessed is my country Kuwait, our home and refuge”.

‫‪ / 71‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Social

Bus Stop Blues

Written By: Nora Al Ruwaished

random covered bus stop in Salmiya and hoped for the best. Upon arrival, we immediately saw a bus headed towards us, but literally one second later it whirled off—as quickly as that girl who didn’t want your number. All the anticipation made us hungry, so we did what any typical hobo would do and loaded up on Diet Coke, pizza in the plastic wrapping and Hello Panda’s for the journey. Lunch of champions but the only quick fix we could find, as we didn’t want to miss the next bus.

Yet again, FAIL. As we were purchasing our highly processed and carbonated snacks, the second bus came and went. It was time to put our game faces on. Apparently we were going to have to watch the road like two Kuwaiti hawks—or maybe like two Kuwaiti street-pigeons sounds more realistic.

When you don’t even want to sit on the bus stop bench, you start to get pre-game jitters about getting into the actual bus. It was infested with remnants of civilian’s garbage and dust; the paint was peeling off of the sides of the shelter, and the signs for the bus stop were covered with graffiti. This was the first reality of how neglected the cleanliness and comfort of the transit system in Kuwait is. Amongst the people waiting were a group of around five Egyptian teenage boys, Mihsen and I, and about five other Filipino and Indian men and women.

We saw a bus coming towards us and what happened next was relatively unexpected.

When it zooms past you in all of its cracked white and blue-painted glory, it looks as though it is going to topple over, knocking the humans aboard it on their sides like bowling pins. It honks at you insistently, it squeaks, it putters, it slams it’s breaks in the middle of a traffic jam, it plows through traffic like a New Yorker walking the streets, stopping for no one and exchanging not even a single friendly glance. It annoys you as it stalls traffic, 72 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

stopping abruptly at what appears to be the middle of nowhere. You don’t actually know anyone who takes it, and assume it smells like a hodgepodge of postgym feet, spices, and a gutter. It is the road warrior, the soldier on wheels, it is the public transit system in Kuwait, and today, my coworker Mihsen and I dared to enter the realm of possibly no return.

Where does one begin finding a bus route in Kuwait? I’m not sure, but we went to a

The bus was at a rolling stop with the doors opening, and the smell erupting in a burst of unpleasant air, and within one blink everyone who was behind me was now in the doorway shouting, shoving and jumping in one by one. Mihsen was already in when the bus started moving and I just grabbed onto the rail and pulled myself in.

The seats were at maximum capacity and at this point people were just grabbing onto anything that would hold them up for the journey. Mihsen paid the 400-fils which covered our two tickets and not a moment

later the lurch of death that almost threw me flat on my back indicating that we had embarked on our journey. Time to hold on.

Unlike the legendary and powerful Rosa Parks, I didn’t have to fight for my place at the front of the bus, although, ironically, I would have gladly taken a spot at the back. It seemed safer on that end. The only thing that blocked me from the black pavement death I was staring at was the thin windshield and a smashed shawarma wrapper. I was standing upright and was losing my balance from all the turbulence— continuously being thrown into Mihsen’s side and swaying back and forth.

I found a seat facing the crowd of people, and for the first time saw them crammed together like 32 crayons smashed into a box meant for 24. For the first time ever, I felt like the underdog amongst the expats and lower class service workers. I was in their world, and I wasn’t sure how they would react to Mihsen and I being there.

Though we tried to dress accordingly, Mihsen’s camera, and my paper and pen along with our American accents must have confused the living hell out of these people.

Suddenly the color drained from my face and I started recognizing my surroundings.

One man was falling asleep while standing and holding onto the railing. Imagine being so tired that you fall asleep standing in what essentially felt like a roller coaster.

The woman in front of me had nothing covering her feet except for some bathroom slippers even though winter was in full-blown action. No one besides Mihsen and I were using any sort of technology except one younger boy who was listening to his iPod. The younger boys were screaming at one another across the entire bus and were smoking cigarettes as we were in motion. When the bus stopped, the poor people literally had to shove past to make it off in the three-second leeway they had or they would be forced to take the next stop which was typically many kilometers away. The windows had newspaper clippings hanging to shield the harsh sun from beaming down on passengers, as there was no air conditioner. Even in the middle of winter the bus was boiling hot.

The one thing that shocked me, is that I felt more comfortable, less judged and degraded, far less stared at, and more at ease sitting amongst these people in the filthy bus, than I do sitting in a mall filled with people of my own culture. These people were trying to get from point A to point B in peace, all of an equal class known as humans, with no interest in the brand of clothes, hairstyle, or type of watch their neighbor was wearing. They are the working class, or should I say the over-working class of 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 73

Social

people were trying to get from point A to point B in peace, all of an equal class known as humans, with no interest in the brand of clothes, hairstyle, or type of watch their neighbor was wearing.

Kuwait, and I saw the world through their eyes for once. I was riding down the same roads I drive everyday, but I wasn’t seeing it as a Kuwaiti anymore. For the first time, I saw the streets of Kuwait from the point of view of the cross-section of our population that drives our economy, waiters, shop assistants, house maids, drivers. They weren’t the same smiling faces they are forced to be when you see them on the streets and in the malls and restaurants. They were exhausted and they were human. They were allowed to show their real and raw emotions, just like you and I display freely everyday. They spoke their native languages, they 74 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

wore their own clothes instead of uniforms and they were free from what we demand of them. They conform to what we want them to be, which is transparent and overlooked, much like the transit system itself.

We are giving them opportunities to make more money than they would in their motherlands, and we open our homes and country to them, which is most likely in much better condition than their own, but we often use this as an excuse to neglect their human rights. I have heard many say that expats are lucky to be here and that if it were not for their jobs in Kuwait, their families would not survive. As true as this may be, this

does not rid us of our responsibility to the flow of a stable and fruitful society—one in which equality is key. In Kuwaiti’s eyes, we are a strong, powerful and rich country, but what do these expats think of us? What is our reputation outside our own borders?

We anticipate the government support money (d’am ‘amala) being raised and walk around with dollar signs replacing our pupils. Then we turn a blind eye to the people’s livelihoods inside those buses that do all the hard work none of us are willing to do. I can’t say that I was proud to be Kuwaiti when I witnessed an inhumanity like this remaining unchanged. We are so used to the extreme separation of the classes that it has become a way of life to us, a norm.

When are we going to say enough is enough and start making changes in this country where they count? There are absolutely no excuses except for laziness on our part and a genuine lack of care. Take a ride in their seats and maybe there will be a tug at your emotions and a passionate desire for change.

Twitter.com/blogyacy

Facebook.com/blogyac

www.Blogyac.com 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 75

‫‪Press Release‬‬

‫جولة الطالبات بمحطة شرق عمان‬

‫الطالبات امام ابراج الكويت في بلدة حانين في جنوب لبنان‬ ‫بقيمة حوالي ‪ 15.5‬مليار دوالر ‪ ،‬من بينها ‪ 16‬المالية والمصرفية الوطنية واالتفاق مع الدول‬ ‫دولة عربية ‪ ،‬و ‪ 40‬دولة أفريقية ‪ ،‬و‪ 35‬دولة المقترضة االستعانة بالخدمات االستشارية‬ ‫آسيوية ‪ ،‬و‪ 11‬دولة في أمريكا الالتينية والبحر المتعلقة بالمنح والمعونات علي الشركات‬ ‫الكويتية‪.‬‬ ‫الكاريبي ‪.‬‬ ‫كما كان للصندوق جهود بارزة للمساهمة‬ ‫في حل المشكلة اإلسكانية في الكويت‬ ‫حيث قام بإصدار سندات بقيمة ‪ 500‬مليون‬ ‫دينار لصالح بنك التسليف واالدخار علي مدى‬ ‫‪ 5‬سنوات منذ عام ‪ 2002‬وبواقع ‪ 100‬مليون دينار‬ ‫سنويا ‪ ،‬إضافة إلي استقطاع ‪ %25‬من صافي‬ ‫أرباح الصندوق وتخصيصها لمشاريع البنية‬ ‫التحتية داخل الكويت‪.‬‬

