"Mreow," She Roared

GeekFest Jeddah α: What to Expect

2011-11-29T13:10:00.001+04:00

(Pronounced GeekFest Jeddah Alpha)

--=-=-= GEEKFEST ALPHA HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE =-=-=--

There's been a lot of questions, here are the answers. These are pretty easy to understand, it paints the picture of what people are to expect when coming into #GeekFestJED.

Remember

Ladies only. Gents can join the GeekTalks live online by going to http://www.geekfestjeddah.com/
It's casual! Wear your sneakers and geeky garb.
Speak English! Click here to find out why.
This is a test. It's nothing fancy, expect everything to go wrong and for no one to care. It's about meeting the geeks of Jeddah this time.

With that, you can expect....

Click here for directions to Bridges.

Twitter handle tags will be stickers given to you so you can writer your Twitter/Facebook/DeviantArt/etc. username. You'll be surprised as to how many people will recognize it! Bring a printed picture of your avatar and we'll stick that on as well ;)

Announcements will be made by you! We don't want any part in authority, so when there's an announcement, you'll see the signal and have the chance to make it yourself.

GeekFest Jeddah α Overview

2011-11-24T15:58:00.001+04:00

(Pronounced GeekFest Jeddah Alpha)

This is it, the page with all the info you could possibly want for GeekFest Jeddah α!
Also, www.GeekFestJeddah.com.

--=-=-= GEEKFEST ALPHA HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE =-=-=--

Must Read! (Remember, geeks love reading manuals!)

For Gents and Those Far Away

GeekFest α is a ladies only event! The cashier and front of Bridges Bookstore will be open to all, but the seating area downstairs and all of upstairs is reserved for ladies.
This is because we're testing it and we promise to bring you GeekFest β (for gents) after the rainy season!
However, you can listen to live audio stream and contribute on Twitter and the Facebook Page using the official website (www.GeekFestJeddah.com)!
We'll set up the audio part about 6:00pm on Wednesday.

GeekFest Culture

Casual Dress

Even though it's just ladies, you'll still require your abayas.
Take the term "casual dress" literally. If you're new to geekdom, know that a lot of people will come in sneakers/flats and t-shirts/jeans.
Take the term "casual dress" as an open invitation. It means no one is meant to judge, so go crazy with a geeky outfit that you'd find at a comics convention (for example)!

Friendliness

Geeks tend to be so passionate about what they're obsessed with, they're willing to discuss it with ANYONE. Here are some tips to keep GeekFest a friendly atmosphere:

Speak English. A lot of great conversations start when someone heard what you said and came up to introduce themselves. How will they come up if they didn't understand it?
Socialize! It's why you're coming! There'll be so many opportunities to go up to a random stranger and tell them you've seen them on Twitter, or you like their geeky outfit, or ask what they thought about the GeekTalks.

When You Get There (click here)

We're trying to keep it as UNorganized as possible, but some things just make life easier.

Twitter handle tags will be stickers given to you so you can writer your Twitter/Facebook/DeviantArt/etc. username. You'll be surprised as to how many people will recognize it! Bring a printed picture of your avatar and we'll stick that on as well ;)
Announcements will be made by you! We don't want any part in authority, so when there's an announcement, you'll see the signal and have the chance to make it yourself.

GeekTalks by...

Dima Ikhwan (@dikhwan)
Economy, improv, and books. Because why wouldn't your average person geek-out to those things? 3al6ayer comedy writer comes to share experiences of being in the first batch of the YouTube channel's creators and what's come of it overall.

Diana (@diana_tweets)
Nessreen Diana Tamano comes to speak as her online alias, Diana (who isn't any different than her, actually). She shares her knowledge of blogging and podcasting along with her experience with That Jeddah Podcast.
Geekspertise: Grammar, memes, and hipster wannabe-ism

Jawaher Abbar (@Jewelsabbar)
An avid animal activist, among many other things, comes to explain why opening a much needed dog shelter in the kingdom is near impossible and to share her own experiences with Darwin and Gaia.
Geekspertise: Love for animals and filmmaking

ArtStuff by...

Soraya Darwish (@sorayadarwish)
Soraya Darwish is an experimental artist and graphic designer. Born and raised in Saudi Arabia since 1988, it has become her home. A sense of responsibility constantly compels her to tackle social issues and raise awareness about causes through art and design. Take a peek at her love affair with art and design through her blog.

GeekFest Jeddah α: TechnoCases

2011-11-22T11:36:00.001+04:00

(Pronounced GeekFest Jeddah Alpha)

--=-=-= GEEKFEST ALPHA HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE =-=-=--

I'm loving how ownership of GeekFest is being adopted by all involved. I was expecting companies interested in showcasing their products to give money and expect sponsorship rights, but I've been blown away with the enthusiasm of contributing. According to GeekFest lore, we give helpful companies TechnoCases for technology showcasing for their products and getting personal dialogues with online thought-leaders of Jeddah.

Pixel Munch

As mentioned, the app and website developing company was the first to come on board the geeky train. They've risen above and beyond expectations by paying monetarily and setting up the onsite twitterfeed and online audio steaming so gents can participate in #GeekFestJED. Not to mention Ghaida lending top gaming expertise (I've only ever been a wannabe gamer... And failed).
Expertise: App and website development and user experience
Website: http://pixelmunch.com/
Twitter: @PixelMunch

Interested?

Now that you get the idea of funky companies coming to get quality time with the local online thought-leaders, you can get in touch to work with GeekFest in a variety of ways:
Twitter: @GeekFestJeddah
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/GeekFest-Jeddah/137855732978402
Email: Me (Khayra Bundakji)

GeekFest Jeddah α: Firsts

2011-11-19T19:36:00.001+04:00

--=-=-= GEEKFEST ALPHA HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE =-=-=--

NOTE: Links to Facebook aren't working in the blog. That's what I get for depending on a closed site, but do stay in the loop by finding GeekFest Jeddah Alpha or GeekFest Jeddah on Facebook.com!

I've been a fan of GeekFest Dubai since I first heard about it. Time passed and then, in the most serendipitous of ways, a friend of mine ended up working with Alexander McNabb, one of the two people behind it. Long story of procrastination and geek deficiency made short, GeekFest Jeddah is ON.
This teaser post lists the firsts of the journey, namely, the first details of the first GeekFest in Jeddah.

GeekFest Jeddah α

(pronounced GeekFest Jeddah Alpha)
When I was younger, I would make very intricate patterns as doodles. It would incorporate elements I learned from maths and physics, and it showed that insanity-laced potential of genius. But shortly after it started, I got addicted to Harry Potter fanfics, thus it didn't last. However, I had a little bit of it left over to bring up complicated solutions to things, such as GeekFest Jeddah.

In this instance, to deter two Jeddah event trends from happening*, I came up with having tester GeekFest events which would eventually lead to GeekFest Jeddah 1.0**.

First tester is α, one of the ladies (or geekas) to take place November 30, 2011 at 5:30pm at Bridges Bookstore. The second will be β, one for the gents (or geeks), and so on will the pattern go until 1.0.

First GeekTalk

Diana of That Jeddah Podcast will speak of blogging and podcasting as she is a veteran who is ignoring such obligations to instead give me her attention and time. Also, I'm the only one still standing by her alias.
Diana on Twitter

First TechnoCase

Even before I got to know the folks behind it in real life, I thought having a company like Pixel Munch come straight out of Jeddah from the ground up was the bee's knees. They're all about user experience in app development and websites.
Pixel Munch on Twitter

We're leaking out facts on a daily basis over the next 10 days to keep the guesses and suggestions coming.

Give us one of either by contacting me at Khayra(at)Bundakji(dot)com, saying something on the Facebook Page, Event, or replying to us on Twitter.

* Gender mixing and showing up at events not of interest because there isn't much else to do
** Exactly like the GeekFests everywhere else

Open Mic: Change Is Useless

2011-10-15T12:05:00.000+04:00

The other night I had the pleasure of attending my first open mic session in Jeddah (and ever). Mellie asked from the start if I would contribute, and me being the cheerleader of anything good happening around here had to say yes.

I needed to express myself with whichever means I'm comfortable, so I decided to metaphorically blog on stage (I use the term "on stage" loosely because it was actually at the bottom of a pool. We get creative around here). I shared the following:

I'm no stranger to change. It's all I really ever knew. Growth was a concept that took too long in thought. I was already grown up, I could just change myself to be more adult.

When I was 15 and looking for an identity, I happened to be at a video store where I found an Iron Maiden shirt. I liked the concept and became a metalhead. Kind of. I hated the music, but the look was cute.
I came to terms that I didn't really care about it and I couldn't keep up with the conversations since I didn't listen to the music, so I changed.

I was reading a review on Dream Theatre's then latest album Octavarium and knew that description was made to describe my tastes. The world of progressive metal in all it's surreal deep beauty opened itself up to me and I got stuck on Tool. I found myself to be kind of depressing and a headache to be around, so I changed.

For whatever reason, fondness for the notion of one love and surreal settings got me to Bob Marley and the Beatles. After many times stressing over nights out when I had nothing but t-shirts and flip-flops at my service, I realized I wasn't paying much attention to what I want to be in the future. So, in a way, I changed.

There was an initial change and then I realized that I was tired of change. All my time given to environmentalism in Jeddah and attempt at initiating the "right" lifestyle here, I grew exhausted.
I'm ready to close my eyes, feel for the sun, and reach in its direction indefinitely. To stop transforming into different objects and simply work hard to the goal, allowing myself to be shaped however fate sees fit.

