Irritable Vowel Syndrome

Irritable vowel syndrome (IVS) is a functional vowel disorder characterised by transliteration pain, discomfort and/or bloating; and is relieved by excessive increase in vowel allocation.
Such that a simple term like kitab becomes kitaab.
Loose vowel distribution (diiiaaarrhoooeeeaaa) or retentive obsession (cnstptn) may predominate, or they may even alternate (classified as IVS-D, IVS-C or IVS-A, respectively.)
IVS may [...]

Strangers in the night (chemist)

I’d just finished to visit a friend in hospital and figured that I might as well stock up on some ‘A/C-induced-flu’ medicine from the hospital pharmacy before I made my way back home.
I opened the door to the chemist’s and was greeted by a smiling face.
“Do you have something like Calpol, you know liquid paracetamol [...]

What’s a “Mr. Majeika”?

I was quite disappointed to find out that some of the terms, phrases and expressions that I learnt as a child are dying out in their usage.
I had been talking with a close friend when I became distracted and had to stop him mid-conversation to inform him that he had a “Mr. Majeika.” Then, very [...]

The spawn of Mr. Potato Head

Yes, I’ve succumbed (or perhaps, stooped) to photographing amusingly shaped vegetables!
I discovered this fine specimen at Tamimi Market and took a couple of quick snaps before leaving him perched on top of some onions , so that others might marvel at his foetal like characteristics.
If you look closely at the picture on the right, I’m [...]

Muslim Aid

A good idea but why restrict yourself to half of the Muslim market?
Don’t sisters bleed too?
What we need some is SisPlast.

Shock News: Bin laden with rubbish photographed!

I think this is one thing that I like about Saudi - the little men on bins wear thobes.
Well, actually I have two interpretations to the logo above and haven’t decided which is a more valid explanation for this fine specimen of a motif.
The optimistic interpretation:
The little stick man in the picture is indeed [...]

I’m going to call them …

Sitting there, as I often do, holding a greasy shāwarmā in my hand and trying to click the mouse button with the least dirty of all my fingers, I got to thinking: “Surely, non-Muslims don’t find eating whilst surfing the net as challenging as I do?”
Obviously it’d be easy to dismiss all that follows [...]

Backseat bloggers

One recreational hazard of being a blogger is the existence of a group people that I like to refer to as the backseat bloggers.
These are generally friends, colleagues or family members that you know in “real” life and who, being fully aware that you write a blog, insist on pointing at every mundane thing that [...]