Kuwait Information Guide, Published by the British Ladies Society

Foreigners! I found a great book you should own. IT IS EXCELLENT!

I can't believe I have been living here for so long and haven't purchased one of these. I knew about it, but I just never got around to it - until it was right in front of me.

The British Ladies Society publishes and (and God love 'em because its a PITA) updates a Kuwait Information Guide; which is much more comprehensive than any other I have seen in Kuwait. (One of my biggest gripes is that you can't obtain a comprehensive country guide on Kuwait - even from the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry. RRRRR! How are you supposed to promote trade?)

I meet a lot of people through this blog. Many are moving to Kuwait or coming her for the first time. Many are business people; All want to know more. (Most of the blogs are outdated, unfortunately.) What I have found is that travel guides on Kuwait are published by people who bop into the country, try to learn as much as they can, bop out, and start writing as if it is reality. It isn't. Unless you have lived here, you really don't know (and the same could be said for anywhere else in the world). The longer you live here, the better.

Brits tend to stick around Kuwait longer than Americans (over the 15-year mark). Americans are bossy and arrogant and can't understand why things don't bend to our rules. (C'mon - we do too!) (Yes, yes, I admit to being a "brass American".) We also have good weather at home and pay less tax. It rains a lot in the UK and there are a lot of cold, white people who flock to places like Kuwait with sun. Brits are also better brewers than Americans are (you know its true). They can adapt. This is my Desert Girl hypothesis.

So, having said that, the British Ladies Society are the ideal people to write a guide on Kuwait. I enjoy their pithy writing style too: "Its censorship of movies often makes a night at the cinema an exercise in guesswork as you try to piece together a chopped-up plot." "You'll find that Kuwait is the land of harmess stares, wherever you go." Pith! We like.

If you know me, I always recommend that newcomers obtain 2 books: Kuwait Pocket Guide and the Kuwait Top List. For my first year in Kuwait, I kept the KPG in my handbag! The Kuwait Information Guide has just moved up to my new favorite. It provides EVERYTHING you need to know in an in-your-face manner (which is, bien sur, true Desert Girl fashion). I can't believe I haven't been recommending this book all along. It probably would have saved friends a lot of time and effort.

The book is 105 pages and contains a yellow pages section listing businesses, and maps of Kuwait including various areas with places of interest. For information on how to buy one, see their website. The cost is a minimal 5 KD or free if you become a BLS member (and you don't need to be Briddish!)

I am very interested in joining, but I don't know if I'll ever be able to get to their meetings as they are held in the mornings (sadness). I may just join to promote their work as they are a wonderful group of people and I believe in what they do (like the charity event last night in support of Animal Friends league).

Kuwait Information Guide table of contents.

Way to go, British ladies! You ROCK!

The British Ladies Society, Phone (965) 9780-6950, e-mail: info@theblskuwait.com, http://www.theblskuwait.com/

Facebook

Those of you who are my friend on FB know that I love FB. I comment about everything. And now - you get to see me comment here!

I got this stupid, superficial Facebook quiz from a pal yesterday. I couldn't tell if someone created it as a spoof on Kuwaiti society or not (maybe you can tell me?). (If you even attempt to answer this first questionnaire, I immediately know which type of Kuwaiti you are: superficial.)

It irked me so I created my own:

Facebook spoofs: I frickin HATE Farmville! (I know, CK, you are addicted and you can't help it.) I don't care if someone's cute little whatever needs more powertools on their farm. OFF to the butcher!

Wedding Faked for Sex

Today's Arab Times had an interesting story:

"Police have arrested a Kuwaiti man for cheating an unidentified young woman, reports Al-Anba daily.

According to reports the man wanted to have 'fun' (also known as "sex") with the woman and he to fulfill his wish said he wants to marry her. (DG Note: first, that is written completely wrong and the punctuation is incorrect, but hey, we get the point.)

He then allegedly took her to a marriage officer in Ahmadi and married her in front of a marriage officer. However, a few days later when the girl asked to see the marriage contract, she was shocked when she discovered the marriage officer was a fake person. (DG: Again, that is F-ed up writing!!! What the F is a "fake person" - a plastic blow-up doll? A robot? A droid?)

Police are looking for the marriage officer."

I have some questions. Otay, where is the girl's family in all this (especially if she is gone for a few days on her "honeymoon" in somebody's borrowed F flat)? Doesn't she know she has to have witnesses? Where are your fake friends? Girlfriend, you get a dowry and a dress and a party and all kinds of cool stuff. One word: CHABKA! If you're gonna give it up ("fun"), make it worthwhile - even for a fake marriage! Men try to pull that stuff on us foreign women all the time - at least get educated about your fake wedding! (My girlfriend got a new set of tires and a refrigerator. GO FOR IT. Aim high, baybeeee.)

