The Further Adventures of Anjum of Arabia in Saudi...

I've been in Saudi for over 6 months now and there is some other stuff I've noticed about life here in Riyadh:

Most cars have dinks. There are a great mix of cars including predominantly GMC, Nissan, Hyundai and Kias, interspersed  with the occasional supercar and most have dink in, including the supercars! I've also see more Mustangs in the last 6 months than I've ever seen in my life.

The kids love sequins on their clothes, especially the ones where you can stroke it to change the colour or design. This is especially useful when you are teaching as the sequins help the children concentrate and are good for the environment too... said no one ever!

Saudi's love their sweets (*sigh* candy) and fizzy drinks (*sigh* soda) -diabetes and obesity will be in fashion here soon I'm sure as kids are generally quite big here and don't exercise much. They are often ferried from air-conned building to air-conned building. It is a major health concern, so much so that the Prince has issued a 'Sugar tax' very recently.

The old crusty looking tower block buildings in the old part of town hide flashy offices, dentists, cosmetic surgery places etc. Seriously, I thought  I was back in the Gascoigne Estate in Barking (the English version of 'the projects') as I had to walk up a crusty flight of stairs in some echoey room (no smell of urine though, which should have been a giveaway) only to find an oasis of dental calm. All marble and chic lighting. It is sorta like Chunking Mansions in Hong Kong, a huge tower block with hundreds of businesses that looks ghetto but actually is full of cool and thriving businesses and industry.

The toilets are often like something from Trainspotting as people use bum guns here and they are in use all the time due to the 5 daily prayers. The floors of toilets are often soaking wet but on the plus side my bottom is squeaky clean so pros and cons eh?

The mobile phone top up system is confusing, you have to go to pods in malls manned by people and actually pay that way. The queues are long and boring with a ticketed system. Or, you could get the app and DIY but initially it's confusing and all linked to your personal ID, the Iqama. This limits what you can look at and research, including in incognito mode so stay mainstream and clean you weirdos.

The airport is super efficient and the staff are the friendliest I've ever met at any airport, and I've been to over 30 in my travels.

Saudi's are ready for gigs, concerts and events but the etiquette at these events is still being worked on. So for example, if you are watching a boxing match and have awesome seats a few people will think nothing of standing in front of you and having a proper conversation about the meaning of life... I mean, sit the heck down! You've got prime seats, chill!

The cinema is a massive deal here. They will show movies in their original form but any kissing scenes or LGBTQ issues are sliced with some interesting and abrupt editing. I'd be interested to see how Quentin Tarantino movies would be edited here, they'd be short film after the cuts I reckon... Once Upon A Time In Hollywood would be under 5 mins!

It gets cold here. Now that might be surprising for some imagining unbearable heat, mirages and whatnot but apart from the fact that at night there is little to no cloud cover to keep the heat in, because science, Riyadh has seasons. Yup, from November to about March Riyadh feels like early British spring with temperatures being about 7 degrees during the day to about 3 degrees at night. It warms up during the day reaching the heady heights of about 17 degrees but this place does get cold so you need your North Face and Berghaus jackets.

Lynx Africa is not sold here. Lynx is rebranded as Axe in Saudi and I've looked for Africa high and low but, alas, to no avail. There are many other scents available here but they emphasise the woody smelling ones. When I went back to England at Christmas I bought 2 XL cans of it as it's been my smell since I was about 11. Jeannie says my scent is garlic and onions but I and Mr. Lynx Africa disagree.

The driving test centre is a pretty depressing place, as most are, but if you have a British or American driving license it's all plain sailing and fast-tracked and you may not even have to touch a car... Which is useful at the DVLA.

The banking system here is very tight. You need an Iqama (special personal ID card provided by the government when granted permission to enter the country) and lots of paperwork. It's a nuisance getting anything done as the queues are crazy long (think over an hour for basic banking needs and about 3 hours to get a credit card) but fraud and money laundering are much tougher so that's good!

LINK- High Tea and High Times in the Riyadh Globe

LINK- Reflecting on Life in Saudi Arabia After 5 Months

LINK- Life in Saudi Arabia 3 Month On

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

LINK- Video Gaming In Saudi Arabia

Battle Circuit- Video Games As Art

Working through my play through of the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up Bundle I came across Battle Circuit , an arcade side-scrolling beat-em-up developed by Capcom. The game was released in arcade in 1997 and was the last of its type released in arcades as their popularity waned. In the game you play as one of 5 bounty hunters charged with getting rid of intergalactic rogues and villains. The game looks gorgeous, plays well and has witty banter-y dialogue, which I appreciated. It was one of the best games in the bundle and I appreciated its manga art style and bright colour palette. Check out some screenshots from my play through.

