Good Site Gone Down

I'm very excited for this weekend to come...because I'm going to Dubai. I wanted to make it extra special and decided to check out what one of my favorite UAE websites have to offer....Blue Banana...a site that lets you browse through all kinds of creative activities you can choose ..and they actually let you purchase them online. These included a private dinner on the beach for two, or learning how to fly a plane among other fun/romantic/crazy ideas..you name it, they had it! I haven't checked the site for a long time because I've not really had time to visit Dubai, but to my shock the site wouldn't open up...it's like it never existed...I googled the site and my eyes blinked...this article is saying the sites down because the the guy behind it ran away! The company has gone bankrupt! The article is pretty interesting though because the CEO, Simon Ford...has atleast written a statement in which he promises to return all the borrowed money and feels really sad about leaving Dubai. For some reason...I don't see him as a criminal I just don't get how the hell he got bankrupt, all he had to do was see what the user chose as a gift, and organize it for him/her while profiting from it! Here is part of what he has written:
“Tragically, the debt of the business reached a level on Thursday 18 June that personal threats were being made against me and my family, which left me no choice but to leave four years of passion behind and take my family out of the country.
I am not running away from debt, I am purely protecting those dearest to me and getting out of a country which, due to the lack of structured bankruptcy laws and a banking system which has zero flexibility on loan repayments, drives people to make horrible decisions.”
So sad.
It really was a great website. RIP Blue Banana :/

Cookies!

Well this is the first food post and hopefully the first of many more to come!

I decided to make my yummy cookies. I love that they're chewy but not cakey or soft. They're so perfectly chewy.

I won't be sharing the exact recipe because I'm just mean. Anyways, enjoy the pictures.

First of all, I believe in keeping the butter out for at least an hour before baking. I like them to be soft and at room temperature. Its easier to work with butter like that, and the results are much better. I never use the microwave when baking (or ever for that matter), so melting the butter in the microwave is not me. Not only do I keep the butter out, but also eggs and milk, if the recipe requires them.

So here's a look at my butter settling in room temperature and softening, right by the eggs.

When the time is right (butter is soft, eggs at room temperature), I begin.

I start off with a medium bowl and just whisk together the flour, baking soda, and a pinch of salt.

I'll just set that aside, and work on the rest of the ingredients.

Using a large mixing bowl, I'll blend the sugars together. I used white sugar and brown sugar. I also used a hand mixer.

So, I blend them together until they are just mixed. Next, I add 2 sticks of butter.

Did I mention that I LOVE butter? Doesn't it look so gorgeous?

So I blend it all together, until it becomes sort of a grainy paste. I always watch out not to overmix. It needs to be just blended.

Before I go on, I'd like to talk about the star of my cookie dough. I recently bought vanilla extract from the "Organic Food" corner in Shamiya Co-op. Let me tell you what a difference it has made. Essentially, I was looking for PURE vanilla extract, and I thought I would find it there (no luck in all co-ops, Sultan, Carrefour, and Dean&Deluca). So they showed me this and I was like, "Well, it isn't pure- but I can't find vanilla extract anywhere else".

Boy was I happy I bought it! It has this caramel-like substance and smells like vanilla/candy. I noticed a big difference in my baking- the taste was heavenly! Here is what it looks like:

So, back to the cookie dough.

Then, I add 2 eggs and vanilla.

Here, I'm experimenting with my camera. I prefer not to use flash but sometimes it gives more color.

Oh! Speaking of eggs, my cousin called me up and asked me a question- how do we know when an egg is bad? When it floats in water or sinks?

So I googled it and it turns out that when u place your egg (not cracked yet) in a bowl of water , it should float if it is rotten, and sink if it is fresh.

Anyways, back to the cookies. I then blend the grainy paste and the eggs and vanilla.

Again, I'm always careful not to overmix.

Lastly, I add in the flour mix I made at the beginning and the chocolate chips.

Then- VOILA! Cookie dough.

It should be creamy, fluffy, and smell oh so good!

After that, I use 2 small spoons to make ball shapes and drop onto a cookie sheet. No wax paper, butter, or nonstick spray needed!

Then, I put the cookie sheet/ baking tray in a 300F oven, and bake for 19 minutes.

I then remove them from the baking tray and place the cookies on wire racks to allow them to cool, and allow their holy chewiness to form.

At this point, they're very tempting.

I didn't use flash when taking the pictures so the colors may look a little dull (I like it that way, though)

The aroma is too much to handle. They are literally fresh out of the oven. Taking a bite into one results in a sensation that I still can't find words to describe. Oh- and the chocolate will still be melted. I can go on and on..

Well too bad because they weren't for me. Here they are packaged and ready to be presented to my lucky recipients!

The End.

Food Blog?

OK so I wasn't planning on posting this today so I wouldn't admit that I watched 2 movies today.. Yes, I am a free unemployed happy person..

