owlolive

Everything that matters to me (and maybe you as well)

Archive for the category “Kuwait”

24 Apr 2013
6 Comments

Running In Heels: Noaf Hussein (The Kuwaiti Coddington)

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I present to you Running In Heels: a new feature series on the many women in Kuwait who are worthy of our appreciation. Women you may know, women you should know, and women you’ll definitely be hearing more about in the future. All beautiful, vibrant, game-changing women who have caught my attention and that I think definitely deserve yours as well.

Many months ago, I first made mention of Noaf Hussein and her unabashedly quirky yet decadent talents in a post about a show she put on in Al-Sadu House. I compared her to a “Khaleeji cross between Alice in Wonderland, Amelie Poulain, and Marie Antoinette.” (And, yes, I am plagiarizing myself. I don’t mind.) Even before I had ever been given the opportunity to attend one of her extravaganzas, the fact that Noaf Hussein was presenting something entirely new was always astonishingly clear to me.

Now, a lot of you may be quick to jump out and say: What ‘something?‘ Its event planning and art directing and branding. Literally every other person in Kuwait is doing the exact same thing all over Kuwait all day long. Big-freaking-whoop.

And to that I say: true. But few of these people have ever been bold enough to infuse their own identity into their work and, by doing so, re-package marketing and branding as an entirely personal and unique endeavor in a way that has yet to be seen before. And, that right there is where you immediately think: of course, she means Pretty Little Things.

Because in a super short amount of time (little over a year) and through PLT, Noaf Hussein was figuratively able to do just that. Re-configure all that you thought a marketing campaign, an event set-up, or a fashion shoot could do for you as more than just a mere on-looker but also as an active participant in a strange, new experience. An experience where at every turn waits a dainty detail; whimsical expression; and, of course, a dangling fairy-light.

Pretty Little Things is, in itself, a world. A world that Noaf has decided to single-handedly and entirely fashion into a temporary oasis of quirky, whimsical, unusual, and, yes, very pretty things. And that is by no means an easy feat.

It is not at all a far-fetched claim to say that Noaf Hussein has all the makings to be Kuwait’s–indeed, the Arab world’s–version of legendary Vogue fashion editor Grace Coddington (if you haven’t watched ‘The September Issue’ yet THEN WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOUR LIFE?). Just like Grace, Noaf is the kind of woman who, through her eye for unusual beauty and supreme self-assurance, is able to transform a rather routine and insignificant space or idea into something wondrous and one-of-a-kind. She’s the woman who sees beauty in the most unlikely way and then has the confidence to re-capture it for the whole world to see and enjoy. She’s setting a precedent for art, for marketing, and for independent women who are more than comfortable exhibiting their own identity and welcoming others into that special world.

Please enjoy this interview and this insight into the wildly wonderful, organic, and sharp-witted Noaf Hussein who, for all you and I know, could very well be the Kuwaiti Coddington.

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Why ‘Pretty Little Things?’

I’m literally obsessed with pretty things. Literally. Anything that has nice packaging; anything that looks visually attractive; even things that I don’t need but I find beautiful, I will buy because I just like the way they look. From the grocery store to vintage stores to random emporiums. I love beautiful, whimsical things with a passion.

Your design aesthetic has always come off as a little whimsy and eclectically chic. Any particular inspiration?

I’ve thought about this recently and I’ve traced it back to when I was a kid. I always used to go to books for my escape. Even now, as an adult, I always want to be transported to a different world and I still feel that need for escapism to another place. A place where its prettier, it smells better, things taste better, the air is different. And that’s the vibe I try to pull off. But it’s never one thing, its continually changing. I’m always looking to other inspirations and chances for that wonderful escape. But, yes, it started with books when I was quite young.

Where did the idea to start such a different and, in many ways, untapped approach to event planning and marketing aesthetic come from?

Honestly, it was a little accidental. The first show I did was in December of 2011 and it was only five brands in a house I rented and it started as a way for one of my clients to market her brand without being a part of a generic show. So I created Pretty Little Things just as a way to impress a client and I never thought that I’d do it again. Because before that time I’d never really worked in events let alone done one for myself, so Pretty Little Things came about in a hurry and in just over 3 weeks time. I honestly never thought I would continue with it at all but when I saw people’s reactions to it—people who weren’t my mom and weren’t my friends—and saw the people that would show up, I was surprised and started to see it outside of myself. So when more people started telling me that it was really great and that they were having a lot of fun, I would be like ‘Oh, really? I just had this checklist and I finished it. You think it’s cool? Ok. Thank you. Did my mom send you to say that?’ Then I thought, ‘Maybe this is something really worth pursuing.’ So I did.

Your success has really been astoundingly fast and you’ve grown so quickly over such a short period of time. You’ve got a massive following and an impressive roster of clients, and rightly so. Care to share the magical formula?

You know, every single thing that I’ve done in my career so far has grown organically. Even with Pretty Little Things—it just happened on its own really. And I’ve realized that once you try to turn it into a formula the magic is gone. It is so magical because it’s so spontaneous. It’s like: you walk onto a random street, you hear music, and you just start dancing. It’s like that.

Where do you get the confidence to singularly present a brand and an idea that is, for its setting, quite different and on such a huge scale?

My home is a household of scientists. Both my parents have PhDs in the sciences, my brother is a chemical engineer, and so, even when I went into something completely different—PR—I was always raised with a sense of surrounding achievement. Everyone in my family, including me, was raised as an achiever. And, because I didn’t end up being a science major, perhaps it turned me personally into an over-achiever because I wanted to prove myself even with a PR degree. What I think a lot of households in Kuwait lack is support for what you want to do and my family was very good in that regard. I was never made to feel like I was less important because I wasn’t a scientist. My decision to leave my corporate job was never deeply doubted by my parents. They trusted me and raised me to be fearless.

You know, people are always surprised when they know how much work goes into the shows and they always make the mistake of saying ‘Thank you, PLT team’ when, really, there is no team. It’s just me. But when you think about it, it seems like too much work for one person. And it probably is but I never thought about it. I was always raised with the idea that if you really want to do something you just do it. No fear; just jump.

So I guess that’s my motto. I don’t think, I just do. No fear.

What do you think are the key issues facing branding innovation in Kuwait?