The Prince and the Dressmaker- Comic Review

The Prince and the Dressmaker is a fairy-tale like story about Prince Sabastian who likes to wear dresses on occasion and requires the quiet assistance of a talented seamstress to create wonderful haute couture for him. However, the Prince's parents are pressuring him to find a bride and settle down to carry the Royal lineage forward, unknowing of his secret. How long will his penchant for wearing dresses remain a secret and how long can his seamstress, the hardworking and career minded Frances, be able to support him in his secrecy?

I've been reading comics for a long time (about 33 years to be precise) but I've never really read a story like this. I am glad that the ever-dependable Jen Wang has created this comic as the central premise could have been problematic, what with portraying the Prince sympathetically without seeming false or trite, but the gender fluidity represented here is wonderfully represented and realised. I recently had a conversation with a transitioning friend of mine, who is transitions from a he to a she, and she said that sometimes she feels like a male and sometimes a female. It's difficult for her but it's not always binary for her and Wang gets to this in her story, gender is different from the sex you were born with and this nuance is carefully portrayed.

Aside from the carefully considered story and dialogue, the artwork is beautiful and the level of detail on the background scenes and dresses is astonishing. You can see that Wang clearly loved creating beautiful dresses for the Prince to wear and as Lady Crystalis, her true personality comes through.

Even though the topics covered are controversial and may be uncomfortable for some, I think the book is good to share with young people who are questioning their own gender or are just interested in it.

Forgotton Anne- Video Games As Art

For many years, gamers used to say “It looks like you’re controlling a cartoon” but that was for games like Aladdin or Castle of Illusion starring Mickey Mouse on the Megadrive, which were beautifully crafted but by no means cartoons you controlled . Obviously, as the years have passed this has changed and there have been games that are literal cartoons that you control, like Cuphead, but Forgotten Anne is a true cinematic adventure. You play as Anne, an ‘enforcer’ who keeps order in the ‘Forgotton Lands’ where lost objects gain sentience. She is tasked with bringing down a rebellion but all is not as it seems as political intrigue comes into play.

The game is a short 5 to 6 hour experience but is beautifully animated with a cel animated aesthetic. The puzzles are light and generally easy but the journey is one well worth taking. Check out screenshots from my gameplay below.

High Tea and High Times at the Riyadh Globe

A couple of weeks ago I ‘celebrated’ my 39th birthday. I say celebrated but it was a weird one to be honest. My lovely wife had signed us both up for the school staff talent show a few weeks ago. She put us in for the Bollywood dancing, just to buck the stereotype, but then got shy after a couple of sessions and bailed leaving me in the group. I felt guilty as the numbers in the group were low so I stayed and on my birthday I performed on a proper stage to a paying audience of 750 school parents, pupils and peers in the evening. It was a great experience and I had a lot of fun but it wasn’t what I would have planned to do on my birthday. When the show had finished it was quite late-ish so I went home and went to bed. So yeah, a weird but memorable birthday for sure.

The cakes and snacks on offer were wonderful.

I think my wife was feeling guilty as later on that week she WhatApped our friends and arranged a fancy high tea at the Al Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh. For people not in the know, which I’m guessing is pretty much everyone as it’s not that famous a building outside of Riyadh, the tower is a giant pyramid with a globe stuck in near the top. It’s a beautiful but unconventional looking building, but what it promises is an unrivaled 360 degree view of the city and a perfect place to view the sunset whilst eating delicious food. So, what’s not to like, eh?

Well, after navigating the nightmarish roadworks that had blocked off most of the access points to the area we arrived at the front of the tower. A valet offered to park the Kia next to the latest, shiniest BMWs, Bentleys and Bugattis and I knew then that these were my people and I’d fit riiiiight in…

Entering the tower with my helium filled Elmo birthday balloon, we stepped onto the red carpet and I felt every bit the star my mother thinks I am. Maybe they’d heard about my amazing turn at the Staff Talent Show? We went through the x-ray tunnel and metal detector and my balloon was confiscated. Elmo is a code red apparently, or maybe they don’t want people to get high off the helium.

We then entered a cylindrical lift that felt like something out of a James Bond villains lair, all glass and chrome. A dapper concierge swiped his special card to allow the lift to move. We then met another concierge half way up and he swiped his special card to allow us further up into the building, into the plush lounge area. I thought that at the next stop I’d have to give a stool sample, shed some blood or sacrifice a lamb to be allowed in but luckily that was not required as we were finally there.

The panoramic view was instantly amazing. The sun shone on the Kingdom Tower which stood right in front of us; a bottle opener shaped building created by an architect with a ‘dry’ sense of humour! The other towering skyscrapers loomed large and the Mondrian-like grid road system was clear for all to see. The view was breathtaking and well worth the price of the 35 quid admission.