‫وعلي الرغم من أن الصندوق الكويتي أنشئ‬ ‫بهدف تقديم المساعدات للدول النامية إال أن‬ ‫الصندوق قام بأكثر من التفاته نحو الداخل‬ ‫وقام بالتحرك المحلي داخل الكويت علي‬ ‫أكثر من صعيد وكانت البداية تشجيعه‬ ‫ودعمه للقطاع الخاص الكويتي من خالل‬ ‫إعطاء هامش أفضلية للشركات الكويتية‬ ‫وكذلك للشركات األجنبية المتآلفة معها‬ ‫لتنفيذ المشروعات التي يمولها إلي جانب‬ ‫تشجيع الشركات الكويتية واألجنبية علي باإلضافة إلى ذلك ‪ ،‬قام الصندوق بإطالق عدد‬ ‫استخدام المواد والمنتجات الوطنية وإلزام من اإلسهامات والمبادرات التي تدعم جهود‬ ‫الشركات الكويتية االستعانة بالخدمات التنمية المحلية‪ ,‬من بينها اطالق برنامج‬

‫تدريبي لتأهيل المهندسين والمعماريين‬ ‫الكويتيين حديثي التخرج وذلك في عام‬ ‫‪ ,2004‬كما اطلق بادرة فريدة من نوعها قبل‬ ‫نحو عامين وهي بادرة « كن من المتفوقين»‪.‬‬ ‫وقد حظي برنامج تأهيل المهندسين‬ ‫والمعماريين باهتمام محلي كبير نظرا لكونه‬ ‫يصب في إطار دعم جهود التنمية البشرية‬ ‫في دولة الكويت‪ ,‬فالبرنامج التدريبي الشامل‬ ‫يسعى منذ إطالقه الى إكساب المهندسين‬ ‫والمعماريين حديثي التخرج مهارات احترافية‬ ‫عالية تسهم في تلبية احتياجات السوق‬ ‫المحلي من هذه التخصصات المهمة وخاصة‬ ‫في القطاع الخاص الكويتي كما يسعى الى‬ ‫المساهمة في جهود الحكومة في مجال‬ ‫التنمية البشرية للكوادر الوطنية والدعم‬ ‫المؤسسي للقطاع الخاص‪ .‬وينفذ على ‪3‬‬ ‫مراحل دراسية مختلفة تتضمن دراسات‬ ‫و تدريبات نظرية و ميدانية على العمل‬ ‫بالشركات سواء المحلية أو العالمية و تم‬ ‫حتى االن تخريج ‪ 12‬دفعة بواقع ‪ 235‬مهندس‬ ‫و مهندسة يعمل معظمهم حاليا في‬ ‫القطاع الخاص الكويتي ‬ ‫أما بادرة «كن من المتفوقين» التي أطلقها‬ ‫الصندوق الكويتي قبل عامين فجاءت في‬ ‫إطار توعية األجيال الجديدة بأهمية التعاون‬ ‫المشترك وبضرورة تضافر جهود التنمية‬ ‫بين الدول العربية‪.‬‬ ‫وتهدف هذه المبادرة الى تعريف األجيال‬ ‫الجديدة بحجم ومكانة دولة الكويت في‬ ‫عيون الدول الشقيقة والصديقة وأياديها‬ ‫البيضاء الممتدة بالخير لدول العالم النامية‬ ‫من خالل تنظيم رحالت يتحمل تكاليفها‬ ‫الصندوق الكويتي للتنمية للدول العربية‬ ‫التي يساهم الصندوق في تمويل مشاريعها‬ ‫التنموية‪ ,‬كما تهدف أيضا الى تشجيع طالب‬ ‫الكويت من الجنسين على طلب العلم‬ ‫والتفوق خاصة وان هذه الرحالت هي‬ ‫بمثابة مكافأة لهم على تميزهم وتفوقهم‬ ‫الدراسي‪.‬‬ ‫لقد كانت أهداف الصندوق الكويتى واضحة‬ ‫خالل مسيرته الطويلة فى تعزيز مكانة دول‬ ‫الكويت على الصعيدين اإلقليمي والعالمى‪،‬‬ ‫حيث استمر الصندوق فى تعزيز تعاونه‬ ‫الوثيق مع شركائه في التنمية وتقديم‬ ‫النصح والمشورة لهم لدعم جهودهم‬ ‫لتحقيق أهدافهم اإلنمائية في إطار من‬ ‫االحترام المتبادل وعالقات الصداقة التى‬ ‫تربطه معهم‪.‬‬ ‫‪76 / Issue 4: Jan 2012‬‬

‫الدفعة الثانية عشرة في زيارة لبرج الحمرا‬

‫دعم القطاع الخاص و اطالق المبادرات المختلفة‬

‫الصندوق الكويتي ‪ ..‬ودوره في التنمية المحلية‬ ‫الصندوق يكمل ‪ 50‬عاما من االنجازات على أرض الواقع بنهاية ‪2011‬‬

‫ ‬

‫الكويتي منذ نشأته تثبت بعد النظر العميق‪،‬‬ ‫وتعكس بجالء حكمة القيادة السياسية في‬ ‫إنشاء الصندوق الكويتي للتنمية‪ ،‬السيما‬ ‫وان مسيرة الصندوق التنموية منذ إنشائه‬ ‫شهدت خمس مراحل رئيسية تميزت فى‬ ‫األولى بتوجه عربى خالص‪ ،‬حيث اقتصر‬ ‫نشاطه على تقديم المساعدات للدول‬ ‫العربية فقط وذلك منذ ‪ 1961‬حتى عام ‪1974‬‬ ‫وبدأت المرحلة الثانية بتوسيع جهوده‬ ‫لتشمل الدول الفقيرة فى أفريقيا التى‬ ‫تضررت من حرب أكتوبر ‪ 1973‬وهى دول غير‬ ‫عربية‪.‬‬

‫بإرادة كويتية خالصة وعزم وإصرار‬ ‫على النجاح والتفرد لخدمة األهداف‬ ‫اإلنمائية‪،‬استطاع الصندوق الكويتي للتنمية‬ ‫عبر مسيرته الحافلة بالعطاء والجهد‬ ‫والتخطيط المتواصل في توسيع عملياته‬ ‫اإلنمائية للدول العربية والدول النامية من‬ ‫أجل تحقيق التنمية المرجوة وتحسين‬ ‫مستويات المعيشة لهذه الشعوب في‬ ‫مختلف القطاعات سواء في القطاع الزراعي‬ ‫أو قطاعات التنمية االقتصادية‪.‬‬ ‫وبانتهاء عام ‪ 2011‬يكمل الصندوق الكويتي‬ ‫‪ 50‬عاما من اإلنجازات على أرض الواقع‪ ،‬تتالقى‬ ‫فيها خطوط التكامل العربى ومن عمق‬ ‫إفريقيا إلى قلب القارة اآلسيوية ‪ ،‬حيث ومع مرور السنين تزايد نشاط الصندوق‬ ‫يتجسد الهدف الثمين الذى أعلنه الصندوق بتمويل مشروعات التنمية فى الدول العربية‬ ‫وجعله شعارا له‪« :‬نحن شركاء فى التنمية «‪ ،‬واستمر في عمله وصوال إلى مرحلة التطور‬ ‫الثالثة الممتدة من ‪ 1985‬إلى ‪ 1991‬والتى‬ ‫في التحقق علي ارض الواقع‪.‬‬ ‫نجح فيها في تمويل نفسه بنفسه من‬ ‫والحقيقة أن الجهود التي يبذلها الصندوق أرباحه التى حققها حيث ازداد عدد الدول‬ ‫‪ / 77‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫المستفيدة من القروض والمنح إلى ‪65‬‬ ‫دولة حتى نهاية ثمانينات القرن الماضى‪،‬‬ ‫ومر الصندوق بعدها بمرحلة جديدة فى‬ ‫عمله وهى مرحلة صعبة وهى تلك الفترة‬ ‫التى مارس فيها نشاطه من لندن أثناء‬ ‫الغزو العراقي للكويت حيث استمر في أداء‬ ‫التزاماته خالل فترة االحتالل وقام بتوقيع ‪11‬‬ ‫اتفاقية جديدة لتمويل مشروعات تنموية فى‬ ‫عدد من الدول بلغت قيمتها اإلجمالية نحو‬ ‫‪ 116.8‬مليون دينار ‪ ،‬وهو مما زاد من تقدير‬ ‫العالم لدولة الكويت‪.‬‬ ‫وعلى مدى النصف قرن الماضي من عمره‬ ‫شهد الصندوق تطورات وتغيرات هامة على‬ ‫صعيد التنمية واكتسب خبرة واسعة من‬ ‫خالل ممارسته العملية وتجاربه المتعددة‬ ‫التي شملت حتى نهاية أغسطس الماضي‬ ‫قيامه باإلسهام في تمويل ما يزيد عن ‪800‬‬ ‫مشروعًا في أكثر من مئة دولة حول العالم‬

AC Milan

78 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

‫‪ / 79‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Social

Gender Man-ifesto Written By: Abrar Al Shammari

not on top. She has been raised to accept that and quietly submits to their demands and rules, however intensely she loathes them.

