published pieces (June)

"In learning you will teach
And in teaching you will learn.."

- Son of Man, Tarzan (Phil Collins)

I've been very tied-up with a new endeavour that I took up on impulse. So far, it's been a lot of fun (and a lot of work) and I'm enjoying it. More on that in a later post sometime in the foreseeable future.

To make up for my sporadic posts, I have for you two articles that were published in bazaar magazine this month (June):

You're Someone's Type!
Live Painting Comes to Kuwait

Critical feedback is always welcome. For the piece covering the Live Painting event (an edited version of the blog post published earlier in May), I'd recommend bazaar's digital version (Page 49) so you can view all the gorgeous pictures, courtesy of Kuwait Music. If you live in Kuwait, you still have a few days to pick up a copy of bazaar, before the July-August issue hits the stands. You can find one at most Starbucks outlets.

dedicated to diva undecided.

The day I met you, I thought, "God, she's so cool."

And you are. You are hands down the sweetest, coolest girl I've met in Kuwait.

We've been friends a few months at best, but after spending time with you, whether panting by your side during the Friday morning runs, or conversing while we stuff our faces with delicacies in a restaurant or samosas and chai in Souk Safat, I've gotten to know you a lot better and now look up to you like you're my older sister (stop taking this in the wrong spirit; it's not like I said you're a wise old aunt!).

It was with you and only because of you that I made my greatest and most cherished achievement so far in 2013: completing a 5k run. A memory that always reverberates in my head when I'm running and feel like I can't go on is this: you once asked me how I was doing during a run and I said, in between my gasps for air, that I'm good. And you said, 'you're not good, you're excellent.' This pretty much sums up the positivity that you exude that is such an inspiration to me. It keeps me going and reaffirms my faith in myself.

One thing I admire about you is that you prioritize and manage your time like a boss! You're committed to so many different things yet manage to keep everyone involved happy. And no matter how long your day has been or how little sleep you've had, you're always ready with your infectious smile, and it never fails to lighten my mood.

You're one of the few people I know that is so in touch with their humanity. I have never met any girl as empathetic as you in Kuwait. Each of the Q8FS inspires me in different ways—you inspire me to do good and be good, and I love you for it.

Happy Birthday chameli. Here's to tons more conversations, runs, and disastrous musicals. 

(for Diva Undecided)

the awesomeness that was the MEFCC.

Recognize this?

I bought the One Ring at the Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) in Dubai last year. It's the ring I'm going to put on my husband's finger the day I get married.

I attended the Con again this year. It. Was. Epic. I bought some more merchandise this time, an Avengers tee for my sister and a two sizes too big Captain America one for myself (that I usually wear on the Friday morning runs to motivate me not to give up), and a couple of Superman coasters.

I'd initially planned to leave by 5 PM and head to Dubai Mall to watch the fountains and maybe visit the Underwater Zoo again, but ended up leaving after 7 PM. I had to tear myself away; I needed to leave the emirate with at least one pair of shoes (and I did) since I have such a hard time finding my size in the wretched malls here.

A narrative of my experience at MEFCC 2013 was published in bazaar magazine's May issue. Yes, I realize it's June. I apologize for not enlightening you earlier. I still expect you to read the piece and this post and share your thoughts on both. I care more about your thoughts on the article though. Just sayin'.

There was a limit to the number of pictures that could accompany the article. Scroll down for more photos for your viewing pleasure.

Max Landis! Safe to say I was crushing on him along with half
the girls in attendance.

If you've watched Chronicle and liked it, this is the guy that wrote the script. He was supposed to hold a scriptwriting workshop but for some reason it didn't happen. That was disappointing.
He is however, officially the coolest person I've ever met, and also the only person that can get away with saying 'Holy Tueldo!' without sounding like a dweeb. I was too tongue-tied to make any coherent conversation, but he was nice enough to take pictures with me!

Unbelievable the number of people
that freaked out on spotting them.

This artist's signature was adding in stormtroopers
to her paintings!

Way cooler than the Batman statue that stood beneath it.

Last year I spotted a guy clutching an actual Death Note
(Not the manga! THE REAL THING! Or as real as it can get.)
Couldn't get it off my mind for weeks.

Stormtroopers in a rendition of the Beatles' Sergeant Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band. Painting by the same artist
mentioned above (don't know her name, sorry!).

He was so in character, that when someone
remarked, "It's Jack Sparrow!", he said:
"It's Cap'n Jack Sparrow, love."

Zero from Code Geass. He bowed when I thanked him for
posing for a photo. Threw me off completely.

I love this chick's cosplay.
No idea who she's cosplaying though.

The spectacular venue.

Yet again.

Can you spot Mario and Luigi? And the Akatsuki?

Interesting project. The first is a comic for kids on Ali Kashwani,
an Emirati martyr that died protecting the island of Tunb.
The second is a take on the Arabian Nights.

Young Emirati artist's renderings.

I liked this best.

It gets pretty crowded at the Con and if you're interested in meeting and greeting the celebrities, then investing in VIP tickets makes sense, as that allows you to enter earlier. There was a press conference (which wasn't stated specifically) in one section of the venue and I was an idiot not to head there earlier while exploring. I only encountered Max Landis, Warwick Davis and Manu Bennett as it was ending, I've no idea where the rest of them were holed up (when they weren't in the autograph section—you had to pay to get photos and autographs...something I refuse to do). I would have liked to see Ioan Gruffud (from watching him depict Horatio Hornblower back when I was a kid) but I stopped caring after I witnessed Manu Bennett's jaw-dropping, rib-tickling Haka demonstration. It was HILARIOUS! Read my piece to get the lowdown. 

And then share your thoughts here :)