A Blog of a Jordanian, blogging from the Middle East, known for being audacious and unafraid to express anything that does not conform to his mentality.

There must be something wrong…

Posted: March 31st, 2008 | Author: Moey | Filed under: Amman, Jordan | Tags: | 13 Comments »

When you see people talking to themselves on the streets.

At first you think they are one of those that have headphones/headsets but as you get closer you just realize that they don’t have anything on. They are just crazy! Well today I went crazy. I found myself talking to myself, and responding as well.


Jordanian Metalheads are not the only Anti-Emo

Posted: March 29th, 2008 | Author: Moey | Filed under: Amman, Jordan | Tags: , , , | 12 Comments »

emoz.jpg
Photo: Mexican emo kids gather in response to anti-emo violence by metalheads and punk rockers.

Apparently, Jordanian Metalheads are not the only emo-phobic in this world, the riot police in Mexico have taken to the streets defend emo kids because of a series of attacks on dyed-hair, eye-makeup-wearing emo kids which began in early March when several hundred people went on an emo-beating rampage in Querétaro, a town of 1.5 million about 160 miles north of Mexico City.

The next week, emo teenagers were harassed again by punks and rockers in the capital, prompting police protection and a segment on the TV news. Most recently, a Mexican newspaper reported that metalheads and gangsters (wow, rap and metal unite?) have warned Tijuana’s emo kids to stay away from the town’s fair next month.

But the so-called emos are organizing, too. Last week, they demonstrated against the violence, pictured above, and Wednesday some met with police in Mexico City.

“They’re organizing to defend their right to be emo,” wrote Daniel Hernandez of LA Weekly on his personal blog, which has provided stellar coverage of the whole affair.

Watch the video

+ Source.


Rant: Never ask why students get broke by 10th of the month

Posted: March 28th, 2008 | Author: Moey | Filed under: Amman, Jordan | Tags: , | 8 Comments »

bloggg.jpg
Before I start my rant, this is a list of the things a university student spends on daily

  1. Transportation; either shuttle bus or cab.
  2. Caffeine; coffee to fix up the mood, sometimes breakfast tea.
  3. Lunch; most of students in this country are either expats or Jordanians who live alone (i.e. parents are in the gulf) and know nothing about cooking.
  4. Prints; sheets/doce of subjects is a must (notes written by instructors), while interior design, graphic design, civil engineering & architecture students are always asked to deliver hard copies of their projects/homeworks.
  5. Cigarettes (optional); smokers need that.

Now, I’ve been calculating the money I spend this week, let’s see:

  • I woke up late 2 days out of 4 in which I had to pay 3.5 JD to reach university and came back by shuttle bus for 35 piastres, while the rest of the days I paid 35 piastres for going and another 35 piastres to come back.
  • Lunch options varied this week from Felafel (cheapest for around 1.25 JD lunch cost) and Fast Food (most expensive for around 7 JD/meal cost) and that’s considering I only eat 1 meal/day.
  • I had coffee 3 days out of 4, total of 6 JD and I had to print 7 colored A3 papers, 10 A4 colored papers, 1 A2 colored poster and also had to buy some markers. Printing and markers cost around 25 JD.

Total cost of a regular week = 57.5 JD (and that doesn’t include transportation to the bookshops, stationary, restaurants…)

Now, when someone’s allowance is around 270 JD, and 240 of them were spent on university, what kind of life is that!

That doesn’t include weekly laundry which is probably 10 JD/week, internet, electricity and water bills. Insane!

Now some of you will start bashing me saying you didn’t to spend that much on food and coffee, and you could have tried to wake up earlier to prevent that from happening, well… the days I woke up late were because of the unlimited amount of assignments I had, and quizzes/homeworks. Regarding food, I can’t cook for good, I have another meal at home usually and it’s probably canned food sent from family, so whatever I do, spending less than 50 JD/week for university is a joke, a lame one as well.

Notes to parents sending their children to study in Jordan:

  • Send them somewhere else, It is too expensive in here even for gulfies (everyone assumes they collect money from the top of the sea surface *Arabian quote).
  • Never make your children feel bad about being broke, it’s not their fault (thanks to the increasing of everything’s prices on monthly basis).
  • Whenever you feel like they need money, try to send it because they will need it.
  • Give them options to move elsewhere if they can’t stand living in Amman (like Egypt, Lebanon or even Syria).

Anyways, I achieved a huge progress this weekend, I went out, had a lovely dinner including steak and salad, had argeeleh and went back home by cab as well… all of that for 20 JD.

Progress, eh? Yallah mahu ed-dollar wage3 wage3, mesh farga!