A girl. That’s what a girl is, right?

A girl doesn’t have facial hair. A girl waxes her legs. A girl isn’t muscular. She doesn’t have a ‘boy cut’. She’s not rough, or loud.

If she is, her sexuality is questioned. Tomboy, boya, lesbian, you name it - terms that aren’t even accurate, thrown in her direction by both men and women alike.

“Why aren’t you living up to your gender role’s expectations? Why are you trying to step over to the other side?”

If we were to look deeper into the matter, we would find that even what she chooses to do with her life is scrutinized and judged.

A career-woman is looked upon differently than a woman with a job, for example. This is because there is a prominent difference between the two: a woman with a job is usually a woman who graduated from university and went on to being an employee at a job that doesn’t require much time or much effort, but does guarantee a salary that will buy her clothes and bags - clothes and bags that she will show off in hopes of finding a future husband. Put in simple terms, a woman with a job is someone who is working just for the sake of ‘putting herself out there’ - and more often than not, once that is done, so is her make-do career. A woman with a career, on the other hand, is someone whose personal life and career life are two separate categories in her mind. Within her career life, she has a goal she wants to reach, a position or status she wants to attain. She’s devoted to her goal, and is dedicated to achieving it.

Long, flowing hair. Smooth legs. Curvy hips. Full breasts. Long eyelashes.

Feminine skirts. Seductive heels. Alluring perfume.

Inviting lipstick.

Soft-spoken. Well-mannered. A nonsmoker. Pulses with innocence and virginity. Eludes sex appeal. An obedient wife.

80 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Biologically speaking, she has a uterus.

She has ovaries. Her breasts produce milk.

She is capable of carrying a child in her womb. She has a hymen that can be broken.

She never stands up to men who are ‘in charge’ of her. She understands that there is a gender hierarchy of power, and that she is

The second woman is the more intimidating figure. Perhaps on the outside, she’s a beautiful woman. Upon first sight, an admiring man would be immersed in her exterior. However, when she introduces herself to him and shakes his hand, starts talking business with him and setting deadlines for him, threatening his manhood and living up

to her expectations as his boss, suddenly his initial perception of her has flipped. He starts to express bitterness towards her, for being so dedicated to her career when she ‘should’ be worrying about finding a husband. People still consider it an utmost tragedy if a woman is not wed by a certain age. In truth, he’s bitter because he doesn’t like submitting to a female in power. Rather than seeing that it is because she would like to focus on her career first, she is deemed to have some major flaw that disqualifies her from being marriage material.

The term ‘woman’ is derived from the word ‘man’. At one point, women were considered subhuman. To some degree, women are still considered subhuman.

A great number of societies still believe that a woman will most excel at bearing children and sexually satisfying her husband rather than working and leading an independent and career-driven life.

Men deal with daily cultural pressures that they feel are impossible to live up to.

They’re told to man up - but there’s hardly

a clear definition of what that is anymore.

Some sons hear their grandfathers doubting their manhood because they wear jeans rather than dishdashas. Others have fathers who call them wussies for being gentle with women; they’re told that they need to ‘take control’, to properly ‘handle’ their women.

Ancient concepts, stone-age beliefs, still being imposed on men and women today.

If you are born into a gender category, does that mean you have to abide by the associated gender roles?

Can you be a girl on one day, and ‘not a girl’ on another? Suppose, for whatever reason, this was your reality. Chances are, people will treat you differently. If you decided to cut your long waves that used to run down to your waist to little locks hanging just past your ears, you will probably be deemed to be ‘less feminine’. The men that were previously attracted to you suddenly lose all interest. When our lovers no longer feel interested in us simply because of a change in appearance, one cannot help but wonder just how authentic our relationships are - or even people’s marriages.

Breast cancer is hereditary in many families. If a woman were to undergo chemotherapy, she would lose her hair in the process. Should that fail, she would have to lose her breasts. Going by today’s gender role expectations, the possibility stands that her then-husband would

see her as less of a woman because of it.

At that point, she would pretty much be stripped of the term ‘woman’. With no hair on her head, and no breasts jutting out of her chest, the man she married could stop seeing her as a woman altogether.

This is a man she presumably dedicated the rest of her life to; something as superficial as her exterior changed, and he stopped looking at her with the same eyes.

I read a short non-fictional memoir by Eli Clare called “Stones in My Pockets, Stones in My Heart” from a book called The Disability Studies Reader. It was a powerful literary piece discussing how Eli coped with her gender identity struggles, which deals with her teenage years and how quietly she ignored the pressure to wear skirts, paint her face with make-up, kiss boys, date in high school, shave her legs, strut in heels. She went through high school as an outcast, a reject, someone who always felt like she didn’t belong, someone who always asked her mother, “Mama, am I feminine?”. Eli not only struggled with gender-labels, but also suffered from a chronic condition which made her hands shake consistently. She was labeled a ‘freak’ in every way, and constantly had her sexuality questioned. It was a long, bitter struggle for Eli, one that she described very powerfully and had a great emotional impact on me.

I once took a class in which I remember studying gender roles. My teacher was a 50-something-year old traditionalist, and once boldly said “Girls feel that their hair is a part of their identity as females.” Because it made no sense to me for a man to be telling us what girls are like, I told him that was not true. He laughed and said, “Is that so?

Well, would you cut off all of your hair?”

And I told him I would. And I would’ve. He actually promised me an A in his class if I showed up the next class with a boy haircut.

I kid you not, I was dead serious when I told him I would go through with it. Unlike other intangible things that I had worked hard to attain, I wouldn’t be losing much if I’d cut off my hair. But my teacher told me he was only joking, and that he didn’t want my parents calling him for getting their daughter to cut off her hair. I finished his course with an A anyway, with my hair in tact.

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 81

Social was outraged and asked him how he would ever dare lay his hand on a girl. The jerk’s idiotic response was “she is not a girl”.

Now, let’s momentarily put aside the fact that he assaulted a female classmate.

What on earth made this guy think he had the right to determine what did or didn’t make a girl a girl? This is someone who honestly thought that “imaginating” was a word. So it’s not like he’s gotten an A in a Gender Studies course, or attained a Masters Degree in some form of criticism.

Perhaps he was merely reciting what society tells him – but what does that tell us?

That half of our society consists of mindless sheep who follow and recite whatever the rest of the herd is doing and saying?

Our society, according to most of the local male perceptions, believes that a girl with a boy hair cut is less of a girl. A girl that smokes is less of a girl. A girl that is not a virgin is less of a girl. A girl that is ‘too’ interested in sports is less of a girl. I know girls that have had their sexualities and gender-identity questioned because the people labeling them were genuinely jealous of what good athletes these girls were – girls that could beat any guy at any time.

We know that labeling stems from insecurity. But does that mean that our entire society is insecure? I would consider that possibility, but it’s difficult in our case. The people throwing labels around are too egotistical to be insecure.

But I still stand by my point. My hair does not determine my identity as a girl or as a female. However, if someday I lose my hair, and I lose my breasts, then that apparently disqualifies me from the Female category because I have lost my ‘womanly traits’. It seems that I don’t get a say in it; I am automatically excluded from all the other ‘normal’ women.

One of my classmates decided to get a Rihanna-like haircut during our Junior year of high school, a bold move on her part.

82 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

At the time, this meant a boy haircut, and it also meant that both sides of her head would be shaved. It was different, but she liked it, and that should be enough, right?

Wrong. Not in this world. Not in this country. Not in our high school.

Besides the bad treatment she received, my friend went through an incident that should never have occurred. A classmate known for his sexism and poor treatment and perception of females decided it would be funny to ‘playfully’ slap her, because he didn’t like her hair. Our teacher, a woman,

Too egotistical to be insecure, and confident enough to believe they have the power and the right to decide not only what is right and what is wrong, but also what defines a man and what defines a woman.

Though both standards are unrealistic, my personal point of view is that the standards set for a woman are much harsher.