You know, I’ve experienced a lot of it even with agency work. Because then you end up having corporate clients. And one of the main issues with many corporate clients is that they’re very careful and its harder to push boundaries with them because they already have guidelines set. They want things a certain way. I don’t want to talk down to anyone but, really, a lot of people in charge don’t really understand good or innovative design. They just want to do what’s safe and do their job. It’s a mostly traditional approach that we have but Kuwait has been making marketing strides in the last couple of years, but it’s still not easy. We’re still a young country and we’re still trying to get comfortable with all the other aspects of our identity.

Also, marketing is just one of those things that includes a lot of opinions—which is one of the reasons corporate didn’t work for me. It has a deep structure. And structure, by its very form, kills creativity. There has to be at least 5 people’s opinions consulted, the idea gets changed and stripped down because they always want to be safe and want to be a part of the safe structure, and in the end you wind up with a fraction of the original idea. They don’t want to do something until someone else has tried. That’s partly because it’s more difficult for a corporation to take the blame for something going wrong as opposed to an individual. It hits them harder.

But that’s the main issue: a lack of faith in the unusual and the never-been-done.

What are some of the greater challenges of having to navigate around such a huge career title all on your own?

The nature of my work makes it so that every single project poses its own set of challenges, since I do more than one thing. I host events, I art direct for magazines, I do a million things and I’m passionate about them all but ‘Pretty Little Things’ is my own baby. It gives me a different kind of stomach ache. Every project is a challenge because you deal with different people and then you add the dimension of venues so its never really a consistent outcome. It’s a moving show and every show that happens is perfect enough given the circumstances I’ve had but it’s never completely ideal. Every single time I finish a project I sit down and I say ‘had I known what I know now through this experience I would’ve done so-and-so in a different way.’

But I’m lucky that, at this point in my career, I’ve done enough stuff for my clients to really trust me. And I never want to tell someone that I know better than them—because I don’t, I just know what I like. So whenever someone comes to me with an idea I accept it and then I also say, ‘but what do you think of this?’ That’s because when most people go to someone else to market their business, they’re usually open to ideas. So it becomes a conversation and it’s taught me people skills. In the end you might end up with a better idea because you incorporated both your elements and someone else’s. It’s a dance.

If you had to come up with a new Kuwaiti brand what would it be?

We’re innovators. Even on the smallest levels, we’re a nation of enterprisers. We have the freedom and the ability to do a lot. If Kuwait is known for anything, that would be it. Our innovation has created a footprint in the region. We have our issues, but we’re the cool kids. People are really open to innovation here. So if I was going to brand Kuwait somehow I think I would try to make it revolve around that subculture. I would show how alive it is. Kuwait has soul—real, innovative soul—and that’s our brand.

Do you think there are areas where women in Kuwait need to be better represented?

Kuwait is one of those places where any area is yours for the taking. I don’t know if this is very naïve of me to say, but I’ve never experienced it. I’ve never felt held back because I was a woman. My aunt was the under-secretary of the Minister of Education and my mother has always been a very strong figure in my life and she has a PhD and two masters. She had three kids when she got her PhD. She wrote 7 books. She represented Kuwait in all these conferences. No other woman in the region has a PhD in her specialty, actually. So I’ve never felt like I couldn’t do something because I am a woman. I know people go through it all the time and it’s horrible. I’m sure it happens every day and it’s something we all need to discuss. But I just haven’t seen it happen to me and maybe that’s because I work alone for the most part.

What you do in one word.

I can do it in two: capture beauty.

Are you prepared for a day when Pretty Little Things might be over?

Yes, of course! I’m excited about it actually. Because maybe by then I’ll have already done all that I could with Pretty Little Things and it’ll be outdated. Maybe at that point something new will come along and I will have to join a new, exciting world of marketing innovation. Maybe I’ll be the one to create this new innovation! Who knows? What I’ve learned from all my experiences is that nothing is meant to last forever and that’s what’s so beautiful about it. You take what you can from each experience, you give it the time it needs, and then you move on. Change is organic and change is the only constant. You know there’s this quote I can’t exactly recall and it goes something like, “the tree that doesn’t bend with the wind breaks with the storm.” That’s kind of how I see my relationship with every new venture and that’s how I like it.

What are you most passionate about?

My work. Continually striving. Perfect isn’t perfect enough for me. I’m obsessed with finding my next perfect.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?

I really like when people compliment my work or my work ethic. Even when I’m working all these long hours and I’m exhausted and I hate that I’ve put myself in a position to be so overworked all the time, when somebody praises my work its honestly the highest compliment. I don’t remember any one specific compliment though. Maybe I haven’t heard ‘The One Compliment’ yet, so I don’t know.

Your greatest quality?

Resilience.

Worst quality?

Impatience.

Real life heroes?

My mother! She’s retired now, but all she’s accomplished for the context of Kuwait back then is astonishing and inspiring. She thrived in a male-dominated field in a language that she never learned in school. Every single bit of my work ethic I’ve learned from my mother. She’s really made me the person I am today. She created such a culture of learning and instilled it in us as children. It’s because of her that I apply real work and education in everything I do. She set the path for my success and without her I would’ve never even known this path existed. She produced a winner. Pretty Little Things didn’t just happen; she’s the reason behind its success. She’s a warrior but a very gentle one. She gave me everything.

Your most complete idea of happiness?

In a park, sitting on a mat with a picnic basket filled with good food, with my feet up.

A talent you wish you had?

Sketching or illustrating. I want to be able to move people with illustration but I can’t draw to save my life.

How would you like to be remembered?

As a comfort. As someone who makes people feel welcome and at ease and at home.

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I’d like to thank Noaf Hussein for giving me the time to merely peek into her ever-pretty, whimsical world. There are so many other facets of this girl that I didn’t get the chance to include in this interview (not the least of which is her avid love of food, and a particularly life-changing passage in Carol Birch’s ‘Jamrach’s Menagerie’), but there’s only so much fabulousness that a humble blog post can take, after all. And Noaf Hussein’s fabulousness is damn-near limitless.

All my love!

Posted in Kuwait, Running In Heels
15 Apr 2013
6 Comments

Basma Sultan Is Funny! (And So Are You!)

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Y’know there’s this overarching myth that’s been following women around since the beginning of jokes, comedy, and possibly even since the first chortling grunt laugh of our Neanderthal ancestors. Y’know, the one that proclaims female, estrogen-makin’, bird brains are just not that funny. Why, you ask? Well, because psychological half-science a’course! I mean, look, according to all kinds of ‘studies’ men are just the funnier gender, okay? Women are just biologically incapable of making you laugh anywhere near as strongly as a dude with an ‘edgy’ joke! It’s fact.