As we settled into our chairs, the waiting staff filed our glasses with fizzy water and loaded the table with serving towers laden with a selection of cakes, scones, chocolates, blinis (that’s small pancakes with fancy toppings) and savoury amuse-bouches (that’s small fancy food that tastes delicious). I was impressed as the food was scrumpdiddlyumptious but there were no cucumber, egg and cress or salmon paste finger sandwiches in sight. Worse still you had to go make your own tea! Well, that’s just not cricket is it? In all fairness they did have a tea caddy area with proper posh tea in their own linen-type teabags and a hot water urn but it felt weird making my own tea at a high tea.

However, this was more than made up by the fact that they had an international buffet going on. There was food from Japan; sushi, China; spring rolls, India; samosas and Germany; some savoury pastries and cookies. There was also a pimp chocolate fountain with a variety of foods and fruits you could skewer. So all in all, a very good variety of food that catered for all needs… except for those who like vegetables. It was a very beige tea, which I don’t mind on occasion, but for those wanting a rainbow plate of food jog on son…

So, as the sun set over the 3 or so hours we were there, my friends and I enjoyed the magnificent sunset and ate our fill. There were lots of laughs and lively discussions about work and life in Riyadh. My daughters loved the whole thing and ate their fill of chocolate covered fruit and marshmallow. The staff were very sweet and attentive and my daughters danced, ate and made friends with some of the other kids there.

The time whizzed by and by 6pm we bid a fond adieu to the place and made our way back downstairs, collecting the Elmo balloon on the way.

I have to say that my wife outdid herself by arranging this. Now I have to think of a way to repay her on her birthday. Maybe I’ll book her in for a standup session at the local comedy bar and then take her for a fancy Indian meal after… I’ve got a few months to figure out how to make her birthday as memorable as mine was with a sucker punch of an event first and then a sweetener.

LINK- Reflecting on Life in Saudi Arabia After 5 Months

LINK- Life in Saudi Arabia 3 Month On

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

LINK- Video Gaming In Saudi Arabia

Kingdom Hearts III ReMind Review by Avas Riaz

I’ve just finished the Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind DLC and my thoughts on this DLC are that it wasn’t what I expected it to be or experience but it was amazingly perfect in every way.

Going through the side part of the final boss using other characters like Aqua, Roxas, Riku and Kairi is incredible. I mostly used Sora throughout the Re:mind chapter, the Data boss battles and when returning to the garden of assemblage in Radiant Aarden as they are really tough opponents, far tougher than in Kingdom Hearts 2 Final-mix. The most annoying Data boss Battle in the DLC is Luxord but I don't want to give too much details on this boss as while it was a frustrating battle, as most boss data battles are (including Xemnas, Terra'hnort, Ansem, Marluxia, and Xion) they are cool.

On my first time using the new weapon, Oathkeeper, it was really fun and its 2nd form dual really took me back to Kingdom Hearts 2 Sora's forms.

Finally the Secret Episode super secret boss battle is so much harder that I did not expect to win so easily. Losing and getting the bad ending got me down but practice (or research) helpe me beat it and practice makes perfect!

Well, that's my review of the DLC of Kingdom Hearts 3 ReMind and I rate it 5 stars or 9.5/10

Warriors of Fate- Video Games As Art

So, ploughing through the Capcom Beat’em Up Collection I came across Warriors of Fate, a title I was unfamiliar with. Warriors of Fate is based on the historic novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms which was written in the 14th century but set nearly 2000 years ago.

The game is typical Capcom beat’em up fare but it does have a few novel ideas such as the introduction of a war horse which provides elevation and a sort of shield status and up to three players can play at once, but with my wife not being a gamer I played solo like a saddo. It’s a good looking game with some anime style art but not extraordinary by any means.

Celebrating Video Games As Art

I’ve been playing video games for as long as I can remember and being 39 years old, that’s a long time! I’ve been saying for years that video games are an art form. In the same way that not all music, films or books are ‘high art’, not all video game are high art but they are art.

Over the years I’ve created quite a portfolio of video game captures from my gameplay and today marks my 50th game. To celebrate I’ve put 50 of my favourite images that I’ve created into a gallery. Sit back and enjoy!

MirrorMask- Cult Film Review

The fairytale-like story of an adolescent girl living a life as a circus performer and railing against her family does not seem like a film a 38 year old man would typically like, but if I said that the film was written by frequent collaborators Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean? It might make more sense and even pique your interest. This team worked on the seminal 'The Sandman' series together and Gaiman has also written American Gods, Coraline, The Graveyard Book, Stardust and much more. This is quite a pedigree and so, as expected, MirrorMask does not disappoint, coming across like a modern version of Labyrinth, even down to the Jim Henson Company producing the puppets that frequently the film.

The film is about young Helena, very ably played by Stephanie Leonidas, who is an aspiring artist with an active imagination. Her family run the family circus and are part of a carny community but this is transient and lacks the consistency that Helena thinks she wants. When she rebels it sends her mother into a coma and Helena enters a mirror world where the Dark Queen, an evil version of her mother, keeps the White Queen, her coma'd mother, in a deep sleeps. Can Helena find a way to rescue her mother and discover some personal truths? Of course she can but the journey is intriguing and on accession, Dr. Who-esque scary.

