Books Review

I was really looking forward to read "Lover Unleashed" by J.R Ward during the break I took. I saved the book for this particular trip. I wanted to read it uninterrupted or distracted.

From the first three chapters I had a sinking feeling that the book will disappoint me. It was obvious the story was more about the unsolved issues Vishous faced in "Lover Unbound", than the main protagonists Manny and Payne. Vishous is one of my favorites, but his story was a bit disappointing at the end and I didn't like Jane his mate. However they had the biggest part in this book over shadowing Manny and Payne, and I began understanding Jane better and liking her more than I thought.


I was so looking forward to Manny's story since he was mentioned in "Lover Unbound" and was excited to learn that his love interest would be Payne, since she is a very complex and unbending and tough as nails character. Unfortunately Payne was a big letdown. I was hopping a little of shove and push between the two characters before they realized they were in love. As it turned out, Payne was doormat!


I still don't understand what went through the authors mind when she wrote the book. There was hardly enough written pages about these two characters and I felt their relationship wasn't real because there wasn't enough between them going on.


Besides all that, there was a side story of Detectives De La Cruz and DelVecchio trying to catch a serial killer, which had nothing to do with the Brotherhood or Manny and Payne, and I was wondering all the time if the author was running out of ideas???!!!


I also missed the interaction between the other colorful characters in the Brotherhood which I only had a glimpse of by the end of the book.


Don't get me wrong. I love J.R Ward and her style of writing. I'm still one of her faithful readers, and I would still recommend her books to anyone who is interested in this genre but this book in the series was a bit of a downer to me.


Now, I've read on several blogs her next book "Lover Reborn" will be the story of Tohr, and I wonder, Is Tohr ready to fall in love after the death of his mate Wellsie? Will we see more action between the Brotherhood and the Bloodletter's Bastards? Will there be some action with the Lessening Society? So many things I missed in this book I hope to find them in the next book.

No I'm not yet done with Lisa Kleypas's books. I still have few more which I'm saving for future vacations.



During this break I also brought with me "Married By Morning" the Hathaway series. It was Leo Hathaway and Catharine Marks, his younger sisters paid companion, story. It was the last book in the series, although not in order for me to read.


As usual I wasn't disappointed and I'm not going to say much about the book to not spoil it for other readers who might be interested. I loved both protagonists; they were strong and witty and knew what they wanted. I loved the witty dialogue, the bantering and the teasing between them. I also enjoyed the other Hathaway members who had their fair share in the book yet not overpowering the main characters.


The romance between Leo and Cat has been building in the last two books, they jump right into their attraction for one another from the beginning of the book and I didn't feel it was false because of the build up between them. You really need to read the previous two books to understand what I'm trying to say. Early on in the book we get to know Cat's secret and the issues she was struggling with. It did come to me as a surprise when she decided to go to her half-brother, whom she was a bit cold with in the previous book, and who happens to be Leo's brother in law, for his support and advice on what to do with the threat she was facing. The ending came to me as a surprise. Yes. there is a lot of kidnapping in Lisa's books, but I thought Cat would be abducted by the villain and not a member of her family.


I will say no more!


In the end, like every time I finish reading a Lisa Kleypas's book, I wish I can write like her. Maybe I'll write a Kuwaiti romance ;p

On A Break

On a short break! See you guys in a week :)

Organic Fish & Chips

The other day Fahad and I were heading back

 home from a meeting and before we reached

Jabriya, I told him I really wanted to try the

Organic Fish and Chips place.

 It was situated behind Royal Hayatt hospital,

and the place wasn't crowded at all.

We took our seats and after browsing the menu,

which I loved the simple design of it, placed our orders.

My order was 1 fish and chips with an extra veggie tampura.

Fahad had a similar order but he added shirm tampura.

 Seasoned Salts very yummy!

My Arnold Palmer

I loved the whimsical wall art.

Cute Kangaroo!

 Beside the fish and chips they sell other

organic foods and products.

 My order, 1 fish and chips with an extra veggie tampura, and it came with tartar sauce and sweet soy sauce.

I loved both sauces and the fish witht he batter was soo yummy!

As for the fries...I'm not a fries person, but these were the best fries I tried, and I loved the crispier bits.

The veggie tumpura was good too.

 Fahad had a similar order but he had shirmp tumpura

and he liked both.

 They do serve breakfast and also make pastas and pizzas. I really want to bring the boys here this weekend to let them try it.



I loved the food so much because it reminded me of my hay days when I was in the UK "Supposed" to be studying!

Every weekend my girl friends and I would hop

on the train to Brighton for Fish & Chips.