My beautiful Jeddah doesn't seem to be on the same boat, so I'm making the decision for her. Her inhabitants are insisting on change, be it as a vision of a new Saudi Arabia or simply Dubai on steroids.

What I keep meaning by Jeddah's change starting with the Kingdom Tower

This is a declartion of my commitment to back up this new look and follow through with its maintenance.

Cancel Iqama

2011-10-03T15:19:00.001+04:00

I once had an idea for a book called With Yourself* which would be a compilation of odd bumper stickers/car art in Jeddah.
The only thing I love more than my ideas coming from my hard work is someone else having the same notion and doing it better than I could.

Cancel Iqama!** is such a site that gets people to post the interesting oddities I ended up loving about Saudi Arabia. And it's a tumblelog, so you'll be seeing many entries reblogged on my tumbelog. They also have a Facebook Page.

Here are some gems that made me lol.

At least they're honest.

They put a spring in your step.

"Creative use of parking space."

Think about it.
That must have been a lot of ink and work.

* It's a term from the Arabic ma‘a nafsak, the equivalent of... I'm not sure. But point is, people insist on writing it in English even though it has now context or meaning. It's popular to put on the back of your car to show your English speaking know-how.

** Cancel Iqama says, "An Iqama is a residence permit given to any foreigner residing in Saudi Arabia. There is no guarantee on the legal status of the permit as it can be cancelled for a variety of reasons that may not seem fair. Furthermore, an Iqama can be used to judge a person’s status in society based on nationality and the listed profession."

Upcycling

2011-09-30T23:59:00.000+04:00

I'm happy the concept of recycling is widespread. Not many people I speak to about it in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, know why or how, but they've heard of it.

Upcycling is a word for making literally awesome things from waste as opposed to recycling them. In theory, I was made to take part in do-it-yourself (DIY) projects and use every scrap of material I use to get rid of all the guilt of not being eco-friendly. Practically, I have a lot of preconceived ideas that I'm trying to get rid of.

The city-girl/Saudi in me can't help but ask how sanitary the following are, even though I know they're cleaner than the "new" items on the supermarket shelves that have been to numerous warehouses and as cargo on many modes of transport.

I think this will change though, because these look too cool to not try!

A milk jug lunchbox from Lunch It, Punch It

Vintage suitcases turned pet beds by Atomic Attic via Freshome

Ocean Parts by Koby Sibony: art pieces made from waste found on the beach and metal wires via Green Prophet

How to make a disco ball lamp like Ed Chew via Dornob

Yep, that's what it ends up looking like. You must check out more at Ed Chew's site.

Filing cabinet turned rolling kitchen cart by Curbly via Apartment Therapy

But it's not always rosy happy times with upcycling. It can go too far...

Yeah. Real human teeth. Check out more upcycled creations that went too far at Mother Nature Network.

Furthermore, I Frequent Foursquare

2011-09-21T21:57:00.000+04:00

One thing must be admitted. When I take a summer break, it is a real break.
Haven't written since May and don't particularly feel guilty as I have been a regular on the Internet through means of Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

To make up for it, here is a quick summary of the goings-on while doing my internship and simply not writing for the other two months.

For starters, I was in Dubai for the internship.

I went as corporate as one could and loved every second of it.

Spent Ramadan there.

Faced the limits of my cooking abilities.

Got sick and recovered. LIKE A BOSS.

Returned to face a different reality.
(Yes, those are unattended children playing on the luggage conveyor belt in Jeddah)

Have taken on a new addiction to help me through it.

Eco-Micropost: May 2011

2011-05-08T00:24:00.002+04:00

Who needs more updates of the already written? I present you with a collection of what's happening in the region environmentally speaking.

5^th Nay. - Mecca's Zamzam water found to be contaminated with arsenic

3^rd Yay! - Gulf Interconnection Electrical Grid

Gulf Interconnection Electrical Grid Could Save Billions in Energy-Hungry Gulf

by Susan Kraemer - 3^rd May 2011 via Green Prophet

A few years late, phase two of the long-planned GCC Grid was inaugurated this week. When all four sections are complete it will unite the six Gulf nations on one unified electric grid, making it much easier to build and share power from renewable energy sources, and realize the gains in energy efficiency that come from sharing a wider grid. The cost savings could amount to Dh$18.4b – in US dollars, about $5 billion.

An analysis by Richard Tabor at Charles River Associates found a compelling economic case for the huge interconnected grid...

Read on at Green Prophet →

Contaminated Zam Zam holy water from Mecca sold in UK

By Guy Lynn - 5^th May 2011 via BBC News

[...] A BBC investigation discovered Zam Zam water was being sold by Muslim bookshops in Wandsworth, south-west London, and Upton Park, east London, as well as in Luton, Bedfordshire.
"The water is poisonous, particularly because of the high levels of arsenic, which is a carcinogen," said Dr Duncan Campbell, president of the Association of Public Analysts.

[...] The BBC asked a pilgrim to take samples from taps which were linked to the Zam Zam well and to buy bottles on sale in Mecca, to compare the water on sale illegally with the genuine source.
These showed high levels of nitrate and potentially harmful bacteria, and traces of arsenic at three times the permitted maximum level, just like the illegal water which was purchased in the UK.

Read on at BBC News →

Comment? Email me.

Moat Evasion

2011-04-30T22:38:00.000+04:00

Moat Evasion: A Title

I'm not one to speak openly about my feelings, especially when it comes to vulnerability. It feels right, however, to do so today. A little more than a year ago, my energy and time was dedicated to Faseelah (فسيلة), an eco-friendly organization I started. University-based, those knowing of it are the only ones to have probably seen my motivation fizzle out (the title makes sense now, eh?).

Decentralization, transparency, and genuine human connection are ideals of mine. Borders and barriers between entities are so... Unnatural.

By Steve Knight via stock.xchng

In fact, it goes against all of what was here before and will be here after us. I know this and am reminded regularly of others not knowing due to barriers built between curiosity and "life".
The mentioned "life" denotes society's way of living at the moment. This demotivates me.

My Recent Not-So-Eco-Friendliness

I won't claim to know all about Islam, but I can imagine that if the prophet were to live up to today's demands of non-violence and gender equality, he would've made as much of an impact as a hippie in Saudi/general/commerce.
With that, I've given in to simply knowing what's happening to the Earth instead of changing the world. Not recycling as much and not boycotting all plastic, I'm focusing on studies.

In a Tropical Cyclone

I don't care about climate change. I find it to be similar to AIDS-CIA conspiracies; forget the explanation and save the kids, I say! The argument goes, however, that the funky weather happening has something to do with the global warming mumbo-jumbo. My annoying experience with the Jeddah Floods did confirm habits from "life" can make such catastrophes far worse with litter contaminating the waters and uncleared streets affecting residents' health.

Hurricane Katrina. No information on source. If you know, let me know!

There are moats in cyclones. When hurricane Rita came along, scientists got to study how a moat affected the intensity of the storm. Hurricane Rita was the one that grew from the least powerful category (category 1) to the most (category 5) within one storm, becoming the fourth most intense Atlantic hurricane recorded.
Seemingly unrelated, the Fukushima reactor, made with the best intentions, brought deadly levels of radiation into people's lives during Japan's recent earthquake.

Via Reuters

Climate change argument
The gist of global warming is that the globe is getting warmer (said the future biology teacher; my teaching genius knows no bounds), so the ice at the poles of Earth are melting. The idea is earthquakes, caused by shifts of underground plates, are intensifying because the sturdiness of the planet's crust is being affected by the liquifaction of icecaps that might as well be continents in this regard.

To the nay-sayers
Again, who cares about climate change? 25 years after the Chernobyl incident (the accidental nuclear disaster), we've found out nuclear energy, while efficient, isn't worth it.

By Gerd Ludwig from The Long Shadow of Chernobyl

-_-

Yet here we are, radiating Abu Dhabi. Of course, I refrain from mentioning all the forms of radiation use with ill intentions, because I wouldn't stop.

In the end, this is a plea for love and support. I'll take it in any form. Come shopping with me and I'll provide all the pocket-sized reusable bags you could need.

P.S.

To wrap up the theme, evading Mr. Moat of the Northumbria shootings while he lived was a good idea.

Microposts: Spring 2011

2011-04-16T20:47:00.001+04:00

There are some things that I would blog about if there was enough to say about it. Why publish a complete post when it could be said in 140 characters?

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Is this true? #JeddahRain victims getting new cars?http://www.greenprophet.com/2011/03/flood-victims-cars-saudi/ via @GreenProphet

15 Apr

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Yet another useless and stupidly expensive project in KSA Can you help me with your super productivity powers? http://ow.ly/4x95e

11 Apr

I learn of the Kingdom Tower is to be built in Jeddah, the skyscraper set to be the tallest in the world

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

I saw these in three places on King Rd. http://ow.ly/i/a1rB (@ Panda) http://ow.ly/1so0Mu

6 Apr

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

The last paragraph made me laugh http://ow.ly/4tTYy Treatment of a 23 year old girl in #Saudi. Beaten, burned and left sued. #feminism

6 Apr

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Could we eradicate racism in the workplace before sexism, please?

2 Apr

My disdain for revolutionary priorities in Saudi Arabia is initiated.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Do I have a surplus of followers because I'm a girl?

2 Apr

My disdain for the onslaught of Twitter's popularity is initiated.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Omg I'm using this location thingy. A right of passage :) Indian food :) (@ Marhaba) http://ow.ly/1sh0QH

29 Mar

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

:O lol, I must have misunderstood that. The whole race? RT @babsaileena: why do we have indians n #effat omg thery so annoying

21 Mar

My eyes open to something.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

I have seen the Ethereal Owl of the Universe. And it tells me to analyze. #zen HootStats http://ow.ly/4c2iA

11 Mar

My love for social media and like for marketing increases. More to be revealed on that later.