The actors are all very good and the special effects suit the dreamy style of the film well. I know some people have criticised the over-reliance on green screen but with an obviously limited budget, the film does a commendable job of bringing McKean's art and drawings to life. The story is intriguing enough and the singular art style make this film a worthwhile watch but it does feel like an incoherent journey, actions happen and you have no idea of it is good or bad and the bloom effect starts to grate after a while. Don't get me wrong I liked the film just fine but didn't love it. It's no Labyrinth, but then... what is?

Knights of the Round- Video Games As Art

Knights of the Round is a classic 1991 side-scrolling beat’em up from Capcom and is one of seven games contained in the Capcom Best’em Up Collection. In the game, based loosely on the Arthurian myth, you play as either Arthur, Lancelot or Perceval and travel across various vistas to defeat the dreaded King Garibaldi, no relation to the biscuit.

The game is similar in style to Golden Axe but is slow and repetitive and feels like a slog. Even though it is 7 levels long they are laborious and feature repetitive enemies. It’s a shame as the premise is a good one. Oh well!

Hilda- Complete Graphic Novels Series Review

The Hilda graphic novel books by Luke Pearson are stories about a young blue-haired girl named Hilda. She lives in the mountains, surrounded by fantastical mythical creatures, with her mother and Twigg, her pet deerfox. Hilda is an adventurer and explorer who wants to understand her world and, over the course of the complete 6 book run, has lots of fun and exciting adventures. With each event Hilda learns something, often something profound for someone so small like what it is to be lonely, how easy it is to be unkind to animals, why rituals are important to many and how we can make the world a better place by working together.

The Hilda books are wonderful and show Pearson’s evolution as an artist and a writer.

The Hilda books are wonderful and show Pearson’s evolution as an artist and a writer.

In the first book, Hilda and the Troll, we find out about Hilda's world. Her passion for exploring, understanding the world and art lead to a grand adventure in which she realises that her prejudices led her to treat a creature in an unethical way. She learns from her mistake and grows as a person and that is what these stories are about... having flaws, learning from mistakes and growing to be a better person.  

In Hilda and the Midnight Giant, the second book, Hilda helps a lost mountain giant find his friend after many millenia alone. Hilda meets the hidden smallfolk on her way and discovers that the invisible hidden folk have been disturbed by the presence of her and her mother in the mountains. The ending for this book is particularly profound and beautiful and is all about the effect we have on the world without even realising. Heady stuff indeed for a 'kids' comic. The weirdness and slight tinge of unease reminds me of Over The Garden Wall or even Frankenweenie. 

After the events of book 2, Hilda and her mother leave their cabin and move to the city of Trollberg. Hilda then adapts to life in an urban setting, meeting new people and the complexities that brings. She begins to understand the beauty that can exist in the city and develops friendships through the Sparrow Scouts group she joins and it is here that the main thrust of the graphic novels is pushed forward with each novel being an amazing and whimsical adventure. There are elves, stone giants, a Thunderbird and even a hell hound thrown in the mix... it all ends up making sense as the world is a tapestry of stories and characters, all building towards a cohesive whole. 

The fifth book released in mid 2018, Hilda and the Stone Forest, ended on a real cliffhanger as Hilda was turned into a troll. Fans of the series had been waiting excitedly for the conclusion and with Hilda and the Mountain King, which was released only a few weeks ago, they finally got it. We finally understand how the trolls live and why they have gathered around Trollberg. The series ends on a note of hope and there isn't a deus ex machina to make everything okay, and I like that, life is messy and things don't always reach a neat conclusion and this graphic novel series shows that and respects it's audience to understand that too. 

Overall, the 6 books are amazing and show Pearson’s evolution over the 5 years since the creation of the character. The first 3 books have wonderful if stylishly sketchy art but from book 4 onwards it is more cartoon like and akin to the wonderful Netflix show. The colour palette is beautiful at conveying the mood and the panel organisation more fluent as the book series progresses. 

I have been waiting a while for the conclusion to the series and it has been worth the wait.

Special mention must be made of how inclusive the series is, with a multicultural cast represented throughout. The fact that Hilda herself is a girl is also a plus as it is rare for many comics to have positive young female role models. My 4 year old daughter looks up to Hilda but she is represented well and isn't perfect, being cheeky and selfish as kids (and adults) are wont to be. 

Hilda is a brilliant series and should be treasured by fans of the comic medium. With just 6 graphic novels, it doesn't overstay its welcome yet has some profound truths contained within. 

