Insanity making me go cray cray! Week 4 - Week 7 (including recovery) Part 1

So I kinda forgot to post a LOT of things all over this site, but I did however continue with Insanity. It was not easy. I had maybe three days where I felt like skipping. Here are journal entries for days 22 to 35.

Day 22: So this is week 4 huh. Crazy thing about the gym was that the ACs were on full air cool blast. Not cool. I don't know if this is okay but it interferes with my breathing sometimes. I was surprised to find myself able to complete some push up routines *pat pat*. However, I noticed some pain in the left abdominal area and my right lower back side. A little later the backs of my shoulders were sore. My knees are shot! I think Cardio Abs is my favorite workout!

Day 23: Today was not bad but what I noticed is my knees are badly shot. They made it harder for me to lift my legs but I managed to dig deeper in some of the workouts.

Day 24: I put in only half the effort I usually put. I'm getting worried because of my knees, it made things very difficult. And to add to it, I could barely do any form of jumps since my chest hurt as well. This is nerve-wrecking because I could sustain injury and at the same time I don't want to stop the workout. I was about to stop today but I kept on going despite all that. I youtubed some stuff online where people have modified moves for beginners, it wasn't much of a sweat but if you do it vigorously you kind of feel it. I mostly did that to avoid jumps. I need to look for a brace and better chest support .. if that helps.

Day 25: Though it was only cardio recovery, my knees burned like hell fire. I bought voltaren or something at the advice of the gym instructor, I only used it twice before today's workout and it helped a bit. I was hoping that if this cream works then I wont need to buy a brace. Tomorrow is cardio abs and all that so I'm very worried. I'll have to eat well and sleep enough. I can't help but feel like I gained a lot and I feel more tired.

Day 26: Definitely a better day. I reduced my pace but try to remain ongoing with the exercises. I substituted the power moves with modifications but made sure it got me sweating. Some jumps fast moves were slower because I made sure I had my knees slightly bent when I touched ground. Prior to this, I used the cream on my knees twice, once last night after work out, and another one before today's workout. And my friend gave me a tip about drinking coffee 30 - 60 minutes before exercise. I'm not sure what it is that helped me today. My knees did not feel any burning sensation but rather tightness. I also experienced some sort of tightness if I pressed my fingers above my abdomen (through my fat ofcourse). I noticed some wincing pain in my left knee, both outer and inner.The stretch are not that good but that's not something I can't work on. I will be done with my meds on Saturday, which is the end of week4 and kind of month 1. My plan is to start head on on Sunday with one intake of protein shakes a day, control of my food intake, lunch boxes to work. I gained an inch or more on my waist and tummy. I'm not sure what's going on with my body but I'm not letting myself explode again. Another thing to note, which I am embarassed to admit is that, I did not research this program thoroughly. There are some terms that I did not understand such as "keep core tight" and "land softly", which probably added to my aches. Yes, apparently I am 4 weeks too late and this is part of the reason why I want to get things right in month 2. Wish me luck.

Day 27: Today's workout definitely mirrored yesterday's efforts. I did avoid many jump moves but substituted it with modified moves. I gave half the effort in the last routine set because it just killed me. I don't necessarily feel much pain like I did in the infamous 3 days of shot knees. My onlly problem remains to be my chest. By the end of the stretch, I felt like I could pass out. The stretch felt good with my eyes closed. It was very tough. I didn't feel pain or fatigue necessarily, but a sense of heaviness like I couldn't lift myself any longer despite the energy. Once I get good chest support, and perhaps new shoes (if budget permits) then I could take my body on a test run and determine whether these things really do make a difference. Week 4 over, "recovery" week is next. I can only imagine what Month 2 has in store. The weird thing is my weight today shot up 2 kgs. Very weird, I am very worried.

Day 28: I wait every week for Saturdays. Really feels good.

Day 29: I really like recovery week. I thought it was all name but there's a lot of space to breath. My body feels better but then again it's recovery week. Jumps are still stuff but I managed through. Strange thing I noticed is with my left leg, I could feel some disturbance with the ligaments. It feels like a knot just snapped behind my knee and travelled fast toward the downside of my feet. I'm not sure what to make of this. And oh, I had a chicken tortila wrap today, teehee.

Day 30: It was an exhausting day. I felt like postponing today's workout to midnight but I really did not want to do it at home so after I got back home from work, I laid down for maybe an hour and forced myself to the gym. Exhausting but I felt better after the workout. Good effort today.

Day 31: All I can say is it was a good day. I forgot to use the cream which I will once I get back home. I did feel some sort of burn while walking but not during the exercise. Another thing to note is I felt a pinch again at the back of my left knee which traveled down my foot. 

Day 32: It was another good day, same efforts as yesterday. I didn't feel any pinch behind my left knee but I did feel like an ache in the front part between my knee and my ankle. I'm not sure what they called that but yay, another thing to worry about. And I forgot to use the cream yesterday. I hope I remember tonight. Another side note, work was frustrating, not work itself but dealing with students. 

Day 33: I definitely may have injured my right knee. I wasn't aware of it until I made a light bend and felt it. It's not that bad but there are chances of it getting more painful tomorrow. Anyway, today's effort was more or less like yesterdays, it was good. I can definitely sense some changes in my body though I feel very doubtful. One mistake I made was not taking pictures of my body prior to the exercise. Though I don't see it on the scale (coz I bought a cheap ass non functional one), I can compare my measures to the ones the gym took back in September. I'm gonna get results on my birthday! 

Day 34: So today I went to Pf Chang's and finished around 3 pm. I worked out around 7:30 so I'm assuming all the heaviness was because of that. However, it was not bad. I just am pissed off from teh shitty AC they put on high blasts in the gym. I also drank last night and will tonight. Just to note.

Day 35: Not as good as yesterdays at all but well considering I woke up drunk. Not a good idea and very irresponsible. I however managed to do this. 

Get your Art displayed: Ministry of Culture competition, deadline in December

For those interested, there's this really cool Arts competition, held by the Ministry of Culture in Bahrain. It's called the 40th Fine Arts Exhibition, where winning participants get their works displayed in January.

What's cool about it is that it's very flexible in terms of work submitted as long as dimensions, mode of delivery etc etc, simple stuff like that are in accordance to requirements. It's open theme and encourages various art forms. However, only Bahrainis are eligible.

Hurry up because the deadlines on December 5th, 2013.