Well anyways ever since I heard of this movie, Julie & Julia, I've been wanting to watch it so badly. However, I didn't have the chance to catch it in theaters. Well my saviour "Manish" had it delivered to my home, and I finally got to watch it with Amna. Yes she is also free, unemployed, and happy- and watched both movies with me, one in the morning and the other (Veronika Decides to Die) at night.

So, back to the main point. Being a food lover, this movie got me. It got me to the bones. I fell in love with butter all over again, and tasted, smelled, and savoured all of the dishes made throughout the movie.

I was so inspired! I want to- have to- do something similar!

So there, I said it officially in front of everyone. This is for you, MQ ;P In case you start complaining or something.. You have officially been warned.

I want to bake/cook various dishes, take pictures while doing so, and post it all here!

Lets hope I stick to the plan because I sure am excited about this..

Hmm I wonder what I should start with first?

QWERTY ;P

I was watching the movie "Veronika Decides to Die" today. It was really exciting since I had read the novel by my all-time favorite, Paulo Coelho.

It was a cool movie. As I always say, I love wierdo crazy movies because after watching, it makes me feel perfectly normal! Is that crazy?

Anyways its always a treat to watch a movie of a book I read because then I can compare my imagination with what the movie shows ( my imagination always wins :D ).

So what I thought was interesting is a new fact I learned from the movie.

Why do we have QWERTY keyboards?

Seriously, just take a look at your keyboard for a few seconds, doesn't the way the letters are organized look wierd? It may not look it at first because we are so used to it, but I mean how come it isn't alphabetically ordered? Or consonants then vowels? Any type of logical organization ?!! Look at the letters one by one. Have you ever wondered why they were organized this way?

Well, back when people typed on typewriters, the letters were actually organized ALPHABETICALLY. But you know what the problem was? People used to type so quickly, that the letters would get jammed. So, Mr. C. Latham Sholes came up with the QWERTY keyboard, so people would type s-l-o-w-e-r!

Ironic, huh? How we now want to type as fast as possible..

PS. I found this in wikipedia-

"While it is often said that QWERTY was designed to "slow down" typists, this is incorrect – it was designed to prevent jams while typing at speed, yet some of the layout decisions, such as placing only one vowel on the home row, did have the effect of hobbling more modern keyboards."

Oops? Whatever is true, its still interesting to know.

Hot Job Offer!

Check out this offer from Bayt.com...it's the kind of job you hear friends talk about but somehow doesn't register in your mind..it's just too good to be true...but actually it is true- Ladies will be loving this!

"Mystery Shopper Needed in Kuwait"
ISC is currently looking for people of all ages who are thoughtful, have an eye for detail and with good reporting skills, who reside in Kuwait:
Jahra - Dabahiya - Benaider - Qurain - Hadiya - Rigga - Fahaheel - Kossour - Abouhalifa - Sulaibikhat

One sentence that caught my eye: "If you are asked to do the visit in a different city, you will be paid travel expenses in addition to your checker fee."
Whatever is asked of you to do, whether to try out a new menu, or buy a piece of clothing...it's all yours for free baby!

Renter Romances

I would like to share with you an email i received this afternoon from a website i contacted when i first moved to chicago in search of an apartment last April. i wonder what sort of feedback they'll be receiving. and will there be any matchmaking after the results come through? americans make me laugh sometimes.
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This month's topic: Renter Romances

Apartments.com wants to know what renters want. To find out, we'd like to get your opinion on a variety of topics that are important to you. In the spirit of the upcoming Valentine's Day holiday, we would like to know how you will - or will NOT - be celebrating Valentine's Day.




Click the button below to answer a survey on renter romances. Answer questions like:

Do you believe in love at first sight?
Do you kiss on the first date?
Would you ever get romantically involved with someone who lives at your apartment community?
Have you ever had a romantic affair with your roommate?




Your feedback is valuable! As a special thank you for completing this survey, we'll send you the results so you can see how your thoughts compare to those of other renters.

View "Renter 2010 Moving Plans" survey results here.

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Hope for Haiti

Tonight at 9 pm (Kuwait and KSA time) MTV Arabia will be broadcasting the fundraising concert for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, and George Clooney have gathered with the help of MTV many musicians and celebrities within 10 days to show support for Haiti. These include performances broadcasted live from New York, London, L.A and of course Haiti.

Some performances to watch out for:

Madonna

Mary J. Blige

Shakira

Coldplay

Christina Aguilera

Justin Timberlake

Sting

Rihanna (pre-recorded Bob Marleys famous Redemption song)

Jay-Z

Taylor Swift

Alicia Keys

Stevie Wonder

Some appearances by film stars will include:

Brad Pitt

Leonardo Dicaprio

Julia Roberts

Matt Damon

Denzel Washington

Halle Berry

Will Smith

Tom Hanks

Nicole Kidman

For the people abroad...it will be broadcasted live online on many sites, including Youtube.

Don't forget to donate here.