LINK- Hilda- Complete Series 1 Netflix Review

LINK- Comics in the Classroom

LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me

Captain Commando- Video Games As Art

I’ve been working my way through the Capcom Beat’em Up Collection and came across Captain Commando. I’ve heard it referred to before but had never played the game before. Captain Commando is a 1991 futuristic side-scrolling beat 'em up video game featuring the 80’s Capcom mascot. The game is set in the crime-ridden future of Metro City, where a superhero named Captain Commando, assisted by his three faithful Commando Companions rise up to protect the Earth and all the Galaxy from a gang of super-powered criminals.

So far so typical, but when one of the characters you can play as is a baby in a robot suit you know this isn’t a regular side-scrolling beat’em up. The game is fun and has attractive, colourful and chunky sprites that make it pop. It’s all a bit zany but fun.

For the Love of Switch

I was an early adopter of the Nintendo Switch, getting it a couple of months after launch instead of on release day due to shortages and Game's failure to fulfill my pre-order but I've only ever played it at home portably. I just haven't felt the need to plug it into the telly as I've enjoyed getting current gen. experiences whilst laying down on my sofa, legs in the air and head on a cushion... It's one of the many small joys in my life. Having lived in east London, only a complete muppet would take it out to play it on the go... You're kinda looking to get mugged if you walk around with that kinda kit!

However, a few weeks ago, whilst I was travelling to Bahrain and Dubai on holiday I took my Switch with me as I knew I'd have downtime to play and relax, away from the laptop, work and other distractions. Whilst spending the week with my family, I enjoyed the quality time we had making sandcastles, sand angels and other sand themed entertainment but whilst they were napping during the middle of the day, I had grand adventures on my miniature Switch screen; fighting dragons, learning Dragon-born words and helping people by completing fetch quests in the complex land of Skyrim.

The beautiful little machine is the perfect system to enjoy Skyrim as in the heat of the Bahraini and Dubai sun, it displayed the world in all its scaled down glory. Over that week I saw things many non-gamers couldn't imagine; 

Whiterun on fire from a dreadful dragon,

I watched colleges being attacked by hellish hordes in the moonlight.

All these moments will be lost to time, like bitrot on degradable saving machanisms…

I've said it before but video games have the potential to test the limits of the imagination and induce a sense of wonder and awe that is often lacking in real life. The older you get, the more you realise how horrible and cruel the real world can actually be. Over the past few years it has often felt like we are in the darkest timeliness with some truly horrendous things occurring all around us. We are constantly barraged with horrific imagery, news headlines and 'hot takes' on some dreadful world events so for me and many others, video games are an escape from the real world;  refuge from the general crap storm happening all around us... at least for a little while.

Over Christmas I was in Devon enjoying the winter break with my family and the in-laws and thanks to the Switch and Sayonara Wild Heart, it was an even more wonderful occasion. Here’s to many more gaming hours!

LINK- Nintendo: My One Constant in My Gaming Life

LINK- Video Gaming in Saudi Arabia

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

LINK: Japan: My Journey to the East

LINK- Battle Angel Alita: And So It Ends

LINK- The Mysterious Cities of Gold Retro Soundtrack Review

The World of the Unknown: All About Ghosts- Classic Book Review

As a child of the 80s I loved going to the library. It was one of my favourite places to go as I loved reading all sorts of books including Tintin, Asterix and scary ones too.. . Yup, I was a regular child with a fascination in the scary.

The World of the Unknown series was a perennial favourite as it explored unexplained and supernatural phenomena. There were 3 in the series and they were:
The World of the Unknown: UFOs
The World of the Unknown: Monsters
The World of the Unknown: Ghosts

My favourite was always Ghosts as it was a spooky book all about those pesky phantoms and their mysterious ways. It covered a myriad of topics including some of the most well known hauntings, obvious fakes and even tools needed to investigate supernatural phenomena.

The book was beautifully illustrated with full colour artwork and a few "ghost photos". I remember always wanting to visit Pluckley, the 'most haunted town in England' in Kent. The book has remained in my mind even after all these years and when I heard that it was being re-released I knew I would have to purchase it to relive my youth and try to remember simpler times when the world looked like a wondrous place full of joy, instead of the bleak heck-hole it seems to have become. I kid of course but I'm sure there are many people who have that sentiment and look upon the past with some halcyon glow. I'm not one of those people though.

However, the book is the same as I remember except it is on glossier paper and now features a foreword by Reece Shearsmith, writer and creator of League of Gentleman and other creepy television series.

Reading it again one cold Christmas night, I found that it was just as wonderful as I remember from my youth. The pictures that were ingrained in my mind were there in all their glory and popped in their vibrancy, affirming that the book is as great as I remember and even taking away the rose tinted glasses of nostalgia, well worth a read.

Lara Croft GO!- Video Games As Art

Lara Croft Go! is a beautifully gentle puzzle-box of a game and a quietly contemplative adventure. Through an isometric view, you control Lara as you explore ancient ruins and solve the mystery of the Queen of Venom. The muted pastel colours, calming music and slower paced gameplay is well worth the price of entry. Check out images from my play-through below!