2010 Health Club Prices & Info

Now & Then : Health clubs in Kuwait & Membership charges

Thanks to DA of ChillNite for posting the following updated health club information.

Happy Easter!

I LOVE Easter (don't let my sick sense of humor fool you). It reminds me of my mother and my sister and going to church on P Street. It is funny how little glimses of life stay with you. My sister and I had matching kelly green Easter coats and I always associate that color with Easter. My mom was outstanding at Easter arrangement: she would hide candy all over the place and say that the Easter bunny brought it. Dayam - I wish I was there with her today.

Wok N Roll Jabriya and Elements Spa at Royal Hyatt

Slapperella very kindly invited me for an early birthday present to a massage at the Elements Spa at the Royale Hyatt Hospital. I have posted before about how much I like the RH services - both as a hospital and as a Pampering Palace. The women's hospital is managed by Banyan Tree Resorts and everything is Thai-tranquil. Very relaxing.

I had a hot stone massage. Slaps went in for the stretchy kind of Thai massage that I had once and then decided that some of my parts were just not meant to go in that direction (she's a lot more flexible - or so I hear!) tee hee.

My massage was 2 hours long and was a mixture of deep tissue, some stretching, and hot stones. It wasn't the traditional hot stone that I'm used to, but I still liked it a lot. The young lady who gave me the massage was quite petite and small and didn't look nearly as tough as she turned out to be. She was so soft spoken that I could barely hear her and she probably thought (not unjustifiably) that I was one of those loud Americans. 'Whaaaat? I can't heeeeeear you!' LOL.

The massage rooms at Elements are nish. Dark wood, green linens, marble. They start off by washing your feet as you relax in a chair (my robe was too small/tight in the girl-places and so it was kinda hard to concentrate on me feets) and sip on lemon grass tea. Quite nice.

Thai Lady found a place on my back "ooooh, very much tension!" and proceeded to kneed the bejezus out of it for what seemed like 45 minutes. Wait... didn't this start out by her saying, "If you want me to stop anytime, just tell me." No means No, Thai Lady! It huuuuurt, but eventually the kinks were out and we were on to the stretching. Now, it is a very odd feeling to be neked alone in a room with a woman sitting on your butt (at least - for some of us). It is not a way that I would usually go, but hey, it was all about the massage. There was some accompanied stretching (Britany money-shot style) which was also slightly unnerving, but hey whatever. She seemed to think it was all very normal. After all, it is an ob-gyn facility so they are probably used to all that. Okey dokey.

I hope I don't seem like a whiney, ungrateful biotch. I have to watch myself because I tend to push the boundaries of "perspective" verses downright complaining. It was a great massage and I am really grateful to my dear friend for doing that for me.

But now I will complain....

So after the massage, we walked across the RH entrance to Wok N Roll. It is a somewhat-new (7 months) Japanese restaurant. I wasn't sure if it was the same place, but I had heard that there was a great new place in Jabriya that some of the staff from the Crowne Plaza had moved to. Turned out, it was one in the same. I think The Romanian first told me about it. Her friend owns it or something like that. If I was still talking to her, I would tell her to tell him how terrible the service is and that he should fire his manager NOW. (People need jobs right now and they should be given to people who actually want to do a good job.)

It is a beautiful restaurant - similar to Maki in decor. They've got pretty cabinas with sliding doors. Everything is done with slate tiles. Way cool. We loved the food and there is a huge selection. My friend from the CP, Abdul Qader, has moved to Wok N Roll as a chef. We had a nice conversation with him (before he left and we had a chance to tell him what happened next). As I sat down, I thought that I might be able to write a restaurant review about it since I don't believe anyone else had yet - and there is a REASON for that as it turned out....

The service was so bad that their customers were walking out before they finished their food - it was just that crappy. They had (I counted) 6 servers in a small restaurant; and not one of them was paying any attention at all to the customers. Our entrees arrived before the appetizers. They brought the wrong order. The 2 female servers stood behind the prep bar the entire time, talking about the customers loud enough for (you guessed it) the customers to hear them! When the busboys did appear to finally clear anything at all off tables (we did it ourselves, moving the food onto the empty tables next to us), they shouted across the restaurant at each other; while customers sat staring in disbelief. The "manager" bullied the waiters (who were all standing in a corner of the room) to do something, when he did the same as them. So much for "lead by example". When we complainted to the "manager", he never said a word - just walked away. We asked for our check; they brought us someone elses and then never apologized. I had asked for the phone number of the owner and a take-away menu; never got either. "Manager" just walked into the kitchen and never returned.

Wok N Roll: As Slaps said, "Possibly the worst service we've ever had anywhere." I wrote to the owner - let's see if I get any response.

YOU are invited to an Event to help AFL!!!!

GENERAL AUDIENCE: OPEN FOR MEN TO ATTEND !