The funny thing about smoking is, the people whose sole purpose in life is to put stickers on people, end up using words that are totally irrelevant to the matter. There is no correlation whatsoever between smoking and sexuality; yet, these people attack her by calling her ‘promiscuous’, because that’s the only term they believe would inflict a deep wound on a female’s woman-

hood. I can’t help but point out that it does nothing but prove their ignorance and stupidity, for actually believing smoking is relevant to sexuality. Even more surprising is when they somehow manage to link it back to religion; one of my classmates, a male smoker himself, said, “I would never marry a girl that smokes because it means that she’s not afraid of God, which also means that she might cheat on me in the future.”

Smoking? Clothes? Hair (or lack thereof)? Is that all that defines what we are in society’s eyes?

What vexes me the most, is the misconception of gender roles. There are people who genuinely believe that they are actually necessary - integral, even. My 11th Grade Psychology book said that they were vital roles to be taught to children at a very early age, to ensure that they abide by them and don’t end up ‘struggling’ with how they’re supposed to look and behave.

Then again, this book was from 1985. On the other hand, a book I’ve been reading called Cinderella Ate My Daughter by Peggy Orenstein, states the opposite: that children should have their options kept open, and not feel restricted to ‘feminine’ or ‘masculine’ games or mannerisms.

Teach a girl to dress up in short, glittery, pink fairy outfits and to cringe at playing in the garden and getting her clothes dirty, and you will get the opportunity to witness the live process of hyper-sexualizing what was once an innocent little girl. Teach her to play with dolls, to wrestle with her brothers, to be nurturing towards animals, to dress up as a doctor, to enjoy sports, and you are allowing her the opportunity to flourish and grow in a way that will let her become someone she is comfortable with. The same goes for boys; if you forbid them from playing with dolls, or ‘soft’ toys, and instead focus on building up their

masculinity and aggressiveness, you are robbing them of the opportunity of growing up to be sensitive, caring gentlemen.

You will be eliminating the feeling of longing that we all suffer from, if you eliminate gender roles; men longing to wear necklaces, to grow their hair, to be gentle and loving. Women longing to smoke in public, to shave off their locks that keep getting in their eyes, to tackle someone in football.

Children are a beautifully blank slate, that can be filled up with whatever we teach them. As for adults, most have already been conditioned into whatever state they are in, and changing their frame of mind is difficult, but it is not impossible. Start with yourself.

Don’t fall captive to the cage of gender roles. If someday you find it hard to breathe because it feels like your long hair is suffocating you and slowly wrapping itself around your throat, cut it off. Liberate yourself.

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 83

Entertainment

The James Bond Formula Written By: Nadia Al Saqqaf

As a film fanatic and academic, I thought it would be fun to share with you all the formula behind the most popular film franchises of all time: Bond…James Bond.

I’ve included some fun trivia about the international action brand that can be useful when showing off to friends. Enjoy!

1. Opening Credits: The traditional James Bond theme is played as the logo (inside of a gun barrel) bounces across the screen. The shot centers in on Bond walking, he then stops suddenly, shifts his pose, points and shoots right at you. Blood drips down the screen. There then tends to be lots of silhouettes of nubile women prancing around.

2. Movie Theme Song: This happens during the opening credits. The theme song that is scored just for that particular movie is played.

84 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

It almost always has the title in the lyrics.

Bond Trivia: Starting in 1952 with Casino Royale, Ian Fleming wrote one James Bond novel a year until his death in 1964. All were composed between January and March at his holiday home, Goldeneye, in Jamaica.

3. Title: There is even a formula to the title itself. It is either a single compound word or a double meaning phrase. The elements of the title come from words relating to any two of the following subjects: conflict, time, mathematics, romance, money and rarity. Examples: Diamonds are forever (rarity and time), Goldfinger (money and rarity), The Spy Who Loved Me (conflict and romance).

4. Bond almost dies: Bond’s life is always

threatened at the start of the film; he must pull off a fantastic stunt to save himself. This scene introduces key characters in the movie.

Bond Trivia: James Bond 007 is the longestrunning film franchise, with 22 films having been made since Dr No in 1962. It is also the second most successful, after Harry Potter; the series has grossed more than $4 billion.

5. Briefing of Mission: Bond walks into the office of MI-6 and flirts with Moneypenny.

Bond gets briefed by M on the situation at hand. If M brings up any subject, Bond will almost always know a lot about it.

6. Toyland: Bond visits Q in gizmoworld, and gets given all the genius weaponry he needs for the mission. Always lots of prop jokes.

The 1965 Aston Martin DB5 sold for more than £1m in 2006

Bond Trivia: Sean Connery, the first Bond, starred in six Bond films. George Lazenby replaced him for one film, after which the part was played by Roger Moore (seven films), Timothy Dalton (two), Pierce Brosnan (four) and Daniel Craig (two so far).

7. Meeting the Bad Guy: Bond goes to the exotic location where he tries to contact the enemy. At some point in this sequence, he gets a Martini, “shaken, not stirred”.

8. “Bond, James Bond”: This can happen any time during the movie, typically he announces his name when talking with a lady. Classically this is how he introduced himself to the Bond girl but there have been variations in later films.

Bond Trivia: It’s estimated that more than 2 billion people (nearly a third of the world’s

population) have watched Bond movies.

9. Casino Gamble: Casino scenes typically happen at the start of the movie for character introduction. Bond’s most common game is Baccarat; he typically loses his first bet and makes a comeback in the second.

10. Game of Skill: If there isn’t a casino scene, some other game of skill comes into play. Chess is a popular substitute; Bond always wins in some brilliant manner.

Bond Trivia: When President John F Kennedy included From Russia with Love (filmed with Connery and Daniela Bianchi) on a list of his favorite books in 1961, sales of the Bond novels, previously unsuccessful in America, boomed.

11. Fight with Bad Guy’s Henchmen: Here

is where stunt men earn their pay. Lots of fights where Bond just barely wins.

12. Meet Bond Girl: James comes into the circle of his female companion for the rest of the movie. The irony of all Bond films is that Bond cannot complete his mission without the assistance of this lady.

Bond Trivia: Since Dr No was released in 1962, James Bond has killed more than 150 men and slept with 44 women, threequarters of whom have tried to kill him.

13. Company of the Bad Girl: Not common in all Bond movies, but more poplar in the later ones. The Bad Girl is a senior henchmen of the Bad Guy. She usually has a tryst with Bond and always ends up dead.

14. Sexually Hinted Female Names: There 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 85

Entertainment

is a long streak of these going back to the very first Bond movie. Either the Bond girl or the Bad Girl will have a name with a sexual innuendo in it. Examples: Pussy Galore, Octopussy, Holly Goodhead, Plenty O’Toole, Goodnight, Chu Me, and Onnatop. Even in the parody Austin Powers, there was Lota Fagina as a Bad Girl.

Bond Trivia: Shooting of the latest Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, was suspended after three near-fatal accidents in five days.

The first happened when an employee of Aston Martin, delivering the £134,000 DBS sports car to the set, lost control of the car and drove into Lake Garda. He emerged, he told the press, ‘shaken but not stirred’.

15. Help From Across the Pond: An American agent, usually CIA, is around to help Bond.

It can be the Bond Girl, a separate character or even a henchmen working undercover.

16. Enemy Spots Bond: Bond breaks a major 86 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

rule of modern field agent training and flaunts his presence in unsecured environments.

The Bad Guy discovers Bond’s presence.

17. Chase Scene: Bond is in some exotic vehicle or location in a high-speed chase. Time for lots of vehicle stunts and theme music.

Bond Trivia: The Rolex Submariner watch was worn by Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton. Since GoldenEye (1995), Omega Seamaster watches have been product-placed in the Bond films.

18. Russian Writer’s Name: A lingering enigma of the films is that most Russian military officers in the movies have names of famous Russian writers.

19. Fallen Comrade: This can happen anywhere in the film, one of Bond’s assistance will die at the hand of the bad guy’s forces. It affects Bond emotionally to the point of avenging.

20. Bad Guy’s Headquarters Found: Bond eventually finds HQ of the Bad Guy and infiltrates it. Sometimes he goes in undercover and converses with the Bad Guy before he is discovered.

Bond Trivia: Jet Packs, devices used in the 1965 film Thunderball, are one of the few Bond gadgets that made it to commercial production, if only briefly. Powered by pressurized hydrogen peroxide, they were developed for the US army so that soldiers could leap over walls and rivers. However, the maximum flight time of 20 seconds proved too short.

21. Bad Guy’s Nasty Pet: Most movies have a sinister animal owned by the Bad Guy. This is most common in the early Bond films. It could be sharks, lions, pythons, or a killer attack cat.

