From Pretty to not-so-pretty

This picture was taken outside a mall in ksa...And i managed to take it with a lot of difficulty..Mostly cause since it is the loading/unloading area it was outside one of the (very crowded) mall entrances(Mostly crowded because of lots of very cute teenage boys trying to sneak into a family-only mall).

To whip my camera out in a place like that is out of the question, and my cell phone camera has this annoying mini flash feature that works even when you switch the flash off. So this had to be taken at night, close to mall-closing time with my dads cell phone camera(which kinda sucks compared to nokia). So its not like i had a choice, and i finally got the shot i'd wanted since i first laid eyes on it.

The thrill was kind of weird, but i had been in a strange state of mind, so i got my kicks out of doing something in a cloak and dagger way which made me feel like i was in a spy movie..i live for cheap thrills eh?and this one was for free...

Picture on a box of Qahwah (its a kind of arabic coffee,thick,strong flavour,aromatic and absolutely delicious)

When i was younger, certain supermarkets would distribute free Qahwah during certain days of the week in tiny paper cups. The size of Qahwah cups are small, they have no handles, and they look like mini bowls. We have a Qahwah cup set somewhere at home.

Its usually had without milk. I like mine with a lot of sugar, or with dates. The taste takes some getting used to because of the consistency and the bitterness. Its also popularly known as Turkish coffee.

I'm a huge fan of coffee, in any way shape or form. My coffee kick started when i was a kid, in the form of a candy called Kopiko, which tasted exactly like strong sweet coffee., andI used to eat it in place of chocolate(which i dont really enjoy all that much).

When i started college, i officially started having coffee by mixing a heaped spoonful into my milk. And i sweetened it with condensed milk.Not very healthy,i know.But it tastes soo good!! And I went from one mug, to two, and eventually my daily coffee intake became 5 mugs!(or was it more?) And each mug was around 300ml of milk! You do the math.

Coffee kills your appetite, and i had pretty much stopped eating. Not that i did it to lose weight or anything. Condensed milk isn't exactly fat free. Mom was really worried cause when she refused to buy me any more coffee I'd just go out and have some.

Then, during one of my 'vacations' to ksa, mom got rid of all the coffee in the house, and i couldn't go out to buy any by myself.

That was a really difficult time for me. I went through withdrawal symptoms., and i was cranky and depressed and frazzled all the time.I mean imagine going from 5 mugs a day, to none!

Whenever i'd pass by a vendor or a coffee place I'd make a sad face and look longingly at my mother. But she was pretty strict about it. And i slowly started regaining my appetite. She finally let me off the hook after about 4-5 months.

So that was it. Now, although i still drink the stuff, I've learnt to control my intake to 2 mugs a day.I've even had to cut down the sugar from 2 heaped teaspoonfuls to one level teaspoon per mug. Diabetes runs on both sides of the family so i gotta be careful.

The only sad thing is during exam time, i have friends who rely on the stuff to help keep them awake, but coffee relaxes me and ends up making me feel woozy. I'm actually immune to caffeine now.

I just noticed this a couple of months ago...Eggs that come with their own date of birth and death...i wonder who came up with this one...and why no one thought of it sooner.

I wake up one morning, half asleep, and look out of my window. And this is what i see...


Yes they are fully grown trees ready for planting. How cool is that!