Earth Day in Jeddah 2011

2011-04-15T01:51:00.000+04:00

Email me any more information you have about environmental events in Jeddah for Earth Day 2011.
For my organization, Faseelah(فسيلة), I had to write a nice informative post about what's happening in Jeddah for Earth Day 2011 :D

Courtesy of the Earth Day Network website. Click to contribute.

There isn't anyone here I'm trying to sweet-talk into being active in EcoJeddah, so I can let the cynic in me run wild. I'm loving Al-Nabta's approach to celebrating Earth Day. It seems straight-forward and they have a place and a time. Click here for more information.

Now, I adore the Islamic environmentalist approach taken by SENS (Saudi Environmental Society) and they're not doing anything wrong, but so much more could be done! Click here to jump right to what they are doing.

Earth Day is an American campaign that started 41 years ago to spread awareness about the environment. They have a theme each year to bring awareness to campaigns gaining momentum or needing more attention. This year's themes are very applicable to Jeddah, and the inspiration is being ignored (I am grateful it's happening).

Earth Day 2011: A Billion Acts of Green®

Technically, the idea this year revolves around registering one billion acts of green in pledges for the Earth Summit in Rio in 2012.
The campaign includes
Athletes for the Earth: Bringing the voices of Olympic and professional athletes to the environmental movement
The Canopy Project: Supporting global reforestation
Green Schools: Greening America’s Schools within a Generation
Women and Green Economy (WAGE)™: Engaging women leaders in the creation and development of a global green economy
Creating Climate Wealth: Convening 200 of the world’s entrepreneurs to solve climate change and create a new green economy
Arts for the Earth: Celebrating the work of environmental artists in all media, and partnering with the American Association of Museums to bring sustainability to museums nationwide

I could be very wrong. You know why? Because there is little to no information at all anywhere about what's going on. I was told there'd be a cleanup dive, a cleanup on Corniche, and an exhibition, but the presentation (see below) that I found says... Different/fewer things.

BUT! It's happening ^_^ I'm thankful.

Facebook Users Connecting with Strangers in Jeddah

2011-04-02T20:33:00.010+04:00

This is a work in progress, and it's mine, so please take care to not use any of the text without my permission.

SUGGESTIONS? Don't be shy! Email me.

I'm currently looking for literature to form a theory. It's due in four days, and I'm lost. I can't find the combination of the need for social capital and the initiative to connect with strangers. It's so common and useful, though. You'd think it'd be easier.

Introduction

Social networking sites have gained popularity at an exponential rate, with some sites being more widespread than others. Facebook is one of the more indispensable networks for some and has become as ubiquitous on the Internet as Google. The culture of the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia, gave the site an extended reason to be utilized. With norms such as segregation and impassivity towards publicity, Facebook became a locale of community with emphasis on casual socializing. Its privacy has been a matter of dispute globally due to rigid terms of use that require users to use their real identity. This has reflected in the emerged convention of requesting only real offline acquaintances as friends*, which was an uncommon practice on such websites until today.

The matter of privacy also caused disagreement in Saudi Arabia since exclusivity is a steadfast concept, leading many to keep their identity concealed and treat the service with past general social network policies. This meant many users registered under false names and befriended those they never met or had any mutual connection with. Recently, many users of this nature changed their ways to coincide with the terms of use, but there are still a large number applying mentioned old habits. In Jeddah, the digitally connected population have intricate interconnections derived from strong bonds in and between families and institutions, leading to the declination of requests from unknown individuals. This paper aims to gain an understanding of those in Jeddah requesting the friendship of local strangers, why they do so, and how the approached individuals feel towards the gesture.

Information on the subject from an interpretive view is scarce, one-dimensional, or judgemental, such as how social circles can be infiltrated (Potharaju et. al. 2010)(Shaer 2009), the reactions of confrontation in the process (Johnson 2008), and possible abuse of the services (Baughman 2010). This research can be utilized in understanding the evolution of Jeddah's online culture from being isolated in cyberspace to overflowing into real life. It can also act as a premise to exploring until now obscure procedures in starting romantic relationships in Jeddah or understanding why the society isolates itself from its objective identity.

The paper begins by giving the reader an idea of what people abroad think of the subject from a first-hand perspective through observations made on forums and secondary references. The terms requesters and the approached will be used to describe the two involved roles. The researcher's first-hand experience will also be presented at times, resulting in first-person reference. The analysis of the results will be described as reasons for shaping some of the surveys. How the surveys were seen by the participants will also be mentioned to bring light to the possible "skimming and visual scanning" that comes with the requester's strategy in finding potential friends. It concludes by presenting the average and negative case opinions from both roles.

Using grounded theory and snowball sampling, the methodology will rely on primary research in the form of surveys given at intervals: two for the approached and three for the approachers. The approachers' first dose will be open-ended to understand what they hope to gain from the relationships they start. The second will gather quantitative data of what the average criteria of choosing someone is, which includes how much information they would require to make the choice. The last will be formed towards the end of the data collection consisting of some anonymous opinions the approached have towards the requests and their feelings towards the topic based on having been asked questions and given different perspectives. The approached will have two intervals of questions, one gathering their opinions on the matter and the other gathering responses to the reason why some people approach strangers. Content analysis will take place throughout the investigation in order to create later surveys.

-----

* The term used on Facebook to denote users included in one's social network.

References

Baughman, L. L. (2010). FRIEND REQUEST OR FOE? CONFIRMING THE MISUSE OF INTERNET AND SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES BY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PERPETRATORS. Widener Law Journal, 19(3), 933-966. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Declining a friend request from someone you don't know - The Debate Team - Page 2 - BabyCenter. (n.d.). BabyCenter - Community. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from http://community.babycenter.com/post/a22188795/declining_a_friend_request_from_someone_you_dont_know?cpg=2&csi=2134717328&pd=1

Johnson, D. (2008). Modal Expressions in Refusals of Friends' Interpersonal Requests: Politeness and Effectiveness. Communication Studies, 59(2), 148-163. doi:10.1080/10510970802062477

Potharaju, R., Carbunar, B., & Nita-Rotaru, C. (2010). iFriendU: leveraging 3-cliques to enhance infiltration attacks in online social networks. In Proceedings of the 17th ACM conference on Computer and communications security (CCS '10). ACM, New York, NY, USA. pp 723-725. doi:10.1145/1866307.1866410 http://doi.acm.org/10.1145/1866307.1866410

Shaer, M. (2009, January 8). FIENDISH FRIEND REQUESTS. Christian Science Monitor. pp. 13-16. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Jeddah's Wired Generation

2011-04-02T19:25:00.004+04:00

This is a research project that I didn't pursue for my university course because of its complexity and size. The writing isn't very academic at all, which is why I scratched it; I'd rather it be more intimate than a formal research paper.

If you're interested in taking this research on, update me (for my curiosity) and do not use this text unless cited.

SUGGESTIONS? Don't be shy! Email me.

   Girls of Riyadh would seem to have nothing to do with Jeddah's youth and their interaction with the World Wide Web. After being distributed as a book in the Middle East, it was made clear one, in particular a girl of marital age, could get emotionally attached to something so relevant and familiar. Originally a set of emails that were mass-delivered chapter by chapter on a weekly basis, the sensitive topics covered represented average Generation Y* girls in Saudi Arabia facing adopted and inherited cultures. While these represented people were on the brink of higher education and adulthood, their younger siblings most probably shared a CRT monitor's warm glow and a modem's recent dial-up connection to turn to in times of leisure.

   Their culture was a whirl of change and world away from their parents' with dilemmas of adopted and inherited identities. The males pride themselves on not allowing anyone to utter their mother's name while girls are making names for themselves. Factors such as international pressure to adopt globalized commercial values and studying abroad plays a role and is understood using other regions, but what other influences have not been surfaced?

   At this very moment, two indisputable facts are ingrained in anyone following Middle Eastern news: the youth are web-savvy and a source of change, and they outnumber the former generation. The youth of the region are now being portrayed to be a massive unified swarm with its own language and culture. The region's stereotypes are rarely too fictitious and is, in fact, based on a distinct society whose Saudi chapter rose in 1999 with the Internet's availability. This paper aims to describe Jeddah's present youth culture and investigate how the Internet has shaped it to become the phenomenon never before seen. Subjects will be chosen based on their breadth of web culture terminology and then placed in categories coined by the online community such as, but not limited to, "gamers", "bloggers", and "hackers". The informants will then relay first-hand accounts of their own history with the Internet in Jeddah.

-----
* Following Generation X and is also known as the Net Generation

Saudi Youth: Vacations

2011-03-19T01:03:00.001+04:00

NOTE: Jeddah floods' arc can be found with the above tab of "About #JeddahRain"

I thought the recent happenings of Saudi university operation and services were worth a blog post. With the unanticipated damage had by the Jeddah floods in January, it's no wonder no university would want to be put in the same position they were in when it hit. It was a nightmare for everyone to get home when the rain was underway. Thus, no real surprise or qualms came up when schools were cancelled mid-Tuesday and all of Wednesday due to rain warnings.

Now, the king has proclaimed tomorrow to be a vacation. I happen to follow many students that can be dubbed studious and proactive, so I only know what this minority is saying about the situation; They're not too pleased.

Otherwise, apparently a lot are on the streets celebrating. I'll update this post when solid articles come out.

Because I'll have to stay until 6pm some days this week to make up for the lost classes on Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm not too pleased either. No telling what frightening outcome will come of this day off.