COOL STORY, BROS. TELL IT AGAIN.

Look, I take no issue with these kinds of studies per se. They’re just a collection of data that proves that no one laughs at women’s jokes and no one thinks women are funny. What irks me is the overbearingly sexist insinuation these studies make. Which is that women might just be biologically less funny than men.

Of course, they never go so far as saying that explicitly because they would then be burdened by the need for biological evidence WHICH WOULD PROVE THEY ARE DOWNRIGHT BONKERS. Instead they make light references to pop psychology here and there and say that these findings may have “something” to do with the way women are socialized.

To which I say: No, no. It has EVERYTHING to do with the way all women are socialized everywhere.

I mean, consider it from a local angle and look at how most Arab women are conditioned both within Kuwait and elsewhere. Girls are born into a social environment which is, for the most part, explicitly telling them that if they ever hope to be considered as desirable they have to remain modest (translate: quiet) and pliable no matter what, and that they should never ever bruise a man’s ego by seriously outsmarting or outshining him. If you’re the kind of girl that sits still and smiles at everything everyone says you’re ‘tharba’ (put-together). If you’re the kind of girl who always makes sharp, witty, off-hand remarks and cracks jokes in a confidently unapologetic tone then, more often than not, you’re about the last thing from being “tharba.”

Oh, but psychology says? Well, I guess we’re done here. I mean, it certainly couldn’t be all those ingrained social customs of what constitutes a desirable, potential wife and what constitutes a yucky, she-man telling people how to judge a woman as soon as she so much as attempts to make a knock-knock joke. No? Psychology? ‘Kay.

Fine. You know what? They’re right. Most women are not funny. But that’s because most PEOPLE are not funny. Being a funny person with strong comedic timing is a learned artistic skill. In order to be funny you need to teach yourself to be outspoken, unapologetically honest, very self-confident, and absolutely REFUSE to humor people. And, well, these traits are not exactly the traits we foster in our little girls (and even our adult, women-folk).

Instead, we go with mistrust of other women, a crazy obsession with needlessly expensive junk, and the idea that, when it really comes down to it, being pretty is a lot more important than being smart. The reason no one laughs at women’s jokes is because, to most people, they don’t read as jokes. They read as uncomfortable confessions or socially awkward comments. Because our society teaches girls that they need to always work on attaining perfection 24/7.

A man’s ideas are just as important as his body. A man is encouraged to be bold and speak his mind candidly. A woman is told that, while her ideas may matter on some level, they are not nearly as important as the need to perfect her physical body at all times. A woman is told that she needs to re-re-re-RE-think every step and utterance she makes lest she be considered as anything less than “tharba.”

And all these crazy, unnatural, socially constructed outlines are the very reason why I was nothing short of delighted when I first saw Basma Sultan’s “Dine With Basma” segment on Bel Mokhba’s YouTube channel.

For one thing, Basma Sultan is a very funny woman. She has the kind of raw, candid humor that you really only share among the closest of friends. She doesn’t think twice about embracing the awkward things that everyone is already thinking about and turning them into a joke we can all laugh at (the free food, the passing bus, the self-promotion). Her charm is in her off-beat, bubbly personality that is outspoken and entirely genuine. She laughs at what frustrates her just as much as she laughs at what amuses her. You laugh with Basma Sultan because Basma Sultan knows how to tell the best kind of joke. The kind that naturally and easily rolls of the tongue like that’s how she really talks all the time. And I bet she does. I bet Basma Sultan is just as genuine and carefree and hilariously outspoken in reality as she is in that video.

I don’t know of many women in Arab media who are willing to speak so candidly, embrace their personality so openly, and so confidently and easily navigate from one joke to the next on a public platform as well as she does. In that way, Basma Sultan is a freaking relic. She is extremely rare. And its so awesome to see her in action like that.

But, hey, I know plenty of other funny Arab women. Hell, I’m a funny Arab woman. And I know that if all these comedically gifted ladies take Basma’s route and decide that they actually don’t give a flying dingbat what anyone thinks and just start to confidently embrace their personalities (which happen to be funny as hell) the rest of the world will totally know it too. Even more importantly, they’ll grow to love it.

All my love!

Posted in Feminism, Kuwait, Musings, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , ,
25 Mar 2013
2 Comments

I Want To Make You Move.

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This is a post that has probably been in the making since the earliest stages of this blog’s creation. Its been a question that I’ve asked myself from the very start and that I don’t think I’ve been able to pin down an exact answer to up until ten minutes ago. Because now I think I’ve got an answer.

See, the question was this: What kind of blog is ‘OwlOlive’? I mean, there are fashion blogs, technology blogs, food blogs, news blogs, personal blogs, commercial blogs, “lifestyle” blogs (someone please define this term for me. It seems way too vague for me to wrap my head around.), and a trillion other kinds of blogs in the world. Everyone is trying to find a specific niche to define themselves within. And that’s fair. In fact, that’s totally smart.

When you define what is, more or less, your prime objective behind your own blog, you are informing your readers of what they should most expect from you. And bloggers owe that to their readers. For every reader that gives this humble blog the time of day and invests their own energy in me and my words, I owe that explanation. When I read a blog I expect to feel at least mildly rewarded for spending my time there or otherwise that blogs loses me as a reader. In that same way, you deserve to know what OwlOlive.com’s pay-off is for you.

And I’m sorry I haven’t given you guys that explanation yet. I think that saying this is a blog about “everything that matters to me” is, at best, a vague, slightly misleading premise and, at worst, a self-involved and arrogant ascription. I don’t like either of those ideas. And, to be entirely frank, its not really what I’m trying to do anyway.

I mean, sure, the issues and the topics that I talk about do matter to me VERY VERY MUCH and, in most cases, are derived out of personal experiences and personal ideas. In fact, I’ve made a few posts on this blog that revolve entirely around a certain experience I have actually had in my own life (although those aren’t the norm). I’m not being at all disingenuous when I say I post about “everything that matters to me” because that is entirely true.

But I’ll be the first to admit that “everything that matters to me” is probably the same “everything” that matters to almost all people on this earth. We all care about issues of family, traditions, social life, gender dynamics, political rights, culture, innovation, and the “everything” that indeed does matter to me (and maybe most probably you as well). I’m not talking about anything special or even obscure here. OwlOlive.com talks about the same, obvious, everyday schmaltz that we all talk about all the freaking time.