This is the email I found on their website for submitting and/or inquiries: fineart@moc.gov.bh

On a different note, non-Bahrainis also have a chance to participate in another competition, which I think is also pretty cool. It's the Sail Design Competition, where you basically visualize something on an A4-sized paper, and if you win, you get to paint it on a sail! Crazy right!

Here is another email I found: sailart@moc.gov.bh.

Aw, snap. Deadline's on November 15th, 2013. You guys better hurry up!


So I've linked both competitions in this blog. If you're an up and coming artist, this is a great way to get recognized and get some of your works published. Good luck!

Week 3 of insanity, booyah!

Day 15: I realize I complain a lot. Today, I ate pizza and bruschetta. Probably not a good idea. But it tasted so good. However that was the only meal I had, because of work.
It seems like everyday is a bad day.  No sleep, too much food, no rest. Exhausted. I was about to leave this till early morning but I thought that was crazy and moved my ass at 11 PM to complete this 30 minute routine! And so I did. I was so close to not doing today's "on time". However, in the measurements, I didn't see any changes at all. Weird thing is my belly reduced by a cm or two and my waist grew. Anyway, the fit test was not much of a difference in the last few. While doing pushups, my shoulders gave out. And I can feel some pain or ache on the front outer part of my underarms - shoulder area.
Note to self: Get enough sleep

Day 16: This is the first time I write something that is result-positive oriented. Today was a good day. Not because of food, as I sure as hell didn't eat well. But I felt I performed much better than the other days. Just when I thought things were getting harder, today took the other route. However, there is a weird stretch pain behind my left ankle, I'm not sure what's causing it. I felt it right after the first stretch exercise. Oh and today I bought whey protein, all natural or so it would seem. The try outs with flavors will begin soon.

Day 17:I could feel my ab areas BURN! This was good because before I started today's workout I took pictures of my belly front and side, and did not like it at all. I'm in week 3 and it feels like I made no progress at all, like the workouts are not working on my body. However, once I felt the burn in Cardio Abs, it felt a bit satisfying. The weird thing is I Was not tired in the first workout (there were 2 today) but I felt like steel, as though my body was really heavy. I still do not heavy upper body strengh because I am still unable to move from low to high plank without falling on my knees.

Day 18: Again, another bad day. I've been having UTI problems for a week now and finally decided to go to a private doctor, and it turns out I had a very bad infection and they took another sample. I'll have to be back in three days. I also went to the dentist in the same hospital and maaaaan, lots of things to do with my teeth. However, because of this exercise, I'm holding out on a procedure until the next two months. Jeez. I went there right after work and I spent around 3 hours. I finally went home, changed and got to the gym. I thought Cardio Recovery wont be a big deal but there is one routine that I can't do at all. It's where you lunge into a squat and hold it for a while, then pulse. Difficult. It made the balance exercises later even more difficult. Sigh.

Day 19: What's sad is I'm back on meds so I don't know how much it may affect my nutrition. I havent tried the protein I bought yet just to be on the side of caution. This has nothing to do with my health but I don't think I put in much effort into the work out today. I think it's because of food. I need to time it 4 hours before I start gymming. I noticed I always do little when I eat around 2.5 - 3 hours before. However, I noted today that jumps are really tough to do no matter how easy and fluid they look.

Day 20: I'm on meds now and I don't know why I felt fatigue today. I had plyometric cardio circuit and almost died after the first set of warm ups, but I managed to complete it ... on my own pace of course. Though today was drowsy and tiring, I did manage to pull in more pushups than usual, which I found weird. This program is just confusing me. When I feel failure at onne routine, I excel in something else.

Day 21: I ate a chicken cheese philly sandwich from Johnny Rockets. That's all I have to say.

Insanity workout; Week 2 done

Day 8: Today morning I felt weird as I flexed my muscles. It felt as if everything was tight and cracked with every flexed move. However I feel fine and I'm still tryin to work on my eating.
Fuck. Workout was crazy. I feel like the workouts become heavier day by day. I really think it's my eating. Once I've settled a better eating pattern, I'll be able to determine whether the heaviness is just a side effect as a result of collected exhaustion, or simply the food in my tummy. There were some routines that were just hell today.

Day 9: I didn't wear any shoes today. I can't make out the difference. I started using my fitness pal so that I finally monitor my calorie intake and perhaps adhere to the 40-40-20 recommended nutrition consumption. This way I can avoid bulking up and perhaps I would lose a few kilos. I still couldn't go through entire routines and I hope it will get better as I start taking more care of myself; if this doesn't help, I don't know what will. I will also start protein shakes as soon as I lay my hands on it.

Day 10: Crazy day today. It's been raining since Sunday so everywhere's a mess. I decided to wear long leggings to cope with the cold but when I got to the gym, the ventilation and Acs were not working. Yup, puddles of sweat all over the place haha. Today felt like any other day. I could keep up the same amount as usual. I did not feel more tired but more flexible and much smaller than before. I still am however looking for the protein bars and perhaps some energy to keep myself active.

Day 11: I wish there was a way I can compare performance to previous exercises because I can't tell how I'm doing but what I can tell is that I don't feel like I can't do it. Today's was only cardio recovery and I sweat like a jug. It was pouring all over the workspace, and probably why one of the gym members left lol. Anyway, the stretching burnt me and killed my knees, this exercise, though I already tired it in week1, made me feel all the fat around my joints.

Day 12: Haha, the sweat all around the workout space is repelling people from entering the room, which is great because I get my privacy. This exercise, I think, is the hardest so far. Pure Cardio is tough but I find it fun. Plyometric is definitely crazy. But what sucks about today is that I didn't eat anything at all, except for a bowl of cereal in the morning. I did not plan to do this but I got caught up in work, and had no time to eat and went straight to the gym. I felt a burn but managed to complete it in my usual pace. I also managed to get some protein bars but I may use shakes soon as the protein bars have the same amount of carbs as well. Not to mention, expensive.

Day 13: PURE CARDIO AND  CARDIO ABS!! I went to a water park today so that kind of kept me in an active mood. However, today was not as bad as I thought it would be. I just needed to find more power somwehere because I can keep going however, it's very tough to lift myself up. I'm proud because I managed to finish an entire ski down count. And Cardio Abs though crazy, actually felt good. Plus I found protein bars that has 16 g however it also gives 16 g of carbs. 

