You Can Call Her Queen Bee

Eat or be eaten seem to fit in almost every aspect of our life. Friendship certainly cant avoid this. Girls, hell.. women competing to be the most influential (at least in small groups) is channeling Gossip Girl.

The Queen Bee throne is getting more and more attractive to some. There's always Blair Waldorf and Serena. But there's also a Georgina Sparks and the out of place Jenny Humphrey. It's hard to decide who is the bitchiest of all.

Perhaps we should all take a good look in the mirror.

I Laughed, Astonished, and Laughed a Lot More: Fringe and Other Underrated Shows

Don't you find it annoying when you're talking about something and nobody seems to be aware of what you're talking about? Especially when you're talking about some TV show that you really-really enjoy watching.

Seem that you're the only one in your circle that is watching the show. Hmmmm.... I find it sad. I'm anxious - if not dying - to talk about my following addictions (according to my very own personal rating).

I. Fringe - I laughed, astonished and giggled

Before I watch it, I never thought i would like Fringe. I didn't enjoy the X-Files (Sci Fi show, also JJ Abrams' creation). I've been watching it since it first aired and I'm glad I did. Now I can't stop wandering what's going happen next. It's my new addiction. show

Woooow. Is the first thing i said when I watch the first episode of Fringe. At the beginning i thought this show wasn't going to be interesting but when you start watching you get caught by the exciting episodes, the wonderful experiments and the great characters. I think that there aren't other actors who can play Olivia and Peter. I think both of them and Walter Bishop the "mad scientist" are hilarious. John Noble really give it a twist. This is an edgy show that you'll enjoy while you have the courage to watch (as you may become a Fringe Junkie like me).

Luckily Fox decided to extend this show, proven by the skyrocketing rating (become 3rd most anticipated show after "the big bang" and ). So.... it's not actually overrated. The premise of an "alternate universe" is just too irresistible.

Oh, and here's my fave quote of the show (I just adore the Bishops - both father and son).

Peter Bishop: How's it going, Walter?

Dr. Walter Bishop: I plan to urinate in 23 minutes.

Peter Bishop: Good to know.

Dr. Walter Bishop: I'm telling you because I'm going to need help unzipping my fly.

II. Castle ... I hope and I laughed

I was surprised at how much I love Castle. I love the interaction between Beckett and Castle, and between Castle and his mother and daughter. Some murder shows take themselves too seriously and get too gory/gross. Castle has a few graphic images, but in general the tone stays fairly light. Just right for watching after a long day at work.



Nathan Fillion shines as Richard Castle in this show. His quirky behavior is endearing. I must say, this role seems to be written just for him. The writing for this show is great. I was worried this show might get "the axe" like "Life", so glad it's sticking for a third season. The rating is actually good, so not exactly underrated.


III. Jericho .. I'm amazed and surprised.

Was heartbroken when I heard it was canceled and ecstatic when the fans helped CBS change their minds to at least give this show a "proper ending". I recommended this to some friends and they love it. It's refreshing to watch a show like this, that's never been done before and see things that unfortunately in today's day and age aren't that far fetched to possibly happen here someday.


It's refreshing to see someone touch on something new because I too care less to see anymore Crime Scene Investigations, one more reality show or new spin off of some stupid game show. Still mourning.


IV. The Mentalist & Life - I surrender for broken men (as usual)

I already did a post on both shows before, but maybe a hint the Mentalist, since Life is dead...

The Mentalist might be compared with NBC's "Life." Although The Mentalist's Patrick Jane is not nearly as quirky as Life's Charlie Crews, both are driven to find out who killed people once close to them. In Jane's case, his wife and daughter were shot by a serial killer he had disparaged during his phony psychic days.


Simon Baker, as we quickly see, is capable of carrying the load. Jane is a clever blend of characters he played on "The Guardian" and "Smith." This role is tailor-made for Baker, who has a flair for playing irreverent characters who are crucial to the success of the system even as they tweak its authority figures. As a detective/consultant with above average observational powers, Simon Baker manages to be both playful and haunted - a neat trick. The fun of the show is in seeing the world through his eyes.

