An update ...

I've been so bad lately keeping this blog up to date!! I went home for Easter break and I was asked: "What happened to you? You don't write as often as you used to!!...."

I guess I just got caught up with life and ignored all of you out there .... Life has been hectic around here .... meeting new people, doing all kinds of crazy things and when I say crazy I really mean crazy (bbq in the desert in the midst of a sandstorm, getting lost sooo many times in this city driving, having fun wt friends new and old, meeting new people, especially locals and learning more about them and their life-style...) I have to say life is not the same when you immerse yourself completely into this culture and making friends with the locals.

There is this one friendship in particular than I am developing with a Qatari woman who's about my age (a few years older).... the interesting thing is that she does not speak English and I do not speak Arabic! Well, she speaks a few words of English and I speak a few of Arabic, but we seem to connect and have so many laughs together!! She gives me karak (a yummy type of tea only found here in Qatar and India) and ahwa (coffee) and sends me messages on my BB in Arabic! (Thank God for the translator application that I just downloaded with Katrina's help!).

Ohh, yeah I forgot to mention (not to brag but more to make a point...) - I now have a Blackberry and I wouldn't say this here but somebody made a remark last week while we were chatting about various subjects - this Qatari lady was doing my hair and make-up for a wedding and she was surprised with how quickly I've learned so many things about this culture! So she says: "Ohh, you are all Qatari now! You even have a Blackberry and BB!!!" I started smiling, because my Blackberry was a present from a friend who said to me when seeing my Nokia: "You DON'T have a Blackberry??????" with the biggest astonishment ever! So, yes everybody here is into Blackberry!! (I guess Blackberry should pay me for this free advertisement)

I've attended a few weddings here ... and I am learning how to dance the Qatari way (I am still rubbish at it though, but the important thing is that I am trying!) Unfortunately nobody is allowed to take pictures at the weddings here, as there's just women and they uncover at the wedding, to reveal the most amazing dresses, make-up and hair that I have even seen in my life! The weddings here are a display of wealth, style..... Imagine yourself wearing your best dress ever, the best make-up ever and the best hair ever - that would still not measure up to what the Qatari ladies wear here! I think I should write a separate post on weddings! (Btw, I am attending one tonight!).

Now I have my own abaya!!! :D Actually I have 2! (An abaya is the long, black dress the ladies wear here for those of you who have no idea of what it is).... It is very practical to have one, as I often put it over my pyjamas just to go to the supermarket or drive somewhere to grab a coffee! A funny thing happened this weekend - I had a long sleep bcz of a party the night before and I woke up late next day feeling hungry; I was craving a salad so I just put my abaya over my pj's and went to the nearest supermarket! When I got to pay the Filipino cashier greeted me with a "salam alekum!" I replied in English and her facial expression was priceless! I have to admit that I don't think I'd pass for a local... my skin is way too white.... I smiled at her thinking to myself I should do this more often, just for fun when I need to brighten up my day or when I need smth different!

I've been thinking a lot these days of the book I am planning to write and I just need to sit down and find time to gather my thoughts.... soon!!!

xxx

How to make yourself feel better....

This is not my list, I edited it a bit... but I love all the suggestions here and I will try some of them!

Eat the best chocolate you can get your hands on. In bed. Or in the bath.

Turn up music you really love. Play it so loudly that it soaks in through your skin. Dance in your pyjamas. Feel the pain lift.

Have a romance in your head.

Buy a remote control for your camera & dip your toes into the pool of narcissism.

Call a friend & ask them if they want to have a slumber party.

Throw yourself head-first into a creative project. Something that you’re excited about but which feels a little too big for you. You’ll be so consumed by it that it will fuel you for ages.

Sing. Loudly. Badly. Off-key. Whatever you like. It works.

Cover your entire body in cocoa butter & fall asleep.

Write a list of things that you appreciate right now, in the present moment. Focus on each of them & let the love inside you well up. Even when things appear to be going really, really badly, there are always things to be happy about. (That’s one of the reasons why we do Things I Love Thursday — to help bring your attention back to the positive.)

Indulge in your “guilty pleasures”, whatever they are. (Old episodes of America’s Next Top Model, ginger ale, chocolate cake, romantic comedies, etc.)