British Ladies Society Event
in support of Animal Friends League

Where: Movenpick at Bidaa
When: Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Time: 6:30 pm - 10pm


Ayeshah Al-Humaidhi will be the guest speaker at the dinner at the Moevenpick Al Bidaa.

She will talk about just how much they have achieved in the last 5 years & where they will go from here. As well as the fantastic work that they do with companion animals at Animal Friends. She will also cover the amazing work that they do through KsPath, (Kuwait Society for the Protection of Animals & Their Habitat), with Wildlife Conservation, the treatment & conditions of Farm Animals here in Kuwait, Stray Cats & Dogs & Marine Conservation.

Proceeds from the evening will go towards their effort to rebuild this amazing facility.


There will also be great raffle prizes so why not come along with some friends for a great evening and support a very worthy cause.


The prices are for BLS Members: 6.500kd
Non-Members: 8.500kd


Please e mail events@theblskuwait.com to reserve your place.
BLS Website: http://www.theblskuwait.com/

Desert Girl Special Announcement:
I have heard that there will be simultaneous translation telecast from Briddish to American.

AFL - 10 days after the shelter fire

From the AFL Newsletter

It has been over a week since the night in which a devastating fire killed 40 animals and destroyed the Animal Friends Shelter. It has been a sad and emotional week for everyone involved. As dark as our future has seemed, a beam of light has begun to emerge from the end of this tunnel. For the last 9 days, the outpouring of support, the messages of condolences and the offers of help has been inspiring. The media coverage of our disaster has been widespread and extremely effective. Our story has appeared in newspapers, blogs, radio and TV. Thank you to everyone who has been spreading the word and gathering support. This public support for Animal Friends is heartwarming, and we hope it will continue not just for the next few days or weeks, but well beyond this crisis. Indeed, it is our goal that the growing support for Animal Friends will continue for years and years to come.

Here is an update of what we have all achieved so far…

Fundraising

We have received many generous donations over the last week and they all add up to KD 28,456.696!!

Your generosity has been amazing. But we need more help to rebuild the shelter…KD 21,543.304 to be exact. We will also be approaching large companies this week about sponsorship opportunities, so if you work for one of these big businesses, or own one, please contact Olivia at olivia@animalfriendskuwait.org or call 9737 7867. We hope that during the reconsruction process, with the permission of our donors, we will also be able to not only rebuild what we had but will also be able to make it bigger and better than it was before. If you have already donated money and do not want it to be used for expansion, please let us know. We want you to be comfortable with how your donation is spent.

Our Animals
Thus far we have held four fostering sessions at the Royal Animal Hospital.
Already, 29 dogs, 16 cats and 2 bunnies have found loving foster homes.

We still have 15 dogs that need to be fostered. We will be holding another fostering session on Sunday, April 4 from 10am to 12pm and again from 4pm to 6pm at the Royal Animal Hospital.

Volunteers
The sheer number of volunteers that have turned up to help with care of the animals as well as demolition has been tremendous. Agility sent out a team of about 10 peeople that have been working for an entire week. We certainly owe them a debt of gratitude. Individuals have showed up both in Wafra and RAH prepared to do anything. Men have turned up with a tool box and shovel asking how they can help. The show of support has brought tears to our eyes at times so thank you to all of you that have put aside time to help. We still need volunteers both at RAH and Wafra. If you are interested in volunteering at RAH, please call Lynda at 66724485 so she can schedule you in. Please do call first because we actually have run into the problem of having too many volunteers there at once. In Wafra we still need people to walk the dogs that are here as well as to help us save as many of our belongings as possible and prepare the building for renovations. We still have plenty of clean-up to do around the shelter and we are trying to erect a second corral for the donkeys. We need strong men and women to help us dig holes and get the fence up. If you are able, please plan to come on Friday, Saturday, or both.

The Shelter
Most of the salvage work is nearing completion. We have been able to save many of the interior doors and fittings. Volunteer groups have demolished the ceiling, removed all doors and windows including frames and removed, washed and stored most loose items.

The remainder of the demolition will start early next week and repairs of the main steel structure of the building has already started. We feel hopeful that things are moving along in a timely manner and we will have an operable shelter in the next few months.

We also need help with donations of construction items and materials. If you own a building supplies business or know someone that does, here are some of the things we will need…

• 40 2 ton split reverse AC Units that can be switched to heat
• 2,500m2 Insulation
• Electrical Wiring and Supplies including Conduit
• Electrical installation
• Industrial lighting
• 4 Large chest freezers
• 4 large refrigerators
• Fire retardant foam to cover insulation
• 4,000m2 bricks
• Mortar
• Kitchens including cabinets
• Kitchen taps
• Toilets
• Sinks
• Tile
• Kirby
• Metal girders, beams, trusses
• Steel
• 50 Small bathroom ventilation fans
• Epoxy based industrial paint
• Industrial shelving
• Galvanized steel gates
• 2 Industrial washing machines
• 2 Industrial dryers
• Plumbing supplies
• Windows
• Aluminum doors

We will try our best to stay in touch on a regular basis. We truly appreciate your support and generosity and hope you will all be part of Rebuilding AFL.