I'm hoping The Mentalist will stick for more and not be in the same fate as Life :'(

Oh, great! Now The Cheerleader, The World & The Show Need to be Saved. Heroes & Other Overrated TV Shows

Ever had people tell you certain TV show is completely amazing and you just HAVE TO watch? Just to realize you have no idea what all the fuss was about? Here’s the list.

American Idol (2002-Present; season 9 in progress)


I’m not really into reality/game show type of entertainment. I watched couple of episodes during season 8 final (Adam vs Chris) and wasn’t that impressed. I mean, it’s cool they give opportunity to talents no one would ever know otherwise, but do they actually succeed (with the exception of Kelly Clarkson). Anyway, it’s nice to watch if you have nothing better to do, but it’s definitely not as amazing as everyone says.

Lost (2004-2010; season 6 and series finale will air on May 23rd)

I watched this show just last year, borrowed from a friend. I loved it, especially caused by Ian Somerhalder (Boone) and Hugo. I loved season 1 and 2, but in the mid of season 3 I suddenly lost interest. Firstly because of the whole Kate-Jack-Sawyer love triangle thing. It's just not an easy thing to watch these 2 nice men fighting over some selfish bitch. Call me jealous. I don't care.


Second cause I started to slow down watching Lost is when they killed off Boone.
Hello!!! Killing Ian Somerhalder - the ultimate eye candy and the good enough guy in that show?



The Office (2005-; season 6 finale will air May 20th)


It was supposed to be funny, hilarious even. Yeah, I didn’t get that. To me it was just a bunch of boring people in the office. Situations in which they got into, their relationships, whatever…it wasn’t entertaining enough for me to keep watching. And it’s more painful than funny. Sorry.

Glee (2009-; season 1 finale airs June 8th)


Usually when new shows come out ,I pick one or two episodes to watch, then decide if I’m sticking with them or not. I pick Glee all together with "The Good Wife", "Human Target" and "Spartacus". The Good Wife is the only thing I'm hanging on to after watching the first 2 episodes. Still trying to decide whether to watch the ridiculously entertaining action of Human Target. Glee didn’t make the watch list. I don’t know, maybe it’s the whole teenagers singing songs for an hour deal that doesn’t appeal to me. I might give it a chance later if some other series turn out to be bad so I can make time. We’ll see.

Mad Men (2007-; season 4 starts airing in July)


This one keeps coming up in conversations as super awesome show. I watched the first 2 episodes and thought the show is just "meh". Sure the whole advertising thing might appeal some of us working in the industry, but not others. I don't think so. Even Don Draper (plus the lovely Christina Hendricks) is not enough to get me to watch the 3rd episode. I just can’t buy into Mad Men. Something about the show has always struck me as fraudulent. Maybe it’s the fact that all those cigarettes you see being smoked on Mad Men aren’t even real.

30 Rock (2006-; season 4 finale airs May 6th)


Comedy. Isn’t that suppose to be funny? This one’s not. Not even a little bit. Maybe it’s the script, storyline or the cast, I just don’t like it. The only thing that’s funny about it, is the fact I usually love Alec Baldwin, but in this show he bugs the hell out of me. Can't compare this with How I met Your Mother, let alone Friends.

Heroes (2006-2010; season 4 ended in February)


Oh, Heroes. When it came out it was fresh, entertaining, different. I loved it. It was the only sci-fi show I could watch in a while. It became super popular and soon after lost all of its appeal. I watched the first two seasons and stopped in the middle of third. It was right after Adam Munroe's death and after Sylar killed Elle. The show started to loose its former glory around the end of season 2, but I kept watching because of Kristen Bell. When she was killed off, I really had nothing to look forward to anymore. Weak storyline, average performance by the cast and no more silver lining. Forget the heroic actions. After that, heroes became ordinary people. Boring ones.

