Ranting on...

I was discussing Kuwaiti Blogs a while back with a friend of mine, and apparently, I'm not 'in' with the rest of the bloggers out there. I was asked why I wasn't a participant in any of the latest Blog events that were sponsored by the local Mobile Service Providers that are just pouring money into the feeble concept of 'I'm better than the rest', and showering everyone with 

All due respect to all bloggers, wherever and whoever they may be, but
I'm not able to maintain a blog that's chock-full of product endorsements and regurgitated reviews of new technologies, or portray an amateurish coverage of some home-made items like women's dresses and inexpensive jewelry and so on. To each his own, I'm sure, and far be it from me to criticize some of the herculean efforts of quite  a few of them, but I'm more inclined to to write my own opinion of my own world, rather than polish up an expose of someone else's.

Sometimes I do write a review of some of the stuff that interests me, in the hopes that like-minded individuals would relate, or benefit from it, but I'm fully aware that most of my posts are just rants about some brain-fart idea or another that i've read in the newspapers or something. And that's just me in real life, too.

Personally speaking, I think some (in fact, many!) blogs are a waste of time, but as long as it's not my time to waste, I keep my opinions to myself, and don't bother them with hate-notes or pester them in twitter or something. But what I don't get is noticing a collective nuance for reviewing a new concoction of a cupcake, or a new style of women's wear, or some youth initiative that the big boys just feed off of with their sponsorships.

What I can't tolerate is a critique of something related to Kuwait, by a non-Kuwaiti who's living in Kuwait, and it's something that's trending quite briskly and quite often. SO much so that some Kuwaiti bloggers are actually mimicking it, as if it's the "in thing' to do!

Nothing personal, but when I disliked a specific Arab country, I decide not to visit it again for as long as I can help it (three, so far). I'd expect an expat to be thankful he or she is living in a tax-free country, at least! Sure, our health system is a shambles, but being an expat, one can always rely on health insurance that's as good as cash in any private clinic, decent or otherwise. Schooling is another perk, because if you're an expat, and you're senior (or fortunate) enough that your pay grade entitles you to subsidised school fees by your employer, you've got yourself a bunch of private schools and universities to choose from. Sure, they're not exactly Ivy-league, or have the best SAT scores in the world, or maintain the best sports teams, but if you wanted that, you're in the wrong geographic region to begin with! Don't get me started with all those clubs and 'other social events'. Kuwait can be as wild as Ibiza, if you know the right people, and that's just what we see and hear about!

And before you get on your high horse and accuse me of being biased or a racist or something, consider this: Does YOUR country really need an expat working force that's 200X the size of it's population?

.....just saying!

Sure, politics can be boring after a while, but so too can endless picture galleries of home-made cakes, restaurant reviews, recycled gadget reviews, home-made clothes, designer clothes, and a lot of other stuff that's being posted online on some blogs, which is basically a refurbished post of another post somewhere else in the blogosphere. (HINT: Mashable?!)

Anyway, I guess that's why my blog's so bland and un-sponsored. But at least I get to say what I want on whatever subject without feeling threatened with sponsorship removal, there's that at least.