Congratulations Lulu!!!!

WOW!

I just found out (because I haven't been keeping up with friends as much as I should) that one of my dear friends (and fellow former blogger), Lu2 (aka "Mediagirl" or "Big Curls") got married.

I met Lulu through blogshere (as I have met many people): blessings.

Lu2 came to Kuwait several years ago and it wasn't her place. I think Kuwait made her miserable. (I remember that the very first time I met her, we were at a cafe and she sat down and cried. Lu, honey, it was probably your sign!) I just checked out her photo album and she looks content and gorgeous and happy. MASHALLAH.

As she told me back then, she came to Kuwait to become more centered and more spiritual. I think it was probably just a stepping stone on her Journey. Next, Jordan, where she started wearing hejab, and now she's living with her hubby in California. From what I hear (and strongly admire), Lulu's mother is a child of the world and I see how the same has happened to Lulu. They both hail from a line of strong, independant women who LIVE life.

Congratulations, Lulu, on your marriage and your new life. I know your other friends here in Kuwait wish you the same. I couldnt' be happier for you!

Animal Shelter vs Pet Shop: Factoids

The Man's kids have been going to walk the dogs at the RAH pretty regularly. AFL has needed dog-walkers to help with the animals moved up from their shelter. I'm very proud of these kids, who were previously afraid of dogs, but wanted to do something good. I stopped by yesterday to play with some doggies and to see how the Man-Children were doing.

Just the week before the fire, they called John to rescue a mother dog they had been feeding (Dusty now "Veronica") and her 5 puppies. It was a success. From what I've heard from his son, even The Man has chipped in and has walked Dusty, who is tagged as "aggressive" because she is very protective of her pups. After being beaten by people in their neighborhood, damn right she's aggressive. I would be too. I still can't believe The Man walked her. That's great. (Hmmm.... he never liked being bitten before, and yet he risked it for that bitch.)

So anyhoooo, I had a chat with some of the AFL volunteers as they waited for people going to adopt animals. I learned some things that I didn't know; like how there needs to be some public education hereabouts on the difference between a pet shop and a shelter. Why? Because people go to AFL to adopt cats or dogs and ask the animal's gender. Why? Because they want to breed them to sell them at places like the Friday market; creating even more creatures that AFL needs to rescue later. Or, folks go in and ask why AFL doesn't have Siamese or Persian cats. One guy last night even had the nerve to say, "Why do you just have these street cats?" Duuuuh.

Firstoff, AFL spays and neuters all their animals before they re-home them. That means, dumbasses, that they can't make babies. Get it? It doesn't matter if the dog is a male or a female: they won't procreate. Get it. So.... You can't sell puppies as products.

Next, AFL rescues STREET ANIMALS. That's what they do. They help all animals.

Something else I have learned about the Friday market is that there is a guy (or several guys) who sell puppies out of their vans. If anyone can catch a photo of a license plate, send it to me and I'll forward it to the appropriate people.

What many people in Kuwait don't know is that there is a high rate of distemper here; meaning that if you buy a puppy out of a van or from the Friday market and the seller does not have vet papers showing that the dog has been vaccinated at an early age (8 weeks), then you might take it home and it might die right away. You have no recourse. Also, if the animal does not have registration papers, then it is NOT a purebred. "Yes yes. Pure German..." And, a puppy should not be taken away from its mother earlier than 8 weeks to make sure that it is healthy. It should not be weaned off the mother until around that age.

The other news is that I hope, I hope, I pray, I hope, that my friend, Maria, has found her dog, Spike. Someone found a dog resembling Spike in Mishref several months ago, when Spike went missing in Kabd (previous post). They surrendered the dog to AFL and sent a notification also to PAWS. PAWS posted the notification on their website. AFL posted the dog's photo on their site (re-named "Macho"). Maria's kids have been tourmented by his loss and I hope (and please pray with me) that it is indeed the same dog and that they can be re-united. I can't think of anything worse than losing my dog here (if I had kids, that would be worse).

Pulmonologist?

Question to youse people:

Do you know any good pulmonologist (better if its a pediatric pulmonologist) in kuwait who is working in a private hospital and can speak in english?

Why the HECK doesn't Kuwait have a referral service that is 1) advertised and 2) in English?

Animal Friends League Meeting - Shelter Rebuild Efforts

Friday I went to the AFL Rebuild the Shelter meeting at the Movenpick at Bidaa. I was hoping to see more people, but it was still a good turnout. The Movenpick management kindly provided the meeting room for free.