Day 14: Today is a good day. However I need to recover from last night because I overdozed my calorie intake with drinks, it's not like I go out a lot, so sometimes I go overboard.

Oh sweet rain

Awesome rain! Though some countries wouldn't think so. The weather right now is amazing, and I hope it remains this way but not to the extent of a flood. A slight drizzle for a while would definitely calm the nerves, and perhaps heavy showers every once in a while.

Right now, I hear reports that the situation in Saudi Arabia is horrible, and I hope everything gets better soon, as I wouldn't want to see my car floatin' around the hood.


Few days ago before the raining began, I saw a post on Facebook that said the following, whether it was true or not I did not know:

"The U.S. Navy in Bahrain declares state of emergency for Bahrain, Qatar, eastern Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

البحرية الامريكية في البحرين تعلن حالة الطوارئ للبحرين وقطر وشرق السعودية والكويت والامارات نتيجة دخول حالة تعتبر من اقوى الحالات خلال 30 سنة الماضية

The case is considered one of the strongest cases for the past 30 years, and it warns their marine on these above countries from the wave of torrential rains too. It will begin on the morning of Sunday, November 17th and will continue until Thursday, 21 November, where it will rain for 3 days, continuously on these countries. and the U.S. Navy analyzed that this case is a strong low weather is coming from the north and the source is from the Caspian Sea in northern Iran, and there are logistical support strong moisture tropical immense sourced from the Indian Ocean with moisture from the huge basin Arabian Gulf, at the confluence of humidity stream from the north with the current humidity from the middle and a humidity stream from the south will create a state of instability layers of the upper atmosphere on the northern, central and east and west of the Arab Gulf states. Cause of this weather forecast, the emergence of Altocumulus with huge pull Alsopersel black clouds which gives lightning and severe thunderstorms, which could turn the day into Dark. This gives a very heavy rain accompanied by large grains of hails. and the possibility of emergence sea Hurricane water with sea view and warn sailors from the Navy not to go to the sea throughout the next week as well as not to risk in the wild (Deseret) and low places as a result of those heavy rains too.

Issued by the U.S. Navy
Friday. November 15, 2013

تحذر البحرية هذه الدول من ترقب موجة امطار غزيرة جدا ابتدأ من صباح يوم الاحد 17 نوفمبر وتستمر حتى يوم الخميس 21 نوفمبر الجاري حيث تستمر الامطار 3 ايام بشكل متواصل على هذه الدول وتحلل البحرية الامريكية ان هذه الحالة عبارة عن منخفض جوي قوي قادم من الشمال ومصدره بحر قزوين في شمال ايران وهناك دعم لوجستي قوي من رطوبة استوائية هائلة مصدرها المحيط الهندي مع رطوبة هائلة من حوض الخليج العربي وعند التقاء تيار رطب من الشمال مع تيار رطب من الوسط وتيار رطب من الجنوب سيخلق حالة من عدم الاستقرار بطبقات الجو العليا على شمال ووسط وشرق وغرب دول الخليج العربي وتسبب الحالة الجوية بظهور سحب ركامية ضخمة مع سحب السوبرسيل السوداء والتي تعطي صواعق وعواصف رعدية شديدة مما قد يتحول النهار الى ضلام وهذا يعطي امطار غزيرة جدا مصحوبة بحبات برد كبيرة ولايستبعد ظهور اعاصير مائية بعرض البحر وتحذر البحرية البحارة من عدم ارتداء البحر طوال الاسبوع القادم وكذلك عدم المجازفة في البراري والاماكن المنخفضة نتيجة توقع سيول من جراء الامطار الغزيرة جدا.

صادر عن البحرية الامريكية بيوم الجمعة
15"

The pictures above are what I took inside and around the Ministry of Education.

Here is an article written about how climate change is affecting particularly the Gulf. I'm not sure if this is new to several Gulf countries but from what I remember, it did flood to this extent say four years ago.


There is also another article by GDN 4 days ago that talks of a "storm". And while I was searching for news on past floods, I came across another article by GDN for 2011:

"ALMOST an inch of rain soaked Bahrain throughout Tuesday and into yesterday, causing misery for residents and shopkeepers still coming to terms with the downpour 24 hours later.

At the height of flooding water was said to be almost knee-deep in some places, with at least one major highway experiencing tailbacks hours after the rains stopped, due to the absence of a storm water drainage system."

Reminds me of Manila when I visited this August, ankle-deep.

My Watcher 3 years ago: I steal my Watcher's ideas

So somewhere in my first year, we had to read Watcher at the Gates by Gail Godwin. I have no memory whatsoever about what this was so I read it again. Reading my old piece on what characteristics my Watcher had, I realize there is a slight or maybe significant difference to what characteristics my Watcher has now. So following this old entry, I will be posting another entry of the latter. For now, here is an insight to the type of Watcher I had back in 2010.

L'Orange - The Mad Writer
Just Art, no connection to this entry teehee
http://thefindmag.com/downloads/stream-lorange-the-mad-writer/

After reading “The Watcher at the Gate” by Gail Godwin, I have to be honest as to say I have no idea what the writer is talking about. First I tried to comprehend the very actions the writer set forth in his piece by different watchers. By this I came to understand that maybe, at least maybe he might be speaking about the very thing that makes us write or at least ‘how’ we write. Here is my attempt in describing my watcher:

I have a very talented watcher. But this watcher does not have the ability to let words flow continuously for a long period of time. My watcher, at least that’s how I see it, probably does not know that I exist therefore I have no problem with it. My only dilemma would be I cannot control what sentences would form for my watcher likes to write about many things.

My watcher is independent of itself but not its mind for I can always see it. I see what my watcher imagines and fantasizes and creates and I simply write it down. It is as though I steal my watcher’s ideas.

There is not much to say about my watcher for my watcher is unique and in itself inhibits unique abilities and imagination. Its mind is not always open for it takes days and days to sleep therefore the minute my watcher opens its eyes, I have to be well prepared and record every single moment of thought or it will be lost forever for my watcher does not repeat what it thinks.

I am a mere vessel where my watcher resides in me. I am simply the plain writer who records every single thought the watcher who lives within thinks of. I am the book keeper.