I know there were a lot of fish and chips places in London

but I don't know why we go all the way to Brighton for it! ;p

TopShop Limited Edition Notebooks

 You can now pick up one of these unique TopShops limited edition notebooks just by mentioning Ansam518 Blog!!! 

You can read all about it Here on Ansam's blog :)

Inshallah when I have the time I'll pass by and pick one :)

Photo Challenge Day 25: Sunflare

Photo Challenge Day 25: Sunflare...

This was taken last January while in Rome

Venting : Vulgarity!

To endeavor to work upon the vulgar with fine sense is like attempting to hew blocks with a razor.

Alexander Pope

When I'm sick I get upset and irritated very quickly. My poor boys tiptoe around me as they sense my mood. The little things that usually don't upset me, makes me want to yell and shred at the people who did, and sometimes, my usual nice self gets very nasty.

Am I a stickler to protocol and decorum? Most of the time I don't give a *heck* what people think and I'm not such a hypocrite either, nor a snob. However, growing up in our society you get to know there is an invisible red line of "Propriety" and "Good Taste" you do not cross, unless you are a very vulgar person.

I also know no one is perfect, and everyone is bound to make a mistake every now and then. I remember when I was a teenager (and thank God not a lot of people remember me at that age) I did things which makes me blush just by remembering them!!! In the end I learned from my mistakes and have become the woman I am today.

You know this saying "ili ma 3omera teba5ar… teba5ar w 7tarag?" It basically talks about "Nouveau Riche". You know like the "Hilly Bellies' of Beverly Hills".

Unfortunately for me and it was against my will, a "Nouveau Riche" walked into my life not so long ago. I tried to "subtly" explain how things work out here in Kuwait…even if it is sometime contradictive and there isn't specific written laws of conduct, but these are things you grow up with and just now, which I understand it is hard to understand, at first, for those who just walk into our society. I remember the first time I explained how things work out so she wouldn't feel socially awkward, she looked at me as if I insulted her and she retaliated with "I do not give a damn what you think!" attitude.

Ok..I understand her reaction. Maybe if I was in her shoes, w neyeti shaina, I'd react the same way. But if I walk into a world which is so new to me, I might give this person a chance at explaining.

I tried another approach, introducing her to some of my friends. Here she felt the difference. I could see it in the glitter of her eyes and the strained smile on her face. I knew she felt awkward and uncomfortable sitting among my BBF's. (Again we are not snobs) Ok so maybe now she will listen to me? At least with half an ear???

No…she didn't. At a wedding, few weeks ago, she takes out her phone cam and starts snapping pictures at the girls dancing!!! A friend of mine who was sitting at the other side of her grabs the phone and angrily snaps at her "Are you out of your mind!! Taking pictures of these girls!"

"I like their style I'm keeping it as a future reference for the next wedding I go to." She replies in the most unaffected way imaginable. I know she wants to send the pics to her family to show them the wedding styles in Kuwait.

My friend started deleting the pictures. "Sij inich haliligya! What if one of those girls or their parent saw you? you'll cause a scandal!!!"

My friend throws back the phone and leaves us for the rest of the party. Of course I yelled at her too and we left early. The way she acted on the way back to her house as if she understood the consequence of her actions but did it anyway and didn't care what we thought of her. Very childish, I thought at that time.

There are many never ending incidents of her actions, that if I start now I wouldn't finish. But the last straw was few days ago. A friend invites us to a party, beautifully planned and decorated in her house. That "Nouveau Riche" snaps pics of the event, and posts them and claims it is at her place!!! When my friend saw the pics she was of course incensed, and called her to confront her.

"Hahahaha! I took pictures of your place and told my family the party was at my place! Hahahah!"

The audacity of this girl!!!

My friend didn't know what to say.

"I can't allow myself to stoop to her level." My friend tells me, "But I don't want her in my house or in our gatherings again."

I agreed with her.

Now here is the part where I'm going to be nasty.

When I said "Nouveau Riche"… no she isn't rich compared to our standard of living here in K-Town, but compared to the slums she used live in, yes she is within this level of wealth she has never dreamed of living right now, a house, a car, and maids. She went through a cultural shock when she moved here the first few months. She thought we lived in tents in the desert!
When I took her under my "Bat Wing" as a favor to her husband who is an old friend of ours, I never thought she would act that way and she just doesn't have any "Self Respect" to herself, for her to have it for others.

Please don't misjudge me. I have a lot of foreign friends from all over the world and we understand and respect each other and we get along very well. None of them acted the way she did when they moved to Kuwait. When I introduced her to them, they were uncomfortable around her too, because she was just plain and simple Vulgar!

