Monthly Columns

Don’t know what to do with your overflowing wardrobe? Love recycling but no idea where to start? Want to contribute to the community and help those in need? Look no farther than a busy street near you! Noticeably good-sized white boxes have been placed at busy street sides as collection bins in order to recycle clothes for a charitable cause. Conveniently placed in several areas all around Jeddah, these boxes have made it easier for people to access them within their district. This resourceful project named ‘Kiswah’, which…

For a new arrival in Jeddah, it is a bit of a challenge to find gluten free sources whilst traveling. Over a period of 4 years, I have put together some sources that can help you find the specific gluten-free resources you need in Jeddah, which I am happy to share. There will be 2 follow up articles in the following months about ‘Gluten-free restaurants in Jeddah’ and ‘Gluten-alternatives in Jeddah’. Here are the gluten-free resources in Jeddah:

There are days when I just drown, my soul almost gives up and sinks, There are days when despair and sorrow in my heart rings, And then my guiding angel pushes me and says I am the best It raises my hopes and assures ‘you can rise above the rest’. When I feel I am in deep desolation well, When everything around reminds me of hell,

MEETING YOUR PARTNER’S NEEDS  Before I got married, I saw this book entitled HIS NEEDS, HER NEEDS written by Willard F. Harley, Jr. in my parent's bookshelves. I borrowed it because I felt I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I mean, I knew I was getting married, but I've also received valuable advice from couples to prepare for the married life more than the wedding night. They'd say that the wedding celebration is just a one-day affair and marriage will take forever. So, I took the book and embraced the fact that…

Hina met Ahmed at their cousin’s wedding ceremony. Ahmed saw Hina first when she was giggling and laughing innocently with her friends at the corner of the banquet hall. Ahmed was love struck by her dazzling eyes since the moment his eyes met Hina’s. He tried approaching her but she ignored him initially. After lots of effort and researching, he managed to find out her phone number. From there on, their journey of friendship began, and soon they were head over heels in love with each other. Their friends used to envy the…

Adding urgency to the lifestyle diseases (diabetes mellitus type 2, hypertension, myocardial infarctions – heart attacks, stroke, COPD, Asthma etc.), debate, is the fact that the number of people affected by these chronic diseases will rise exponentially. The reasons are various but the two global trends are the most significant reasons. Firstly, it is the increase in the world population. Although an increase in population around the globe has been controlled, the United Nations has projected that there will be two billion…

Thyroid Disease Awareness  Written by Sundus Yusuf |Reviewed by Gillian Isles Thyroid disease is the most common problem in women than men. There are two types of thyroid problems hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. Hypothyroidism is when the thyroid doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone, the level of triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) are too low, and with low hormones, the person may gain weight easily because their metabolism slows down. Hyperthyroidism basically is the opposite of hypothyroidism. Hyperthyroidism…

The month of February often declared as the month of love as 14 Feb is known as Valentine’s Day. I feel this is just commercialization since true love doesn't need a special day. Every day should be a celebration of love as love is a very special feeling. Love is contentment and it's just not limited to a romantic feeling. Since this months theme is about love, I want to articulate about self-love.

Love who? “I see it, I like it, I want it, I got it!” ~ Ariana Grande Ola! This February edition is the month of love, but love who? Throughout our lives we came across many people who have touched our hearts in many, many ways. Do you love them? Have you experienced any life changes because of them? Or, missed several opportunities or chances for being too attached to any or some of them?

It’s February! The month is coined with two major events: the only month with 28 days (29 every four years) and Valentine's days! A third event that is now on the rise yet still not very popular is Single Awareness Day (SAD) which falls on Feb 15th. Feb also celebrates my sister’s and nephew’s birthdays but unfortunately, these days haven’t reached international popularity. Because of Valentine’s Day, Feb brings out a lot of emotions that range from excitement and joy to disappointment and anger to feelings of indifference.…