STORIES, STORIES

One of the best things about being a writer in this day and age is the endless stream of resources on the craft available to us. It’s also probably one of the worst things, because in truth, there’s so much vague writing advice floating around that’s really not that helpful. I have, however, read a few books this year that have really helped me understand and practice some writing techniques. They’re rich with practical tips, are straightforward and easy to follow, and they leave room for you to try them out for yourself.  The Glamour of Grammar This isn’t your school textbook on English grammar, and I wouldn’t say it’s for beginners – it goes deeper than your basic verb tenses, but helps you review them anyway. What I enjoyed most were the chapters on archaic grammar rules and the evolution of the language and what constitutes acceptable. The book is also very, very Not Boring. I recommend it for all writers and editors.  It me, your father. Best thing ...

Ever feel left out? The kind of left-out that makes you feel like you’re way behind in a race, even though everyone else is within arm’s length? I get that a lot. I meet people my age and I don’t feel like I belong. I meet people younger and older, and I still don’t belong. I tell myself it’s that Loser Streak that I’ve had all these years that I’ve nursed for so long, the one that convinces me time and again that maybe, maybe losers were meant to exist to help the winners feel their win so much more, and that maybe this is my purpose. The Glorified Tech Support. And the proof is in the series of failures and bad decisions that make up most of what I call my adult life. The thing about feeling this way is that I don’t say it out of some desire to get sympathy from others, or to get advice on how to “fix it.” I don’t even feel that bad or sad about it, most times I just feel introspective and resigned. And a little exhausted from introspecting. These feelings are magnified when I wat...

This satirical sitcom of American politics has taken my insulated life by storm, and I’m thankful for it. It’s a break from the dark, obsessive ambition of House of Cards (which I enjoy) and the headless-chicken, unfunny and severely uninteresting political opining of my Facebook feed (which I hate). That’s what Veep is for me, really – a combination of the heady glamour of Hollywood-ized politics and the ugly reality of its effect on the everyman. I’ve never been invested in any of that, but I’ve always wondered what it’s like behind-the-scenes, and Veep has pulled the curtain to a(n exaggerated) collection of moments that nobody is supposed to see. The show follows Selina Meyer, the fictional first female Vice President of the United States, and her posse as they maneouver the political landscape. Instead of a tightly knit plot from beginning to end, each episode is packed with scenes that feel like outtakes as they go about staging the veep’s public appearances, s...

True story: a few days ago, I wasn’t exactly having a fantastic morning and felt like skipping work or the entire day even, to just stay in bed playing Candy Crush until my brain was super-fried (I do this on regular days too, but that’s another true story). I’d already been dressed for work, and on my way out, I paused to spray on some perfume from my old bottle of Versace Vanitas. And just like that, suddenly I was invigorated. I was suddenly Charlize Theron in a luxury brand commercial wearing an expensive dress, wind from an invisible electric fan strategically blowing my gorgeous hair out of my naturally flawless face, walking in slow motion towards the camera. I felt like a million dollars (I’m pretty sure a million dollars doesn’t feel that way, but how would I know). It’s not perfume in general that gives me that romantic-comedy good-looking leading-lady-of-the-moment feels, it’s very specific fragrances. When I was growing up, my mother attended many social event...

Making (Radio?) Waves by Nessreen It’s Sunday, the sun is shining painfully bright through my window and falls right on my bed, where I have thrown my laundry. I’m sorting through my clothes thousands of miles away from Jeddah, here in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia, and I’m laughing into a freshly laundered shirt.  Listening to The Low Priority Que (The LPQ).  “And where the hell was Ghost this whole time?” Hakeem says, outraged, in the middle of a discussion about -SPOILER- Jon Snow’s demise on Game of Thrones. “Sam gets in a minor scuffle and mashallah Ghost is there to save him, but while his master was getting shanked by his own people, where was this Ghost direwolf?”  “He was probably up there on the wall, heard Jon Snow was in trouble, looked around and thought, Uff meshwar ,” says Tamim .  Well, never mind that I bungled the transcription of that sound clip (you can listen to it yourself and point out where I made mistakes right here ), and never min...

It's almost 11pm. I should be getting ready for bed like the coked out rockstar I am, but I've got that share-y care-y feeling (close cousin of the time-y wime-y), and I've got Snoop Dogg playing on my space-themed speakers, and I'm feeling like I'm owning the world.  You know the one. So before I go and recap this awesome day with some Doctor Who, here's stuff I found on the intertubules. (Click links!) Calvin & Hobbes Do you understand how insane this is ? YOU GUYS?! I never even thought this is how I'd imagined they would.. grow up to become. Until I saw this. When I was a kid, my Calvin & Hobbes comic book collection consisted of 2nd-hand, ripped and torn-apart books from those garage sales at the American School and Saudia City compound that my friends would get for me for SR10 apiece. Then Tihama Bookstores started selling them, and I had to beg my dad to take me there. He didn't much approve of comic books, es...

I'm taking a break from the craziest week of this year to overshare with you, my invisible readers. Some awesome stuff I've found in the intertubules: 1 ~ Big Hass, friend of The Jeddah Podcast , has finally done it! He is now hosting his very own hip-hop show on Mix FM KSA. I was really happy to hear this news, because he is a great example of someone who worked very hard to make something happen, who showed composure when things weren't going very well, and who stayed positive through it all. What an accomplishment, alhamdulillah. Please check it out. 2 ~ I troll the Tumblr s on a regular basis. Then I re-blog Blogger style. Here's an awesome photo of a wedding entrance by the bride . 3 ~ My father speaks internet. It sounds like this: Oh, the LOLs . 4 ~ What is real art? It is the beauty of everything, that amazement and wonder you feel when you behold something. That is real art. Can you identify art and beauty ? 5 ~ This next photo reminds me of a ...

Ya gotta love the internet. I do sometimes wish I didn't spend that much time online, but I don't mind when I do. Here's some stuff I found: 1) I'm not much into make-up and beauty, but I follow Huda Kattan over at Huda Beauty; she posts some pretty interesting stuff. Much of my interest in make-up has to do with photography, although sometimes I do get days when I feel like primping myself up and stuff. Anyway, Huda posted this video of a guy trying to put make-up on his girl. It's cute. I bet if he was a photographer, he would have done better. <3 2) I can NOT wait to get to NYC. When I do, I'm gonna go see this Brooklyn "store"  where everything is free! People come in and take what they want, but they are also encouraged to donate whatever they're not using. Books, clothes, and all kinds of shit. I've been thinking of starting something similar to it over here in Jeddah, but I don't know if it would ever work. What you guys ...