So, what do you think about these shows? Love them, hate them, love to hate them? Let me know :) And be sure to come back for the most underrated ones.

Who's your Favorite TV Character?

It's been a while since I blog and now I feel like blogging. At first, I'm not really sure what to write.

I was gonna write about my fave music, but then I think..."naaahh... done that sometime ago, too close to write about it again".

Then.. there were some ideas: chocolate, love (yeah, you wish!), hate list (not really my favorite topic), environment (again...been there, done that!), religion (not an expert), money saving tips (again...not the best person to write about this), poetry (me? yeah, right!) and finally......

While listening to the complete discography of DMB (now reached "grace is gone" track - how love this song! I wish I could be someone's Grace....oops....almost!), I was thinking...why not write about TV series? I've always I prefer TV series over blockbuster movies anyway.

My favorite TV series:

1. Life
2. House
3. Lost
4. The Mentalist
5. True Blood
6. Friends
7. Damages
8. Heroes (actually this is no longer a favorite, but I still forced myself to watch, at least for now)

My Guilty Pleasures, which I finally have the guts to admit (^_^)

1. Desperate Housewives
2. Gossip Girl
3. Grey's Anatomy

Hmm..... I sure watched a lot of TVs -- but let's stay out of this topic for a while

My reason watching these series varies, from eye candy and superficial reason (Gossip Girl) to deeply observance after a longer period of time.

My main reason in following a certain TV show is the characters. Sure, I love fashion and good looking men (and women), but what good is a show without strong characters?

Here are my Top 5 and why I think they're so interesting.

1. Charlie Crews from "Life" (brilliantly played by the frighteningly talented British Actor Damian Lewis)

Ok, so Life is not exactly a highly popular show here - like Heroes, House or The Office. It's just another cop and crime show. But with a twist. Charlie Crews is a cop who spent 12 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Now exonerated, his lawyer broke a settlement by which Crews wins something like $50 million plus the opportunity to be a detective back in the LAPD.

You'd probably remember Damian Lewis, a tall redhead with a pointy face, as a leading role in Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers (remember Major Winters?). In Charlie Crews, Lewis has crafted a dark character, rich with quirks and passion.

Prison turned Crews into a Zen-fully loopy philosopher, who regularly loses himself in simple musings on fruit and butterflies and the mysteries of life. Yet, as silly and lofty as his ethereal ramblings are, they amazingly don't seem to contradict his violent reflexes. And he does love his bullets-covered card and hookers.

2. Gregory House of House, MD (played by another talented British actor Hugh Laurie)


Dr. Gregory House heads the Department of Diagnostic Medicine with a keen understanding of medicine,and an innate ability to diagnose medical conditions with ease. He is often considered to be rude, with terrible bedside manner (when he does choose to meet his patients), and refuses to follow through with many ethical considerations of his profession.

Dr. House's philosophy is simply put in the following manner: "The truth of the human condition is that everyone lies. The only variable is about what."

He has been described as an egomaniac, condescending, and narcissistic. He has breached hospital protocol to save the life of a critically ill patient, and has often adopted criminal tactics of burglary (through his team) to investigate patients' homes.

He requires a cane for mobility in his right leg and a narcotic addict (a pain killer called Vicodin), which led to legal problems.


3. Chandler Bing of Friends (played by Matthew Perry)


Chandler Muriel Bing is a resident smart-ass on FRIENDS. With his wit, preppy looks and totally rad hair-cut, Chandler Bing is known for his sardonic attitude, which provides a defense mechanism. Chandler uses humor as a defense mechanism wafter his parents divorce.

Chandler often caught in situations or making statements that made him sound gay. His friends described him as having a certain "quality" that made people think he might be gay. I remember one moment where he entered a room full of the Friends and declared, "Well, don't we look nice all dressed up? ...It's stuff like that, isn't it?"