Microposts: Early 2011

2011-02-16T19:28:00.010+04:00

There are some things that I would blog about if there was enough to say about it. Why publish a complete post when it could be said in 140 characters?

The beginnings of my nationalism, food experiments, and a life-long decision.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Those wanting a #revolution in #Saudi are pretentious and smackable with absolutely no regard for maintenance or evolution.#Saudirevolution

15 Feb

My initial bout of disdain for the Westernized bandwagon that is an unrealistic one-size-fits-all solution to inconveniences. Organic evolution backed with humanity and patience gains my attention.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Huffington Post: "Floody Hell": Saudis Face Misery as Jeddah Drowns, Again! http://ow.ly/3OD3J #JeddahRain

2 Feb

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Helpful abbreviations provided by PME (Presidency of Meteorology and Environment). Must verify existence of these groups.http://ow.ly/3K0aT

25 Jan

I find that we have lovely eco-friendly laws in Saudi Arabia. More blogging to come from this when more information is found.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

*air punch* RT @PressTvLondon: Saudis "turning Mecca into Las Vegas" http://bit.ly/fJBxja #Mecca #SaudiArabia #Islam #Muslims #newMakkah

25 Jan

My disdain for poorly planned projects reaches a new, still not very effective, level.

arwa_journalist Arwa Aburawa

by khayraB

“I don’t want kids” sarahirving.co.uk/?p=413&sms_ss=… via @sarahonline_ who is looking for women who have decided not to have children #childfree

24 Jan

A new life-long commitment is solidified, but I'll blog that view some other year.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

New theory: Any topping that can go on a pizza, can go on pasta. I will conduct further research and present to you the conclusions.

18 Jan

#JeddahRain: PostAlHarithy Era

2011-02-09T15:16:00.001+04:00

Al Harithy Exhibition Center was used as a warehouse for collection donations of various items for about a week when the floods hit. The operation focused on receiving volunteers to sort and package items as well as go on site to deliver said packages and whatever medical and physical help was needed.

The transition of its closing was gradual, with different already registered organizations being allotted the affected areas. On January 31, the organizations and their allocated regions were announced and the updated version of February 3 can be found below, along with other changes.

An overview of the changes is as follows:

1. The hotline dedicated to Al-Harithy has been handed instead to Al-Bir Society.
The hotline number: 92 000 1424

2. Aid has been distinctly distributed so each affected district has only one official association dealing with donation and volunteer efforts. The allocation is as follows:

Al-Nakheel - Umm Al-Khair: Wedad Charity Foundation and AlBir Society

Al Tawfeeq - Al Samer: Gamˀiyat Marākiz Al Aḥyā' Taif (No English info, coming soon)

Al Ajwad - Umm Al Hudud: Al Mustawˀid Al Khairy

Bani Malik - Aneekish: Al Faisal Society

Al Balad, Al Hindawiyah, Al Khamrah, Thahban: AlBir Society

Al Sabeel, Ghulail, Al Kuwaitiun Neighborhood: Women's Charitable Society

Al Muṣfāh, Al Baghdādiyah, Al Qaryāt: Gamˀiyat Marākiz Al'Aḥyā'

Al Kandarah, Al Jāmiˀah Dist.: Al Mustawˀid Al Khairy

Al Hamrah Dist. and Al Sharafiah: Jamˀiyat ˀyun Jeddah - ḥarfiah

Al Ruwais: Al Jamˀiyat Al Faialiah

Falasteen St.: Jamˀiyat Al 'Asr Al Muntajah

#JeddahRain: Al-Bir Society

2011-02-09T12:38:00.003+04:00

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

#JeddahRain: Areas Affected

2011-02-02T13:47:00.001+04:00

2009 Jeddah flood: 90 mm max
2011 Jeddah flood: 111 mm max

The Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) set up a website dedicated to the Exhibition Center efforts called forJeddah.org.

The website is completely in Arabic, and I found a map of where and how much rainfall there was on the Western side of Saudi Arabia. I translated it and made it more comprehensive:

The Western region

Jeddah

Friends of Jeddah Parks

2011-01-31T14:28:00.002+04:00

I've been meaning to post about the non-profit organization that lobbies for more sustainable parks in Jeddah for a while now. Especially since they've been taking so many environmentally friendly initiatives lately.

Instead, I'm posting about Faisal's Sports Park for volunteers to know where it is.
Friends of Jeddah Parks is asking for volunteers to meet there in order to follow their plan in helping with the floods.

Please standby for more informaiton, because the last update I received was on Friday.

Click the map to enlarge. It's on Al Hamrani Rd. off of Malek Khaled St. and near Television St.

#JeddahRain: Donating USED Clothes

2011-01-31T12:51:00.002+04:00

Coming soon: More donation points.

Many who have gone to donate used clothes to Al Harithy Center were rejected and directed to AlBir Society. An inconvenient necessity, the information given since then still holds and clothes can be donated to AlBir Society next to the Saudi German Hospital.

Please click here to find out how to donate items and money.

From the Saudi German Hospital website

#JeddahRain Update: Donating Money

2011-01-30T22:02:00.009+04:00

More commonly as Jamˀiyat AlBir*, it is one of the entities legally allowed to accept money for the Jeddah floods.

Here are the bank accounts you can send money to:

NCB: SA30 1000 0013 6139 0000 0100

AlRajhi Bank: SA57 8000 0243 6080 1002 8006

SABB: SA28 4500 0000 0210 0213 4001

Banque Saudi Fransi: SA56 5500 0000 0037 3380 0145

Riyad Bank: SA92 2000 0001 0102 9233 9901

I have personally triple checked for typos :)

----------

*جمعية البر

#JeddahRain Contact Info

2011-01-30T21:08:00.005+04:00

Official hotline for the victims and donors:

92 000 1424

So far, the operators have been directing callers to various charitable organizations that are on-field. Unfortunately, the heads of the organizations don't always speak English.

For a directory of said organizations, click here (under construction).

So far, www.forJeddah.org was the only website dedicated to the Jeddah floods. Since the operation in the exhibition center closed, it seems (to me) the site hasn't been updated.

It is completely in Arabic. It informs viewers that over 7,000 volunteers stood up to the challenge while operations were on. It also has maps with graphical representation of rain, I made English versions.

Embed Updates from Twitter

2011-01-30T11:45:00.085+04:00

Twitter: Embed tweets about #JeddahRain in your blog/site

Copy the code below for a 400x450 widget to paste in your site.

 <iframe src="http://twubs.com/ajax360/embed/jeddahrain/?headerBgColor=%231C6485&headerTextColor=%23FFFFFF&" width="400" height="450" frameborder="0"><a href="http://twubs.com/jeddahrain">#jeddahrain</a></iframe>

Copy the code below for a sidebar 200x450 widget to paste in your site.

 <iframe src="http://twubs.com/ajax360/embed/jeddahrain/?headerBgColor=%231C6485&headerTextColor=%23FFFFFF&" width="400" height="450" frameborder="0"><a href="http://twubs.com/jeddahrain">#jeddahrain</a></iframe>

#JeddahRain Medical Supplies

2011-01-29T15:21:00.000+04:00

Medical supplies that were needed yesterday, and probably today.
You can drop them off to Al-Harithy Center or contact Wā'il Iskandarānī on (059) 429-1240 to get it to King Abdulaziz hospital.

On Friday 28th January 2011, @Azizshalan said:

أسامي الأدوية المطلوبة في مستشفى الجامعة الرجاء الاتصال على وائل اسكندارني ٠٥٩٤٢٩١٢٤٥

First aid kits: alcohol swabs - gauze - bandage - betadine... Etc
Ventolin spray
Antihypertensive
Saline + ringer lactate
IV cannulas 16 -18 -20 - 22
Glucometers
Small oxy tanks and masks
Augmentin tablets
Topical antibiotics
Asthma puffers
Ciprofloxacin eye drops
Insulin: mixer - novo rapid - lantose - insulerated
Syringes
IM Voltarin + tablets #JeddahHelp

from here.

Muwatana Update

2011-01-29T02:31:00.000+04:00

After a number of messages asking volunteers to stop pouring into Al-Harithy because there were just too many already there, an update from Muwatana was sent letting everyone know why.

1. There were no cartons to pack with.
2. There were not enough supplies to pack, or what was there was not needed.
3. It was Friday and a lot of the companies, stores, and factories that were to be bought from were closed.

The number of volunteers was estimated to be above 1000 throughout the day, so those interested in helping are urged until the need for more is announced.
Apparently rumors of resentment got back to the organizers, because they apologized for any misinterpretation and reminded all that everyone was working under pressure. Another apparent rumor was people being asked to pay to volunteer, when the registration said there were no supplies, and that the only way they'd have anything to volunteer was to go buy supplies from their own pocket.

After scanning the needs of the victims, the organizers will announce needed supplies daily, and that companies such as Panda, Dallah Albaraka, and others were late because of the closed stores.

Every day a meeting takes place between representatives of the Amanah, the Civil Defense, and Ministry of Social Affairs. All are working together to support volunteers and back up the project.

The hotlines will be announced to report problems, needs, and requested supplies.

They ask for everyone to be patient and understanding. If anyone wants to volunteer, they are requested to keep calm and refrain from hostility. They remind all that group charity work is a trial and its success is evidence of the strong will and personality of the volunteers involved.

Epicness about the turnout, yeah? A shame how restless people can be though. I'm not looking forward to anyone who'd get angry about not having volunteerwork to do going out and protesting -_-

On another note, a commercial street in Jeddah had a protest lead by a woman.
I ask: Where was her meḥram and why could I see her shoulders? Hm?