That’s actually the reason I’m so consistently surprised by the fact that so many people are interacting with this blog and are reading and commenting and investing valuable time in it. But now, after all this time, I think I’ve finally figured out what it is I’ve always been trying to do with this blog and what I think may have caught your attention (for which I am forever grateful and humbled):

The main objective behind this blog is, really, to make people’s minds move.

Beyond sharing experiences, lending support, highlighting important people, and talking about important issues, I want our minds to consider the same things in a new way, which is not something that our minds have ever naturally chosen to do. Our minds are set up to mostly just sit around and listen to stuff. That’s really the basic function of our mind. But I’ve always thought it was really important to somehow get past this initial stage and make our minds move in a way they may have never moved before. Make them move around the same issues and ideas and the same overall mental landscapes they’ve always lived in, but this time maybe through a different route.

Now, I could’ve either done this in one of two ways: I could’ve presented something entirely bizarre, mysterious, and completely new to you; OR I could’ve just pushed the same, age-old material around in a different (or different-ish) way by simply reconfiguring the representation of this material in word to word sentences. In most cases, I find myself going for the second option.

That’s the pay-off I’m offering you. In exchange for the time you guys graciously give me when you read my posts, write me emails, and make lengthy comments which I so deeply appreciate, my hope is to inspire you guys to do what I think is the most exciting thing a human can possibly do with their head: Move. I want you to embrace the fluidity of your own mind even when it comes to things you may already know or recognize. Essentially and beyond anything else, that is my biggest hope and aspiration for OwlOlive.com.

So if I have to decide on a single niche on which to sell the basic idea behind this blog (like those of you who sell your blogs as tech, or food, or fashion, or lifestyle blogs), it would be something along the lines of a “moving” blog (UGH. How hippy-dippy presumptuous does this sound? Will re-edit once I find a better word). A blog that, despite the slogan, aims to move you so much more than it does me (or whatever matters to me anyway).

All my love!

Posted in Blogosphere, Kuwait, Musings and tagged , ,
08 Mar 2013
20 Comments

Running in Heels: Lana Al-Resheed (The Game Changer)

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I present to you Running In Heels: a new feature series on the many women in Kuwait who are worthy of our appreciation. Women you may know, women you should know, and women you’ll definitely be hearing more about in the future. All beautiful, vibrant, game-changing women who have caught my attention and that I think definitely deserve yours as well.

Lana Al-Resheed is the kind of woman you wanted to be when you grew up. She’s a powerhouse in her chosen field, an innovator, a talent supporter and, ultimately, a game-changer.

When I first heard about Lana Al-Resheed it was in the summer of 2011, in an interview she gave to CityPages magazine (for which I used to write sporadically at the time), and I was immediately intrigued and excited to read about her success.

That’s because, whether she realizes it or not (I’m inclined to believe that she does), Lana Al-Rasheed has made an incredible jump for women in Kuwait. Lana was not only the first Kuwaiti to occupy the position of Assistant Director of Sales in Marketing in the hotel sector, but she was also the first Kuwaiti woman to do so. She then went on to be a Director of Marketing and PR and she co-founded The City, a nation-wide magazine that focuses on a number of issues and interests around Kuwait and boasts of an impressive writing staff.

If you don’t realize why all these accomplishments are note-worthy and are making an active change in the role of women in Kuwait, then let me lay it down for you. In an economy in which only 4.58% of positions of enterprise leadership in Kuwait are headed by women, seeing Lana Al-Resheed excel as well as she has is nothing short of astounding. She has not only succeeded among men, but (and I’m sorry fellas) she’s outshining men at their own game. But Lana Al-Resheed isn’t doing this through any aggressive, destructive power play, instead she’s made her name and reached her position through a much more smart and fluid method. She’s excelling in a male-established, ever changing market by charismatically and sharply navigating her way through that well established system. She respects the system for what it is and then she adds to it her own contribution and her own name brand of achievements.

Women who prove they can win in this way are the most advancing and important women that our society has to offer. Because they’re the women who can change all of society’s perceptions about what a woman is really capable of. They’re the kinds of women who show that we don’t need to separate ourselves from a market that is too ‘aggressive,’ ‘competitive, or ‘fast-paced’ for a woman to take part in. Not only can we merely take part but we can also dominate and flourish in that very same kind of work dynamic.

That is who Lana Al-Resheed is. A game changer of the most subtle and clever kind. The kind that makes the ground shift beneath your feet but you don’t realize it because you’re too busy marveling at just how well she does it. Oh, but you better realize it.

Lana Al-Resheed gave me the pleasure of interviewing her to probe her mind on some key issues within the field and on some of her main, astounding, and various accomplishments. I also tried to reach an insight on who Lana Al-Resheed is on a more personal level with a few non-business questions as well. I hope you guys will enjoy reading into the intriguing experiences and opinions of this important woman in our society and that you will appreciate all that she’s contributed to women as capable, inspiring, and powerful members of Kuwait.

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1. How did you first begin your career in marketing and why did you decide to follow this professional path permanently?

I love it. It is full of challenges. In the field of marketing, creativity is a must and you have to know the rules of the game. The rules change often, so you have to be up to date with the rules of the game. That’s how I like to look at it.

2. Not only were you the first Kuwaiti Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing in the hotel sector, but also the first Kuwaiti woman to occupy such a demanding job in this sector. How does this experience—both being the first Assistant Director and the first Kuwaiti woman in this job—give you an advantage? What were the challenges that you’ve faced and learned from in this unique sector of marketing, and as a woman as well?

It was coincidental! The market is very tough, but that tough market and experience is what gave me the biggest advantage in my career. I was learning as I went by. I feel that after the years I spent in marketing I can fairly say that I know quite a lot about the local market. I have met thousands of people — is it too much to say thousands? Honestly it feels like thousands of faces. I have made great memories, and it’s something that makes you smile when you realize you’ve helped in setting up many happy occasions and celebrations in your career. Weddings, anniversaries, dinner parties, award ceremonies, so much happiness and joy.

Overall there were many ups and some downs. Perhaps the downs were also many. I don’t like to look at the downs a lot. I just focus on getting over them and then forgetting they ever existed. It’s very tiring when you focus on your failures, so I learn the lessons and move on.

3. Because of your joint work in both the hotel sector and in marketing, I was wondering what your thoughts were on Kuwaiti tourism: do you have any ideas as to how Kuwait can revitalize its global image and ignite some tourist interest in the future? Do you have any opinions on Kuwait’s current tourism status?