Reflecting On Life in Saudi Arabia After 5 Months

It's been 5 months since my family and I left England for Saudi Arabia to travel around the world, have new experiences and hopefully start to save for our future by getting new teaching jobs. It's had its ups and downs  but after the spiritual epiphany I had in the sauna in Bahrain, how are we adapting to life being slightly less frugal and enjoying life a bit? 

Well, Jeannie got me a membership to a spa and sauna soon after we got back to Riyadh! I think she read the Bahrain article, even though she said she didn't, and is either angling her way to convince me to buy that 1 karat diamond ring she's been after, or she was visited by 3 ghosts over the course of a night... Hey, it's Christmas so it could happen! Either way, the spa's been a gosh-send as after a tired day at the chalk face I go to the compound spa and steam, sauna and jacuzzi... I come out sparkling like a vampire from a popular elevated fan-fiction series.

So how have we changed, apart from sauna membership? Well, I'm eating caviar on toast daily, I'm not but it is available for £25 a small jar at the local mini-mart if I were so inclined. 

To treat Jeannie, I splashed out and bought her a foot spa as she's mentioned wanting one for a while. She's loving it and it's become a bit of a ritual for her to plug it in whilst the girls munch a post-school cookie whilst watching a cartoon on Netflix... Psych! She's used it precisely once and it's now sitting in the cupboard gathering dust like all footspas around the world... Next to the Breville Sandwich Toaster, Bread Maker and Jimmy Hoffa's body. 

We are eating out a little more, and not at fast food places but actual restaurants with cutlery with weight to it. We've had napkins that aren't disposable or made from course tissue paper and it feels like a revelation! A restaurant even gave us fresh bread and a salad for free and that was before we even ordered anything, so you know it's fancy when they can afford to give food away. 

We go to Starbucks a coupla times a week and my drink of choice is a matcha frappe with hazelnut syrup. That beats the greasy spoon 50p cuppa but does make me feel like a complete muppet  when I put the order in, but it is sooo tasty. Young Barking Me would knock the high pile of books from my hand aggressively and shout "What!" if he could see me now... But it gets worse…

We brunch. Yup, we go for brunches at cool hipster places; all asymmetric haircuts, distressed unvarnished odd wood furniture, bare brick walls and a shish tonne of plants. With my new freewheeling style, I have had unfettered food options and in one place I had eggs benedict, which is a couple of poached eggs on muffins, with a hollandaise sauce and a little bit of parsley on top. Pretty simple right? Well at £14 I'm guessing these were some elite eggs, maybe dodo... Hey, it's Saudi so it could happen! 

Recently, Jeannie and I went to the poshest cinema I've ever been to in my life, £56 for 2 tickets to see that cheesy Brit-com Last Christmas! The Vox Cinema at the Kingdom Tower (the one that looks like a bottle opener- ironic I know) had so much swagger with its modern art deco styling. Our remote controlled reclining seats were of the softest leather and had a night light, foldable food trays and satin blankets and pillows, Also, no lie, the popcorn came in super posh boxes and were carried to you on a freakin' tray by a waiter in a shirt and tie. With the press of a button you could get waiting service to your recliner, so you could order loaded nachos at your pleasure. This opulence even carried across into the toilet where there were golden bum guns. The toilet paper had also been poshified by the fact they made it into a triangle at the end... that's class right there for ya.  Different world man, different world.

Recently a group of friends from work and I have taken up bowling. We've been every Wednesday for the past 5 weeks and we've got pretty good. It's not flash or fancy and often we get a Burger King meal but I splash out on a large Whopper meal and I splurge that extra 1 sar (about 20p) for a sachet of spicy sauce... It's the little things yknow... in the Endz it was ordering that burger with an extra hash brown thrown in, but as money was tight that only happened on rare occasions... Now? Sauces as far as the eye can see. 

A little while ago, the family and I went to Dubai to catch up with an old work colleague and pal (Heya Gill!) and we went to the Marks and Spencer there and bought a few things for the kids and ourselves. Nothing fancy, just essentials like PJs, underpants and flip-flops and even though it's about a 30% markup on British prices, we didn't wince or complain. It's just a fact of life that imported goods from England cost a lot more here. We'd normally say it was too expensive and go to Blue Inc. instead but this time we said no more! So M&S goods it was for us! Huzzah! 

I've recently been to the Super Classico and the Clash on the Dunes, two major sporting events. Not only did I see Messi score a goal but I also saw Anthony Joshua regain the Heavyweight Boxing titles. In England these events would run into the hundreds, maybe even the thousand mark for the boxing but here it's much cheaper so why not go and give it a whirl eh? 