Yes…I know this is a side of me I do not like to show alot, but I am sick and beyond irritated and I just want to vent!!!

Photo Challenge Day 24: A Smile

Photo Challenge Day 24: A Smile

I'd put every pic of my boys I've got in my files...

But these two are my favorite which

I took of them this year while traveling.

Photo Challenge Day 23: Sunset

Photo Challenge Day 23: Sunset.

Beautiful sunset taken from a parking on the Gulf Road...

It was an unexpected snap shot taken from my Iphone.

Popcornopolis

After reading two posts about Popcornopolis one on Ansam518 and the other on Trying To Be Fahad, I wanted to try it and at the same time treat the boys, since I’m so sick and their weekend is ruined by staying at home. I placed an order and it was delivered.

What I ordered: Peanut Butter & Chocolate – Cheddar Cheese – Chicago 50/50 - Kettle Corn – Pecan Caramel – Cinnamon Toast – Sour Cream & Onions – Chocolate Almonds – Zebra.

I opened the Chocolate Almonds. It was very very good and the kids loved it so much. We munched on it while watching Astro Kid for the millionth time! and later I had a second helping while watching Glee :) It is very yummy, fresh and crunchy!

Fahad, is old fashioned, he doesn't like flavored popcorn. We popped some regular popcorn for him.

I will post about the other flavors, later :)

 

The boys were so excited and jumping all around

me when it finally arrived.

Yummy and crunchy!

The down side of ordering. When I called and placed my order and asked when will it be delivered? The lady said, "As soon as possible." That was at 1.26pm. I received my order at 5.30pm, and that was after seven calls from the delivery driver, which made me so frustrated and on the verge to tell him I didn't want the order anymore! He would call and give the phone to some random Sa3eedie in the road to speak with. I called him twice and told him "Listen to my directions and you'll find our place very easily." He didn't want to listen "Ok madame, I know where it is", and half hour later I get a call and makes me talk to another Sa3eedie! The last time I spoke with him I yelled, and told him to listen because it is soo easy to find where I live! He finally did.

I didn't mind sending my driver to pick up the order, I would have got it sooner and stress free, but they wanted to deliver.

At the end it is money well spent for the Popcorn.

All Natural in Bait AlSaboun

 I love natural products. I usually get my soaps from Tunis or Morocco and once my aunt got me some soaps from Tureky which were amazing!!! Well I ran out of them and needed some soaps ASAP! A while back I read on The Boudoir a post about some scrubs she got from Biat AlSaboun click here to read her post. I've been to Bait AlSaboun a couple of times with a friend of mine, but I didn't pay much attention at that time. I went again few days back to check them out and the sales lady was kind enough to explain about their natural products.

This is the Lemon Ginger scrub.

Apparently it energies the body and

helps with weightloss.

The scent was amazing, and the olive oil in the scrub

did a great job by moisturizing my skin.

 I also got this Alum Royal Formula, smiliar to Moroccan bath soap. It is suppose to unify your body's color and tightens the skin.

The sales lady said to use it twice a week,

I use it with every shower I take every day ;p

 Ladies...I'm not sure if it works but I'm planning to buy it very soon and try it out, and there is an oil to rub your problem areas with.

I'll update you when I give it a try :)

More soaps of every kind.

Scented soaps.

 I got the Oud soap but I haven't tried it yet.

Loofa Soaps. These smells delicious and you don't

need a loofa to to wash your body with it :)

I also got a chamomile body cream,

which is soothing and relaxing

and smells amazing.

You find Bait AlSaboun at the Avenues (phase 2) and Soug Sharg.

Lunch at Elevation

While detoxing the only thing on my mind was Elevation Burgers. As soon as I'm done with this cleansing diet I'll head to Elevation, I kept telling myself.

The other day Fahad and I had a meeting in Shuwaikh when were done we decided to go there for an early lunch.

When we arrived the place was practically empty. I placed an order for 2 cheese burgers and one hamburger, fries (extra crispy as Ansam suggested in one of her posts) topped with cheese. I love to have a Chocolate shake with my cheese burger, but staying sensible, I stuck to water.

The order was brought in quickly and we dove in! Oh My!!! I missed you my darling burger! I took the cheesy part of the fries, and yes Extra crispy is better than the regular one. I loved it! I didn't want it to finish and I was still feeling hungry. I wanted another one but I knew I couldn't finish all of it. Fahad said he'll take half of it so I placed another order and cut the burger in half. *sigh* it was so good!

