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Monthly Archives: September 2008

Non-Coffee Latte

When did you start drinking coffee?

I remember when they started serving it in high school and I started my tradition of the morning cup.  During university years, I lived on Arabic coffee made at home.  I was in London at the time and the endless lines of coffee shops had not yet began forming.  When I moved to Denmark, I recognised what real coffee should taste like.  Instant coffee was no longer acceptable.  I shiver as I write that horrible word “instant”.

Noor is having what they call a baby-cino (Starbucks’ slang for frothed milk).  They don’t recognise the name at Starbucks in Kuwait… So don’t bother. I think it’s a rather clever way to get the children involved when you’re at a cafe – and all they’re having is a cookie and milk.

The reason I chose this photo is Noor’s guaranteed excitement whenever I make coffee at home.  The sound of the grinder, the machine beeping to say “ready” and me appearing out of the kitchen and into the dining room – Noor always greeting me with a wonderful smile.

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Hand Picked by Hajji Haider

I always thought local green vegetables came from Wafra or Abdali. I guess I never questioned how “local” they meant.  The supplier for the co-ops of Fahaheel and Mangaf is a based in a small farm in Mangaf. This morning, Hajji Haider was harvesting for the evening shift at the shops ready for Futoor time.

More pictures available here.

Back to School

I finally managed to get a photograph of this bus. The British School of Kuwait BSK brought it over from London.  I feel it’s underutilised and wish they would use it a little more… Maybe in spring when the temperatures are more bearable. 

Next week is Eid and the three-day holiday will be complimented by two extra days. This is the case for all government schools and most private schools.  Noor will join us on holiday even if her school will still be open.

Kuwait is not really quite back to school until after Eid.

Good Morning Kuwait

The good news is I woke up on the flight to catch this beautiful moment; the bad news is that I didn’t wake up early enough to have a glass of water before sunrise.

City by Night

It was time to test the high ISO capability of my camera.  This was taken last night shortly after take off from LHR.  We were high up, it was dark and partly cloudy.  The result was not perfect – but I hope you will agree it’s worth sharing.

The river Thames meandures around the Financial District in London.  The dark clouds above tell a story of the financial troubles the world is facing.  Hope it’s a clear day soon for all.

Sunday Reading

 

I love the Sunday papers.  I personally buy the Sunday Times, whenever I’m in London.  All this reading material, which takes me at least a week to finish, printed in high quality for two pounds!

You get the usual paper with the day’s news, a weekly news review, business, money (personal finance), fashion magazine, another magazine in very high quality, culture, sports, a gadget suppliment (my favourite), a free short book, property and travel.

I want to buy it in Kuwait but I shall for ever refuse to pay 3.5 KD for something I know costs 1 KD plus shipment.

Paris to London – Via Rome

 

Ok, not quite that bad.  However, this 40-minute journey was delayed by 40 minutes!

Air traffic control were having some fun with this pilot.  Two and a half circles after flying into London’s air space, we made our final approach West into Heathrow.

 

I didn’t have a window seat but managed this photograph of the screens 🙂

Miss Spellt

 

Sometimes it is different languages that cause variations in the way we spell particular words, other times it’s people with silly phases and fashions.  The younger generations spell using more numbers than characters, q8y, i8u etc.  Dis may tk ls tm 2 typ – but bloody hell it takes me ages to decipher.

We often find ourselves typing Arabic using latin letters, again with the aid of numbers.  Who came up with 6 and 3 to mean what everyone knows they mean.  In Kuwait, beoble have their own way of spelling almost every word.  I had a nursery near my house proudly named “Little Angle”.

I’m reading a book about punctuation – Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynn Truss – and it warms me to know I’m not alone.

Spelling and punctuation aside, the different meaning of the same word between languages could cause wars.  When I first moved to Denmark, I was looking through the leaflets at the hotel lobby for things to do. On the rotating stand was a huge poster, proudly announcing the FART TIMETABLE.  I couldn’t believe it. Just how organised are the Danes?  The morning after, I was told that “fart” means “speed” and that this was the timetable for the ferry between Copenhagen and Malmo.  I decided to stay 🙂

Paris Blue

 

I love taking photographs of this truly elegant city.  I’m here on business so not much free time – actually none – but I managed to walk out of the hotel after dinner this evening.  The blue coulour symbolises Europe.  In fact the other side of the tower even has the yellow stars.  It looks very different and, I think, stads out a bit more as a result.  When it glitters on the hour it looks spectacular.

France currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union July to December 2008.

No Lounge

Since moving back to Kuwait I am flying less often with BA.  My frequent-flyer card changed from Gold to Silver and this week back to BLUE! Only two days ago!  I know it’s only fair, but it sounds crazy that after all the money I spent with BA over five years, I now have a card that one can get by simply filling in a form 🙂

I have to admit that T5 is wonderful.  You don’t need to have access to a lounge here.  I had to kill three hours.  However,  a nice meal, good coffee (I’m travelling!), a newspaper and a walk around the shops, made it feel much shorter.  The views, from inside the terminal building, of the runways and taxi ways, are the best I’ve seen from many airports.

Now that I fly around the Middle East more than I do around Europe, I have to make a new friend – Emirates.

I already miss BA.

Mangaf.net

new Mangaf.net by you.

I have been using my other blog in a similar way to this one.  I find excuses for good photographs, attemt to take them and then I post them on the blog. Today, I am making a distinction.  BuYousef.net will remain as it is today, my photographs etc.  However mangaf.net is changing.

I want it to be more interactive and informative.  I will post any news I have on Mangaf, the construction, events, notices and more.  Readers can also add their comments and discussions. It’s still under construction.  Have a look anyway and let me know your thoughts.

The photograph above was taken today.  This is my new MSI Wind which is one of my best buys for some time… I’ve also been using Google Chrome (a new browser) which is just excellent.

Crossing the Thames

 

I recently joined an online Kuwaiti forum dedicated to Aviation.  Nice group of people, mostly captains I think.  The website is rich with information on aviation and links.  Photos and videos of airplanes and airports, and much more.  Best of all, in my opinion, is access to a softward that allows you to see planes over Kuwait… LIVE!  You have to qualify for access by registering and writing in the forum.  

It’s such a small world, I found out that the founder is the brother of an old friend.

Visit KuwaitStorm.

I posted some of my old photographs at their forum, and while searching for images I came across this one. I took this earlier this summer just before landing at Heathrow.  If you look carefully, you can almost see the London Eye in full.  Almost direclty opposite are the houses of parliament which are visible in the larger versions.

Fasting is Easy

I love everything about the holy month of Ramadan.  I find fasting easy even with the thirst in this terrible heat/humidity.  What I find most difficult is not being able to have freshly brewed coffee.

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