I'm not saying I've become snooty but at the boxing I had chips with truffle oil, yup, oil from truffles! Yknow, the expensive stuff that pigs love to root around for and eat. If it's good enough for them... Anyways it was nice but joins the list alongside caviar as food that is proper snooty and posh but I don't get the hype. 

Looking forward I'm not sure where our crazy freewheelin' lifestyle is headed but I'm sure it is a place that's wonderful yet decadently restrained... Like our budget. This is a new reinvigorated Anjum, one who brunches weekly, attends sporting events whilst glistening like a vampire. So yeah, adapting to being less frugal is going okay but there are still some hurdles...

When colleagues asked what I was most looking forward to when I got back to Blighty for the Christmas holidays, I said after friends, family and more Brexit talk it was the grade F chicken and chips for £1. I've missed it, strange as it may seem. Also, I’m off to Tonbridge in a couple of days and look forward to getting a personal £2 pizza from Pizza Go Go near Tonbridge Station and going to Oriental Buffet to eat my body weight in chicken wings! See, it’s not all spas and truffle oils, I’m still ‘hood!

LINK- Life in Saudi Arabia 3 Month On

LINK- An English Geek in Saudi Arabia

LINK- Video Gaming In Saudi Arabia

Moominvalley Season 2 Airs Imminently

I have a deep love for the Moomins as many of you may know. I've discussed the Moomins multiple times before, either when talking about the creepy 80s stop motion animation, the recent vinyl soundtrack release or my visit to Moomin World in Finland. I fell in love with these hippo-like creatures that spouted aphorisms and enjoyed the simple things in life in my 30’s, how could you not like a show where such profounds truths are share:
“I only want to live in peace, plant potatoes and dream!”
 – Moomintroll (Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip - Book One)

“The world is full of great and wonderful things for those who are ready for them.”
 – Moominpappa (Moominpappa at Sea)

“You must go on a long journey before you can really find out how wonderful home is.”
 – Snufkin (Comet In Moominland)

“When one’s dead, then one’s dead. This squirrel will become earth all in his time. And later on still there’ll grow trees from him, with new squirrels skipping about in them. Do you think that’s so very sad?”
 – Too-Ticky (Moominland Midwinter)

Well, hot off the heels of the Season 1 the second series of Moominvalley drops tomorrow! Moominvalley is a slow, meditative half hour of animation that is a tonic in this golden age of media. With the hyper-kinetic energy of other shows often being an assault on the sense, Moominvalley is a slow paced oasis of calm. It is a sweet and wonderful show that can be enjoyed by all the family and over the holiday season, it will be a great watch, of that I have no doubt. The show airs in the UK at:

EP201 Dec 21 at 13.00 on Sky One / 4.00 Sky Kids
EP202 Dec 21 at 13.30 on Sky One / 15.30 Sky Kids
EP203 Dec 22 at 13.00 on Sky One / 15.00 Sky Kids
EP204 Dec 22 at 13.30 on Sky One / 15.30 Sky Kids
EP205 Dec 24 at 13.00 on Sky One / 15.00 Sky Kids

The King of Dragons- Video Games As Art

Continuing my play through of the Capcom Beat’em Ups Collection I happened upon The King of Dragons. The game is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up video game by Capcom that allows players to choose from five characters (an Elf, Wizard, Fighter, Cleric, and Dwarf) in order to travel through the kingdom of Malus and defeat the monsters that have taken over, as well as their leader, the red dragon Gildiss.

The game is great and I loved the fact that as you progress with different characters their powers upgrade. I chose each character in my playthrough and settled on the Wizard as he had reach.

Final Fight- Video Games As Art

I recently purchased the Capcom Beat-em Up Collection and my first port of call was Final Fight.

Final Fight is a stone cold classic side-scrolling beat-'em-up game that was originally released as an arcade game in 1989. I remember playing it at Heathrow Airport whilst waiting for relations to land and as a result, never completed the game. Playing the collection I now had a chance to beat the game and with the infinite credits available, I did. This game is a coin guzzler and I’m glad I didn’t spend my life savings in my youth.

The Millenial Bashing Problem

The attention and drive of people, especially young people and Millennials (born from 1980 to 2000) is said to be getting worse. It is said that Millennials (I am a Xennial as I was born between 1977 and 1984 but am often grouped with Millennials) suffer from nomophobia (fear of being without a mobile phone or WiFi) and that we lack commitment to work and are too sensitive or  'snowflakes'.

I've listened quietly and calmly to the constant 'Millennial bashing' and the apologists in their patronising 'the kids are alright' videos and articles and it got me thinking... The older generation looking down upon the new emerging generation has a long and well-worn history.