I didn't eat anything till the next day! Maybe I'll pay them another visit next week?

Photo Challenge Day 22: Trees

Photo Challenge 22: Trees...

 I was looking through the files I've got and found these two pics I snapped durign our trip to Oman last December. The thought of  going back there very soon is making my heart skipping a beat!

 I just cant wait!  

Photo Challenge Day 21: Pretty Patterns

Photo Challenge Day 21: Pretty Patterns...

I love the patterns of my sofa in contrast

of the Bottega'esque brown leather.

I'm still searching for a rug that would go with this color scheme.

Photo Challenge Day 20: What I Read

Photo Challenge Day 20: What I read.

A very interesting and inspiring read :)

Photo Challenge Day 19: Where I slept

Photo Challenge Day 19: Where I slept....

in my bed with a delicious book :)

Toys

Ahmed is one of those little kids who tell you in detail how he passed his day in school and what he did in class. (yebared algalb!)

"Madame J. est toujours fachee." So I know his teacher yells a lot.

One day he came back looking sullen and I knew something happened in school.

"What's wrong?"

"Je n'aime pas les puzzles!" He pout and you know how Ahmed pout if you follow my blog and seen pics of him.

"Puzzles are easy."

"I don't want to!"

Ok…no sense in persisting with him until I speak with his teacher. Then next day he came back in a better humor.

"J'ai fait un puzzle avec Reine."

"Bravo!" So I guessed his teacher has put him with one of his classmates to encourage him. The next day when I went to pick him up and talked with his teacher, it was as I suspected. Although a very bright child, he wasn't confident enough to do the puzzle by himself. The teacher suggested I get him a couple of puzzles to practice on at home and boost his confidence.

Of course when I do something for my kids, I go to the extreme. We headed to Early Learning Center and found few puzzles there. I also found cute toys which enhance your child's imagination.  I love ELC.

 Then I went to Fantasy World just to check what they had. I found a cardboard book with erasable surface for Ahmed to practice his letters and numbers.

Now, every day while Abdulaziz is sitting on one end doing his homework, Ahmed is on the other end practicing on his puzzles and writing the letters of his name.

                                                  

 I got this scketch book for Abdulaziz

who loves to draw cartoons.

 I found this for little fashionstas! Cute!

 The boys should learn the family business...don't you think? :p

Remeber those stickers? My sister

and I used to collect them

 and trade them with our friends :)



Photo Challenge Day 18: in my bag

Photo Challenge Day 18: in my bag?

Yeah...very messy!

Detox Day 11, 12, 13 & 14

The last few days of the detox diet it was Meh! I wanted it to finish, and the days seemed longer. I was also so stressed from work I was craving all sorts of foods. I even made a long list of everything I wanted to eat after this diet is done. But then all the hard work for the past two weeks would be for nothing if I indulged uncontrollably. What I craved was a yummy juicy cheese burger! I have to allow myself at least that? No?

Again. The diet I followed was made up by me, what I liked and didn't like based on the list The Diet Ninja posted on his blog. I do not advice you follow to the letter what I did, because I gave myself the minimum, because I know what I can endure. If you suffer from some kind of ailment I am not responsible, and neither is The Diet Ninja if you do not consult with him directly.

What I've lost is a good jump start to a healthier life style and diet. I even started looking at food differently. I love my lattes, but milk bloats me, so I'm going to have it as a treat when I'm out with my friends, same thing with bread, red meat, and desserts. I still have copies of diet plans saved from my nutritionist which I will start following inshallah. I want to lose 13 Kg before the end of this year. Can I do it? I just hope so.

Day 11

Breakfast : I ran out of fruits and I only had banana so I had a banana with Almond Milk smoothie.

Lunch: Lemon fish with roasted potatoes and carrots with olive oil and rosemary.

Dinner: Skipped.

 My Banana smoothie

Lemon fish with roasted potatoes and carrots,

with Lemon butter sauce.

I found a way to do it without the cream ;)

 I added almond milk instead!

Days 12, 13, 14 were repetitive of Days 2, 3 & 4. I couldn't believe I'm done!!!
Will I do this diet again? Certainly I will, but I think it will be for seven days only just to help me when I hit a plateau.

The Diet Ninja's post "Pre-Diet Cleansing" Click Here

Photo Challenge Day 17: On The Shelf

These bear bookends I got on my Honey moon 11 years ago!

I know they are suppose to be supporting books on my shelves...

but you have to take it with my house keeper...

no matter how many times I explained their use to her,

she insists on putting them all together on a shelf.

The little angel pot is from a large bouquet of flowers

I received from my BFF when I got engaged.