Get more news at MBN Photography.

Donating supplies for #JeddahRain

2011-01-28T17:44:00.004+04:00

NOTE: Muwatana at Al-Harithy Center is NOT taking monetary donations.

These are supplies (in English) that they need at the Harithy Exhibition Center.
Hopefully it will be updated regularly, I'll see what I can do.

English list:

Harithy Center Map:

#missing_Jed

2011-01-28T17:11:00.001+04:00

These might be outdated, but the hashtag of #missing_Jed holds information on missing persons during the Jeddah floods. Anyone can edit this to keep it up to date.

Fi a7ad yagdar yitarjimly?

CLICK HERE TO EDIT

And here is a feed of the tweets:
#missing_jed

#JeddahRain: Because Special People Need Their Own Hashtags

2011-01-27T15:30:00.001+04:00

From Arab News:

JEDDAH: In just three hours Wednesday morning Jeddah was inundated with 111 millimeters of rain, the King Abdulaziz University's (KAU) Meteorology Department said.

Mansour Al-Mazrouie, head of the department, said Wednesday's volume of rainfall exceeded the 90 mm recorded in four hours during the Nov. 25, 2009 flash floods that killed at least 123 people and damaged thousands of vehicles and homes.

The average amount of rain during the winter months (November to January) is about 51mm.

He said what Jeddah is presently witnessing is due to climate change.

Of course I would put that last bit in, but the truth is the truth. The city's worked up over the floods produced by a not-so-dangerous rainfall. Sewage system drama and pointed fingers are all the rage once again.

A little more well-prepared (the people, apparently not government or its PR), real-time updates are everywhere in order to help keep people safe and direct them to dryer areas.

I'll post more things, for now there is an interactive real-time map to help find clear roads before getting stuck, a blog dedicated to it, a photo gallery on Arab News, and the Hashalbum sums up the images being posted on Twitter with the hashtag of #JeddahRain.

Cars floating away.

All related updates via Twitter

<a href="http://twubs.com/jeddahrain">#JeddahRain</a>

Muwatana updates to come.

Microposts: 2010

2010-12-30T18:27:00.018+04:00

There are some things that I would blog about if there was enough to say about it. Why publish a complete post when it could be said in 140 characters?

Significant tweets representing significant moments in my life.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Lol, priceless. It's just a resonating "why?" to me.http://twitpic.com/3kt7fr #JeddahRain (via @thamer1)

29 Dec

#JeddahRain and general Twitter activism begins.

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

I've realized the extent of my love for the "environmental movement". I genuinely panicked when I couldn't remember Rachel Carson's name.

14 Aug

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Attended my first tweetup at #DeckQuake. Thank you @saqeram@Aabo0 @FaisalKhatib @HishamWyne @Lhjunkie @mohdfikreefor easing me into it <3

26 Jul

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

I've been hobbling lately, but I am free as of now. I will have none of your chicken broth or cut any more vital corners. I am vegetarian.

26 Jun

More than 6 months after playing around with the thought, I take the plunge.

sate3 Sate Hamza ساطع

by khayraB

Imagine what'll happen 2 media if a story erupted in Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch (UK)http://j.mp/cuTWGk

22 Jun

khayraB Khayra Bundakji

Would you be disappointed if I told you that when there's a debate about clean energy on NPR... I go "OH!" when someone crosses the line?

7 Jun

VeryShortStory Very Short Story

by khayraB

They celebrated Earth Day each year, remembering the planet their parents spoke of, from a time before the evacuations to space.

SRA: A 5-year-old Journal Entry

2010-11-29T23:19:00.001+04:00

The following is something I found recently. It was originally posted on my deviantArt journal when I was about 18. Tomorrow I'm turning 23, and I thought I'd commemorate the freedom from hormones by posting this gem.

I genuinely laughed out loud because it was so true.

******************

Hi. My name is Khayra and I'm a social retard.

Hi, Khayra

Umm, so where do I go from here? I mean, I do want to say alot but I don't know where to start... The last straw? I guess the last straw I had before coming here was when I had to find out about some articles about Christie's. I'm an intern at Christie's. The thing about this was that I had to call up a company and speak to someone about something that I wasn't 110% sure about. It went something like-

"Hello, Mixed Media Publishing, how may I help you?"

"Um, hi I'm calling from Chrisitie's I need to find out if you have a database of articles or something that you can search so I can find out if you guys know any events that Christie's have done with you for charity and stuff? Like Nokia or the camels?"

"... What is it that you're asking, ma'am?"

"... ... I need to, um, findoutifyou'vecoveredeventsofours"

"I'll put you through to the editor, ma'am, is that okay?"

"Um, yeah, that's okay, yeah, thank you so much, yeah, thanks"

Thankfully the editor had a warm comforting understanding voice much like the lady who reads you your messages after a long day.

I wondered if it comforted me only because it reminded me of something inhuman... Anyway, right after I hung up I realised that I had NO idea what I was thinking. I realised that while I said all that, my mind was either completely blank, or racing so fast with fear that it was simply a blur.

-sigh-

I just didn't really know where to turn I guess... The thought popped into my head to get everything off my chest... And I followed through. So I'm here.

... Should I go on?

Oh, okay. Um... I really do want to fix this. I've already made a few rules for myself.

I... Um, thought it'd be good to start online. Again, I mean.

When I was eight years old, I couldn't ask the waiter at the restaraunt I was eating at if they could bring me a glass of water. I'm convinced that through foruming and chatting to random people I met online, I learned something.

Maybe not much, but something, and realising that I learned something made me realise that I have to learn more. So I pushed myself offline to ask questions and stuff and so on. My way of starting online now is to follow up with friends. Mostly online friends because they're easier to reach.

I don't know what this will do for me, exactly.

I'm hoping that it'll teach me to followup when I conclude that I want to know someone. I have no one to call "an old friend" today because I lost touch.

Um, I dunno.

I think this helped though, thanks.

Let's all give Khayra a hand and our support for being strong enough to admit that she has no friends for faults all her own!

-applause and woots-

…

Thanks.

Khayra, I want you to remember, that just like the very few who you know believe in you, there are so many more. Just chill and listen to advice. Breathe when you realise that you're babbling like The Ranting Swede and look like a complete idiot, as is probably usual, okay?

-applause-

... Okay.
Thanks. I mean that.

-farts while sitting down-

-is mortified-

-applause-

Ramaḍān G-uh-REEN part 4: "Love" of "Peace, Love, and Food"

2010-09-16T14:43:00.001+04:00

(*snickers* See What I Did There? KAREEM? G-uh-REEN?)

Yes, I have procrastinated. I write this blog, however, to push through and finish the arc no matter how late it is. A week isn't too bad in my book, considering this is the first time I haven't gone on a, at least, two month hiatus. I digress.

I was honestly at a loss as to what to write about love regarding Ramaḍān. Is it possible to fathom a time when we would have the means to account for every piece written about love? Not just about romantic love, but about being attached to something and sacrificing for its acquirement, whether it's to acquire it literally or to keep its presence in existence. This post is about how some people have shown love this Ramaḍān.

What we want to keep around varies. I asked friends and family what they think love is in Ramaḍān. The main trends were family, peace, community, and Allah. "Keeping" the peace is subjective, but we already went over loving the idea and goal of peace.

In this part of the world, these topics are interlaced to no end (as is most things in daily life here, come to think of it). Community is so important here, from masjids, to business partners, to acquaintences, the community is family; whether it be by blood, marriage, or family friendships. In order to keep the peace in said family, you have to hold on to Allah while closing your eyes and taking a deep breath. Allah is mentioned when speaking to anyone from the community anywhere, either by you two or someone around you. I learned all this the hard way.

I moved to Jeddah in the summer of 2007, after 11 years in Dubai and the states, in hopes of finding myself by "returning to the motherland" as most culturally confused young'uns like to say.

Family

I moved in with my grandmother and everyone else living in her little complex (two uncles, their families, and random kin coming through while in town). Being completely ignorant to family politics, it took me a while to get concepts like complete forgiveness, subtlety, and addiction to having a constant community that cares enough about you to pry into your life.

In Ramaḍān (ah, getting back to the point feels good), the principles of forgiveness and stuffing face to the extent of not being able to talk much morphs the family into a fluffy bed on a lazy morning. How could you not want to be glued to them when it's expected that you'll be home no earlier than 2am, all your friends are perceived as wholesome and don't need to be interrogated, and they're analyzing you to calculate how much ˀeidiyah you get? These feelings resonate and bounce between people to where you have a very mellow Christmas with less eyesores (and that's saying something what with my disdain for holidays).

The only eco-friendly outcome of this is my being happy enough to plan eco-friendly things. I would say everyone being asleep all day also helps the environment, but they make up for it with overconsumption and keeping lights on all night.

Community

This is where the youth initiatives get mentioned. Here, the heads of the houses deal with the yearly do-rights of giving money and food to people in the neighborhood, leaving the young adults to observe. I noticed Twitter literally explode in Jeddah this Ramaḍān and the gradual embrace of Facebook's purpose has been going on for a while, so it's no wonder how earnest restless youth kept the love flowing throughout the month.

The Youth Initiative Group (YIG) held Iftar Sayem, an event where volunteers donated food and distributed to about 300 meals a day. There was also a blood drive held at King Faisal Specialized Hospital. I never understood why, but donating blood isn't something people do here often, which makes it a big deal.