I think we can really achieve a lot if we put our heads into it. I don’t want to sound too cliche but I really must, so here goes: we have what it takes here in Kuwait, we’re just not focused. We have a lot of land that’s not occupied and we have a lovely coast. The weather is not that big of a deal if you think of indoor activities. I don’t want to say ‘look at Dubai!’, instead I’ll just say let’s look at successful examples here in Kuwait. The Avenues Mall is one great example.

But if I was to rate the current status of tourism in Kuwait I would say it is honestly a disaster. It still feels like we’re in the 1990’s. I’m talking about the government sector of course. The private sector isn’t doing that great either. Regarding plans, we all have lots and lots of plans. I think everyone in Kuwait has at least a dozen ideas about this subject.

4. Going from a top-level director in the hotel sector and marketing, starting The City magazine was quite a departure. What was your initial idea behind The City? Why did you decide a magazine was the best medium to get this idea across?

I guess the fast success of theCITY Magazine answers this question.

5. What new and interesting challenges or experiences does working on a magazine offer you? How does it help expand your already vast knowledge of the marketing field?

Working in a magazine is extremely hard and very challenging. We have to think of a lot of things on a daily basis. For every issue we need to come up with new highlights and people to feature in the magazine and interview. So far we’ve been lucky and the number of writers continues to grow steadily, so that’s really good and comforting for us.

6. What do you hope to accomplish through The City magazine in the long run?

To see the magazine on shelves in bookstores abroad. I want the whole world to see the Kuwaiti achievers that we feature in the magazine.

7. As a woman who has made such great and notable progress in so many sectors of your field, how do you think your achievements might have changed the way society views the abilities of a woman?

I never paid attention to what people said. From the first day, I promised myself that I will focus on my job and that I don’t really care what society thinks in its backward mentality. In all honesty a lot of people around me were supportive, because they know that work is work, and I truly believe that great work shines and shows the world who you really are.

8. Do you think there are areas where women in Kuwait need to be better represented?

Women are doing fine. I think we all need to get our work done perfectly, whether men or women. We in this part of the world tend to talk more than we achieve, and I think it’s about time that we change this.

9. What do you think is your greatest quality?

I know what I want.

10. Your greatest fault?

I worry too much.

11. What is your most complete idea of happiness?

Peace of mind.

12. Who are your real-life heroes?

My father, the love of my life. And also my partner in theCITY Magazine, Khaled Al-Qahtani.

13. Your favorite thing to do?

Traveling, painting.

14. A talent you wish you had?

I’ve always wanted to be a horse rider and win medals but never did.

15. How would you like to be remembered?

Helpful.

—

I’d really like to thank Lana Al-Resheed for contributing to this post and for providing such interesting and important insight on her unique experience and on herself. Be sure to stay tuned to Running in Heels as I’ve got some more downright awesome women in store within the few coming days inshallah. I know that today is International Women’s Day so I’d really like to wish all my fellow womankind nothing but unity, respect, peace, and endless success. We kick butt and we know it.

All my love!

Posted in Beautiful, Kuwait, Musings, Running In Heels and tagged , , , , , , ,
14 Feb 2013

Running In Heels: A Feature Series on Women In Kuwait

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So about a week ago I had an idea. I thought that I really wanted to do something on this blog to celebrate Kuwait in February–our happiest and most jubilant month of the year. And then I had an even better idea. I wanted to do something to celebrate Kuwait all year round. And, immediately, the idea was crystal clear to me: this had to be about women. The way that I knew I could best celebrate Kuwait in all her flickering glory was by celebrating her women. (C’mon! Even Kuwait is a woman! This idea is without fail.)

I decided that I absolutely needed to talk about and give mad props to all the hundreds of thousands–probably even millions (hello! Half the population!)–of women in Kuwait who are, by all means, kicking heads and taking names. At the very least, I could try my best to pretty much just thank as many of them for being made of 90% awesome (10% vital organs, cause they are humans, after all).

I could never call myself an all and out feminist if I didn’t take the time to bring that virtue back around to the only place I’ve ever called home: Kuwait. So many women in Kuwait (both Kuwaiti and otherwise) need to be celebrated for striving to break barriers (and actually breaking them!) which have previously stood in the way of other women, and are now making way for future ladies to continue this important work in our society.

Women in Kuwait need to be celebrated for, essentially, running in heels. Not only running, but also winning, and crossing that finish line every single time.

Now, I know that many important, wonderful women don’t prefer to wear heels at all (I, the lanky white girl, being one of them). To me, wearing a heel is about as comfortable as sticking my foot in a sharp, metal vice. I hardly ever, ever do it. The point is that many of these women are willing to wear this punishment footwear (according to me), and that they are actively running the whole freaking world anyway (Somewhere in East Hollywood Beyonce is extremely happy with us).

But, it really doesn’t matter if these righteous women are kicking butt in heels, flats, or scuba flippers. It doesn’t really matter what their favorite mode of footwear is. That’s why God gave us free will and Vogue magazine. Really, at the end of the day, feminism is much less about what you put on your feet than what you put in your head.

So, I present to you Running In Heels: a new feature series on the many women in Kuwait who are worthy of our appreciation. Women you may know, women you should know, and women you’ll definitely be hearing more about in the future. All beautiful, vibrant, game-changing women who have caught my attention and that I think definitely deserve yours as well.

All my love!

Posted in Beautiful, Kuwait, Running In Heels and tagged , , , , | Leave a Comment
11 Feb 2013
4 Comments

The Blogosphere Marketplace (Of A Different Kind)

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So, yesterday, as some of you may or may not have noticed I got into something of a heated debate with fellow blogger Jacqui of Couch Avenue concerning the post I made about the complete and unquestionable racism which some Kuwaitis display by thinking that they, somehow, are superior to others due to their racial, a9eel lineage.

Or, rather, we debated my right, as an explicitly non-Kuwaiti blogger, to point out this racism (which we both agree on).