22. Bond & Co. Captured: Bad Guy and crew capture Bond and bond Girl inside Bad Guy’s

Sean Connery and the Aston Martin DB5 headquarters. Instead of killing them right off, they are places in some isolated situation where they will die if they didn’t do anything creative to get out of the debacle. A lot of times, Bond is beaten or drugged out, to weaken him. He is fighting against all odds.

23. Bad Guy Explains Himself: Right before the Bad Guy leaves Bond to die, he explains his twisted reasoning for his existence and his actions.

Bond Trivia: In 2006, one of the three 1965 Aston Martin DB5s driven by Sean Connery in Goldfinger and Thunderball, was sold at auction for more than £1m. A Tennessee museum owner had bought the car from Sir Anthony Bamford in 1970 for £5,000. Gadgets in the car include built-in Browning machine guns, tire-slashers, an oil slick ejector and a retractable rear bulletproof screen, although the passenger ejector seat with removable roof panel had been removed. One the remaining

two resides here in Kuwait at the Museum of Vintage and Classic and Historical Cars.

entire headquarters for the doing of evil goes up in a huge explosion.

24. Bond Saves Self and Bond Girl: Using a gizmo given to him by Q, Bond escapes and starts to screw up the Bad Guy’s plans for global destruction.

28. Secondary Combat: A minor, almost comical fight ensues between Bond and the Bad Guy’s henchmen.

25. Final combat: Bond gets the advantage and a final combat with the Bad Guy ensues. Of course, Bond wins.

26. Cynical Eulogy: Bond makes a comical comment about the death of the Bad Guy. It is usually a pun or a wise crack about the exact method of the Bad Guy’s passing.

Bond Trivia: James Bond attended Fettes College in Edinburgh, the public school attended by Ian Fleming’s father and by Tony Blair. Sean Connery was once the school’s milkman.

27. Destruction of Bad Guy’s HQ: Bad Guy now defeated, usually dead, his

29. Taking the High Road: Bond and Bond Girl are retrieved in some exotic and unusual manner. They never get out on their own.

30. Bond gets Bond Girl: Last few scenes always include a romantic kiss between Bond and his Girl.

So there you have it folks, all you’ll ever want to know about the elusive James Bond and his $4 billion plus franchise!

The next James Bond movie, “Skyfall”, is currently being filmed and will be released

by November 2012. The movie will be starring Daniel Craig, Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Javier Bardem, and Berenice Marlohe.

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 87

Personal Style

Hollywood Grunge Hanan Al Kalooti Photography by: Nadia Al Saqqaf

88 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

‫‪ / 89‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Personal Style

90 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Q&A: Hanan Al Kalooti How would you describe your personal style?

As Diana Vreeland once said, for me allure is appeal, clothing that offers a magical visual stimulation in fashion and in life. I don’t really like to pin point my style. I like to believe that my style is eccentric and eclectic, I love crossing boundaries between being the ultimate feminine and then switching to the handsome androgynous man that I could be. I’m a firm believer in mixing different decades of fashion and introducing something unique and expressive of the way I feel at the moment. i have always been fascinated with absurdities and luxury of the world of fashion. I don’t like perfection.

I don’t like following trends from head to toe, sadly nowadays a lot of people are riding this train of ‘Sameness fashion’ where everyone looks exactly the same.

Where is your favorite place to shop?

New York and recently London. Spring flows Kuwait.

Whose your favorite designer?

The dichotomy of sexes from Yves Saint Laurent, the definitive cut from Mr. Dior, the boldness of Balenciaga, the simplicity of Calvin Klein, Versace for keeping the 90’s alive, the colors of Galliano.

Favorite accessory?

My red lipstick

Which celebrity do you most emulate?

Diana Vreeland, Marlene Dietrich, Isabella Blow, Patti smith, Edith Sedgwick, Carrie Bradshaw, Chloe Sevigny.

How do you pick your outfits in the morning?

With a splash of cold water to the face

Your best feature is...

My untamed eye brows

Give us a hot tip for personal style.

“When in doubt, wear red lipstick.”

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 91

Personal Style

Written By: Abrar Al Shammari

A New Vision

Inequality and discrimination have become such common occurrences in the daily lives of the citizens of Kuwait that it has grown to be a normal, acceptable part of society. It no longer causes shock and outrage, or grief and pain. It’s something to be expected, as natural as the air you breathe. Not a day passes without witnessing some form of inequality or discrimination, be it racial, tribal, gender based, status-based, or even religious discrimination. Jokes are casual, harmless.

Degrading glares have become something that the street-cleaners are now accustomed to. A condescending tone of voice 92 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

is something that migrant workers’ ears are familiar with. Non-Kuwaitis have accepted that their culture, even their accents, will be constant subjects of comedy for Kuwaitis. Kuwaitis who are not “McChicken” enough have grown numb to the social isolation they’re subjected to because of what they do or don’t own.

Women stopped complaining about the different standards set for them because it was ‘just the way things were’. Teenagers who didn’t fit in well with their classmates simply prayed for school to end instead of demanding that the bullying be halted.

It’s normal. It’s just the way things are.

There’s a social pyramid, and either you’re at the top, or you’re not. If you are, then you’re lucky. Embrace it. Take advantage of it. Flaunt it. Laugh and point at the ones beneath you, let them grow bitter with jealousy and green with envy. And if it just so happens that you were born into the unlucky category, then...tough. Deal with it. Accept it. You’re not good enough, you’re not rich enough, you’re not stylish enough, you’re not prestigious enough. You lack the right looks, you lack the right body, you lack the right nationality, you lack the right car, you lack the right job, you lack the respect of ev-

eryone around you, you lack the right lifestyle, the right mentality, the right beliefs.

So you will be discriminated against and treated differently because of it - expect it.

Finally, people have stepped up and said no. People are demanding equality, they are saying we no longer live in the stone age. We have voices, and we will use them.

We have every right to be respected, regardless of what circumstances we were born into. We never chose our fates, and if you have a problem with how we turned out, you can take it up with the higher power in charge of laying out people’s destinies.

Equait was established this year in 2011 by a group of young teenagers living in Kuwait, beginning with Faisal Al Fuhaid, a Kuwaiti student at GUST. He was, himself, subjected to teasing and bullying in high school because his Arabic wasn’t as strong as other people’s. Faisal wants Equait to be the voice of human rights awareness and social equality within our community.

Many people are unaware of the rights the United Nations guarantees every human being on Earth, and one of the aims of Equait is to promote such awareness. Once a person knows that his rights are being violated, he or she will no longer tolerate it.

Another one of Equait’s goals is to end discrimination, racism, and bullying in Kuwait. In mid-December, Equait held a Pink Friday walkathon, where an impressive number of people showed up wearing pink, and walked together all the way from the Scientific Center to Marina Waves and back. Equait acknowledges that many teens in Kuwait are subjected to intense bullying in all its forms: verbal, physical, and passive. Although suicide rates in Kuwait are nothing compared to high schools in the United States, depression rates are soaring. Depression is not to be taken lightly, and it is a psychological fact that more often than not, depression left untreated goes hand in hand with suicidal thoughts.

From that point on, it’s only a matter of how much patience the victim has left.

The third aim that this social group is aspiring to achieve is to encourage the youth to give back to their society through community and service. Volunteer opportunities are everywhere in Kuwait, but the youth is too caught up with their own recreation to consider them. The options are endless, ranging from PAWS, Red Crescent, Al Kharafi Autism Center, KACCH, Elderly Care Center, and several programs that LoYAC offers, both locally and internationally.

Leanah Al Awadhi, co-founder of Equait, participated in a volunteer program when she lived in Columbia. It was with the Red Cross Foundation, and they spent time at a charity camp, where victims of the Colombian winter floods were residing. There, Leanah learned the value of simplicity, and her perspective on life changed altogether from that point on. It motivated her to give back to others and to stop looking at the materialistic side of life. Anyone who has ever invested in some kind of volunteering opportunity knows what kind of life-changing effect it can have on a person. Equait, in particular, wants to give back to Kuwait because of how much Kuwait gives us.

The group of young activists has had an impressive two hundred or so applicants already, having participated in the SpotLight Exposition in November at AlRaya. It’s a great opportunity to give back to your community, to stand up for what is right, to spend your time productively, and to meet like-minded people. Members are given the title of a “Q-Hero”, and receive a certificate of acknowledgment.

You can apply as a blogger, photographer, or as an activist through the following: * visiting their website at http://equait.org * contacting them via Twitter @Equait.

