The Indecisive Blogger

Sociological study finds parenthood does not make people happier.

Oh crap, I left my nuclear warhead in the mosque. US authorities have been secretly monitoring radiation levels at Muslim sites amid fears that terrorists might obtain nuclear weapons, it has emerged.

Bush bashing part of Berkeley holiday spirit.

Mona Eltahawy of Asharq Alawsat asks: Are we up to Spielberg's challenge of destroying Arab and Jewish myths?

Bin Laden niece poses for sexy photo shoot. All I have to say about that is...."hala wallah!" :p

Check out the entertainment year-end photos.

And also...2005 year in review.

To survive stress, keep it brief, study suggests.

Child's illness takes psychological toll on family.

Cell phones can increase your distress level.

God I love Mac. Microsoft warns of 'critical' Windows security flaw.

Iran President calles Holocaust a 'Myth'.
My take: I have nothing against Iran, but why can't President Ahmadinejad just lay low and shut up? I mean, the whole world is watching your every move right now because of uranium production. Just keep quite for a few months. Stop making stupid remarks. He already called for Israel to be wiped off the map. I think he's inviting trouble.

Poll: Arabs more optimistic about the future. An in-depth look at social and political concerns. Very Informative. For more information visit the Arab American Institute.

Personal Footnote:
I'm flying to 'the city of trees' Boise, Idaho tonight to spend some time with my friends over there. I miss that place. The last time I was there was when I graduated back in August. I miss the people as well. I have so many friends. I also like the fact that almost everybody's bellow the national poverty level. Makes me feel good about myself.

My new quote concerning L.A.: I hate this city....everybody's fucking rich!

World Cup final draw: I don't have any nails. I have also bitten through my cuticles. But finally, the Germany 2006 draw turned out ok, for Saudi Arabia at least. Group H includes fellows Tunisia, Spain, and Ukraine. Saudi Arabia will be facing Tunisia on their first game on the 16th of June in Munich. The Saudis will play their second game against Ukraine in Hamburg on the 19th. And on the 23rd, Saudi Arabia will play their final game in Group H against Spain in Kaiserslautern.
That's the group that works great for Saudi Arabia, in my opinion, that is. I mean, lately we haven't been that lucky in the World Cup. But this time, I think we're going to do something. Spain's not that lucky, either. If I were a Saudi official, I would recall Mohammed Nour for one game only; against one-man Ukraine. Nour can take care of Andriy Shevchenko. I don't think that'll be a problem :p As for Tunisia, well, we're 7abayeb :)

A good piece on "synthetic" media in the Arab world.

Falling in love is similar to a drug addiction, a US study says. "Love is a complex emotion. Undoubtedly there are changes in neurophysiology, but it not going to be down to one chemical alone."

Study: Coffee reduces liver risk.

Seattle most literate US city: study

Richard Reeves asks the question: Is George Bush the worst U.S. president...Ever.

Personal Footnote:
- Check out this month's issue cover of GQ magazine :)
- Hmm...I also found a roommate :p

I typed this on my way from Riyadh to New York.

“Is it alright to smoke on this flight?” The guy next to me asked. He also happened to be sitting in my seat. I replied with all baja7ah for the bajee7 of a person I am, “Uh..when was the last time you were on a plane?”
I had fun in Riyadh. Seriously I did. I met up with a lot of friends, ran into old high school classmates, and spent at least an hour a day with the family. I’m still the anti-social weasel in the house. I thought I grew out of it but I guess not. I have a lot of shit to do in L.A. I also need to drive/fly to Colorado to do some graduate school applying. But I have to stop by my old place in Boise, Idaho to pick my winter clothes. I had left them there after knowing that the weather in Southern California hardly ever changes.
I’m going to go ahead and list, in my opinion, the most important, or not, events that had occurred while I was in Riyadh.

- Spent Eid in my family’s hometown, Aldwadmi: Boring as usual.
- Went to Althemamah on a very cold and windy night: We had made plans to go ride those dirt buggy bikes, or whatever they’re called, then do a little bbqing later on that night. Here’s the thing. I got lost while riding the bike, and was left in al63oos (sand dunes) stranded in the starry night trying to find either my friends or my way back. sniff sniff. When I finally stumbled upon the bike rental place, the guy asks for an extra fee for returning the bike late. I was like, F’er, I almost died out there :| And yeah, no bbq, it was freezing.
- Ahilal Vs. Alahli in Riyadh: 4-1….great game. (tough luck Misfer) :p
- The tragic bombings in 3amman, Jordan and the loss of Mustafa Al3aqad (Allah yar7ameh): This man has been trying to paint a good picture for Arabs and Muslims in the eyes of the western media. Killed by the same people he was trying to defend. Again, it comes to tell you how blind terrorism is.
- Met a real old childhood friend of mine: The last time we talked was around 15 years ago when she was in my sixth grade class. I get an e-mail from her. Apparently one of her cousins told her about a blog or something then she found out about mine. I still don’t understand the story exactly, but the moral of the story is, useless blogging pays off in the end…sometimes.

I had the iPod playing in my ears while trying to sleep on this flight, in addition to many failed attempts to fall asleep, this song by M7amad 3aboh starts playing for the first time. It’s called fe selam al6a2rah. Didn’t even know this song was in my list. Pretty good song, btw. Song of the day, because I’m going to be on this flight all day. I’m somewhere over the Atlantic.