Going Insane, insanity workout, a diary for the alternative lifestyle: A new turn in my Life

I began this workout called Insanity on Sunday November 10, and I read online that it's a good idea to keep a blog. I did however have a journal anyway to record every day's workout, and I decided to post them online on a weekly basis. It's a "If I don't get to post the whole thing everyday, THEY'LL KNOW" sort of thing. So something like a boost. Eh. We'll see how far I get.

Day 1: Horrible pain. I actually started at 3 AM on Day 2 but I'm considering it Day 1. I had horrible cramps but it subsided before I started. I sweat like crazy. I had to stop midway and grab some water. My head hurts a bit. My shirt is soaked. I wasn't wearing soaks and shoes, I was doing it in one of the rooms at home. My head hurts ugh. It's emotional. It makes you feel like shit but also motivates you to break through. Thinking of results of the last day. I WANT this.

Day 2: I enjoyed the exercises today. I couldn't keep up AT ALL. I was shocked. At some point, I felt like I was going to be sick. It's like the saying "you are what you eat" took a literal turn. I sweat a lot, and switched on the AC, and I still sweat, which is could; just means it wasn't just hot. I did today at home again at Day 3 around 2 AM. I'm hoping to get the next day earlier on, at the gym preferably. Need to lift some weights. I also noticed that I gained 2 kilos since I first started gym-ing, which is like in Septemeber. It's alright, I bought some goodies to watch what I eat. Two more months!

Day 3: Today, only finished with Day 2 and I woke up with the worst case of body coordination. Everything hurt. My calfs, my feet, my back, my wrists, my hands, my neck, everything. I felt it all day. Though I still ate what I usually eat, with some sort of moderation, I felt like I should cut down just a bit. Not a lot, since I don't want to create a huge shift in balance once I go back to regular training after this program. It's all about creating a consistent pattern - lifelong. Though it's only Day 3 workout, it already feels like it will get easier. I did skip on some routines just because I can't move my body at all. But it feels like it would get better.

Day 4: Today feels much better than yesterday. Maybe it's just my body getting used to it. However, I had the weirdest change in my weight, it kept going up and down. I decided to stop checking my weight and just wait it out till the fit test day. So I went to the gym and used their work out space. It's pretty cool, very free and wide. Today's exercise was cardio recovery. Lots of breathing space but it wore out my legs that I couldn't do any of the one leg stand poses for more than a second. I was all shaky. That is all.

Day 5: I woke up pretty late today, around 1 pm. I thought yesterday's workout was not bad but my body felt like an out of date machine. I could feel aches everywhere. They weren't cramps. They were aches. Todays pure cardio exercise was not as scary as I thought it would be but there were "several" routines that I just couldn't get past the second count. Sweat sweat sweat ... perhaps mixed with a bit of tears. No, just sweat.

Day 6: I slept early yesterday, before 1 AM, in attempts to wake up early today. I did wake up at 7 and again at 9. But I just couldn't get out of bed. It's very tiring, I feel heavy. I managed to get up at around 12. I felt ashamed. However, I was very anxious to get back to working out again. I could feel my body itching to work out. To my surprise, when I did begin the routine "Plyometric Cardio Circuit", which is the same as Day 2, halfway through I found myself doubting my ability to finish this program. I just felt so tired. Tired and heavy. But I tried pushing myself. Though I couldn't finish some routines completely, I tired pulling in a couple of counts. I finished through today and tomorrow's break which I guess is good. Let's hope Day 8, a new week, is a better week.

Day 7: Rest day felt great. Didn't have much aches. Or maybe I do but I had a wonderful time on rest day.

Book fair at the old NYIT campus, last day Thursday Nov 21, 500 Fils and up

For all the crazy bookaholics out there roaming the the expensive bookstores of Bahrain just casually browsing around, here is a fair you'd might want to visit. Though I don't know what types of books they are selling, I wouldn't miss the opportunity to check it out. It already started on Sunday and will end this Thursday, November 21. Heard about this from a friend and off The Bookcase's Facebook page.

If you remember where NYIT's old campus was, it's held right there. It's only now called the Multinational School, just by Block 338 restaurant.

Hurry hurry.

Address: Multinational School, Avenue 338, off Dilumn Avenue, Adliya.

SUV driver stops to let kids pass, Aali

So while leaving Ramli Mall today, I waited at the roundabout for my turn and noticed that a Toyota probably Land Cruiser just stopped at the roundabout. On the roundabout were four little boys (maybe around 11 - 12 year old) who seem to have just gotten back from school. It was a bit unsettling because cars were rushing and the boys didn't know whether to cross or not. This guy or lady in the car just stopped while making its turn, not sudden, just safe enough for the back cars to brake on time. The kids were hesitant as to whether they should cross and finally with the driver asking to cross, they did.

This. Was intense.

Thumbs up to the driver.

My passage-trip from Cairo to Amman, by Ferry: Spring Break April 2013, AB Maritime

This could be part of my Spring break chronicles as an undergraduate student. Spring break 2013 began in April and I think we left for this (budgeted) journey on the 24th. This is how I described it as a caption for one of my Facebook pictures:

"Bus at 11 pm from Cairo, arrives at 6 am in Nuweiba, ferry leaves at 6 pm, arrives in Aqaba at 9 pm Jordan time, we catch a bus to the bus station and wait for an hour, instead we take a cab to Amman and reach at 5 am.
- Spring Break 2013."

The AB Maritime ferry
Courtesy of a friend N.O.

Yup, that's how we reached Amman all the way from Cairo. We booked our bus tickets (which I think were around 90 Egyptian Pounds) from Cairo to Nuweiba a few days before, along with the ferry tickets from AB Maritime (Can't remember the price, maybe US$ 100 one way).

It was myself and two other friends, all different nationalities. The bus was to leave at 11 PM. There were maybe around five or eight other passengers on the bus so that gave us enough room to sleep. And we finally reached say around 6 AM in Nuweiba, one of Egypt's cities in the East coast. Now why we took the early bus was because they, at the ferry office, told us we had to be there before 12 noon. If you've never been to Nuweiba, then you won't understand our condition. It was like one of those villages where you can't just sit anywhere, just like in those movies, and I'm glad it was morning.

We were looking for places were we could rest our aching bodies but it was very difficult, and the "security" at the ferry docks said the gate would open a little before 12. We keep asking around for places we could stay at and someone mentioned a Hilton (I think) which was close by. A Hilton?! Okay, we go walking there, it's like walking through a desert, nothing on either sides except for creepy old houses and the blasting heat. It's funny how we see mirages and assume the place is near but it just .. isn't. And finally cave in to a taxi that happens to pass by to drop us to the hotel. No worries, we only paid 5 pounds.

