The Remains of 2011

1. Movie of the year: Halla2 La Wayn.

2. Best TV series: None.

3. Song of the year:  1) English: I say a little prayer. I love how everyone sent me msgs or voicenotes whenever they heard the song. 2) Arabic: Fairouz- B7ebak maba3ref. Played it a lot in the car all year long.

4. Favorite holiday: Greece. I can call it a holiday because it was relaxing & adventurous. Amazing food, perfect beach, good company.

5. Favorite gift: 1) Grandma’s vintage clock. 2) A box of interest-related gifts (reading, writing & traveling)

6. Favourite Book: None of the books I read deserve this title. But the one I’m currently reading could be considered: Khalil Jebran – al ajne7a el motakassera.

7. Most often hangout: Riwaq & Starbucks jazeera

8. Favourite party/gathering/social event:  1) Although I hate skheer& I never go. The only time I went this year was extremely fun. Went crazy singing all night with the band: Ahmed, Ahmed & Queen Nazli. 2) Al Fateh Gatherings, both of them. 3) The sandstorm night in Durra.  

9. Countries you visited in 2011:  UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai), Italy (Milan), Greece (Santorini, Mykonos), Turkey (Istanbul), Lebanon (Beirut).

10. Achievements: 1) Completing my 2^nd novel. 2) Participating in the National Dialog. 3) Attending a concert for Fairouz for the 2^nd time.

11. A dream that came true: 1) Finally, I can ride a bike :D 2) Trying all the Thai restaurants in Bahrain (in process)

12. A big gain:  All the people I met in 2011.

13. Best memory: Riding my bike all the way from our house in Durra to Maya when I barely knew how to ride it. Crossed 2 bridges & won the challenge ;)

14. Saddest memory: Paco being away

15. Bad Memory:  All the horrible events that took place after Feb 14 in Bahrain. Especially the day of the crackdown and how Bahrain was divided into two groups.

16. Most embarrassing memory: My 45 minutes one-on-one TV interview with BTV when the viewership was at its peak!! I got very good feedback about it from many people but I was not satisfied with my performance at all.

17. Funniest memory: HONEY. A disgusting Thai restaurant in Souq el Manama & being there was a very funny experience.

18. Something you regret: Deleting my old Twitter account.

19. A crazy thing you did: Some protesters were blocking the road in Sehla with garbage & blocks and I had to drive over the pavement. Was so angry that I yelled at them. His reaction was the timeout sign they use !

20. A mean thing you did: Sara has a phobia of pigeons. I wanted to get back at her for some reason so I cut small pieces of paper while having lunch in Milan and threw them around to attract pigeons. My partner in crime Eman passed me some pizza crumbs under the table and I quietly put them under Sara’s chair. We were surrounded by pigeons. For a moment, I thought that our friendship was over :P

21. How did you spend your birthday? Loved it. Was out with the girls for se7oor at 12, fe6oor at granny’s and gathering with friends later. Cakes and gifts all day long.

22. You spent most of your time in 2011 doing this: Dealing with the political situation in Bahrain in many ways. 

23. You spent most of your money in 2011 on: Traveling..

24. Habits that changed in 2011: Always in my own world doing the things I love doing without caring what others think.

25. What did you change about your looks? Unfortunately nothing.

26. Something new you've learnt: Media can’t be trusted.

27. Something you did for the first time: 1) Experienced being a waitress. 2) Went to the king’s palace.

28. If you could repeat all of 2011 once again, what would u change about it?  Everything that happened in Bahrain. Wish I can delete this year from the history of Bahrain.

29. Any expectations for 2012:  More political conflicts and financial crisis.

30.  New Year resolution: 1) Have perfect teeth. Which means wear braces for the 2^ndtime in my life. 2) I want my body to be a priority just like 2005. When I used to go to the gym daily, eat healthy, see a dietitian, have hair & skin treatments regularly, etc. 3) Make more time to read. 4) Publish at least one of my novels. 5) Bring New Dawn back to life.