I was honestly very deeply disturbed (and a little hurt) by the words that were used against me, basically telling me that I should censor my thoughts and my experiences and my complete right to share them for the sole reason of the fact that I am not Kuwaiti. I was told that ‘if I didn’t like Kuwait’ (something that I have never said or even hinted at) that I should leave. That I will, no matter what, never really belong in Kuwait and that I am, regardless of how much care and devotion I put into Kuwait or even the blogosphere, but a mere visitor. I’ve always been very careful to verify my words as much as I can with some kind of prior evidence, to show that I’m not speaking from a place of hate or ignorance but a place of concern and foresight. Unfortunately, for Jacqui, despite my best efforts to prove the contrary, I still “know nothing.” All the while Jacqui, with all due respect, does not know me well at all and has no idea what I “know” and don’t “know.” But I’m assuming that wasn’t really her point behind that argument: my guess is she said that as a way of polarizing me and other non-Kuwaitis. As a way of saying that no matter how valid your points may be, expat, you and your voice simply don’t matter as much when it comes to the real issues in Kuwait. (Jacqui is always more than welcome to correct me and my assumption.)

Of course, I don’t believe or agree with any of the things that were said to me because I know that I have never had a malicious intent in any of the blog posts that I’ve made about Kuwait or anything else. I know that plenty of Kuwaiti people support and recognize everyone’s right and responsibility–expat or citizen–to comment, discuss, criticize and help weed out the bad so that we can all focus on making Kuwait good (and I really thank those of you who have reached out to me to say so). This post isn’t really about my discussion with Jacqui–it really isn’t. I’m only using it as an example of something else and something I actually want to see more of (kinda).

Y’see as disturbed as I was by Jacqui’s comments, I also have to say that I was really quite refreshed by them as well. And I mean that genuinely and without a shred of my regular, italicized sarcasm (I swear!).

Because, the reality is that the Kuwaiti blogosphere would be so much better off if it nurtured a marketplace of ideas and opinions which are freely exposed and shared without any barriers or preconceived notions of what bloggers “can” and “should” talk about. Where we can speak our minds freely about any topic we choose and discuss how, in the end, we all may see it differently or from different perspectives. I want the blogosphere to be a place where we don’t have to stoop to passive aggressiveness where we mention things vaguely and ironically, or where we even start to discuss specific blogger’s antics with everyone except the specific blogger. These things have happened to me personally in the short time that I’ve been a blogger and I was basically just told “Oh, that’s just bloggers.”

But nope. Sorry. I don’t accept that. Because I respect the Kuwaiti blogosphere and I respect its members even the ones that, in many cases, I am diametrically opposed to. And making the blogosphere seem like a society of specific ‘clubs’ and fake niceties is not respect.

What Jacqui did was respect.

By publicly and directly coming to me and voicing her opinions about me, my blog, and everything else that entails, on a certain level, she respected me as a fellow blogger who shares her blogosphere as she does mine. Even when I am completely and utterly against almost everything she stated against me and at me (like the insults of calling me an inferior brained joke, for one), I still respect Jacqui.

I respect her because, unlike a few unfortunate others (who, by the way, I truly have nothing against and still happily greet when I see them and follow them on all the social networks), she came up to me and said “Owlolive, I think you’re wrong” and, in doing so, she gave me the opportunity to say “no, Jacqui, I think you’re wrong.” And in that way we can actually share different ideas and opinions, and engage in a dialog that will help the blogosphere generally and this blog specifically grow and become more diverse in its content and points of reference. We don’t need to cloister ourselves in ‘groups’ and breed this passive aggressive poison in which every passing “dear” is filled with Mean Girls type hostility. We don’t need to start ‘blogger wars’ and purposefully set out to say hurtful things to one another instead of calmly and directly speaking our minds. I have never started such a ‘blogger war’ with any of my fellow bloggers nor am I planning to ever do so.

I hope Jacqui and every other person who ever decides to comment on the blog (both here or elsewhere) knows that even when they tell me things like, “Owlolive, I think you’re wrong,” that I will always fight for their right to say that both on Owlolive.com and anywhere else (however, they have about zero right to insult me personally and baselessly). I will celebrate the right of people to disagree with me and criticize me directly and explicitly because that’s how my blog and the Kuwaiti blogosphere along with it grows. That’s how any society and culture and pretty much every human construct since the beginning of time has ever grown.

That’s how we breed a marketplace of different ideas and how we get to truth and understanding between one another as a blogging community and as a group of people who are, at the end of the day, just trying to do our best to make Kuwait better.

All my love!

Posted in Blogosphere, Kuwait, Musings and tagged , , , , ,
09 Feb 2013
19 Comments

And Now, A Crazy, Racist Dose of Bloodline “Purity”

a9eel2

Story time: So a few days ago I was having a casual lunch with a friend of mine and, as does sometimes happen, she invited one of her own friends to drop by and join us. I didn’t mind because, you know, I like people (and new people too? Variety!). My friend’s friend arrived, we talked, we ate hamburgers, we enjoyed each other’s casual company. Then, as nonchalant as ever, my friends friend nibbles on a few french fries, fiddles with her phone, and casually shares a funny little anecdote that goes something like this:

“Oh, my mom is so excited cause she just got back these lab test results which prove that our family lineage is totally pure-bred.“

She had said this in Arabic, of course, and for ‘pure-bred’ she used the ever dignified, somewhat widespread and unequivocally racist word: A9eelen (أصيلين). YUP. That’s right. Racism: alive and well and scientifically proven! Thank you, humanity, for reaffirming my faith in you.

Now, this was not the first time that I was exposed to this very disturbing side of Kuwaiti social culture. A friend of mine has actually suffered due to this brand of racist ‘blood’ elitism. I’ve heard this term flung around in a number of occasions between my Kuwaiti friends (or more like acquaintances, I don’t closely associate myself with racists and none of my good Kuwaiti friends are anything like that). But, for crying out loud, sometimes the level of human crazy charts a new high on the Richter scale. And in regards to this bug-nutty, koo-koo ‘a9eel’ crap this is the latest Richter scale reading:

Whaaaaaaaaaaaat.

How ancient and delusional do you have to be to actually invest in this kind of idea? Like, to actually wake up every morning, go about your day, deal with different people and, in the midst of all that, be like, “That’s riiiiight! My blooood! My blood’s the purest blood! So glad I have this blood and not that gross NOT PURE BLOOD. It makes me a way better human being!”

I mean, really? You look down upon people who you SOMEHOW believe are less ‘pure’ than you? You believe in a “master lineage”? I’m sorry, but if that’s not the hackiest, vaguest premise for any kind of social racism I don’t know what is. And, gosh, don’t you know that modern racists have learned to cloak their racism behind creative language about “social backgrounds” and “values”? Catch up please.

