derrick_mace

I left home at 8 O'clock AM to issue myself a paper that allows me to drive outside the kingdom, because I was under the age allowed to drive to Bahrain. Why would I drive to Bahrain? Because:
1- It's the first time I travel alone,
2- I need to orient myself, mostly because we go to Bahrain often to watch movies (since we have no cinemas in Saudi Arabia),
3- Because there are some universities I wanted to check out personally.
So I got my paper issued at 9, went back and issued my insurance papers at 10, and finally got on the road at 11:30.
The road from the Eastern Region of Saudi Arabia to Bahrain is over King Fahd Bridge, and there are four customs points. I paid 20 Riyals (Five dollars) as a fare, got asked whether I had a weapon (and so casually so I almost laughed), got three-day insurance for fifteen Riyals (3 dollars), and entered the kingdom proper at 12:30.
I brought with me these resources: My passport (of course), a hundred Riyals, my ID cards and ATM card. Little did I know that my ATM card wouldn't work in Bahrain unless I report it to my bank, so I was living on 65 Riyals, and I still needed 20 to get back home.
So I was messing around. I learned the way to the Seef district (where the cinema complex is and our usual destination when coming to Bahrain), and I learned the primary focus of the current economical development plan for Bahrain: Attract foreign and local investors at ANY COST. Private sector is blooming, and it looks like it's getting better and better. Good for them!
I bought something to drink, iced chocolate stuff and something else...down to 19 Riyals...

So I was roaming around for five hours looking for Ahlia University campus, and it turned out that the university owns a shopping complex and operates there.
My expression.

...What?

But it's still credited and affiliated with other colleges that have proper campuses, and this IS the first private university in Bahrain...and besides, it means easier dorm control and the nearby shops and cafes make for a good environment...

Sigh

Anyway, I finally found it at five O'clock PM, then I went to withdraw some cash.
Rejected.
What? Let's try again.
Rejected.
Oh, no...let's buy something with the card and ask for cash there.
Rejected.
Oh, crap. I got to go back home before the shit hits the fan.

I barely got on the bridge before I was asked for the 20 riyals toll.
"But I'm Saudi--can't I just go back?"
"Pay or go back to Bahrain."
"I almost have all the cash!"
He waved his hand away, and I returned.
So what did I do? I asked my dad, and he said, "Work it out."
Shaking my head in exaustion, I then asked the insurance office to lend me one Riyal; the officer handed one Riyal to me, and I almost kissed his hand in thanks. I blasted through the gate heading back home.

I would've rented a hotel room (I brought some luggage and clean clothes to settle for a day or two), but I was out of luck there.

Overall, it was a good experience. When I came back home, wasted, starving and tired, my father told me to dress up for a wedding.

I groaned; I hate attending weddings of people I don't know. It always becomes awkward when I meet the groom (unknowingly) and just nod at him casually like any other fellow guest. I do that so often it feels as if it's scripted. >_>
In my defence he didn't look like a groom...

So I went there, spoke a lot, watched people dance with sabres&swords the traditional Saudi dance, had my ears almost pop out from the loud drumming, and then ate. Didn't stay long, so we headed back at 11 PM. Got home, thought of posting this to LJ, but got too tired and went to sleep.

So today I'll copy some documents and check out universities. Who knows what'll come out next.

Now I'm nineteen.
I'm choosing my major in university next semester, and -for the first time since America-, I am going to be a -more or less- an official student, and not one hanging in limbo.

So I've gone through the curriculum...And I'm really interested in a bachelors in Mass Communications & Public Relations. I've made this choice by my previous work experiences in ARAMCO, both as a journalist intern and while working with Al-Zamil Steel, in the Human Resources and Employment departments. Management was a suggestion I took seriously, but I find that my particular skills, (mostly fluency in English, creative way of thinking and the ability to reiterate certain concepts) augment my choice. I cannot say that this is a sealed decision, but I have less than a week to settle, and if I am given the choice, it would be this.

A Bachelor in Mass Communications and Public Relations. That's fancy.

Tags: home, inspiration, school, thoughts, university

It's been almost a year since I've made this journal, and I'm almost nineteen.
Which is two years older than Link in Ocarina of Time. I still don't believe he's seventeen, but hey, real life people are dull; just look at the ages of the young heroes of A Song of Ice and Fire. They're either fifteen, sixteen, or their early twenties.

I won't be having a birthday party. Mostly because while I'm stepping a year older, my life is becoming shorter. This philosophy, however, is countered by the fact that I SHOULD celebrate that I didn't die at eighteen!