I get a lot of innocent (non-pervy) questions from people commenting about, "How do I meet a westerner...waaaaaaa" Dudes - VOLUNTEER. You meet so many nice people! The entire meeting was full of blondes on Friday. It was like a buffet of white chicks. C'mon people: Even if you don't like animals, you can still go down and do manly construction work at the shelter. If you walk in with a refrigerator or an AC unit, you'll be a hero!

How many of you are dismantling your camps this week? Do you have old stuff that you need to throw away? Send it to the shelter.

Moving house and want to donate? Send stuff to the shelter.

The items that AFL needs for rebuilding can be found HERE. Donate!

Before the rebuild can happen, the tear-down needs to take place. That means they need some good, strong men (you can be weak too and fake it - not a problem).

Ayesha seems overwhelmed and I don't blame her. Poor girl probably hasn't had any sleep at all and I am praying for her. She let the volunteer coordinator, Olivia, do most of the talking. At one point, even Olivia almost started crying. The of the few things Ayesha did say was, "If you know me, you know that my greatest fear is a fire at the shelter." She must just be wrecked. If anyone out there is a grief counselor, write to Ayesha . Even the strong need good support and I think she is grieving badly.

Another thing she said is that she and the other volunteers feel awful when people ask about specific pets that they have brought in, are they ok or did they die? That would be so hard to have to go through every day. [I found Rocky (from previous posts) and his new name is "Enar" . He's fine and happy.] AFL has placed the names of the surviving pets on their website - all others have perished. It is hard to know which pet is which because when you bring them in as I did with Rocky, they immediately change the animal's name. The Man brought in Dusty who is now "Veronica". Why change the names?

The cause of the fire has been determined to be an electrical surge from the main line. Ayesha pleads with any home owner or company to have a building surge supressor (transient voltage arrestor) installed outside of the home/office for this very reason. Buildings in Kuwait are not required to have such equipment for building codes. (Most of us in Kuwait have friends who have had their home appliances ruined in Kuwait by power surges/voltage spikes.)

The new shelter will have a sprinkler system and surge suppressor installed.

AFL has repeatedly made their gratitude clear: to people who have come forward offering support; to their volunteers; to the phone calls and letters; and to the firemen in Wafra who, although some were afraid of dogs, put on their breathing gear, went into the fire, and opened all the cage doors to let the animals out to safety. Good for you, guys!!!! I just loooooooove firemen!

If you are a US organization and would like to make donations to receive a tax deduction, check HERE.

Pass it along.

Note: I have heard from friends on facebook and through comments here on the blog about people who are "animal lovers" and would "do anything for the animals" - and then have done nothing to assist in this effort. Know what? I don't want to hear from hypocrits. If you love animals, help in this effort. Put your money where your mouth is. There are only 2 rescue organizations in Kuwait: AFL and PAWS. There is an astonishing amount of animal cruelty and neglect in this little country; Some of it so bad it would make most people cry to hear about. Both PAWS and AFL work towards the same goals; however, some seem to believe that there are teams and you must side with one or the other; either you are for them or against them. It's not a contest!!! I find that disgusting and personally offensive. Strength of character is revealed through adversity. You don't have to sit on an opposite side of the fence pointing blame while doing nothing.

AFL Volunteer Meeting - Open to Public

There will be an Animal Friends League volunteers meeting at the Movenpick, Bidaa on Friday, 26 March from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

It is an open meeting for anyone to attend to see how they can assist in the shelter rebuild efforts.

Please help.

4 years since my dad passed away

On March 29, 2006, I was in the middle of a terrible argument with The Man. I rarely cry. Even more rare that I would cry during an argument. I'm not a girlie girl; I enjoy the "challenge". On that day, at that time, I was sobbing and crying my eyes out on my sofa. It wasn't the most horrible argument. It wasn't so awful. I suddenly had a premonition and turned to him and said, 'Your uncle is sick. Which one? He is really sick.... I think he may pass away. You need to talk to him.' It was totally random; out of nowhere. He said that none of his uncles was sick - everyone was fine. We finished arguing. I stopped crying. He went home. And he thought about it; No one was sick.

That was the exact time and day that my father died. I didn't know it at the time. Neither did my family.

My Dad was a lonely old guy at the end of his life - and quite stubborn. If my sister (who lived 5 minutes away) didn't go to visit him often enough (by his estimate), he would stop answering the phone and wouldn't return her messages until she got in her car and went over there to visit him.

That day was one of them. He was (for an American term) "playing possum". She just thought that he was doing the same thing he always did; until she and her husband went there to see him and saw the newspapers at the doorstep. My dad was a routine guy. He put his coffee on, went to the bathroom, and got the newspaper - every morning. He would never miss a paper. There were several on his doorstep.

So now, it is year 4 since he died. I still stop and think to myself, 'Shoot! It has been a long time since I've talked to Dad. I'd better call him!' and go to pick up the phone.