In the 18th century the novel was said to be corrupting the minds of innocents, especially young girls who it was thought were easily corruptable. Moll Flanders has a preface about this written by the author, Daniel Defoe. Later on the tabloid newspapers came along and were accused of the same thing; it's penny dreadful attention grabbing headlines drew peoples attention and was said to be worsening society, or so stated the pearl clutching older generation. In the 1940/50s Comics were said to be damaging the fabric of society and corrupting innocent minds, this led to the founding of the Comic Books Code, which only ended in 2011. Then came television, which was accused of making us mindless zombies, or Marilyn Manson was bringing Satanism to the masses… but it’s not true... none of these statements are! There is always a “moral panic” when a society experiences highly revelatory technological advances—specifically, ones which interfere with or alter our relationships with time, space, and each other.

Whenever a new piece of technology, be it books, newspapers, radio, comics or television come into being it is seen as a distraction that degrades society but it doesn't and hasn’t… until now that is. The Internet may be the game changer. App and tech creators have produced something that truly gets under our skin; the reward schedule. This is the ritual of checking your phone or apps or social media profiles to check if you've got a like, share, retweet or whatever--it produces a small dopamine hit that give us pleasure, it affects our biology and tech companies have designed their apps to maximise this. I'm not talking out of my hat, there has been research done by B.F. Skinner that unexpected 'rewards' mean that people will check more frequently and more often if they have received a reward or ‘like’ etc... These are schedules of reinforcement.

The fact that Bill Gates doesn't allow much screen time for his children, Mark Zuckerberg covers the camera on his iPad and former VP of Facebook, Chamath Palihapitiya has said that they have altered society for the worse is testament that something is going wrong with our use of technology. The Cambridge Analytica scandal, where people’s personal information was sold and then adverts and articles targeted to crate a filter bubble all point towards one thing, a fragmented and uneducated society at a time when more people are 'woke' and have access to the biggest store of information that has ever existed. Instead of nuances or balanced arguments you get the extreme views or 'hot takes' on both sides of the spectrum that get the most views, likes etc... When it's hard to be noticed when you are balanced you say the loudest shrillest thing to garnet the attention you think you deserve.

I'm all for technology, looking through my blog will show you that, but we have to prepare children (and to be honest, many adults) to be more discerning and investigative of the information they are presented with. Fake news is prevalent more than ever and we have to research and find out more about the facts, sift through the clickbait and 'truthiness' to get to the 'truth' not just things that sound true but rather objective truth. Is objective truth even possible? Well, that's a whoooole 'nother ballgame. We need a counter-culture but a real counter-culture, not one manufactured by the industry. When Richard Branson gets on his band wagon about climate change yet he owns a train and airline company, he sounds insincere and yes, a little psychotic.

We need to adapt and as we adopt the new technology, we know it's there and what it's doing to us so we need to adapt our behaviour accordingly, me, I'm hoping to put the phone down between 6 and 8:30 to spend quality time with my wife and daughters and then use 8:30 to 9:30pm as social media/ blog update/ catchup on Watsapp time.

‘Night in the Woods’ looks at the myriad of issues Millennials face rather eloquently.

So this brings us to the Millennial Question? Are they 'woke' snowflakes with poor concentration and a lack of drive? No, and the reason is down to one major thing: economics. Specifically the recession of 2008, which was a key ‘anchor moment’ - moments that may have a long-term and lasting impact. The fallout from this financial crisis has had a huge impact as most Millennials can't afford to get on the housing market, get pay rises or even save with the hope of buying in the future. There is a gig economy, which over 5 million people in the UK are in. Whilst it offers flexibility it doesn't have perks like pensions, pay rises due to a job well done etc... Through no fault of their own they've had to adapt.

They don't trust CEO’s who many see as still receiving bonuses even when everyone else suffers, for the most egregious example look no further than Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, who even after a record breaking year for the company, made 900 staff members redundant whilst giving himself a huge pay bonus and the shareholders a large dividend.

For many Millennial there’s no hope of getting on the property ladder or getting a pay-rise in real world terms, so many are multi-tasking, taking on more than 1 main job, in fact 19% of Millennial have 2 or more jobs and this is set to rise. In fact, as a whole 57% of the 13 million households living in poverty in the UK have at least one person working in a job- they are the working poor.

So there you have it, Millennial aren't entitled or lazy (although some are, but give me a generation which doesn't have a few of those) but they are swimming against a current that they have no chance of beating. The old Protestant Work Ethic of 'Work sets you free' is no longer applicable in many cases, for those who do want to go to work but have children the prohibitive cost of childcare makes it financially unfeasible to go back to or find work. Those who can find work find that there is very little chance of saving for the future and live hand to mouth often.

The media will tell you its benefit scroungers with multiple kids who are screwing the system but I can say that as a part of a teaching couple with over 30 years experience between us, the cost of childcare for our two children means we can't afford it- and we have lived frugally. Now in a traditionally 'middle class' job and well regarded profession such as education that can't be right, and we live well within our means.

Anyways, as a Xennial I have to say, the situation is not clear cut, very few things are so can people stop reducing arguments back to basics, it’s unedifying.

As for the upcoming election, I’ll just leave this here.