A kind of contest was held by Ta9wery 3ebadty (Ṭaṣwīrī ˀebadtī) called A Picture a Day, the Ramadan Way, which got people to take photos of their Ramaḍān activities daily. I like this. It's hard to get a feel of how all the cliques here are behind the scenes, and I think opening that up helps the community. The huge number of photographers-to-be also seemed to have gained a lot from the exposure. I'm sure a lot more happened, but I haven't come across them.

On a regional scale, there's the en.v initiative, a publication that encourages societies to redefine themselves to become more sustainable (in most cases just plain sustainable). Based in Kuwait, they cover everything happening in the Middle East from politics to art to the environment and how all of it has to do with proactive members of the community.

Finally, here's to peace, love, and food.

Ramaḍān G-uh-REEN part 3: "Peace" of "Peace, Love, and Food"

2010-09-07T06:31:00.003+04:00

(*snickers* See What I Did There? KAREEM? G-uh-REEN?)

Before I start I'd just like to say that those using Blogium for the iPhone should be super careful because it doesn't save what you've written if there's no Internet connection. This could result in forcing you to put off finishing your post for 4 days. It may also result in regular intervals of sighing and attempting to remember perfectly shaped paragraphs while finishing said post. Moving on:

I wanted to put a lot more into this Ramaḍān arc, but covering the basics and actually completing it is satisfying for an erratic and flakey blogger.
Peace in relation to Ramaḍān when it's celebrated in the Middle East. Hmm. Possibly more than I can chew, but the blogsphere is a safe-haven for opinionated and barely qualified individuals.

I enjoy how much I've been finding out about the subtly-spreading deep ecology movement. The gist of this philosophy is the equality of contribution and importance humans have in regard to... Everything. It's usually confined to "nature" or "the environment" when explained, but I feel those terms only bring up images of forests. The concept is that all that exists, living or not, has equal importance in the universe.

Photographed by Michael Bou-Nacklie

It isn't too far-out a concept. Taking up a more humble view of oneself in regards to the universe is pretty standard in becoming more spiritual, but (and let me know if you don't agree) I don't regularly find it so bluntly stated in Abrahamic religions. Needless to say (but I will anyway because I'm cool like that), spirituality nowadays seems to be even more of a sensitive issue that can only lead to fear, then anger, hate, and doubt in humanity. Hence the unrest around here, I believe. Hah! Hit the nail right on the head!

Generally, with or without a label, the act of expressing gratitude for the universe is standard for any culture throughout history. It either manifests itself as organized ritualistic spirituality or organized ritualistic responsible living. This is where my point comes in; Throughout our being, beloved innovations like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sporks, garlic mayo, and iPhones have proven the importance of melding things together to produce magnificence to be cherished by future generations.

I think it's obvious that I'm going to mention Islamic environmentalism. However, that'll be the only time it's mentioned. I was listening to NPR and heard Dr. Russel Moore speaking about an evangelical green movement. Up till that moment I didn't really think about what other religious communities had to go through to remind people to respect God's gifts. It triggered memories of organizations I wanted to mention so long ago. All of which are trying to (not always in a direct way, though) spread peace in the region through coming together for very urgent environmental crises.

Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)
The most literal embodiment of the topic. Originally founded under the very appropriate name of EcoPeace in 1994, FoEME was made solely to bring together Jordanian, Palestinian, and Israeli environmentalists to protect shared land and encourage harmony. They're one of the more active organizations and send monthly newsletters upon subscription. They lose a star for having broken links on their site. I have some superficial methods of rating.

Green Prophet
Omg, where do I start? THIS IS IT! I love love loves me my Green Prophet, the environment news site that you see a lot of in my posts. It's super active, and what makes it truly amazing is how much it actually has to do with the Middle East. All the environmental news sites I find based in the region have the tendency to just mention general international stories. These writers are on the ground reporters that give the most recent and helpful unbiased articles. The site itself has been endorsed by the UNEP and named, rightly so, one of the top 100 green blogs on Technorati.

After browsing a little, I found so many more organizations that are heading in the same direction: The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, Joint Environmental Mediation Service (JEMS), Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), Promoting dialogue and cultural Understanding of our Shared Heritage (PUSH), and quite a few Dead Sea conservation initiatives. However, many of them skimp out on the updates or have died out after a year. Also, they're websites aren't as pretty. Again, my very superficial criticism of websites. I appreciate good design.

So there it is. Possible peace in the Middle East as brought to you by yours truly, Khayra Bundakji.

Here's to peace, love, and food.

This Is Bunny

2010-08-26T15:38:00.001+04:00

I made a promise to myself and a very spectacularly encouraging friend of mine that I would update regularly. I really wanted to post everything to do with my family trip to Oman and how awesome I found the place to be. Unfortunately, we're moving, and the mania flooding our lives is only outdone by my brothers' complete obliviousness towards it.

Anywho, I've prepared posts in advance for such situations. So let's get to it.

Amongst my general relatively minor insecurities lies genuine self-esteem. At the end of the day, I find my spacey disposition endearing. Not everyone would find it to be a perk, but I've been reminded of my second favorite tendency while browsing preserved bits on the Interwebs. Ah, Internet, how much of a role it's played in shaping who I am. Did I r0x0rz everyone's b0x0rz? Peanut Butter Jelly Time? Badger Badger Badger? Kikkoman? Was I attracted to boys who knew how to hack and spoke 1337? Pffft, you betcha.

DeviantArt, Xanga, animated gif icons, and forums? Uh, yeah.

So I randomly go around searching my old username, and I find the last signature I put in all my posts before I moved on to khayraB.

-----------------------------------
(\ /)
(O.o)
[> <]
This is Bunny.
Copy Bunny into your signature to help him on his way to world domination.

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Back when the DevArt store had, like, 3 t-shirts. I've gotten way off tack, though. Because of my spacey disposition, I have the tendency to have my memory wiped out after a certain amount of time. The second most loved inclination is finding little surprises when I sift through old things (mind you, it doesn't need to be more than a month). I'm easily pleased, I'll have you know. Give me a really old thing I left at your house, or tell me a story about a year old, and you'll have me captivated until all my questions have been answered about it.

So there's a little something about me.

Ramaḍān G-uh-REEN part 2: "Food" of "Peace, Love, and Food"

2010-08-20T11:39:00.000+04:00

(*snickers* See What I Did There? KAREEM? G-uh-REEN?)

One would think that the food aspect of Ramaḍān would take up more space than just a post, but I've been collecting what I think is relevant about the month and was surprised to find that it all follows the same few principles.

For those who don't know, I'm a (kind of) vegetarian. I wish there was a more appropriate word for what I am; I only eat meat that I know came from responsibly raised and killed animals. You can imagine how tough it is sometimes to tiptoe through iftar buffets when that's the case.

Things are changing, though. From the UN declaring the importance of a vegetarian lifestyle regarding the environment to it being cheaper than having loads of meat, it's super easy to get through the evenings in Dubai. I have no clue what it'll be like when I get back.

I don't know if anyone remembers, but my parents have gone super healthy this Ramaḍān. Especially my mother, who's on a high from losing numbers of her dress size. This allows us to outnumber the unhealthy family members when we get back >=D
Seriously, though, I'm grateful to the rest of the world for getting the same idea. I found a little article of vegan iftar dishes, which catapulted me into the world of Arabic & Indian vegetarian recipes. None of which I can make, obviously, which is where I beg my aunt and cousin to take pity on me and cook.

Like I said in the last post, my influence (aka subtle nagging) on the family usually includes my brother and me having a back and forth about the food he almost wastes (he ends up eating it all, bless him). A while back, I got a forward that I kept. That's pretty drastic for me, but it hit a chord and it hurt because I knew it was true many times over. Here are some pictures from it:

And then a while after I heard of Ferdinand Dimadura winning the Most Popular Short Film at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival.

Obviously, I'm not going to leave you guys on a sour note. After authorities in the UAE realized that more than 500 tonnes of food is wasted in Ramaḍān, the Environmental Agency in Abu Dhabi (EAD) is launching a "Think Before You Waste Campaign". I'm impressed with how widespread the information is on the net. There's interesting general food waste statistics, and the story from lots and lots and lots of sources.

The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowment (GEA) will be educating and encouraging imams to incorporate the message in their Friday khuṭbas, the UAE Red Crescent Authority will be speaking to hotels and places that host big Ramaḍān gatherings, and Ḥefth Al Neˀma will be taking left over food from hotels.

Other than that, I'd like to remind everyone to (if they can) eat responsibly, including buying fairtrade organically grown local produce and eating free range meat, all of which I'll get into specifics later on.

Here's to peace, love, and food.

Ramaḍān G-uh-REEN part 1: Introduction to Islamic Environmentalism

2010-08-17T13:25:00.000+04:00

(*snickers* See What I Did There? KAREEM? G-uh-REEN?)

I'm not one to change much of what I do in Ramaḍān. Save for signature dialogue with my 10-year-old brother--

"Hm. That's quite a bit of food left on your plate," Khayra points out.
"Yeah?" asks Faris, annoyed.
"Well, I mean, at this time of the year, it's helpful to think of all the poor children in the world who suffer from Kwashiorkor--"
"URGH! Khayra! Why do you do that?!"

--and eating habits, I like staying away from flipping my daily schedule. To many, it is a time of empathy, perseverance, and family, regardless of traditions used to represent those principles.

This is where a passion of mine comes in: Islamic environmentalism.
Is it up there on the naïveté scale with ecofeminism and deep ecology? You bet. That is, simply, how I roll. Its tendency of vaguely hovering around Islamic gatherings is apparent to those sensitive to it, especially when it comes to those already gung-ho about animal rights and conservation. Stories of how a woman mistreating her cat goes to hell and a man giving his first serving of water to a dog tend to resonate in kids, even if it isn't applied at all times.