Also another moment when asked by the girls who would the boys rather be if they had to date each other. Joey and Ross refused to answer, while Chandler abruptly replied "Joey".


4. Patrick Jane of The Mentalist (played by a charming Aussie Simon Baker)


Ok.....so he's adorable....but let's not be superficial and shallow in judging Patrick Jane.

Patrick Jane was previously making a living as a psychic who assisted the police on cases. His life was turned upside down when he lost the two most important people in his life to one of the serial killers he was tracking. He now uses his observation skills and genius to help the CBI hunt down criminals and solve crimes.

He's a humorous and not-so-serious person with a charming appearance, with a signature vest over a button-up shirt. He also has an uncanny mental abilities and extremely good at reading people (combined with amazing observation skill).

Patrick Jane is very kind. He tries to unite and heal people. He took an orphaned baby to her grandfather and his wife. He talks to children in a positive way to help them to heal and grow after a friend or family member is murdered.


5. Ben Linus of Lost (played by Emmy Winner Michael Emerson)


Doesn't he look creepy?

Lost is a good show, then enter Ben Linus.... suddenly it become one of my favorite TV show. Ben Linus is the strongest character in Lost, beside John Locke and Desmond Hume. He has a cold appearance, because other than that would make him vulnerable to his enemies. I think Ben has one theme to all of his actions. He's holds a master degree of PM (People Manipulator). He's an expert in manipulating people, especially desperate people.

During his actions, you'd be convinced that he's a good guy, only to be disappointed in the end. But then it happens again and you'd still buy whatever crap he promised. He never fails to convince you to trust him. If you actually believe that then you might very well think that Ben is a good guy.

In my opinion Ben is completely evil, he’s a great talker and at times he is useful, but in the end his evil is quite obvious. Ironically I really like the character. Without Ben the stories would be only to see who Kate is hooking up to next. So I don’t really want him to die. What do you think?


6. Lafayette Reynolds of True Blood (adorably played by Nelsan Ellis)


Not your typical short-order grill cook, Lafayette flips his burgers in clubbing clothes and eye makeup. But any good 'ol boy customers at Merlotte's who mistake his fashion sense as an invitation for harassment have got another thing coming - Lafayette isn't afraid to thrown down. With his many shady sideline businesses and personal connections, he is the kind of character you're waiting for to see each episodes.

Lafayette is a flamboyant character and "off the chain". I think he bring magic to the show and steals every scene he's in. He is very entertaining with his side businesses (selling vampire blood shots, online sex cam and a gigolo). Lafayette has better grip on reality than some of the other characters. I hope his character remains.

So...who's you favorite?

25 (trivial) Things About Me

1. Having the word 'medina' as my name, I often being asked if I was born there, in Medina. I know it's a way of extending a conversation, but I dislike the question.

2. I'm terribly addicted to caffeine. I've tried to quit in the past, but when work pressure/stress increases, so does my caffeine intake. I'm always looking forward to my morning coffee at the office.

3. Gregory House fascinates me. I like 'broken' men.


4. I can tell when being lied to, I often asked questions to test if the person is lying.

5. I like the word 'zen' and would love to be a zen person, but don't think I'll ever be one, I'm not even 'zenish'.

6. I'm always suspicious of overly nice and sweet people, I'm afraid that they might gave me diabetes.


7. I can walk around the house (even climb the stairs) with my eyes closed.

8. I can crack open a pint of Ben & Jerry Magic Brownies and finish the whole thing at the same time.

9. My parents don't use their last name and so do I. Never know why, but doesn't mean that I'm not proud being an Alhadar.

10. The cruelest kind of torture? Listen to these songs around the clock: Power of Love, My Heart Will Go On, To Love You More (Celine Dion), I will do anything for you (Meatloaf), Boyz 2 Men songs, Mariah Carey songs, Firehouse songs.

11. I hardly ever (if not never) have runny nose (ew!), my great grandmother used to gave me ice cubes since I was 1 month old (bizarre but useful, huh?!).