Send a text message to one of the most interesting people you know — maybe someone you don’t know that well, just to say hello.

Order delivery food, just to bask in the glory of the fact that if you pay people, they will come to your door. With food. Warm, good food. What an age we live in, huh?

Look through old photos. With a friend if possible. If it’s an old friend, you can reminisce (“Oh my god, do you remember when we did that?!”), & if it’s a new friend, you can tell grand stories (“Well, let me tell you about this guy…”).

Listen to old Motown hits. Come up with dance moves. Wear something sparkly & work it out. (DJ Z-Trip’s Motown Breakdown is an excellent time, too.)

Write a gruellingly personal entry for your blog dissecting every aspect of the situation which has upset you so much. Post it, don’t post it, whatever, just get it out of your system.

Plan a holiday.

Write a ridiculous online dating profile & marvel at the people who come out of the woodwork.

Spend an hour in your variety store of choice, set yourself a budget ($20?) & buy some junk. Lip treatments, candy, maybe an exfoliating scrub… Then go home & play with your new purchases. There’s a reason it’s called retail therapy, you know (though of course, it doesn’t last).

Think up nicknames for all your friends, then send them each postcards to alert them.

Grab a friend, dress up like tourists & go & do all the really schlocky things on offer in your city. Take LOTS of photos, & be sure to flash the peace sign in 70% of them.

Go to a yoga class. Surrender & breathe deep.

Write multiple lists of everything you want. Material possessions, relationships, work, lifestyle, everything. Pin them up by your door so you see them all the time.

Go through Urban Dictionary & find some fun/ridiculous new words to add to your vocabulary.

Make yourself the biggest ice-cream sundae you’ve ever seen. Decorate it with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, nonpareils, whatever you like. Take a photo. Give it a name (“Jane’s Orgasmatron Cardiac Arrest Sundae”). Devour. Maybe without using your hands. Take a photo of that too.

Get your eyebrows shaped.

Spend an hour in a department store sniffing perfume samples. When you find something you like, spray it on a card & drop it in your purse.

Watch videos of flamboyant, successful people like Elton John or Michael Jackson & marvel.

Plan a party with a theme that makes you feel really, really happy.

Write a letter to yourself in the future. Then hide it. Maybe in the pocket of a coat you never, ever wear.

Leave the house wearing just fabulous lingerie underneath a coat. With heels.

Hula hoop.

Buy some really good art for your walls. Posters, prints, original artwork or other. If you’re feeling impoverished, go to the library, check out some art books, then take huge, great quality photocopies at a copy shop.

Listen to Never Better by P.O.S. from start to finish & revel in what a great album it really is.

Load up your ipod & go for a walk through your favourite park.

Visit a cool toy store & make your friend a surprise package.

Reach out to the people who inspire you but who don’t know you exist.

Write the birthdays of your personal heroes in your planner & work out a way to honour them on that day.

Pie.

Bake heart- or bunny-shaped cookies. Give them away.

Be graceful.

Be graceless.

Make a video diary.

Answer questions with questions.

Try on a pair of really, really expensive shoes & act like you’ll be back tomorrow, but you’re just going to go home & think about it. (Bonus points: take a photo of you in them. Often you will need to be stealthy about this but it’s worth doing.)

Flirt with entirely inappropriate people.

Sing into your friend’s answering machine. (If you’re in the USA & use Slydial, it will take you straight to their voicemail.)

Pour pancakes in the shape of your initials. Eat them while watching aerobics on television.

Make friends with your neighbours.

Tell someone cute, “You’re cute”.

Find a secret place with a great view. Like a tree, or a rooftop, or a hill.

Go & see a musical (or just rent one).

Be optimistic.

Buy ridiculous slippers.

Make a list of the things you want to do to celebrate the upcoming season.

Watch movies you used to love as a child.

Book a karaoke room with friends & sing your heart out.

Make a list of practical, actionable ways you can improve your situation.

Start keeping a dream journal & write down their supposed meanings, too.

Write a play.

Change your ring-tone to the sound of one of your friends laughing hysterically.

Take a nap with your head at the other end of the bed.

Walk around a garden centre & buy a colourful plant. Give it a name.

Hug your friends.

Believe that everything is always getting better.

Peace, joy & love,