Humble pages on the Internet can be found using the coined word, and it is gaining momentum.

The video is from a site called InspiredByMuhammad.com. It's a cute campaign coming from the UK. It's one of the many low-key "moderate Muslim" proclamations. Why low-key? I don't know. It seems productive educated Muslims have weaker PR than... Other ones (for lack of better term).

Another, what should be huge, campaign is the M7YAP. The Muslim 7-Year Action Plan to protect the natural environment.
It was drawn up by Earth-Mates Dialogue Center at a conference in Istanbul in July 2009. The Muslim Association for Climate Change Action (MACCA) was launched to manage proposals as the umbrella NGO for the plan.

I only found one official copy of the action plan, and it's a draft. I found more information in a summary and Wikipedia.
Get this, proposals include: greening Hajj, having major Muslim cities be exemplary of eco-friendly urban communities, and constructing a green masjid to show best-practice regarding heating, light, etc.. I can not begin to point out how retrograde their progress is if these are their goals. Other than pointing out the monstrosities being erected around the Kaˀbah, I'll leave my hostility for another post.

The concept is there, though, which I can appreciate. Stay tuned for more Ramaḍān-relevant posts to come, as I may have veered a little off topic.

Here's to love, peace, and food.

Jeddah Takes Their Stance on Darwinism Seriously

2010-08-12T18:59:00.004+04:00

I love Jeddah.

I'm not the first person to say it, and I'm not the last person I'll hear say it. While in Dubai to help my family pack up and move to quaint J-town, I have spoken to at least two non-Saudis this week alone say how much they love Jeddah.

I like the paradoxes more than anything. Similar to noticing babies everywhere when a family member is pregnant, it opened my eyes to how the whole world uses just as much doublethink.

At about this time last year, an interest I didn't realize I had manifested. I started subscribing to eco-friendly news and keeping up with the founders of Friends of Jeddah Parks¹ and Muwatana². It got serious when I revamped the environmental club at Effat and founded Faseelah³ about five months later. Since then, the extent of Saudi productivity has been gaining my understanding of it, especially when it comes to the environment.

Muslims (and thus, Saudis) know it's important to be a grateful for nature, so it isn't startling for kind-hearted initiatives to sprout amongst diurnal protocol. However, maintenance has been monetarily produced in Jeddah for as long as can be remembered by the recent generations.

And without sustainable maintenance, there's little chance for improvement. Little chance of growth or change. Evolution isn't something planned in Saudi, it's spontaneous. An act of God, if you will.

Saudis, and correct me if you don't agree, are a passionate people who get swept off their feet easily by marriage, careers, status, mingling, etc., so the initiatives tend to dwindle and die out.

I've been contemplating registering Faseelah as its own organization, so I head over to the JCCI⁴ website to see if they have any information on who to contact. To my pleasant surprise, they had a "Health-Environment" circular!

Last one dating December 14, 2006

Hm*.

So I see there's a specialized center for social responsibility. It's probably for businesses that are already up and running, and it was, but I thought I'd check it out anyway.

I didn't see any followup to these activities

It happens a lot, but not because they're stagnant. I've noticed PR isn't a prominent strength here.

Many people I speak to don't even know that Saudi Wildlife⁵ exists or that Saudi Arabia has many nature reserves.

Old dogs [apparently] don't learn new tricks around here, but a fresh wave coming with the Saudi Green Building Council⁶ and Saudi Water Savers⁷ (amongst many many many others) are embracing the power of interaction with its followers and following through personally.

There are many posts to come about each of the organizations, eco-happenings, and Faseelah updates.

Exciting! :D

* In all fairness, I did find some general information and random applications (which were hard to find) that could be helpful later.

¹ Friends of Jeddah Parks (FJP) is a non-profit organization that lobbies for parks to be built in Jeddah. They mostly find pieces of land in high-risk neighborhoods that were originally intended to be parks and, when given permission, raise funds to build and maintain interactive communities. They've already built three successfully, and I'll leave more information for another post. Check out their site and Facebook page.

² Muwatana is a non-profit organization under the umbrella of the JCCI that focuses on volunteerism in Saudi. "Muwatana" (مواطنة) means "citizenship". It's an acronym for Mushārakah (مشاركة), Walā' (ولاء), 'Amānah (أمانة), Ṭamūḥ (طموح), Namū (نمو), Taṭwīr (تطوير). Which means participation, allegiance, trust, ambition, growth, development (respectively).

³ Faseelah is my organization based in Effat University for the Effat community. It's based on the principles of Islamic environmentalism, with its name being derived from a hadith which states the importance of planting a date palms sapling (a very long process that we'll get into later) in regards to the day of judgement. The site and Facebook page are coming soon.

⁴ JCCI, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is where a lot of volunteer organizations start. I'm not sure why they're always under their umbrella, but there you go. Most initiatives are started up by women, and the AlSayedah Khadijah Bint Khowailed (AKBK) center helps train and support women's startup businesses. The people who are responsible for the center tend to know the founders of organizations (this may not be the reason, but it's the pattern. Correct me if you know otherwise).

⁵ Saudi Wildlife is (correct me if I'm wrong, please) a company that mostly takes people to nature reserves and raises awareness about the environment. They supported Earth Hour Jeddah '10, are associated with the World Wide Fund for nature, and are supported by the National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development. Check out their site and YouTube channel.

⁶ Saudi Green Building Council is a non-profit NGO under the Saudi Environmental Society (yeah, we have one of those). Active on Facebook with links and news, they have potential. Check out their site and Facebook page.

⁷ Saudi Water Savers is a governmental initiative led by the Ministry of Water & Electricity in collaboration with a number of big companies. So far, they have held seemingly scattered and vague campaigns, but their website is pretty. I met the deputy of the Ministry of Water & Electricity, who was very enthusiastic to listen to my colleague's very blunt criticism of what can be done to make the campaigns stronger. Check out their site and Facebook page.

Faseelah(فسيلة): Spawn of Procrastination

2010-05-08T10:56:00.001+04:00

I realize that I've never really shared my thoughts on Faseelah, my baby of sorts.

"Of sorts" because I've somewhat neglected it, and I wouldn't ever neglect my baby. I can't confirm this because I'm... Not... "Fond" of kids, per se, and who am I to know if I could raise a kid? I5*. But we'll get to my thoughts on kids later.

This club, put in action three months ago in Effat to replace its environmental club, is insprired by Islamic environmentalism and ecofeminism. Yay! :D

Why the name?

(pronounced "Fa-see-lah") It is known as "the part of a palm tree that is planted so another can grow from it" and was inspired by this ḥadīth (ṣaḥīḥ Al-Bukhārī Muslim):

عن أنس رضي الله عنه عن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: إِنْ قَامَتْ السَّاعَةُ وَفي ِيَدِ أَحَدِكُمْ فَسِيلَةٌ،فَإِنْ اسْتَطَاعَ أَنْ لَا يَقُومَ حَتَّى يَغْرِسَهَا؛ فَلْيَغْرِسْها

Translation:

"If the Hour came and in one's hand was a faseelah, and if he could stay until it was planted; then he should plant it"

It had a good run. Like most things in Jeddah though, poor followup. It's disheartening how much work it takes just for permissions and awareness. But we didn't do too badly this semester.

World Water Day went awesomely. The day before it we had Abdulhakeem Jomah give this presentation at Effat about algae.

Between you and me, my marketing genius knows no bounds when it comes to getting single Saudi girls enthusiastic about saving the planet (they listend about ALGAE. Bwahaha).
On the day, we had this moving documentary given by Ziad Jarrar. African orphans. No water. Success.

Okay okay, ego aside. Kinda.
Earth Hour didn't go too badly. Granted, hardly anyone knew what happened, but we got all the lights off during the day, desktop wallpapers put up, and the dorms to do a little something something.

I learned a lot. Mostly about how things work in Jeddah. After a lot of convincing, I've decided not to shoot myself** and push through.

I'm passionate... And maybe a little insecure about how my passion is received. I like being the eco-girl at uni and among my friends, though. People use re-usable bags around me and uni girls randomly give me articls about environmental things.

Things look okay. Bigger and better after summer.

* Arabic chat speak
** Fun trivia: I typed "to shoot myself" and had to erase it.

I'm aware that this was dripping with enthusiasm and optimism. It made my cynical emo side kind of sick. Like hearing about scat.

Truth, Be Told

2010-05-02T20:20:00.000+04:00

I only have a blog to have an online identity that seems somewhat intelligent. Or so it would seem.

This isn't the blogging life I foresaw for myself. I wanted posts about Faseelah, Green Jeddah, Jeddah, my identity, my rants, my wisdom (wisdom being subjective here), and my excitement. I wanted that.

Is it too late?

I need a procrastinating blogger support group.

Has All That Training in Optimism Paid Off?

2009-09-02T15:41:00.003+04:00

Having the high of summer wear off because everyone I know returned to regularly scheduled universities untouched by Ramadan isn't the best of feelings. Thankfully, on the particular day I'm thinking of, I was still floating on the mellow buzz of not wearing an abaya, being off on my own wherever, and having [albeit small] bookstores to spend hours in.

While looking over the magazine section just one more time on my way out I wonder if I should give in and get Brownbook for light reading. All of a sudden, I spot a cover of a mufti-looking guy wearing a cloak of flags playing chess with oil barrels and people.

en.v: a publication dedicated to social responsibility in the Arab world.

With the biggest words on the cover saying, "MAKE YOUR MOVE: trusting others to decide for you...", I figured it would be a cute attempt by public funded initiatives to push youth to be "just a little bit more please please please! For your future?" active. I was so satisfyingly wrong. Each and every article was more appreciated and wanted than the last with stats, books, news, movies, and references to eco-innovations that I have never heard of.