So we reach there in our not so glamorous outfits and walk into this place .. this place filled with old white folks in swim suits! Imagine walking from village to resort. So we ask about room prices and they were just out of our budget and take the breakfast meal, which is open buffet. I think it was around 200 pounds per person. But that's okay! We were hungry and we know how to work with open buffets. Keep in mind it was like maybe around 7 AM. Oh and I forgot to mention I had to submit two essays, so I was "working" during our trip. The receptionist also mentioned that we were only allowed to stay at the restaurant and not go to the beach side ... okay ..

---

After we've fed ourselves well, my friends were just too sleepy. Both of them went to the pool side and slept on those sunbathing chairs, talk about making the best of what you have. And while they were sleeping it off, I had to work on one of my essay and I was worried at the same time, because I'm a bit of a "don't break the law" sort of person. Just a bit before 12, they rise from their majestic somber, and proceed to get ready. Oh, we made use of the bathrooms alright. (I actually woke them up suddenly, one of them got pissed at me)

So we leave to the ferry docks. We pass through x-Rays and stay at the waiting room, which looked like a slaughter house for cows. You must understand that the people who were there were not .. middle class. Not that it bothers me, it's just, you sort of draw attention to yourself when you're no longer in places you usually go to.

And we wait, and wait, and wait, and wait. That's all we ever did. Until it was finally almost 6 PM! And we get to board the fabulous ship that exceeded our expectations (no sarcasm here). It was really clean. It was smooth and took maybe around two hours to reach despite the warnings from fellow friends that it would take forever.

Not much pictures during this passage because of the crap we had to go through. So when we reach Aqaba at around 9 PM, they ask one of our friends to follow them to an office outside the ferry (passport stuff). And we wait at the docks. We wait and wait and wait. We get our bags and our friend's who just left. We then follow the crowd (with no sight of our friend) to an office after walking through what looked like a scene of the docks from GTA.

Hallelujah, we find our friend on the top floor of a shabby security building. We then proceed to go through corridors and x-Rays, like how airports operate. And then finally, the backdoor where buses and taxis wait for us. Just US. There were maybe only one more group. The funny thing is, though the ferry was packed with people, only foreigners which were a group of maybe 20 were taken through this security process. And we couldn't find them either because they probably took a different door or booked a tourist service which take care of them.

My friend (same passport person) walks towards a cab and make an agreement. Just as we were following the driver, another taxi drives past us fast, stops and gets out to argue with our driver. So we freak, cancel and hop on the empty bus we find because it was public. Just three of us where in. This was almost 11 PM. Yes, it took us that long. And the bus finally decides to leave. And we were glad. Because the way from the port to a city in Aqaba was so empty. I don't know if we would ever be lucky to find a cab while walking to the main road from the port.

We reach a bus station in the city and feel better surrounded by people. The bus waits and waits and waits. It's around 12 and still doesn't move. It's waiting for people to fill it up, but even the people become restless. So maybe around 1 AM, the same friend looks for a taxi service (they call them that) that would only move once filled with four passengers. He agreed to 12 Jordanian Dinars each but no no, that's not how it works. Of course he'll ask for more later 915 each). So we were like F this, we're taking a cab to Amman. And we did. It was a long ride, three of us and one strange passenger in the front. Some of us doze off from time to time. And we finally reach the house of our Jordanian friend at around 5 AM. Yes, we reached.

We finally reached. Then showered and slept.

Jackass driving, take 3

Yesterday, while at the traffic light near Salmaniya (Sana on my left, that furniture place straight ahead), witnessed stupidity. While it was the turn for the cars on my right to go straight ahead (Green lights), a car on the opposite side clearly thought he should take a leap of faith that day. He took a turn while the cars on my side began to proceed. If they haven't slowed down, they would have hit the side where I saw a little girl sitting, obviously with no seat belts. That mofo was lucky.

And while driving in a converging lane, I clearly having the front advantage already past the convergence, tada! a wild pickup appears to my side. The driver decides to go as fast he (it was a guy) can in attempt to be just ONE car ahead ... in a not-so-busy day ...

Creative Photography, always the best with the up-and-coming

One of his works under Fine Art
Kyle Thompson

I recently came across an article of a photographer who apparently never took formal classes on this before. His work is just amazing. I tend to use this word a lot.

It's sort of surreal. It's like what Dali would do if he had a Canon and a tripod. I have a thing for unusual scenes, I even "attempted" to paint a tree with a mouth, out of which it wraps its tongue around a girl. So this guy's work pretty much pulled me in.

For those who look for inspiration, he is definitely one to look for.

His name is Kyle Thompson, born in 1992, and his website shows some of his work.

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One of his works under Fine Art
Kyle Thompson

My brief opinion on Expressionism Art

Expressionism is a wonderful technique to express emotions rather than realistic drawing. For many, this is a good opportunity to make mistakes and draw with feelings rather than precision, or at least that's my take on it.

Expressionism was inspired by art sometime from the 19th century onwards. It was during the age of many things like religion, the art scene, social problems, wars. It was a way of letting out. Much like cartoonists on newspapers today but more on the not-so-humorous side. It was all about color and expressing one's view on the world. Every art form is linked together in one way or another.

From what I understood of Expressionism is that it depicts the artist’s feeling of something.

For example, if I saw people with sad faces in a poverty area, I would paint a gray background with black blocks for houses and smudge figures of people depicting that they are fading away. This way I try to transmit a message to viewers to show that there is nothing there and they have nothing to live for. There may be contradictions that it is not really how ‘they’ feel but I would argue that this is how ‘I’ see it.

If ever I master painting, I would exploit the magnificence of colors. I have come to learn over the years that colors is a wonderful tool for controlling one’s emotion. Light cool colors will give us a feeling of calmness, red of anger or agitation, yellow of happiness and so on. What I wish to create one day is a portrait of someone’s feelings using only colors. It will either have a plain background of a particular color and the person standing inside with all the colors of their feelings or/and vice versa. The intricate detail will be amazing just to look it, at least for interested people.

Why not give it a try?

What makes you anything: Have Arabs lost their sense of Inherited Fashion?