You know, a part of me feels uncomfortable for trying to make jokes about this kind of behavior because, clearly, this is a messed up and truly dangerous social attitude for anyone to have. Obviously, these kinds of perspectives (which are really not infrequent at all in Kuwait) need to be stopped and not catered to whatsoever. But I honestly just cannot wrap my head around the sheer absurdity of believing in something like racial, bloodline ‘purity.’ This is some seriously old-timey nonsense garbage right here.

I mean, if you believe in and publicly support this insane idea of racial purity you are, essentially, separating yourself from the rest of freaking humanity. Because when it comes to you actually being a sane, happy, truly productive member of society I’m pretty sure that “Don’t Be A Racist Tool” is like the 2nd most important personal quality you need to have after, like, “Don’t Be A Weasel.”

Also, what are you doing with science? Science is way too busy for you. You do not get to use science for your racist reassurance woes. I mean, honestly, someone using cutting edge, scientific technology to try to prove something as anciently offensive and backwards as the ‘purity’ of their racial lineage is the biggest insult to ALL OF HUMAN SCIENCE. That’s like using NASA’s latest solar satellite to prove that the Earth is actually flat. No. You do not get to talk to science anymore. Go to the naughty corner!

So, just to get this ‘a9eel’ business totally straight, here’s the basic gist of what the people who truly believe in this stuff are actually like: They look down upon certain people (in various degrees) because they believe that these poor, lowly individuals have some racially, blood-infused inferiority which makes them not worth as much. BUT! They’re not really all that sure of what this inferiority even is SO THEY HAVE TO USE A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS to figure that out for them. And, of course, they have to use those same scientists to prove that they themselves are, indeed, not of this lowly, stinky, and VERY VAGUELY ‘UN-PURE’ lineage. Basically, they’re the most half-assed and weirdly disturbing kind of racist. The kind that doesn’t even really know what they’re racist against, but chooses to be racist anyway.

Sigh.

All my love!

Posted in Kuwait, Musings, SAY WHAAA...! and tagged , , , , ,
25 Dec 2012
2 Comments

On Murdering and Remembering: Making It Really Count for Dr. Jaber

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Over the past (let’s say) 5 years, there’s been an alarmingly rising number of innocent murders committed in Kuwait. Sectarian fights. Bloody brawls. Revenge killings. Accidents. Mass murders. And, now, stabbings.

And yet after each “big” murder tragedy, we continue to do the same exact thing: We gape in horror and surprise, we angrily scream and shout, and, of course, we pretend to wonder why. Every single time someone murders an innocent person (or even a whole group of people) everyone is just so freaking surprised again and again and again. We have the same discussion, the same arguments, and the same ‘juicy horror story’ rumor mill.

Same old, same old.

We say, ‘Oh! This is the culprit!‘ The ‘culprit’ is always one or more of the following scapegoats: Lack of security. Or western media. Or online, social networks. Or an unstable, broken family. Or godlessness. Or homosexuality. Or video games. Or ethnic ‘genetics.’ Or hormones. Or ‘defenseless’ women/children/minorities. Or mental disorders. Or medication. Or drugs. Or, really, anything on the freaking planet.

We get caught up in the hyper-theatrics of “the event” all while blissfully and conveniently avoiding the glaringly obvious. That being the reality of the fact that these kinds of heinous, murderous crimes are being committed against innocent people simply because many individuals in Kuwait think they can just do whatever the hell they want.

That’s right, you guys. To an overwhelming number of people in Kuwait, the law and the peace and perhaps even the sanctity of human life doesn’t mean jack if it stands in the way of them doing whatever the hell they want to do. This is the brutal truth.

Because Kuwait is not a land of poverty; nor a land of racial violence and unrest; nor a land of totalitarian crackdown.

Kuwait is a democratic, diverse, economically and socially fruitful land of plenty. There is literally no sociologically relevant reason for these kinds of law-flouting murders (or near-murders) to occur besides the fact that people just think they can blatantly do whatever the hell they want no matter what.

Like many of you, I can honestly say I spent the better part of this weekend pouring over a number of different ‘news stories’ surrounding the tragic murder of Dr. Jaber Yousef in The Avenues mall last Friday. And I’m pretty sure I did everything that you guys probably did: scrambled to piece together all the different bits of news information, tried to figure out the “why” of what happened, and, finally, attempted to come up with a way to effectively make sure this kind of thing has as small a chance as possible of happening again.

And, for whatever reason, I have to say this particular murder struck a different chord with me. I mean, let’s leave aside the fact that this was a young, bright, ambitious man who, like many people my age, held lots of promise and future potential. Let’s forget the fact that he was killed in an illustrious mall, filled with bustling eye witnesses at every corner, and which I personally happen to frequent quite often. Let’s forget the fact that he was murdered in cold blood over something that almost anyone with a car has fought over at some point in their lives: a freaking parking spot. Let’s forget all these personal albeit thin connections I (and many of you) may have with this murder case.

Because the one thing that really stuck out to me about the murder of Dr. Jaber Yousef is the fact that, through the immense social media coverage it recieved, you begin to realize just how unisolated this kind of case really is.

And its not just stabbings per se. It’s a woman setting a tented wedding party on fire (killing 57 and injuring 90). It’s camp attacks in the dead of the night. It’s police officers raping and killing racial minorities. Its people who think they own the road and, through their recklessness, inadvertently killing more people in accidents than organized crime.

Call it homicide; manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter; murder; whatever. At the end of the day its all needless, innocent death caused by individuals who, for the most part, thought they had the right and the privilege to act on what they personally wanted/felt regardless of anything else and for pretty much no substantial reason.

It’s as if people in Kuwait have gotten so used to reading these kinds of headlines with their morning breakfast omelet every few days that they can barely afford to muster up a bit of shock and awe before turning the page and forgetting all about ‘the event’ in a week or so.

But, hey, no point in overdoing it now, right? I mean, let’s be realistic here. A group of crazed guys ambushing and bloodily murdering another guy over something as petty and meaningless as a freaking parking spot–in a place as popular and crowded as The Avenues no less–is certainly not something you hear about every day. Right?

Wrong.

This has definitely happened before. It’s already happened again. A quick skimming of the comments section in this 248AM post will go to show just how prevalent and how likely it is to continue to happen.

And I’m not saying this as a way of discounting any of the other facets that may very well contribute to a person’s choice to kill someone, even if inadvertently. There is a good chance that western media and video games share a part in the way that these innocent souls were unfortunately lost.

I know there is no quick, easy, all-inclusive answer we’re all just waiting to implement here. I know that there has to be a root change in the way that people in Kuwait regard order, authority, and social responsibility. I don’t pretend to have an answer, nor a drawn out 5-year plan, nor any solid thoughts of how to rid Kuwait of this deadly pattern of national indifference towards crime.

