(Mom, sorry, I ruined the carpet…)

Almost a month ago, my friend Sarah and I went looking for a location with a nice view to drink our coffee. We ended up cruising in Hay Il Rashid, completely forgetting about the coffee, and finding ourselves engrossed in discussions pertaining to Amman’s architecture.

We found Hay Il Rashid interesting mainly due to two reasons based on our own observations:

1. The housing organization- Expensive villas are neatly sited side by side at the very top of the hill, and the housing becomes less expensive as the hill declines until you finally reach a very poor area towards the valley.

(Two houses found in Jabal Il Rashid, the first one in upper Jabal Il Rashid and the second one down below closer to University Street. Click to enlarge).

More/Other examples(click to enlarge):

2. The architecture is intriguing- I’m not sure if this area was built during the 70’s or the 80’s, but the style is very linear, practically modernistic. It’s very different from housing in other old area in Amman like Jabal il Weibdeh and Shmesani. Here’s a perfect example of the architecture in middle Hay Il Rashid. Unfortunately, the picture doesn’t do this beautiful house justice, but the linearity is apparent(click to enlarge).

I also fell in love with this house(below), in lower Hay Il Rashid. Isn’t it gorgeous?

How the hell are you supposed to find your glasses when YOU’RE NOT WEARING THEM?!

Jeeda is around 4 months old now. Isn’t she adorable? Look at those eyelashes!

After a almost a year from my last sculpting class, I finally put my sculpting abilities to good use today, and those five hours were the best hours of my week!

The fun of sculpting had completely slipped from my memories, and I found myself carving away the stress of a deadline.

I made this little furniture for the interior design of my travel agency, and I still need to smooth them up(with a wet sponge if anyone is interested), and paint them(I’m fluctuating between black leather or brown leather, any suggestions?)

Yay, two more couches to be mad, 8 chairs, and a few tables, then I’ll have to go back to the boring job of cutting cardboard :\

Great news you guys, I don’t have any psychological disorders!

Well, at least I don’t have anything severe… I am a moderately “Schizotypal”, “Histrionic”, “Narcissistic”, and “Obsessive-Compulsive”.

That’s basically saying that I “Moderately” have the following characteristics:

1. Odd forms of thinking and perceiving.

2. Engage in eccentric behavior and have difficulty concentrating for long periods of time.

3. Speech difficult to follow.

4. Use of grandiose language to discribe everyday events and seek constant praise.

5. Exaggerate friendships and relationships, believing that everyone loves them.

6. Choosy about picking friends, since they believe that not just anyone is worthy of being their friend. Have difficulty maintaining long-lasting relationships.

7. Need to do everything “right” often interferes with their productivity.

8. Set unreasonably high standards for themselves and others, and tend to be very critical of others when they do not live up to these high standards.

9. Avoid working in teams, believing others to be too careless or incompetent.

10.They often have difficulty expressing emotion.

Honestly, I sorta agree with numbers 1, 2, 6, 9, and 10. I know what you’re thinking, but at least I’m not “antisocial”, “avoidant”, and “dependant”. I’d definitely prefer being a self-centered beep over an antisocial, dependent loser any time of the day.

So what are your psychological disorders? I’d be really interestered to see what answers some people will get (especially Ammar :P)

My answers:

Disorder | Rating
Paranoid: Low
Schizoid: Low
Schizotypal: Moderate
Antisocial: Low
Borderline: Low
Histrionic: Moderate
Narcissistic: Moderate
Avoidant: Low
Dependent: Low
Obsessive-Compulsive: Moderate

+Subzero Blue

In a major step toward granting political rights to women in Kuwait, lawmakers agreed yesterday to permit them to vote and run in local council elections, although the measure requires more legislative action before it becomes law.

The bill passed on a 26-20 vote, with three abstentions. A second reading and a second vote, expected in two weeks, is required. Then it needs the Kuwaiti ruler’s signature, generally a formality.

+Post Gazette, Subzero Blue

Way to go Kuwait!!!

Taken by m7ammad.

As a part of an ingenious plan to kiss the doldrums away, I went to get my hair cut the other day. You know, the whole “let’s-spoil-ourselves-rotten-to-feel-better-about-ourselves” deal that women are famous for.

So I hit Rashed’s, the salon behind the super sleek hair and the perfectly groomed bangs of a good amount of Ammanite women. Rashed spoted me as soon as I stepped into his salon, and I was immediately sucked into the ball game of the Beautifier himself.

He greeted with the usual equivalent of “hey, honey” in Arabic- “Hala Hayateh!!!” (Yes, Hayateh, not 7ayati, hayateh! HAYATEH! The Lebanese way in the middle of Jordan! It’s as if Article 13 of the Jordanian Union of Hairdresser’s Terms states, “Thou shalt speak, look, and act like the gay hairdresser in Nancy Ajram’s ‘Yeeeeeeeeey’ video.”) After the greetings, I was ushered through the usual process of hair washing, hair cutting, and hair drying, my only demand being “change”.

And change it was, I left the salon with a fountain-like hairdo after a very unsuccessful curling attempt and too much hairspray.

As soon as I got home- hoping to look remotely normal again- I washed the shitload of hairspray off, dried my hair, and gazed at Rashed’s unstyled, unhairsprayed, and unwaxed creation- Behold, Oh, People of Adam, Roba has a mullet.

Yes, a goddamn mullet! It’s as if the Beautifier is keeping me in check with my lifetime plan to always look as crusty and unkempt as the next guy.

But seriously, a mullet? Why couldn’t he have given me a Mohawk instead? After all, I always wanted a Mohawk.

Next hair post, I’m going to be singing “I shaved my head once, nanana!”

HATCHING IS AN ABSOLUTELY MINDLESS JOB THAT I DESPISE TO DEATH!!!!!

While surfing the almighty internet today, I came upon screenshots of 80’s videogames on some gaming site and found my self rolling in nostalgia (we always were a videogame family).

It felt really weird to look at the screenshots of the games on the site as I had completely forgotten about these games very existence, and my memories of the eagerness all flooded back.

It feels even weirder that I have spent the past hour playing all these games that I haven’t played in well over a decade. It’s as if I am a little kid again- rushing from school to be the first to grab the joystick and fighting with the boys over whose turn it was. I spent so much time kneeling across from a little TV in my brothers’ bedroom.

My favorite game was always Super Mario Brothers…Any other 80’s videogamers? :)

I’m not romantic. At all.
Yet, I still dig cool pictures. Doesn’t this look like a wedding you’d want to attend?

(Note: these are actually Caterina Fake and Stewart Butterfield, members of the Ludicorp team(of Flickr fame). Doesn’t this make you love Flickr even more?)

The last prime of LBC’s Star Academy 2 just stopped airing live, and the winner of this years season was finally announced- Hisham Abdul Rahman from Saudi Arabia.

I’m really disappointed. Although I must admit that Hisham has the better personality, Amani’s voice is one of the most stunning voices you could hear. I also think that along this seasons students, the stars should have been Amani, Zizi, Katia, and the Kuwaiti Ahmed.

It’s sad that we Arabs vote don’t vote for talent, but rather, for humor(like last years Mohammad Attiah), or for nationalism(like Hisham this year). I think that Bahaa should have won last year and Amani this year.

The prime was also really disappointing, nothing special happened and they only brought one guest, Assi Il Hilani.

Irrelevant, and I’m not in the mood to merge it into this post seamlessly, but my favorite part about the whole season was Katia singing and acting to Moulin Rouge’s soundtrack(watch it here, disable pop-up blocker).

Anyhow, congrats to Hisham.