Eventhough it would've been nice to find it a little earlier, I'm glad I stumbled upon it now and had it be the frosting on the cake I've been seeing made recently. I've been known to gush about initiatives like Masdar City, numerous publications catering to the MENA*, and Al Manakh for being real homegrown intitiatives with the promise of maintenance and persistence [two things you don't find much around the Middle East, if I'm not mistaken].

Only circumstantial dissapointment I have is that, surprise surprise, en.v isn't available in Saudi. I'm apprehensive about anyone actually considering taking it there right now, though, I'm apprehensive about almost every new possibility concerning Saudi Arabia. This is how I know I have achieved Saudi nationality, I suppose.

Worry and angst aside, though. I don't mind touching on the notion that I might one day pass by the local section of Jarir in Jeddah to find more tantalizing publications making an impact on my immediate environment (not just the organic one) then and there.

*More publications I've stumbled upon:
(Note how most are consumer-based)
Bidoun: Drool-worthy.
Canvas: MENA art
What's Up: Jeddah/Riyadh lifestyle
Alef: Pan-Arabia lifestyle
THOUQ: One of the reasons I'm trying to read Arabic.

Saudi Blogger, Where Art Thou?

2009-08-25T12:43:00.004+04:00

My time can be allocated in very efficient productive ways, but if I did that, I wouldn't be Khayra. Not that I'm proud of it, on the contrary, it's changing. "Gradually" is a good word to describe the change. "Smoothly" is also a good one, but "snail-paced" is probably the most accurate.

To the point; I've been looking for Saudi blogs because I'm dorky and no matter what I do I have to do it in the context of others doing the same thing. I like the feel of communities, I suppose. So what did I come up with after looking? Not much. Which is seriously sad, and it looks even more pathetic when I see sites like these. Why doesn't Saudi have just ONE all-encompassing site on collaboration and discussion? Who knows? Who cares? They're probably all on Facebook... Which isn't bad, just inconvenient.

-+EDIT+-// I stand corrected, there's a place for Saudi bloggers.

So I've taken it upon myself to make everyone else's life easier and put up some Saudi-based blogs on this post.

--+WARNING+--
Many are just about life in Saudi by expats

Saudi Jeans
American Bedu
Black Chick in Saudi
Alien Memoirs
Sas in Saudi
Rasheed's World
Susie's Big Adventure
Prom 2000

The following aren't blogs by Saudis, but helpful nonetheless.

Aramco Expats
Susie of Arabia

Oh, Don't Mind Me, I'm Just a Walking Cliché

2009-01-06T10:23:00.001+04:00

Rayan and I were talking one evening while people were over at my place when he, ever so slowly and cautiously, while talking about stereotypes, hesitantly let the word "hipster" slip.

"Hipster?" I asked, brimming with good-natured curiosity.
"It's, uh... I think it's what we are..." he replied.

The topic changed and the dark cloud moved right along with me, as usual, oblivious to its presence. There was talk of random things like books and movies and hopes and pasts amongst all of us. It ended well and I didn't bother realizing the weight of the word for a while.
One day, Wikipedia happened to be open on Tuffa7a and I randomly think of the word I didn't know. The black cloud looms again, ever so slowly and surely because it knows it has time to kill (the bastard wants to make an entrance), and it hits me.

I, Khayra Bundakji, am an overused depleted idea.

In College
A computer science major in the Environmental Club who writes for the newsletter and drowns in women empowerment workshops.

Amongst Friends
The green tech enthusiast who named her MacBook Tuffa7a (Tuffaha: Apple in Arabic) and her iPhone Farawlah (Strawberry).

Style
Skinny jeans, t-shirts riddled with expressions of peace and love, and a soon-to-be scene mullet. Did I mention the retrophilia that I experience when I go shopping? No? Well, there you go.

Books
"Philosophical" and "intellectual" books on everything from the universe to romance.

Music
Golden oldies, house, progressive-house, progressive-rock, indie-rock, rock, buddha-bar stuff, white-girl-on-guitar, Emiliana Torrini, The Beatles, and classical music.

Makeup
Close to natural with vintage-esque liquid eyeliner involved.

Priorities
Love, green tech, the planet, children, and a husband. In that order.

I don't think I can go on. Every key that gets pushed into the keyboard while this is being typed is a click of misery and disillusionment.
Okay, so it's not that bad when I look at it in perspective. It's even refreshing to realize how much I fit in to society after all those pubescent years of lonely anguish... However there is something afoot when it comes to my feelings... A negative sort of afoot, at that. I love me, that's clear in all aspects. I love my priorities and think that if everyone shared them, we would have the Utopia we've all been waiting for.

So the issue? Molly Finkelstein bundles up all my icky feelings when she says

But something about these so-called hipsters seems to me as forced as the entry into their too-tight pants. If I can picture you carefully arranging your hair to look perfectly disheveled, the magic is gone.

I know I'm genuine and I know I wouldn't ever prefer a certain style or book because it "fits" with the image I'm setting... But it's still an unnerving thought that I might get shoved into the pool of posers that I happen to look like! Beyond that, though, is a much bigger issue that I don't really want to admit to myself but will because I'm cool like that...

Am I a poser in denial?

No! It's so silly! Everyone I know would guffaw at that because I have no concept of what's going on in the world, let alone trying to imitate it.

... Right?

As thought my existence possibly being a self-made clone of an idea isn't enough, it seeps to the way I express myself.

Wikipedia says

It can be argued that the 'negative usage of the term Cliché in order to belittle an idea or an expression' is itself is becoming a cliché.

I simply don't know how to feel about any of this, so I'm just going to go ahead and say that I was the one who set the trend. Mofos think they know me.

Just the First of Many

2008-11-24T22:45:00.001+04:00

I want to put down on paper (transistors, whatever) what I'm going through right now. I want it to flow freely and I want to become comfortable with simply writing while having a point but not doing it in bullet format (which I do a lot, in case you didn't know). I'm learning, I think.
I'm evolving, I think.
I don't want to be rigid---
Nevermind, that's getting off topic and has a tone of being victimized. It would sound something like a whiny teenager. Not cool.
Okay, now I'm gonna try to simply type the way I'd talk to a friend. No point. Flow, you know? Unfortunately when I talk it sounds kind of airheaded what with the "yo"s and "you know"s. Not cool. And the "cool"s.
I... Am having trouble dealing with my inability to exist without the idea of my potential dream significant other. What's up with the term "significant other"?
Why--- Again, nevermind, I'm attempting to be philosophical when really, I don't have anything to back me up.
~~I think I need to pee.~~
~~I think it's gone.~~
I don't know how to deal with the fact that I feel the need to identify myself and my self-worth according to my potential partner. Wtf? Who does that?
You know what I need? I need more movies like Ratatouille... But without the stupid romance thing with the humans.
I need a kid's movie that has nothing to do with romance or violence. Kid's movies are way more influential than anything else. It's a fact. They're geniuses. It's the best of the best feeding and manipulating people's emotions. The writers of Disney should TOTALLY work for the government. It'd be much more successful. Productive. The government would be more successful and productive, not Disney. Disney already is. Then again, it's probably for the best that the government isn't.
~~I definitely need to pee.~~
~~Just hold on~~.
Yo.
Why do I have to write as if I'm speaking to someone? Why are all my--- Why are all the ways I identify myself based on people? If I am to get to know myself and define myself, it should be completely independent of outside motivation. ESPECIALLY independent of imaginary motivation. This should be realistic. I am simply expressing, there's no reason I need to express it TO someone. I am me. I am real. I exist. I express. That's all. Subject and predicates. No objects. SUBJECT. Where I am the subject. I matter. Me. Me. Me.
This is healthy, isn't it? I don't mean it in a selfish manner, I hope that's clear. If we're talking about a rock, we talk about the rock. "We". Pffft. Let me-- No, I'm not talking to anyone so there's no way I can ask permission. Okay, let's start over.

A rock is a rock. The perceptions people have of that rock and what the rock's relation with everything is a completely different matter. A rock is a rock. Let's---
Again, not talking to anyone so there's no point in saying things like "let's".
Any rock has a certain potential. It has a past. It is made up of a very specific combination of minerals and whatever else of which rocks are made. It has a color. It has a texture. It simply is. It is not judged or worrying or anticipating or longing. It simply is. It is solid and whole and has a very specific very important place on this planet. It exists in a realistic fully fulfilling manner. I can be spoken about like that.
I exist.
I have a past that's about... Dammit. I want a piece of paper to calculate how long I've been around for. Estimates will do.
I have a past that's about... Twenty-one years and eight-and-a-quarter months. About. That's not taking into account leap years and it's counting from about the day I was conceived. About.
I have a future. No one knows how long or what or where or how, but I have a future.
The perceptions people hold about me and my relation to everything is a completely different matter. I am me. I have a certain potential. I have a past. I am made up of a very specific combination of substances that define me as a physical being. I have a color, which is made of a combination of colors, which are seen because of my body's made up of surfaces that reflect light in a certain way. I have textures. Made up of my body's different tissues. I simply am. I don't want to be judged or worrying or anticipating or longing. I simply am. I am solid and whole and have a place in the universe. I want to feel that. I do have a very specific place in the universe. It's where I am and I have that choice of being wherever I want to be. I want to exist in a realistic fully fulfilling manner. I can be spoken about like that.
Amidst the last paragraph, I flowed through the day. I watched a movie.
I look at my fingernails while holding a semi-fist.
I'm cool like that.

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