I know this is making me sound like such a hopeless pessimist–and I’m not–but I think we all need to realize how quickly we forget the tendency Kuwait actually has for these kinds of mindlessly brutal tragedies.

I’m well aware of the fact that media glorified violence, bad parenting skills, horrible role models, and/or a hyper-masculinized social culture that is inspired by age-old notions of tribalism and sacred blood bonds has something to do with this. But the fact remains the same.

Every day in Kuwait people think they can override law and order and, in many cases, arrogantly (even if unintentionally) kill another human. We need to stop forgetting these deaths and please stop pretending like this kind of tragic incident is a unique case we can just blame on the Internet or security or video games.

Because the life and death of Dr. Jaber should count for more than that.

It should count as a constant reminder and as a lasting lesson of the fact that, if we forget and let our social responsibility falter once again, we’ve only got ourselves to blame.

All my love!

Posted in Kuwait, Musings, News, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , ,
20 Nov 2012

Congratulations, Kuwait: Not Only Are You Fat, You’re Also an Environmental Hazard

Okay, forget the world’s mass dependance on oil. Forget the insane levels of toxic, industrial waste we pump into the air. Forget the fact that the Arctic is pretty much melting at the speed of light now. Forget all that.

Because now that Kuwait is in the news (once, twice, thrice) for its damn near suicidal eating habits with very little signs of slowing that train down (Cheesecake Factory, what hath you wrought?), I’m thinking its time to try a different awareness approach.

That’s right: I’m going totally rogue and playing the environmental card.

Because, as it turns out, the real problem that the environment faces today is fat people. Yup, our ever expanding hindquarters are going to make a mess of this planet very soon if we don’t change things. How wonderful is that news? So on top of having your mother’s (your nutritionist/your annoying ‘healthy’ friend/your conscience) voice nagging in your ears to opt for the flavor-less ‘Guilt-Free Menu,’ you can now enjoy the added pleasure of knowing that you are actively destroying the Earth. Mmm! Appetizing!

And don’t think that just because you’re not a member of the morbidly obese that this doesn’t apply to you. Because it does. It applies to everyone–myself excluded included.

You see, the total weight of ALL of the world’s population comes up to something near a cool 316 MILLON TONS. Of this unfathomable number, about 17 million tons are due to people being overweight and about 3.9 million tons are due to obese people. Those are freaking tons, you guys. Quantified in MILLIONS. I don’t even know how I can begin to envision these numbers in real-time. Seriously, just trying is starting to give me heartburn.

Now, on a global scale, the average body weight clocks in at about 137 pounds (62 kg) which is an admittedly okay number for us to work with. But if we’re going to be looking at Kuwait specifically then we have issues.

Considering that 61% of all the world’s weight comes from Asia (not surprising since its the largest continent land-wise) and that 13% of the world’s obese weight is also Asian, Kuwait’s consistently high-ranking position on this list of fatty-fatness is nothing short of unbelievable. With nearly 70% of all men ranking among the overweight (according to CNN) in a country which is sizably smaller than most cities, Kuwait is easily winning the coveted position of numero uno as Asia’s fattest country. On a global scale, Kuwait’s obesity quota is perhaps only bested by Ronald McDonald’s homeland–America–which brings in an enormous 34% of the world’s obese weight.

So you’re probably wondering what all this guilt-tripping has to do with the environment. Well, as it turns out, when it comes to environmental sustainability “its not how many mouths there is to feed, its how much flesh there is on the planet.” Because the more you weigh, the more calories you end up using when you move around, and the more calories you use the more of the world’s natural energy resources get used up as well and so, by the transitive property, your weight directly influences things like the freaking ozone.

And on top of the fact that our larger bodies require us to use more natural energy, they also lead to our sedentary lifestyles IN WHICH EVERY HOUSEHOLD HAS LIKE A DOZEN CARS. Which–guess what–leads our weight to committing even more environmental crimes because, if you didn’t already know this, cars have a very big appetite for gas.

So kudos, guys–we’ve totally nailed the ‘two birds, one stone’ concept with this weight deal.

But, hey, don’t get me wrong here. This is not some holier-than-thou attempt to guilt-trip you all into joining a gym (although, you know, do that). Cause the fact of the matter is that, according to the experts, “actually, we’re all getting fatter.” Every last one of us.

I just think that if there is one thing we can ALL take out of this criticism–if “We’re all fat!” is even a criticism–its this: instead of mentally berating everyone who is above 62 kg and calling them a fatty-fat, Earth destroyer, we should all make a better effort towards understanding the larger consequences and the impact of our choices. From how we transport ourselves from Point A to Point B, to the choices we make while waiting in line at KFC (and, hey, that rhymed!). Because, without that deep-rooted, global awareness, we’re always going to find ourselves hovering in the ‘Top 10 List of Global Fatsos’ no matter how many gyms we join, or diets we go on, or stomachs we staple.

Or, you know, we could all just move to Japan instead.

All my love!

Posted in Kuwait, Musings, News and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a Comment
10 Nov 2012

A Reason To Celebrate: A Golden Jubilee of History, Pride, and Constitution

This post is going to be short and sweet. This post is dedicated to a simple yet powerful concept. A concept that, in so many ways, defines the historical achievement and the national pride that keeps Kuwait, despite every challenge and obstacle, the precious pearl of the Gulf. This is of course the guarding armor of Kuwait’s serenity: the constitution which, as of today, is exactly 50 years old.

Now, I’ve read the Kuwaiti constitution a few times and I have to say this right off the bat. The Kuwaiti constitution’s level of humane awareness; gender and racial quality; and the sanctity of the right to express and embrace any idea or lifestyle every individual may choose is in all honesty a thing of beauty.

Its no wonder that people fight for it; cherish it; and carry it with them through every high and every low. The constitution is, in many ways, the glue that holds us together–both resident and citizen–as a civilized, cohesive, and co-operative unit. The constitution was created for the sole purpose of insuring that no matter who you are, what you do, or where you come from, Kuwait is a home for you.

And, if you ask me, there is no degree of celebratory parades, fireworks, and decorations that can serve to honor such a precious, life-affirming document as this one.

So congratulations, Kuwait! Congratulations on 50 years of a truly historic, proud, and completely worthy constitution.

All my love!

Posted in Beautiful, Kuwait, News and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment

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