When I went to Animal Friends League today and played with the puppies and helped them out (a little), I thought about my dad and how I am sure he was right there with me. He loved all creatures, but especially dogs. He befriended the ugliest and smelliest of them and adored them like princes and princesses.

I might not ever have kids of my own. Today I spent the day with one I am very proud of: a 10 year old Kuwaiti boy - The Man's son, Abdullah - who wanted to do something to help the animals. He worked really hard; surprisingly hard; cleaning/moving things and then helping to walk the dogs and play with ("socialize") the extremely exhuberant puppies. I hope that I can pass along to someone younger than I am just a tiny amount of what my parents have always taught me: compassion for all living creatures and especially those in need. I think that Abdullah got a taste of it and I am hoping that it will be contageous. Maybe he can pass it along to some of his young relatives.

I miss you, Dad. I hope that your Heaven is full of all the creatures who you have loved and have loved you. I know you are with me and that you will never really go away.

Animal Friends League Shelter Fire

Copied from Mark's blog and I believe it is from AFL:

There has been a second much more devastating fire at Animal Friends. This fire was in the main building and 39 animals perished. Several more are struggling to hold on.

Two fire investigations have shown that the fires were caused by a surge of electricity from the main lines. After the first fire, an inspection of the shelter elecrical system was conducted and smoke detectors and fire extinguishers were puchased and donated enmasse. Despite these precautions, a massive surge occured to the now weakened main electrical lines. All staff were sleeping nearby when the fire started. The fire was not discovered until aerosol cans near the source of the fire began to explode. At this point, the fire was fully involved and too dangerous for anyone but the fire department to fight. Our shelter staff acted herroically to save as many animals as possible, and the fire rescue team also showed great courage as they entered the building to release the dogs from their firey prisons while the fire was still burning. Despite these acts of bravery, at least ten animals died in the fire and many were so badly injured that the arriving shelter staff had to work frantically and desperately to triage them and provide euthanasia where necessary. Thus far, the fire has cost the lives of 8 dogs and 31 cats.
One whole section of the shelter is completely destroyed the entire building will require extensive repairs from smoke and fire damage. Animal Friends and the animals we care for have never needed your help more. Animal Friends simply will not survive without help from all of you. Below is a list of things we need in order of priority.

1. CASH! The rebuilding is going to cost KD50,000. Please donate what you can, hold small fundraisers and get as many people involved as possible. Checks should be made payable to: Ayeshah Waleed Al-Humaidhi and below is our bank information for a direct transfer. If you need further information please call 97377867 or e-mail info@animalfriendskuwait.org.
Bank Name: Bank of Kuwait and the Middle East (BKME)Branch: South SurraName: Ayeshah Waleed Al-HumaidhiAddress Line 1: P.O.Box 71, Safat 13001Address Line 2: KuwaitAccount: 42043311SWIFT: BKMEKWKW

2. Foster Homes. We have no shelter and currently have the animals housed at the Royal Animal Hospital and in outdoor enclosures at the shelter. These are obviously temporary fixes. The construction is going to take about 3 months and we are appealing to all of you to house an animal until it can be adopted or returned to the rebuilt shelter. If you are able to foster an animal please call 66187301 or e-mail anna_mitchell@shaw.ca.

3. Volunteers. We need help with clean-up and helping care for the animals. We need to salvage anything and everything we can from the building before the demolition starts. This weekend, Friday-Saturday (26-27) are going to be huge clean-up days. Your help would be hugely appreciated. The map will be uploaded to the website shortly.

4. In Kind Donations. We will be putting together an extensive list of items we need in the next few days and will send it out to the list as well as post to our website.

Thank you in advance for your help and support and we hope to rise out of the ashes bigger and better.

----

I went there today to aid in the clean up. I brought The Man's 10-year-old son, Abdullah, who was AMAZING at cleaning, playing with the puppies, and walking some of the older dogs. There is so much more work to be done there. There is heavy soot throughout the entire shelter; on the walls, on the tile floors, on everything everywhere. Bring rubber gloves and old towels.

If you can get out there this weekend: GO!

If you can help at Royal Animal Hospital with some of the animals temporarily housed there, please help.

Another Fire at the AFL Shelter

There was another big fire at the AFL shelter last night. DAMN contractors in Kuwait!!!! AFL had an electrician look at the wiring after the first fire - he said it was fine - and a second fire started last night which was larger; this time, killing animals. That is all the info that I have now.

AFL is asking for volunteers who can assist in the clean up (and rebuild) of the shelter.
I just heard about this and I will keep you posted - and I hope you will do the same as you receive more information.

Please contact Animal Friends League at

Ayesha Al-Humaidi and John Peeveler

Address: P.O.Box 26122 Safat 13122, Kuwait

Telephone: 965.6700.1622

Fax: 965.2523.4179

Website: http://www.animalfriendskuwait.org/

Donations can be made to AFL at:

Bank Name: Bank of Kuwait and the Middle East (BKME),

Branch: South Surra,

Name: Ayeshah Waleed Al-Humaidhi,

Address Line 1: P.O.Box 71, Safat 13001,

Address Line 2: Kuwait.