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 93

94 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

flickr.com/photos/fr9a

Photography by: Talal Al Behairi

[Lost]

U?? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?M? ? ? ? ? ? ? ²? ? ? ? ? ? ? M? ? ? ?

OVVXH 1R $

+965 24953001

+965 24953003

2292/13023 Kuwait

alraimedia.com

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 95

Games

Guest Writer

Skyrim

Skyrim, the fifth installment in the Elder Scrolls series, has pretty much astonished old loyalists in its delicate attention to detail and expansion of its seemingly infinite world. Previously this would have been a celebration only for those old fans but Bethesda has managed to suck in a whole new generation of would-be adventurers. If this was an MMORPG, the band-wagon would be buckling under its own weight. Look, there’s no point in doing a review this far into the game, we’ve all heard that it’s the only Western game to receive a perfect score in Famitsu and we’ve all recognized the brilliance of Bethesda Studio’s effort. This article’s purpose is to outline some of the bizarre, awesome and outright dirty stories told 96 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

by various gamers delving into the endless possibility of a game that is Skyrim.

Slater2151 explains his twisted relish in manipulating two seal brothers “While traveling north of Winterhold, I was attacked by two seals. I killed one, reanimated his corpse and made them duel to the death. The zombie seal quickly bested his former friend and forced him to runaway. I then used a courage spell on the seal trying to run. He rejoined to the fight, with new-found bravery only to have his former buddy kill him, once and for all” Redditrezzer “Dear Horse that I stole, Remember when I was fighting some wolves and you ran in front of my fire spell, then got all pissed off

and started attacking me?

Your meat was delicious and I’m wearing your skin on my head.”

Inspired by a recent contraction of Vampirism, Graptoi mentions a certain fascination with accumulating dead bodies in his abode in Riften: “A few days go by, I had added about 7 or 8 other interesting corpses to my shed including an Ancient Vampire; all relatively tough individuals. I enter my house to find everything normal, my Orc wife greets me lovingly while cooking what I’m sure is a delicious meal. I notice however, that a red dot is on my radar. “Wtf is this shit” I wonder quietly to myself when suddenly my wife lunges into attack mode and runs

downstairs battleaxe at the ready. I follow her to find a nightmarish scene that I’m still not sure was legit or a game glitch.

The ancient vampire had come back to life, and reanimated one of my prized corpses; which my wife proceeded to smash with impunity. “Bitch, NO!” I screamed helplessly, as she turned on another that the vampire had begun reanimating. Her altruism only served to infuriate me further however, as I could only watch as the rogue vampire staged a necromantic coup inside my own basement and my wife reduced all but one of my trophies to a pile of ash be-

fore finally destroying the vampire....again.

Through my blinding tears, I reanimate the vampire’s corpse again and drag it outside. After slitting its throat with extreme prejudice, I flipped the body over a railing and into the Riften canal; thus insuring if it came back again, it was totally not my problem. Now....now I must rebuild.”

Psychomonki: “Standing in the streets of a village, I was going through my inventory and decided to drop an armor that I wasn’t going to use and wasn’t worth hauling around to sell later. An NPC walks by, looks down, and asks if he can

have the armor if I’m not going to use it.

I say yes, so he picks it up and puts it on. ...my jaw was literally hanging open.”

Natejoint’s new favorite way to stealth attack: “While on a quest, I had to kill a semiboss called “Forsworn Briar.” I snuck up behind him and decided to try to pickpocket his weapon off of him before the kill. While in pickpocket, I noticed he was holding the item “Briar Heart.” I decided to steal it and see what happened. As soon as I took his heart, he let out a scream and dropped dead.

New favorite stealth kill: RIPPING THE ENEMY’S HEART OUT WITH MY BARE HANDS” 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 97

Cars

All New But Still Porsche Written By: AbdulMohsen Saad Al Mayyas

Very few words can accurately describe the new 2012 Porsche 911 (991). Every child can recognize a 911, but can its identity be described in words? It can, by looking more closely at its form, proportions and contours. It’s a beast capsulated in refined beauty. Since the 1960’s, and for almost fifty years, the 911 has embodied everything the Porsche stands for.

Porsche’s next 911, known internally as the 991, marks a big change for the iconic model. Big, that is, in terms of size. The form, proportions and lines of the new 911 Carrera are unmistakably Porsche.

The roofline tapers down to the rear. The wings are higher than the front bonnet and 98 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

designed to look especially muscular at the back giving the 911 its distinctive expression. The 100 mm longer wheelbase increases both driving stability and cornering dynamics. With new wheels measuring up to twenty inches the car sits more comfortably on the road. New wing mirrors, the angular rear and new bi-xenon headlights give the Carrera it’s character.

The temperament of the new 911 is reflected in its technology. The modified vehicle architecture, with a wider track at the front axle and the lower roofline gives the front a dynamic appearance that’s sporty and elegant. The exterior mirrors are now mounted directly on the doors to improve its dy-

namics. In summary, form always follows function. As a design principle, it couldn’t be more simple, but its 911’s signature.

Fitted as standard, the new bi-xenon headlights still have the familiar oval-shaped surrounds adding to the car’s classic appeal.

They also offer a glimpse of the technically impressive inner workings, the direction indicators, daytime running lights and position lights all feature LED technology and are integrated into separate front light units of the rounded headlights. Together with the two integral air intakes, they give the front of the Carrera an unmistakable look.

The stainless steel tail pipes have been restyled on the 911, and on the Carrera

S twin tailpipes are fitted on both sides.

One new feature is the wider, extendable, rear spoiler which reduces lift in all driving situations and again increases driving stability, not that the Porsche needed that to begin with. At the rear, everything feels sharper: The styling, the appearance and the overall effect. This comes courtesy of the pronounced profile edge and the new LED taillights. Their stretched design accentuating the horizontal contouring of the rear. The reflector units are positioned much lower for a highly distinctive rear design, especially at night. Basically, it’s safe to say that this “baby’s got back.”

On the new model, the wheels have been enlarged by one inch over its predecessor, totaling 19 inches on the standard and 20 inches on the Carrera S. Not only does it add to the car’s dynamic performance but they

also look more imposing. The tires dimensions are wider, improving both ride comfort and performance. Rolling resistance on the tires has been reduced by 7% improving fuel economy meanwhile reducing the tire’s weight and dry braking distance.

Tradition and innovation combine seamlessly in the new rear-mounted 3.4-liter engine thanks to it’s downsized capacity.

Despite the reduced displacement from its 3.6-liter predecessor the engine is capable of delivering more power. Hard to believe?

The figures speak for themselves: 257 Kw (350 hp) at 7,400 rpm with a maximum torque 390 Nm at 5,600 rpm. Yet fuel consumption and CO2 emissions have been reduced by 16%. If that isn’t enough to tickle your fancy, the car accelerates from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.8 seconds and reaches a top speed of 289 km/h. The power of this

beauty is transmitted directly to the wheels by a new 7-speed gearbox. Direct and precise allowing dynamic and more fluid gear changes and optimized connection between individual gears. Gear 1-6 have a sport ratio with the top speed reached at 6th gear.

The 7th gear has a long ratio ensuring a low engine speed even when travelling in high speed for long distances. This reduces fuel consumption figures even further.

The sport button, which is also standard, makes it possible to select an even more responsive engine and transmission setup.

With a wheelbase that’s 100 mm longer the overhang is now shorter in the front and rear making it look even more compact when in fact the car is actually larger.

The redesigned independent suspension at the front features a lightweight springstrut axle with longitudinal and transverse 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 99

Cars Its identity on the inside follows the typical Porsche fashion and basic principle: focus on the driver. This is why with a new designed elevated center console the distance between the gear and steering wheel is extremely short. It’s proof that apparent opposites, such as comfort and performance, can go hand in hand. The completely newly designed slide/tilt sunroof opens outward not interfering with the headroom. It also comes with a newly designed two-position net-type wind deflector, protecting against draught and further minimizing wind noise.

From wind noise to the beautiful sounds of iconic German high-end audio engineering, the new Porsche comes with option to obtain sound perfection through the Burmester high-end surround sound system.

The system has 12 amplifier channels with a total output of more that 821 watts, 12 speakers including the subwoofer. If this seems just a little much then you would have to settle for the Bose surround sound system with a lower total output of 445 watts, 8 amplifier channels, 12 speakers giving you a combined effect and acoustic pattern that transforms this beast into a high-speed moving concert hall.

links that have been refined for stiffness.