Here is another piece that I wrote maybe three years ago on Arab traditional fashion. A good example on writing skills at an amateur stage. Keep in mind, these are opinions of mostly undergraduate students studying in an American university in Egypt. Very opinionated, don't consider this as a generalization of Arab traditional fashion.

The Kafiya scarf

Dazzlllee - with sequins and colorful shrouds! What is your version of an Arabic outfit? Is it necessary to retain traditional values? And what is it that makes you a part of a race?

What is tradition? In simple words, it is simply the preservation of cultural values over time. Values however, is not only restricted to morals, habits and food but also clothing—fashion. Every country has its own traditional clothing from the colorful Kimonos in Japan, the Kanga in Kenya and let us not forget the Sari that Indians proudly wear even in a foreign country. These countries and others have preserved this icon of identity over generations as ‘their’ fashion. So what is ‘Arab Fashion’?

Thai student studying Arab Studies described Arabs as “those people who consider themselves Arabs sharing particular collective ideas such as tribe, culture, language and religion (in some cases)."

First of all we need to familiar ourselves of the term Arab. Arabs, modernly in geographic terms, are known to be those mostly who come from West Asia and North Africa. Most of them may share common languages, culture and traditions. When outsiders think of the word Arab, they always think of the image. They would describe their image of the outfit as “colorful and long, pretty ornate with embroidery and stuff like that,” Political Science student from the US said. Another student when asked about what he thinks when the term Arab is pointed out the words: “Hijab, white Thoub and the Kafiya."

So People from the West and Far East have a colorful idea of the clothes ‘Arabs’ may wear. Either that or veiled and let’s not forget the famous Kafiya. This is what most people would argue is what the whole world sees.

So do we still conserve our traditions? In another way, do we still wear traditional clothings from time to time? A few others like Petroleum Engineer student from Yemen and Communications Media Arts student from Egypt have said that they did wear it but only for occasions such as the Thoub and Galabeya.

Mostly seen among Arab Gulf countries
Alternate spellings used The Thoub or Thobe is a garment with long sleeves and the length varies depending on the country’s tradition. It is mostly seen in white but there have been instances of other colors like brown, dark blue and black. The Galabeya or Jelabiya is known to be used by the Persian Gulf women and is also seen in Egypt. It is used as a casual or evening wear. Egyptian student studying Marketing Communications said that she does “not like it” and an Egyptian student studying Biology explained that he “normally don’t find it important to wear or pretty."

And why don’t we wear these traditional clothes if not for special occasions. It seems that we’ve had a lot of influence from the West. We are certainly influenced by them through mass media. The effect it has is not only to the Middle East but reaches globally. Another Egyptian studying Communications, when asked whether she wore any traditional clothes answered, “No, because it is trendy to wear Americanized style of clothes like jeans."

Maybe westernization is a modern term for many. So what would we describe a ‘Modern Arab’ as? French student studying Biology says that a Modern Arab is usually “westernized” from what he sees in his university. When asked whether there is anything for them to retain their traditional image, he explained that “there is no link between the clothing and culture."

Well, that means clothing is not important to retain traditional customs. Another Egyptian studying Communications said: “It is not really important to wear traditional clothing and it all depends on your personality."

However, it is not seen as something necessary as Egyptian student studying Journalism said: “I don’t wear any traditional clothes because I don’t own any, and also there is no reason that requires me to do so."

Then again, does wearing these traditional outfits really make you an Arab?

Giving you the 3ein: Every bad thing is probably because of someone giving you the EYE!

This is so embedded in my head that I sometimes think it's because of the EYE that I am condemned to such an unfortunate fate ... no! it's coincidence, an event, a happening! If the power of the EYE were true, I'd cast it at that couple who wouldn't shut up at the cinema!

What is the EYE dun-dun! It is like let's say, a part of superstitions? Something like that. When someone stares at you for too long, and your pants tear, then yup, it's probably their fault. Or if you had this amazing haircut and your hair falls off the next day, no it's not a result of all that chemical you put in your hair, yup it's the EYE. Or as it said, the Ein. (eye in Arabic)

I bet that Hollywood movie "The Eye" was inspired by this cultural belief!

Here are two things I remember that I have heard from people:

• During the Gulf Cup, I believe in 2012. Cousin of a cousin (how surprising) was telling me how Oman won one of the cups in previous years because of ... wait for it ... a spell that they've cast on the field! Freaky! Wow! (Might not really be Ein, I guess I should put this under the category of spells and potions.)
  
• My cousin who has dogs, and loves them. Those dogs had lots of pups and they all died except for the first two. The vets reason: Either of an infection or ... wait for it ... the EIN!

Ahh .. I just lost a lot of calories. NIGHT! Gotta hide from the Eins during the night!

Free shisha, ladies!

One of the entrances to Extrovert Cafe, Adliya. Courtesy of a friend TW.

If you're a shisha addict, or just enjoy it from time to time, there's a place in Adliya called Extrovert Cafe that has ladies' nights on Mondays and Wednesdays.

We've actually stumbled across this maybe two years ago, and ever since, their offer still stands. However, it wasn't as obvious as before as they used to hang posters about it. Now we simply assume. So I think it's not valid after midnight, as they almost charged us once but changed it when we told them we were there since 9 PM. I'm guessing it's from 7 PM to 11 PM. But don't take my word for it. And don't expect them to tell you.

Weird story. It's been a while since we've been there so I ask my friend to call them and make sure. She does, and the guy tells her to just come and we'll see ... So he doesn't give a straight answer despite that the offer still stands, instead he just asks us to come and see what happens. It's a great trick if there is no offer but in this case, I'm not sure.

Anyhow, it's not a bad place, really nice, cozy and sometimes too cold but there's an outdoors area. We usually go there and get maybe a drink each, and split for food if we're feeling hungry. The prices are standard, not very expensive.

The place is in Adliya, close to a group of cafes like Bindaira, Don Vito's and Maggie's. Not hard to miss. If you know where the massage place Dassange is, then it's right close by.

On a different note, smoking is bad for health, bwaha.

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Saudi Arabia on October 26, 2013

So I came across this website during one of my browsing, and I think it's going to be a really exciting event. If they do actually create some sort of pressure on the parliament to seriously address the issue of women driving in Saudi, then this event could actually be successful. Not to be naive but women have tried to stir public attention in the past and it didn't necessarily go very well. There is an argument that Saudi women don't really want to drive ignoring the large numbers that actually do. However, if the ban on women driving were to be lifted, women who want to drive can whereas the latter can simply choose not to. In this sense, no one will be forced to do what they don't want to do.