Account: 42043311,

SWIFT: BKMEKWKW.

Also check Mark's post on same.

AFL may not be answering their posted phone numbers for the next few days. You can contact Olivia at 97377867 fo find out how you can help.

Sheesha Place Picks

Gautam Raj asked me for my recommendations on nice sheesha places. While I don't sheesh, I go to a lot of nice places with my friends who do. I also have problems breathing where there is poor ventilation, so my picks are based on places with good air circulation.

Here are the Desert Girl picks. Please feel free to recommend your own. Help a sister out and recommend places where incredibly handsome/sexy men frequent, please! And note: I'm not looking to go to gins thaleth ("3rd gender")/transvestite hang-outs! Keep that info for somebody else's blog, k? (I gots my own drama and it doesn't come in that package.)

Movenpick Bidaa. Tree-lined outdoor terrace facing the sea. Really good buffet.

Crowne Plaza: Ayam Zaman. Good for indoor sheesha when it is too hot to smoke outside. Terraces provide good privacy. Good ventillation.

Movenpick FTZ: Nice outdoor garden and tents.

Awtar Libnan at Marina Mall. Nice outdoor terrace and good, inexpensive food.

Valdez Palace, Humood Tower, downtown Kuwait. Nice outdoor terrace and large indoor area.

Hilton. Several nice outdoor areas facing the sea (but sheesha is expensive from what I hear). They have tents on the beach with buffet/sheesha.

Ruby Tuesdays next to Kuwait Towers has sheesha outside. I like this as I can get an actual REAL crabcake and sit next to the sea.

Ibis Hotel Salmiya. Italian/continental restaurant has a large outdoor terrace facing the Gulf Road/Sea.

I don't know if they still serve sheesha, but the Rotana Al-Manshar rooftop used to and it is GORGEOUS.

Although I haven't been there yet (invitations accepted), I have heard that 7 Bars rooftop is really nice.

Animal Friends League does it again!

The Man has been telling me about a stray dog and her puppies who live around his house in Abdullah Mubarak. He has been feeding them and trying to keep them safe; the neighbors have been beating all the dogs when he isn't there to keep them away.

I don't know why people are relucatant to call AFL or PAWS. Rescuers are always busy in Kuwait, but they do get there. They might not be able to get there right away, but you don't give up with one phone call or an SMS; you keep calling and eventually someone will come to help.

John was able to get there and pick up the mother and 5 puppies today. Thanks John and AFL! You help to make Kuwait a better place for all creatures. I am sure there is a special place in Heaven for you and all the other volunteers!

Make a donation to AFL - you can do it right now from your desk. Bank details can be found on
at the AFL website (LINK HERE).

General Sunday Stuff

Almost every weekend, Slapperella and I can be found at the Muhallab Restaurant at The Palms Hotel, dining on a bigfat subaiti. It is our new favorite place.

This weekend, I first noticed the potholder. I asked the waiter to bring us cognac since they were advertising it. Sadly, we received the usual response. Sigh.

I watched something on YouTube about Kuwait and then checked out the Red Bull freestyle dancers. Kuwait got talent, baby. I've known Kuwaitis who are great dancers. Some of the guys in parliament used to be seen in clubs dancing until the wee hours of the morning (you KNOW who you are!) It is so sad that no one can dance here. We live in such a rigid society. Let looooooose. Git jiggy wi it!

I sent Dr. Sexy D.D.S. a message this weekend, "Question: If I agree to pay your 500KD off-site/out-of-office fee, will you have coffee with me outside?" No response. Whaaaaaa - am I too pushy? C'mon; you know it had to give him a giggle.

I logged onto KFH online today. They crack me up. "Hight" school and "Above University". I'm not even going to get into the capitalization rules.... That just drives me nuts.

I am bored and I am dangerous when I'm bored. No one is safe. Take cover.

I fell in love with a dentist

Do you know how it feels to see someone for the first time and immediately have passionate feelings for them? Its almost primeval in its intensity. You get short of breath and everything else in the room fades away? Your heart starts to palpitate and your palms start to sweat? Your knees get weak and you feel slightly faint?

I don't.

Usually....

But then last night. Sigh.............

I need grill work. I have been on the Grand Tour de Dental Clinics lately. I am a dental-phobe. I get in the chair and start hyperventalating. I shake. I sweat. I speak jibberish. It isn't pretty. So, I have been to 4 dentists now trying to find the one that I feel most comfortable with that won't cost me a fortune (and that might take my company-provided insurance).