The rear axle is equipped with a motorsport-derived multi-link suspension with the chassis sub frame; in English: the axle kinematics increase comfort while the light weight spring struts further enhance agility.

As they say, looks aren’t everything; it’s the inside that matters. The interior design comes together by understanding that 100 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

great agility and extreme comfort are not mutually exclusive but are in fact part of the same concept. The extended wheelbase now offers 25 mm more legroom in the front. The speedometer is accompanied by four more round instruments with a rev counter in the middle. Sport seats standard, the rear seats can be transformed to a shelf allowing even more storage space yet not subtracting any of the space or comfort.

Now let’s talk money. The Carrera 911 is starting at 26,900 KD, meanwhile the Carrera S starts at 31,900 KD. In comparison to the Carrera S, which has a 3.8-liter engine (instead of 3.4 on the Carrera), 400 horsepower engine (while the Carrera only has 350 horsepower) and standard 20-inch rims, the differences between the Carrera 911 and S are slight. I’m sure most won’t notice that the 0-100 km/h time is only reduced by 0.3 seconds and that the Carrera S, peaking at 304 km/h, is only 15 km/h faster at it’s top speed that the Carrera. Meanwhile the difference in starting price is a little over 5,000 KD. Orders for the hybrid between this beauty in design and beastly performance have already been made. Only thirty of them have been ordered to arrive next April and will be put on display during an event to celebrate their arrival. I was lucky enough to have found one of the owners who offered to give the privilege of taking this baby for a test drive. I’ll let you know how it goes.

‫‪ / 101‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

‫‪Personal Style‬‬

‫خـــواطــــــر‬

‫بقلم‪ :‬سعود الهندال‬

‫بقلم‪ :‬أحمد نصار‬

‫و هل األتباع ‪...‬‬

‫اقبليها مني ‪ ...‬واقبليني منها‬

‫إجتمعت الحيوانات يومًا إلختيار ملك على أن يأمر فيطاع‬

‫اهديك هذه الوردة تلبية لطلبها ‪..‬‬

‫جاء األسد والذئب والثعلب وكل مرشح وله أتباع‬

‫قد طلبت مني ان اقطفها من جحيم اشواك حاصرتها‪..‬‬

‫صاح األسد أنا الملك أنا القوي المغوار أنا الشجاع‬

‫واخلصها من هالك كان محدقا بها ‪..‬‬

‫وهلل األتباع‬ ‫قاطعهم الثعلب قائ ً‬ ‫ال‬

‫وارادت ان ابحث عنك‪..‬‬

‫لكننا ال نريد ملك يأكل الشعب إذا جاع‬

‫من بين البشر ارادت ان ابحث‪..‬‬

‫أنا األصلح فأنا ذكي ولدي أساليبي فى الخداع‬

‫في ليالي السهر ارادت ان ابحث ‪..‬‬

‫وهلل األتباع‬

‫في اعماق البحر ارادت ان ابحث ‪..‬‬

‫إحتفظ بمكرك لنفسك ( هكذا قال الذئب)‬ ‫فأنت حيوان وكل مالديك واحد وبضع قناع‬

‫واخيرا وجدناك ايتها الغائبه الحاضره ‪..‬‬

‫أنا األجدر والتاريخ يشهد بأنى لم أخسر من قبل صراع‬

‫وجدناك ايتها الدرة المصونه‪..‬‬

‫وهلل األتباع‬ ‫كذب وإفتراء ‪...‬‬ ‫إنك تدعى الشراسة خوفًا من أن تؤكل فى زمن الجياع‬ ‫أنا السلحفاة معى أنتم فى مأمن وليست لدي أى أطماع‬ ‫وهلل األتباع‬ ‫إعترض األرنب ضاحكًا‬ ‫لكنك تحملين أثقاالً وال نريد أن نزيدك فوق المتاع متاع‬ ‫أنا سريع ‪ ....‬رشيق وأسابق السباع‬ ‫وهلل األتباع‬ ‫أصمت أيها المجنون !!‬ ‫خيم الوجوم على الحضور ‪ ...‬وصمت األتباع‬ ‫إنه الحمار ولكنه غبى لن يمكنه أبدا اإلقناع‬ ‫لست بغبى و أعرف بأنى فى األخير مباع‬ ‫ما هذا ؟!! إنها موافقة !! وافقت الحيوانات باإلجماع!!‬ ‫وهلل األتباع‬ ‫عذرًا أيها السادة‪ ,‬فكلنا حيوان وإن إختلفت األنواع‬ ‫عجبًا لزمان فيه الحمار حاكم ذائع الصيت ‪ ...‬ذو باع‬

‫تعب قلبي من انتظار رؤيتك‪..‬‬ ‫وتعبت وردتي من استنشاق عطور سواك ‪..‬‬ ‫ارادت الوردة ان ابحث عنك لتهديني لك ‪..‬‬ ‫وها انا جئتك ببقاياها ‪..‬‬ ‫لتحيى من جديد بين احضان كفيك ‪..‬‬ ‫انا من حرر الوردة من بين عواصف الظالم ‪..‬‬ ‫الى نور وجودك واشراقة ابتسامتك ‪..‬‬ ‫فأنتي موطن الوردة االصلي ‪..‬‬ ‫وبين يديك حنان الدنيا كله وجمال الكون ‪..‬‬ ‫ها انا وصلت لك ولبيت طلب الوردة‬ ‫أهديها لك ‪ ..‬وتهديني لك ايضا‬ ‫فأرجوك‬ ‫اقبليها مني ‪ ...‬واقبليني منها!!‬ ‫‪102 / Issue 4: Jan 2012‬‬

‫االستسالم ليس حال ‪Surrendering is not a solution ..‬‬ ‫لقد كان أحمقاً عندما أعتقد بأنني سأتوقف يوماً‬ ‫ال أريد أن أظهر إن مل يكن ما أقوم به جاهزا‪ ..‬لست مستعدا ً ألن أظهر‬ ‫ملجرد الظهور ‪..‬‬ ‫أفضل الظهور يف عمق حقيقي بدال من أجزاء مبعرثة تم جمعها من قبل‬ ‫محرتفني يف إخراج الصور‪..‬‬ ‫أشعر دامئا بأنني أقتل نفيس ببطء وأعتقد ذلك ناتجا عن شعوري بتأنيب‬ ‫الضمري والحياة التي أعيشها‪ ..‬املضحك يف املوضوع أن حيايت جميلة جدا‬ ‫ولكن كأنني أبحث عن التعاسة أختار طرق وعرة ألميش بها وأشياء صعبه‬ ‫ألقوم بتنفيذها وكل ذلك لخلق معنى لهذه الحياة‪ ..‬وال أجد الرغبة يف‬ ‫إكاملها وال أستطيع التخيل عنها‪ ..‬التناقض يف حيايت كبري جدا ً‪.‬‬ ‫عندما أضع رئايس وجسدي عىل الفراش أفكر يف أغلب األحيان التي أستعد‬ ‫بها للنوم كم أود أن أتوقف وأستسلم ‪ ..‬وعندما أستيقظ يف اليوم التايل أجد‬ ‫نفيس مستعدا للقيام بتكملة ما تبقى يل ألنجزه ومرة أخرى يأتيني ذلك‬ ‫الشعور عندما أتجه إىل فرشتي ألنام فأستسلم لذلك الشعور بسبب أن‬ ‫الحياة أحيانا تكون معقدة وال أجوبه لها سوى التخمني‪ ..‬فأعود أسأل نفيس‬ ‫قبل أن أنام هل يستحق ما أقوم به كل هذا العناء؟‬ ‫وأستيقظ يف اليوم التايل أعيد الكرة وأجمع األشياء ألكمل بها أفكاري املتناثرة‬ ‫عىس أن أنجح يف جمعها وجعلها حقيقة قبل أن أموت‪..‬‬ ‫أتسأل يف هذه اللحظة ماذا سيحدث ذلك الرسك ذلك املرسح الكبري الذي‬ ‫يطلق عليه أسم الحياة والتي نقوم بها بأدوارنا يف كل يوم‪ ,‬بعضنا يتعبد‬ ‫وبعضنا ميارس الرذيلة ‪ ,‬بعضنا يؤمن بالرب وبعضنا يحاول أيجاد طريقه‬ ‫ليكفر‪ ,‬هذا املرسح الكبري امللقب بالحياة والتي كتب الله قصته ووزع‬ ‫أدوارها علينا لنعبده بالدور الذي خلقنا فيه‪ ,‬ال أعلم ما مصريه‪ ,‬عقيل هو‬ ‫السبب ال يقبل غري املنطق مع أن ما يدور يف حيايت شبه خايل من املنطق‬ ‫وذلك هو الرصاع الحقيقي‪.‬‬ ‫كل ما أعرفه هو أن االستسالم ليس حال ألنه ال يعني نهاية العذاب بل‬ ‫رمبا بدايته لذا سأعود ألضع رأيس وجسدي عىل الفراش وادع ذلك التفكري‬ ‫يتمكن مني حتى أستيقظ يف اليوم التايل ألكمل ما كتب الله يل من أفكاري‬ ‫املبعرثة لجمعها وترتيبها قبل أن أغادر‪.‬‬ ‫فهد‪.‬‬ ‫‪www.youtube.com/fkwt‬‬ ‫‪ / 103‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Games