The angel what I saved from the bouquet :)

Cutting Down On Calories

Breakfast



Eat your fruit; don't drink it: 12 ounces of OJ = 165 calories, vs. a medium orange = 62 calories. Think of granola as a condiment to be sprinkled over yogurt (for reference: a half cup of granola is around 200 calories). Drink your coffee skinny. A whole-milk grande latte from Starbucks has almost 100 more calories than one with nonfat milk. Here are some low-cal breakfast ideas that are under 30 grams of sugar.


Brunch


Have a smoothie made with fruit, nonfat yogurt, and ice, and skip the milk shake. Eat smaller portions since many brunches offer buffet options, and it can be tempting to fill your plate. And choose lots of veggies and fruit since they are low in calories and will fill you up! Instead of calorie-filled egg dishes covered with rich sauces, why not get an omelet (or even one made from just the whites) and spruce it up with some veggies instead of calorie-dense bacon or cheese? If you reach for a caffeinated beverage to go with your meal, make it an unsweetened tea instead of a Coke.


Lunch


Make your sandwich open-faced. A slice of whole wheat bread is anywhere between 70 and 90 calories, depending on the density of the bread Ditch the mayo. Two and half teaspoons of mayonnaise contain 90 calories, and the same amount mustard practically nil. Make sure not to order honey mustard, because the sweetness adds calories. Skip the slices of cheddar cheese, about 226 calories for two one-ounce slices, and choose thinly spread avocado instead. Ask for salad dressing on the side and dip when you need a dab.


Dinner


Top your baked potato, be it a sweet spud or an Idaho, with two tablespoons of nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Skip the pepperoni and order your pizza with red bell pepper, and douse it with red pepper flakes. Try dressing your salad with just lemon juice and skip the olive oil, which clocks in at 119 calories a tablespoon. Trim the fat! If you're cooking meat, trim off whatever fat you can. Skipping the skin when it comes to chicken saves you 50 calories, but also keeps 4.5 grams of fat out of your meal.

 
Courtesy of Yahoo.

Lofat Offer

The 1 KG = KD5 offer is back

 for limited time only

Lofat website: http://www.thelofat.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LofatKuwait
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#%21/lofatgroup
Tel: 22250650

Rest In Peace

Only recently I've become an Apple fan,

 and I'm really sad for the passing of

founder and mastermind Steve Jobs. Rest In Peace.

1955-2011

Detox Day 8, 9 & 10

Day 8

It was an agonizing day because I chose to have liquids on that day. I felt faint and very hungry and I was on the verge of making a grilled cheese sandwich.

I held on, later in the afternoon I had my 1 liter of white tea with a handful of almonds. I was ok.

Breakfast: 1 banana, few chopped papayas half cup of almond milk and a handful of ice cubes, smoothie.

Lunch: Roasted pumpkin soup.

Dinner: A bowl of pineapples and papayas with a couple of spoons of yogurt.

 Smoothie

 Pumpkin soup with a dallop of yogurt.

Dinner

Day 9:

I had an early breakfast. I had an early breakfast and went out to shop for a new washing machine, our old one gave her last spin the day before, and having two rowdy boys you just can imagine the laundry which as to be done on daily basis.

When I got back home I wanted lunch and on that day I didn't plan what to eat. So I thought of tossing some onions, garlic tomatoes spinach and tuna, with a squeeze of lemon. It was good, although I forgot to add the tomatoes. Or maybe I was too hungry to really care that much. Usually I use this mix for a tuna bake, where I add cream and cheese *sigh*.

Breakfast: Mixed peppers with 1 organic egg and mild spice. A cup of almond milk.

Lunch: Tuna with spinach.

Dinner: A fruity salad, with the same yogurt balsamic dressing I used for the potato salad minus 1 spoon of olive oil.

 

 Tuna & Spinach

 Dinner

Day 10:



When I'm dieting I like to prepare my own meals. I don't trust the housekeeper doing it to my exact instructions, besides she has a love affair with oil! When I tell her 1 tsp of oil, she looks at me as if I said a blasphemy!
So it is better I prepare my own meals. That day was a busy day, plus lunch was at the family home and I didn't have time to prepare anything like I did last week. For lunch and it isn't pictured, I had what equals to 1/2 cup of rice and 2 cups of salad with balsamic dressing.


Breakfast: 1 organic egg with tomato. A cup of almond milk.


Lunch: 1/2 cup of plain rice, 2 cups of salad.


Dinner: bowl of fruits and yogurt.

 Egg with Tomato

Fruit bowl dinner