I also want to be OUT. General Anes-please-ya: I don't care if it is the kind of dental work that makes your ass hurt when you wake up. Please, fondle at will. I don't care. I just don't want to hear a drill or feel anything pain-related in the Northern Region. (The Southern Region I can deal with at my own pace.)

So, my dental travels have taken me far and wide and last night, I went to two. I called in my wastah at the MOH. I don't drop da wastah very often; it has to be for a very good reason. Wastahman sent me to a government clinic, a very nice Syrian dentist who then referred me to a private clinic where I could be treated under general.

I'm talkin Doctor 90210....

The office was in a posh location with a posh view and posh cars downstairs. I'm not going to mention the type of car that I saw (because it would be a dead give-away as to Dr. Sexy's identity and SORRY, but I'm not sharing him), but it is one of the MOST high-end exotics. The clinic lobby is also posh: All the furniture is Italian white leather with seafoam green pillows and home accessories. There is lots of glass and marble. And sitting on those posh leather seats were literally a dozen women - NO MEN. I'm thinkin - whatup with THAT?

I sat down to fill out the new-patient form. Date of birth (as always): April 16, I LIE, Marital Status: Maybe. "Do visits to the dentist make you nervous?" Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. (Sometimes they have a space for "Nickname" or "What name would you like to be called" and I always write: Princess or Gorgeous.)

Pushy nurse lady wanted her form back. Then I had to pay the 10 KD fee just to see Him. SO worth it as it turned out.

I just wasn't expecting it. I had no idea. I didn't brush my hair or put on new make up or go home, take a shower/change out of my work clothes first. My manicure was stale and I didn't put on any perfume. I had tired eyes. I wasn't even wearing lipstick (and I feel NEKID without lipstick!) It was the after-work-grunge look.

And then He walked in.

Tall, dark, handsome, gorgeous smile, good firm handshake, enticing cologne, good hair and just beginning to grey at the temples. He was wearing dark blue, V-neck hospital scrubs which he managed to make look like something from Milan. Yummmmmmmmmmm

I got in the chair (because that's what you're supposed to do at the dentists right?). He said, "Before we begin, tell me about you." Dayam! I don't even get that on DATES. Oh, but this guy is classy. We talked about all kinds of stuff - about how I came to Kuwait; about what I do; about family and friends here. I asked him if - by any chance - that beautiful car downstairs was his. He humbly said that it was. (Of COURSE it was, it completed The Package!) (If I had a car like that, I probably wouldn't be humble - at all - I would be like, 'Damn RIGHT it is! Isn't it beautiful? yada'). He made me laugh - great sense of humor. It was like 100 times better than most dates.

He totally made me forget that I was in a dentists office with drills and probes and Evil Things. He cast some kind of a spell on me. I was enchanted and totally at the mercy of His sorcery....

Then, the teeth business: Dude was 4" from my face.... (he's a dentist, ok?). I could smell his cologne... (Little voice.... 'Desert Girl... hellooooo.... there is a nurse in the room.....') It was all I could do not to look into those big brown eyes and bring out Extremely-Dangerous-Sexy-Blue-Lusty-Eyes (you should only aim a weapon if you are planning to use it , I say. The Big Guns are usually reserved for intent-to-kill.) I had to turn away; to look at the ceiling; to look at Nurse Ratshit... I have NEVER wanted to grab a dentist and pull him into the chair before. Never had the occassion. This is totally new to me.. and I'm LOVIN IT!

He told me what I already knew about my teeth. I knew something was up when he mentioned zirconia fillings. Hmmmm... sounds like 'xpensive... And then gave me the quotation. OUCH. Distinct lack of novacaine in the payment department. I guess he does have to cover his car installments, right?

I walked out just as 3 women were walking in. (They don't know him like I do.....)

So I don't want to be his patient anymore. I wouldn't want to break any ethical code between patient and doctor with my Plans. I (like all the other dozens of women in and out of his waiting room) am convinced that after I "catch" him, He can do all my dental work for free (preferably on the lanai of our summer cottage in Tuscany with a really great glass of wine and Andrea Bocelli playing softly in the background... and no Nurse Ratshit.)

Meantime, I'm back to my Wastahman who said (like I'm IN-sane), "Why did you GO there?! (Like I did something dirty - not that I wasn't thinkin about it....) THOSE people are a ripoff! Let me make some calls..."

But but but... I was sorcerized....

If I never hear from Dr. Sexy anymore (he has my mobile number, I have his), I will be hurt, but this has opened up a whole new Desert Girl Fantasy World; and yes! WITH rides! I can always go back for teeth cleaning, right? And next time, I am going to buy a new outfit (maybe something short cause I really do have great legs and they'll look good in the chair), going to the salon for hair/make-up/nails, perfume... and I WILL bring out the Big Guns once I'm totally prepped.

...and NO! I'm not giving referrals. Don't even ask. Slaps, I thought about it and even you can't go - as much as I love you.... This is just too good to share.