Good luck to the women over there.

For those interested, I found this link after I stumbled across this blog: Saudi Women Driving

Davey Wavey walks naked in NY

Just recently, I came across this guy's youtube channel. He's a funny guy, very open about his homosexuality, which is nice, given the shit they go through. One particular video that I loved was of himself in New York. He had a sign that asked, "What do you fear?"

And he'd just let anyone write it on any part of his body, until he had to take off whatever he was wearing. This video is great because he shows how strong he is in doing what he believes in, especially when he's trying to prove something. How many of us would walk naked just so we tell strangers that their fears can be simply washed away?

Check out.

Davey Wavey,

 

A brief on my past travel adventures ... and more to come

On a bus trip to El-Gouna and Hurghada, Egypt

Before 2009, I only ever visited Philippines and Emirates, with my family of course. August 2009 marked an important time in my life because it was my first time traveling and living alone ... in Egypt. You see, I finished now and no longer reside there. It was the most fruitful period of my existence so far, and I hope my future sees more exciting moments, seeing as I now feel like I'm stuck in an hour glass. I don't intend to hint at pessimism but rather a longing to travel again, and this is one thing that I don't see as impossible.

I know I'll enjoy writing these, as I've always been meaning to start a journal - the best thing anyone can do.

Scholarships and Student life

You know what's amazing? Scholarships.

Many of my friends have tons of debt weighing on them by the time they graduate. Is education really worth chaining yourself to a bank? Well, you have your own answers.

Why not look for a scholarship? What's a little working until you find the right program? Or what's studying in an affordable university you despise, and earning yourself a scholarship for maybe a second undergraduate degree or maybe straight to masters?

You don't "waste" your life away by looking for the right program, you gain experience if you're working.

Scholarships are everywhere and available. Especially for master's. You need to look and you need to "dedicate" your time to .. you know, fill application forms? Yes, people say oh they can't find what they're looking for when in fact they haven't tried. Oh and don't tell me,  "I tried like three of them and I never got accepted."

NO! You look again, and again and again. I just got a rejection letter from a scholarship program after I flew my ass back in jumpseat over a nine hour flight, just to submit my application. Life never looked so possible, I decided to work and later find the right programs. (Or I was just lazy to do it again)

Fun fact, scholarships are not only. Bachelor's. Period. Master's. Period. PhD. Period.

There are short term programs for those who want to be entrepreneurs, seekers of community service or internships abroad, or just plain 'ol meditation programs to upkeep peace through special herbs or something ..

Anyway, you need to row, row, row your boat, gently down the, what? I mean look, look and look.

Embassies in your country have programs scholarships for the country's citizens, educational institutions offer a wide range of activities, maybe your school knows something, your employers might be able to offer you educational benefits. Or simply look at any school you want, and check out their website. Some of their scholarships specifically target regions, or languages, or ethnicity, or discipline, or grades, or anything!

Or if you want to put some work into it, then try graduate assistantships or similar programs, where part or full tuition is covered for your work contribution to the school. They differ from school to school, some even provide allowances or even housing.

Great site I found, which is like a scholarship hit list: http://www.scholars4dev.com/

And good luck.

The easiest thing in the world, is to be a student.

Jackass driving

Hey you! Did you hear? The new trend is jackass driving! It's the only way to look cool. You should try it bro, wallah it's cool.

This may not be applicable to some of you but many of us are always caught in this hype that we need to get somewhere in the most minimal time. I was, I confess, one of those. I use to think, "Eh, why drive 100 when you can go 120!"

No. Never again. It wasn't a result of some personal freak accident that changed my life forever .. ever .. ever *echo*, I guess time just caught up with me. I've had friends who've told me of some of the things they did, like run a red light, take a U-turn when you're not supposed to or just brag about the speed they've reached. What if the cars just speed when it's their turn and ram into your car, or someone's crossing the road and you don't have enough space for your car to stop all the way?

What is so important that you need to rush somewhere? Hospitals, fine. Emergencies, fine. But a weekend out with the guys? A hang out at your favorite gahwa? A bonfire gathering in Skhere? Haven't people heard of arriving fashionably late?

Orrr ... Leave early! *sudden realization*

We need to set our priorities straight. Whether the law marks the limits at 100 or 140, it doesn't mean those are the safest speeds to drive. A police offers once said something so obvious (that an immature prick would probably laugh off with their friends), and yet enlightening: "Be careful, this is steel."

Just today, I had a big (and expensive) car just speed out of a hidden turn! It ALMOST hit the passenger side where my younger siblings were sitting. And after I passed, the driver simply proceeded to move at the same speed. Looking both ways before crossing the street does not only apply to pedestrians, you know.

And don't remind me about seat belts! My cousin in the passenger seat once took off her seat belt. Why? Oh, she wanted to take a selfie. I stopped the car (in a safe area of course) and wouldn't move until she wore it back. And she did. 'coz ya know, gat ta go places!

I have a relative (who I don't know, having thousands of them) who I heard was held at a station because he hit another car late at night. One of the girls in the other car was in critical condition. They wouldn't let my relative out until they make sure she's better. My relative I hear, lives with his family and is an undergraduate student. The girl died. And he's in prison.

I now understand why my dad reacted in shock when years ago he asked me what speed I drive, and I replied 90 (thinking it' a good reply). Maybe he was kidding, I don't know.

Not the perfect driver over here! I can stir a few honks from my fellow drivers from time to time, but I do try to keep .. safe? I guess this began when I realized how expensive it is to fix dents, change parts and especially when it's not your car. Whether it's your dad who's willing to pay for the damage, he's spending money on something he did not do. Oh, and getting a new car, too much! (at least for the working class, what's a working class, btw?)

Oh and look out for those Saudi cars. Not generalizing, but I have noticed quite a lot of them driving over two lanes, don't really know what's going on in there ..

The point is, stay safe.
My friend: "We have a lot of surgeons in Bahrain."

**Speeds are in KM!    Duhh, coz the whole world uses that!

Ahh, back in the days when taking pictures with a nokia phone was .. picture taking.