12. I enjoy singing, even though I'm aware that my friends and family will go nuts listening to me.

13. I've had a major crush on Jordan Knight from NKOTB and Keanu Reeves, not anymore though.

14. I'm afraid of heights, a major weeper when it comes to playing outdoor games.

15. I've only been in love once in my life (I mean crazily-deeply-madly in love), the one that made you do stupid things.

16. Every time I got sick (even if it's only a common cold) I think of dying.

17. I like playing card games (especially troof).

18. I like to cook, even if sometimes they ended up not as I intended them to be.

19. I eat everything - from rice to fried bananas to crackers - with sambal.


20. I don't do mornings. I'm just not a morning person.

21. I like long holidays, but not for my pants. Holidays are bad for my pants.

22. It's hard for me to be close to someone, at first. But once they got to know me, they'll know that I'm not as arrogant as I look.

23. I wish I had Michael Knight's Car (KIT), since I secretly want to crash every motorcycles that got in my way every day on the road (without getting a single dent). They are really getting out of line, both in numbers AND behavior.


24. I know I'm not normal, and I've decided that I don't care. I listen to 'weird' music, watch 'quirky' films, I eat french fries with chocolate topping, I put pepper in my hot chocolate,

25. I treat my car as my home (you can find from CDs, magazines, DVDs, makeup kit, perfume, candies, clean clothes, boxes of shoes, everything....)

Have You Ever Experienced Blogger's Block?

I don't consider myself as a writer, at least a qualify one. Never in my mind to think of myself as writer. For Jack's sake, I was just starting my own blog for a little over 9 months. So... I consider myself a newborn. Newborn baby can't see a thing (except for angels).

As a newborn blogger (after in practice for 9 months), I can't seem to force myself to type/write something. It's been almost 2 months. I don't consider my last post (about a month ago) as an actual post, as I was wishing everyone 'eid mubarak', it was an easy one. Just about anyone can post something like that. I guess this is what they call "writer's block" or in my case "blogger's block".


Believe me, I've tried everything to overcome this condition. From planning an interesting topic, creating a supportive environment in my room, reading many topics, exploring other blogs, playing an interesting music, watching indie movies, reading a cutting edge book, writing down ideas, you name them. Nothing. None. Zero.


The Blockers

Where do ideas come from? Not sure. They just sort of pop out. Lately I just seem to have none, when it comes to blogging. Well.... I blame these things:

1. TV Series

• All interesting series I follow just beginning to start a new season (Heroes, House, Life, Samantha Who, Grey's Anatomy, and my guilty pleasures I'm ashamed to admit: Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl and Dirty Sexy Money).
• TV stations are playing new interesting series: True Blood, Fringe, The Mentalist.

2. Baking, my new hobby
I seem to have a new budding interest over cooking (yay!), believe me during Ramadhan I've baked several cakes and they turned out to be good (meaning: nobody dies while eating them and they actually tasted ..... delicious - this is based from actual people who were actually eating them). Here's a picture of one of my baked products. Yummy huh!?




3. Office Work
There's a new pressure at the office, to say the least. The pressure to perform is entering a new era of backstabbing that I should be aware of. Hope I can come out alive.


4. The Twilight Saga
Yeah....I know I may sound a little bit teenish, compared to my actual age, but I like the first book and it keep me occupy for a while (finished the book, looking for the next books and counting on the days until the film actually on theaters - which is 12122008)



Excuses, Excuses

I know I may sound like a whiner or an escapist, I prefer the latter. But, today after sipping a cup of coffee with some friends @ Bakkoel Koffie and bringing my "book of ideas" with me, I finally decide to post. Accompany by The Decemberists (my new favorite band - not actually a feel good band, but they rock!) and a very very strong will, here I am. Back with a ..... (I would like to say '"vengeance", but the word would be too mambo jumbo)....post.

By the way.... back to the post title:
Have You Ever Experienced Blogger's Block? How do you battle with it?