Eid 2008 - Day four - 4th Shawal - 3rd October

A family day.

I will cut through, going to the main event. It wasn't a good start, but it ended in a good way (BARELY.)

Well, I was forced to go with my sisters to the... what's it called? Amusement park I think. Well, to be honest, even though I didn't do anything, it was really fun! Me and my eldest sister put our money together to buy a digital camera. It was on sale, a super great offer! 379 Saudi Riyals. It came with a 2 GB Sandisk. The optical zoom is 3X and it's 7.2 Mega Pixels. I'm so happy and excited about it. I took many pictures of my sisters and cousins, Saleh and Assim. I asked my little brother to take a picture of me. I like my new glasses, they are barely there! Well, I think that's all. I have very short term memory. So I barely remember much X3

Eid 2008 - Day Three - 3rd Shawal - 2nd October

Another long day of sleep. I woke up even later, it was almost 4 o'clock. I feel like an owl, sleeping all day, up all night. Well, it's 3rd of Eid, so Haitham, Dad and I went to buy some bus tickets to go back to Mukalla. First, we went to this bus company called "Quraish"... IT WAS INSANE!! Dirty buses, crowded, I'm not sure if it's safe even. It was so crowded that the luggage was put in the bus with the passengers. There were only two bus companies that goes to Mukalla through Sharorah. It was the fastest way to Mukalla, the trip lasts 28 hours. It's exhausting, but we kind of got used to it.

So, we had no choice but Bin Mo'ammar, the one we always use. The thing with those buses it smoking. The reason why we didn't go there is that they raised their prices. But thankfully, they lowered them again a

The drivers are so inconsiderate. They would smoke in the bus but if someone else smokes, they'd pick the speaker and say "Hey, who ever is smoking in the back there put off your cigarette, smoking isn't allowed in the bus." A few minutes later, the driver smokes a cigar. I have a sister with asthma and kids with me, I tend to be a bit angry around those drivers. I hope who ever the driver is, wouldn't smoke while driving. GOD! We have like a hundred stop every now and then! They should be smoking during those stops.

Oh well, we booked some tickets with BM and were heading back home. Haitham didn't want to go home so we dropped him at my uncles'. While heading home with Dad, I got a phone call from Ahmed Al Therwy (th as in thermo.) It was a life saving moment. I really had no intention of spending the whole day home. We've decided to meet after sunset prayer.

After the prayer we met, we were both wearing the ankle-length white shirt, the "thoub". He was wearing the whole Saudi outfit, a white "ghotra" and black "I'gal", I only wore my usual white hat. We took the bus to Al Balad and walked around all day talking, buying ice cream and coffee, and a bit of a social difference discussion. It was really fun, he bought me a farewell gift too. A bottle of Cologne. At 1st I thought he bought it to himself, but then I was really surprised when he handed the bag to me. He said "I hope you'd remember me every morning." It was really nice, a very nice day indeed.

Well, here ends the 3rd day of Eid to me. That's all? Yeah, there are other things that are so #$%^&* annoying which I would rather not mention.

Eid 2008 - Day two - 2nd Shawal - 1st October

I was 1st to wake up that day. I woke up around 10 am and took the plug and went online. As always, everyone was asleep so I plugged in my laptop and snuck online ^^." I was bored so I went to www.meez.com and got into my favorite room. It was still not crowded so it was really nice. I met a Romanian girl and a Greek girl. My Dad woke up around 3 so the fun was over. After 5 pm, Dad took everyone to my uncles' place while I stayed home. We were supposed to buy some tickets to Yemen. He came back but he was annoyed and decided to stay home. We sat watching TV until about 8 O'clock. We went to my uncles' and met with Uncle Khalid there. My little brother went with him ahead of us to the place where we were supposed to meet all together.

It wasn't a pleasant trip for me. Dad kept accusing me for being not proud of my own culture, away from all that is surrounding me. I admit, I was like that but not anymore. I'm really trying but pressing on me as if I will become a true tribal over night is really getting on my nerves. We were almost lost cause we got in a really big argument in the car.

Finally there! Things are at last calmed down a bit. At 1st it was just us, Uncle Ali and Uncle Khalid (with their families.) They wanted to block the road so we can have our private space. Dad and I refused, it was really inappropriate to do so. It's not like we own the street. Some people did so, but that doesn't make it right.

It wasn't long before the rest my uncles arrived. Uncle Ali and my Dad sat together talking about work =.=" Uncle Mohammed said it right, "it's either those two's work issues or the family name, we never talk about anything else." Uncle Abdullah was interested in their work though, money was in his head. He had a lot of papers, 30 years worth of bills and other stuff. WASCO, where I worked all summer, was part of MEPCO, where Dad and Abu Ghala (uncle Ali) worked. They buy used paper, carton, card boards and such, and send them to MEPCO to recycle them into new paper.

YES!! My long awaited meal! RICE AND MEAT! MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT MEAT!!!! I just meeeeeeeeeeeeat!! I feel like Luffy in "One Piece" X3

After dinner, my cousins gathered around their cars and started music. They started with a few Arabic songs, but then came the legend, Don Legend! The Wedding, by Qusai 'Don Legend' rocked the night.

After a while we put some classical Hadhrami dance music, called Hbaish. It was so much fun, but.. I don't know how to dance like they do T_T

Some people heard the music and they joined us. If Only I had a camera! I did record last year's dance. I have it on youtube.com, it's not really much but here it is, it's 2 parts:

 

 

Well, after that it was already getting late so we all headed home. G'night~~

Eid 2008 - Day one - 1st Shawal - 30 September

Part 1

After the long month of Ramadan, in which we fast from sunrise to sunset, it's finally Eid. Eid is the annual holiday that takes place after Ramadan, the 1st three days of Shaw'wal (the month that comes after Ramadan.) It's somehow similar to Christmas, we buy gifts and new clothes, give out charity, visit family and have a wonderful, wonderful time!