104 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

‫‪ / 105‬عدد ‪ : 4‬يناير ‪2012‬‬

Games

106 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

Horoscopes Aquarius: You’ve been more bored than usual, Aquarius, and this is uncomfortable for a life-of-the-party, shake-it-up-and-then-back-down-to-the-dance-floor person such as yourself. This is a good time to take a break and stay in, as you will see the benefits in the long run. Your relationships will strengthen, your home will get prettier and most importantly, taking some time off from your wild schedule will cause you to take better care of your body. It’s also a good time to develop yourself professionally, but be careful when making changes in your career—you’re not quite yourself this month and could make some crackpot decisions.

Pisces: Whew. Welcome to 2012, Pisces—it wasn’t easy but you made it. The good news? All the crazy ups and downs at work are going to even out and you will be rewarded for being so patient. Remember to Keep. Being.

Patient. The bad news? Your personal life will still feel a little out of whack. You will need to put more effort into your partnerships and be more willing to take orders and criticism to balance things out. Speaking of taking orders, the stars say to avoid signing important paperwork in late January. Listen to the stars, they love you.

Aries: Ooh, hold on Aries, beginning of 2012 is going to feel like jumping onto a spaceship for you. You’ve got it going on—if you’re looking for love you’re likely to find it, and you’ll be the life of the party all month. You built a good foundation for yourself work-wise last month and January will be the time to build on it. There are some successful opportunities for travel in the cards for you and if you want to settle down somewhere new this is a lucky time to do so. Just don’t get too cocky and say the wrong things to the wrong people. Be especially careful to avoid gossip, as difficult as we all know that can be in the crazy society we live in.

Leo: January is the month for making investments. If I know you, dear Leo, then you would rather be spending that money on a flashy orange ski vest, but trust me, now is the time to make financial decisions that you will get returns on at a later date. Not sure where to invest? Ask a wise elder. Actually, you should go to those wise elders with any tough questions you may be facing this month— they’ve got quite the helpful earful for you this January. You always like to be surrounded by people but you’ll be especially happy to have good travel companions this month.

Virgo: Mmm Virgo, you are balancing the crap out of the crazy world this year! You know what you set out to achieve, and your strong vision gets you what you want.

Both romantic and business endeavors prosper—w00t w00t. It is the right time to take the lead—perfect timing for me, as a Virgo to write this, right? We just need to make sure to not be stubborn or selfish, this will make us out to be snobs to our peers. We also should not indulge too much in our lifestyle habits—no impulsive shopping or sugar binges for me, and plenty of sleep and yoga. Finally, talk to family members about their concerns, it’s important to stay connected with your roots when you’re on top.

Libra: It’s a hesitant month for you, Libra—you are even more deliberate and indecisive when making decisions at work and you are worried about your reputation, as we all tend to be. You’ll feel a little hopeless at work, but it will pass—let yourself be distracted by your love life! There are some serious developments for you romantically and it is like you will be starry-eyed all January. Focus on important domestic issues and tasks—you will feel more in control with your household running smoothly. Accompanying someone on a trip is on the cards and will be fun. Happy New Year!

Taurus: Your financial matters are feeling out of your control, which is extra difficult for someone who loves stability as much as the Taurus. You’d be wise to save more money this month to put yourself in a good place for the rest of 2012. You need to challenge things and face them head on—don’t deny obstacles by going around them. You’ve been a little mysterious and moody lately, and it’s making your love a little confused. Try taking your partner out for a cup of tea and a heart-to-heart. Finally, your health will stay good, putting you in a great position to start new projects in 2012. Stay strong Taurus!

Scorpio: Bah, Humbug. You’ve gained weight, you’re overworked and your love won’t stop giving you crap. I’m feeling for you Scorpio. It is a good time to get right down to making those necessary changes, ehem ehem, New Year’s resolutions time?

Plan an exercise routine for that kirsch, take some time off work to hang out with the family, and finally have that awkward conversation with your love, as painful as it may be. And avoid gambling or spending your money in irresponsible ways. Godspeed, Scorpio!

Gemini: You’re quite upbeat this month for a Moody Minnie such as yourself. Congratulations, your positivity reaches far—your boss or your teacher will be impressed and even your relationships will reach a new level. Your kind actions will be reciprocated. Gemini, you reached some great turning points at the end of 2011, so don’t forget to give yourself some credit. However, stay focused on yourself and your career for now—it’s not the time to organize a big shindig or social gathering, unless it’s part of your job.

Sagittarius: Go Sagittarius, your birthday month left you smoking hot. You’re quite the show-off this month, and you get noticed at work. Even your fashion sense is looking quite edgy and you might notice that your signature scarf knot is being imitated around the office…It looks like you’ll get to take your smokin’ self to some travels in cooler temperatures this New Year. One word of wisdom— with so much going on for you, try and stay easygoing when it comes to love. Let it flow and it will rain in 2012!

Cancer: Okay Cancer, you know how we say that women have “that time of the month”? Well this January for all Cancerians it will feel like “that time of the year.” It seems that at the beginning of 2012 you will feel especially hormonal and aggressive. January won’t be easy, but it will get better as it goes on. You’ll try extra hard at work and it will pay off—it’s good to throw yourself into work as a distraction. Know that 2012 will get better and better—it’s your year for love, you’ll progress at work starting in February and you will do lots of travel in the later part of the year!

Capricorn: December was a charming month (other than those sniffles around the 10th)—but this is January, Capricorn. You’ve been quite the social butterfly and should take a break once the New Year hits. Think E! TV, a mug of hot chocolate and a deep, deep swim in your couch.

Or slow down and on some nice dates with that new romance you acquired last month (by social butterfly we meant total floozy). Also, take the money you made last month and invest it…you’ve had quite some good luck and you’d best not jinx it. Oh, and Happy Birthday!

2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 107

Arts

108 / Issue 4: Jan 2012

9

Ú`é`°ù`cC’Gh Ú`LhQó`«¡dG á`aÉ`°VEG ó`æY ¬∏ª``cCÉH ⁄É``©dG Ò`¨`àj .ÊÉ``°ù`fE’G ô`°üæ©dG - ô`°UÉ`` æ©dG ø``ª`KCG ™`ªŒ .É`æŸÉ`Y á`LGƒ`J ≈àdG πcÉ`°ûª∏d Iô``µàÑe ∫ƒ``∏M h Iójó`L QÉ``µaCG ∂`d ó`Œ .ádOÉ``©ŸG ¤EG ¿ƒ`Hô``µdGh .ÊÉ°ùfE’G Qƒ£àdG äGQhô°†H ôªà°ùŸG AÉ≤JQÓd , É«LƒdƒæµàdGh º∏©dG Iƒb ÚH äÉjhɪ«µ∏d hGO ácô°T É¡à°ùŸ É¡dÓN øe hGO ∞«°†J »àdG Iójó©dG ä’ÉéŸG »g √òg ,AÉŸGh ΩÉ©£dG ≈àMh ¿Éµ°SE’Gh áë°üdG øe ô°üæ©dGh hGO øY ójõŸG áaô©Ÿ .hGO ácô°T ¬«∏Y õcôJ Ée ƒg ÊÉ°ùfE’G ô°üæ©dG .Ωƒj πc ÉæJÉ«M ¤G ≈∏Y Éæ©bƒe IQÉjR hCG +971 4 332 8866 :ºbQ ∞JÉg ≈∏Y »ª«∏bE’G Éfô≤à ∫É°üJE’G ≈Lôj ,ÊÉ°ùfE’G dowmiddleeast.com âfÎfE’G 2012 ‫ يناير‬: 4 ‫ عدد‬/ 109

Profile

110 / Issue 4: Jan 2012