First encounters in Egypt: Exploring Imbaba & Downtown Cairo

Nice Egyptian fella poses for us in one of the cafes at Imbaba

I decided to post parts of my essays from my time as an undergraduate. This is specifically from my Rhetoric class (RHET 102), which I took during my first semester, because they seem to be interesting. Reading it now, I realize how different I was then and how different everything in life was to me. I loved my professor and she was the perfect professor to start with when traveling to a country for the first time. Dr. Wafaa Wali, oh how many have complained of her but there were others like me who just loved her method of teaching. In my semester, Dr. Wali decided the theme to be based on Egyptian Identity, and one of our tasks was to explore Imbaba, a small and maybe poor area. She assigned each team with different assignments. Our group of four (which I led) were to explore cafes and small stores, in turn recording some of the commodity prices. After Imbaba, we were to walk to downtown Cairo.

And regarding dates, we had to do this I think in November of 2009. Been quite a while.

Imbaba

In our first assignment we had to take pictures of interiors of eight coffee shops and five plots of empty land. We had to see how they decorate their shops and ask neighbors what happened to the plots of land. We also had to sit in one of the coffee shops, order something and check out the prices; buy certain foodstuff and list the fruits in the local market.

We went to six coffee shops : (unknown), Taj il Dewal, 3alaa il Deen, Tony, ma2ha al a9diqa2 and (unknown).

All the interiors looked pretty much the same. Usually brown tiled with shisha as the display behind the counter. Most of the coffee shops had religious sayings like 'Inshallah' hung over the entrance or just as display. They were very friendly, and some actually posed for the pictures! Some shops looked neat, some looked dirty. Many of them constituted mostly of men.

We sat in 3alaa il Deen. The man was very friendly to us. He got us chairs; he switched on the fan and TV. He cleaned our table and was nice. We ordered tea, water and coca cola. We asked for the prices which were:
- Tea : 1.00 pounds
- Soft Drinks : 1.75 pounds
- Shisha Coal : 0.50 pounds
- Coffee : 1.25 pounds
- Sa7leb : 2.00 pounds

We got pictures of three plots of land:
- House that collapsed years ago; no one did anything about it and it is being used for rubbish.
- House that collapsed and another house is built in the middle of it; people are living in it.
- Old storage place that got burnt down.

Foodstuff:
- Macaroni : 1/4 kilo for 2.00 pounds
- Greens: 2-4 types for 1.00 pound
- Black plastic bag for 0.25 pound
- Fruits available : Guava, Orange, Grapes, Pears, Apples, Pomegranate

Our professor still thought we got ripped off ..

Downtown

Our second assignment was pretty simple. After exploring Talaat Harb Mall, we moved on to our task. We had to walk down Kasr El Eini Street, find Vienna Coffee Shop and have a cup of tea. We also had to check the price which I happen to forget to record.  *tehe*

We actually did walk all the way instead of taking a cab. It was pretty simple but just a bit long. You just have to ask around until you finally reach. It was a very small coffee shop right inside a corner infront of a cinema. It was pretty much the same as any coffee shop at Imbaba. What I distinctively remember was that the tea was only 0.90 pound, which was 0.10 pound less than the one at Imbaba. Our order was a glass of water, tea and coca cola which all together cost 3.00 pounds.

And that was our assignment.

Look out for IGN Convention on Oct 18 & 19

During my time abroad, I came across maybe two posts of these conventions held in Bahrain, and I was always sad that I couldn't attend, well because .. I was abroad. And now it's here again. I thought these types of events were not very popular in the Middle East but here it is. I'm not a die hard fan of anime or video games but I've always wanted to attend these types of events. I'm pretty sure I'll like them though I won't share many interests with the visitors. I hear anime like Naruto and Bleach are too main stream and that's pretty much what I watch, along with FMA, One Piece, Death Note and others.

The event will be held on October 18th and 19th (just a few weeks away) at the Bahrain Exhibition Centre from 10 AM to 10 PM. Pretty convenient for those leading the working life as it falls in the weekends. There will be cosplay competitions (excited to see that), video game tournaments and discussions. The IGN website mentioned the appearance of four special guests: Kevin Nash, Keiji Inafune, Omar Hussain, and Baraa Abdallah.

So if you're into this, tickets are already out at 5 dinars (my kinda ticket) and VIP tickets at 50 dinars. The IGN Convention Bahrain has a Facebook event page and a main website.

Will break my piggy bank this weekend and hope I find what I need. *sigh*

Mad Men writers converse at Riwaq gallery!

Maria and André Jacquemetton who are screenwriters and executive producers of Mad Men showed up at the Riwaq gallery in Adliya on September 25. It was around two hours in the evening and we were *ashamed face* an hour late. However! When we did get there, the audience were watching an episode from a previous season (the episode where Betty starts riding horses at some club and a newly or soon to be married guy tries to hit on her), which we've already watched so we didn't miss anything yet. By the time the episode finished, the Jacquemettons were ready for questions. Most people asked about their relationship with existing ad firms that were mentioned in the series, and about the writing process in general. They gave us an interesting peek into the writing process behind "series" as well as how writers, producers, casts and the filmmakers go about or interact (as in, who does what in brief, do the actors improv or strictly follow a script etc).

I was easily distracted by one of the audiences because of her body language, but what I could gather from the talk were a few of the following:

• Writing scripts for TV series and movies differ
• In movies, the director is in control whereas in TV series, the writers are in control
• One of the ad firms mentioned in the series have a mutual relationship where each helps one another (the firm advertises the fact that they are in a popular TV show and that in turns helps the TV show with more publicity)
• No improv on Mad Men, as most TV series
• It's a long process to write the script, have it approved, filmed etc.
• The writers basically just gather around and talk about what they should do when writing a story, they usually have an idea of how the complete season with go when they're still at the first episodes

Receiving a rating of 8.6, IMDB describes it as, "A drama about one of New York's most prestigious ad agencies at the beginning of the 1960s, focusing on one of the firm's most mysterious but extremely talented ad executives, Donald Draper."

The seventh and final season is split into into 2014 and 2015, and the writers promise an ending that will make us want for more.

I found out about this event just a day before and wasn't sure if it was real because I was a huge Mad Men fan, and just couldn't believe they were coming to .. Bahrain?! Anyway, Mad Men - great series, great filming, great acting and scandalous stories! Check it out if you still haven't!

André and Maria Jacquemetton converse at Al Riwaq Gallery in Adliya, Bahrain. Courtesy of a friend NN.