We didn't go to sleep since we woke up on 29th September, which was also the last day of Ramdan, the 29th too. We went doing some last minute shopping all night. Dad fell asleep, but me and Haitham, my little brother, went to catch the Eid prayer. T_T People were coming back while we were going, so sadly we missed it. So, it was 6:45 am and we're knocking on our apartment's door coming back a bit embarrassed.

My mother woke up Dad to take us to my uncles' place (Mom's side.) Dad was half asleep, he dropped us and left immediately back home hitting the sack once again. I've met my Unlces Ali, Khalid, and Mohammed and exchanged holiday greetings with them. Ahmed Khalid was with his father by the door too. Uncle Mohammed gave me the keys to his apartment and asked me to open up the door and air conditioners and then wait there. I went and did so, waited patiently with my little brother Haitham. I asked him to take a few pictures of me, it's not much though ^^."

The brats came up. Saleh and Asim, sons of my Aunt E., and Rayan, Abdullah and Rifal, Uncle Khalid's kids. Asim and Saleh are the most annoying kids you'd ever lay hands on. They keep telling me that they'll "grow out of it," but I can't seem to see that. I think they get worse by the minute. Every year they get more rude, more annoying, more harassing too. They don't rest until they really get on your nerves and start shouting on them. And they are only 7 (Asim) and 11 (Saleh.)

Abdullah and Rayan are such little Angels. Abdullah is 9 or 10 I think, but Rayan is barely 4 years old. Abdullah is so far the only one I like from my cousins, from my mother side. My sister begged me to ask one of them to go to the cafeteria. I asked Abdullah and the others. Of course, none of them wanted to go. I would have forced them, but I had a better idea. I gave Abdullah the money to buy from the cafeteria, and gave him a holiday treat (more like bribe) 4 Saudi Riyals (=~ 1$) and he went with a big smile on his face. I got bored so I went down to say hi to Grandma (we call her Sittu - pronounced like sit 2 - ) I found out that my uncles all went out and left me alone there with the kids. I felt a bit insulted. Why didn't they take me with them? They were going to visit my Uncles Omar and Abdullah (father's side, also their cousins,) so why didn't they take me with them? I gave my little brother the keys Uncle Mohammed gave me and decided to leave.

I was hungry >.< I walked by the cafeteria I used to go when I was little. Sheesh, was I this stupid to love his sandwiches? It's freaking disgusting! Plus the place was crowded so I passed it walking home. I saw another cafeteria but it was crowded too. Then, I saw Abu Zaid Restaurant. I didn't care how crowded it was, I just wanted to eat ma'soob! I went through that crowd and waited till it was finally my turn, took my food and went home. Dad was asleep, I started eating while continuing to read my One Piece Manga, I so wanted to finish it before I go back to Mukalla. I heard my Dad's phone ring, but he didn't answer. I automatically assumed he was really tired and didn't even hear the phone ringing next to him. You see, that was my fatal mistake, I "assumed"... NEVER ASSUME!! cause when you do, you make an "ass" out "u" and "me" >.< I'd rather skip this unfortunate incident, and move on with my day. It was almost 9 am, My family finally came back with my uncle Mohammed, and we all fell asleep immediately after having breakfast. Well, except for me, I loaded "The nightmare before Christmas part 1" on www.youtube.com and watched those ten minutes before I fell asleep. The electricity went off >.< I went out, turned off the power, and turned it back on and the electricity was on again. I was really tired, it's about 10 am, and it's been almost 24 hours since I woke up. It's time for me to hit the sack!

Part 2

I woke up by Mom around 7 pm. Well, it's the second half of the 1st day in Ramadan. The 1st day is all about visiting relatives and friends, but I don't think I'd be seeing any friends today. We all went to my Uncles' house again, and this time we stayed there all of us. We were talking about this and that, customs and traditions, festivals here and there, News about him and her. The usual family gathering. I asked My cousin Ahmed K. to take a picture of me and send it to my cell phone. My uncles (father side) came too. Uncle Omar came from Riyadh, and Uncle Abdullah brought him along with his son Majid Abdullah. His grand children were there too, Abdullah son of Majid, and Turki son of Salim Omar (Uncle Omar's grandson.) Mr. Mohammed Zaki came too, my aunt H.'s husband. It wasn't long before the whole discussion turned about the family's name and tribe's name. I won't talk about this now, cause it's a really annoying issue and there are too many details about it. But the good news is that things reached court, there's another family (Bin Silm) that say that they are blood connected to us, and they aren't really. Dad and his brothers aren't really getting along very well. It may seem that they are, but they aren't. He tried to call them all day long but they don't pick up. BOTH of them! And after they left, he tried to call and they didn't answer yet. After the long tiring conversation about the family's main issue, everyone went home. Except us, Dad decided we should go to his brother Abdullah's house, don't ask me why >.<

Another episode of the family name issue started there, and discussions went on and on. I kind of tried to appear modestly, not too involved and not to carefree about the issue. I sat by Mohammed Omar and went talking about movies, music, computers, hacking, and many things. I discovered that Ahmed K. sent me a virus along with my picture T_T I WILL KILL YOU AHMED KHALID!

Finally, after late dinner, and many different conversations and making better family relationships, we left! it's now 3:55 am (1st October) and I'm exhausted. We decided to wait a bit more and sleep after we pray Fajr, which is about an hour away. Putting the final touches for the 1st day post. Until then, I'm gonna figure out something to do cause my brother is using the net and I'm bored to death.