Confusing and stupid, right?

But hell--all is good. I could probably find myself a birthday present that could help me in some way...probably an electric piano or a sword of some sort (if only to orient myself as to how it many styles operate). So thanks for sticking around, dear readers, and I hope this could be linked in February 7, 2011!

So technically Arabs are under the umbrella of being Semites, but the term Antisemitism only refers to Jewish people by law of popular culture. What should prevail; the technical term of Arabs being descendants from Shem, the son of prophet Noah, or the popular icon that Semites = Jews?

Regardless of what prevails, I think this classifies as a fun fact.

I don't recall posting a lot about my native country, mostly because:

A- This is not a political blog.
B- There isn't a hell lot to post besides political stuff.
C- That I am very slowly developing a sort of dis-attachment from reality; is what I know really true enough to be reasonably credible to the non-knowing?

But since I have gone through some questions, mostly an FAQ on Saudi Arabia, I deem it prudent (if not necessary) to put a few points on the subject, mostly two or three.

1- Female Dress Code: This is a very common question, mostly to feminism advocates. What is the hijab? How is it enforced? Who get to wear it? What will you get if you don't wear it?

First of all, the hijab is a veil that wraps around the head, covering the woman's hair.
As far as my studies shown, there is no mandate from the Quran, but it was revealed from the Prophet's Hadith.
But Derrick_Mace, you may ask, we don't see hair only being covered; we see women cloaked wholly in black! That is an 'abaya, dear reader, and its origins (how I recall) are from nomads, and has no real Islamic basis.
The 'abaya is what most foreign women wear when coming to Saudi Arabia. Either as a gesture of cultural involvement or to avoid possible harassment by the men of the Promotion of Virtue. They wear the 'abaya; the black cloak, but don't wear the hijab. Many foreign women don't bother to wear either in the first place, and (from personal experiences) most don't even get noticed for that.
There is no official law for the 'abaya; it's mostly just common courtesy for women to wear it. If a Muslim woman didn't wear even the hijab, it may lead to harassment from some people, but it's generally either ignored or just causes discomfort. The hijab and the 'abaya are to Saudis what pants are to Europeans. Wear briefs if you MUST, but don't be bothered if someone hints at your poor manners.

2- Work Hours.
Employee office work hours generally start at seven, ending usually around three. Nothing special there, but there are periods of time where shops close for the time of prayer.
Duhur Salah begins about 11:20 and shops reopen at 12:40 or 1 O'clock.
'Asur Salah begins about 2:40 and shops reopen at 3:20.
Maghreb Salah begins about sunset, which means mostly around 5:10 and reopens at 5:40.
'Isha Salah begins at 7, ends half an hour later.

Shops close at 12 O'clock and sometimes stay opened longer at summertime. You can stay up as late as you want here in the kingdom.

3- Copyright Issues:

Now you may be wondering: What the hell is this guy talking about now?
I'm talking about copyright issues. I kid you not, if somebody buys a non-pirated game or movie, he will be mocked for wasting his hard $$s. Nobody buys original CDs. CDs are to many Saudis are what charging for Oxygen is like; unnecessary, easy to get cheaply, and too popular to contain. It's like Torrent files being globalized.
So do not shirk if you are offered a pirated CD. Buying pirated software is not something to do in the shadows; it's something to casually ask about in big gaming stores.

4- Language:

In Saudi Arabia there are two languages people actually use in conversations: English and Arabic, and in reverse order. Use of English is very common and near everyone can have a coherent conversation in English (but not unaccompanied with gestures to help convey the message). The language used is mostly broken, lacking some adjectives and having an abundance of pronouns, but that's just me being superficial and expressing some hidden superiority complex.
Other lesser used languages in the street are Urdu, Pakistani, and Tagalog.
Lesser user languages in the business world are Japanese, Chinese (mostly because foreign investors come heavily from these respective countries) and Korean.

5- Police:

The police are generally casual here. You can speed a lot wherever you want and chances are you aren't noticed (that is if you don't get in a race) unless you crash.
If you get into trouble with the police, simply do this:

Speak your native language.
Say: America america.
And then they'll either let you go, or lead you to the American counsilate.
It helps to look the part. :)

6- Friday

At Friday, around 12, you will see people coming back from Friday prayer, which generally starts about 11:20. You'll hear a lot of speeches, and it's generally very crowded at 12. It's best for foriegners to stay at home during the morning. At Friday, shops open at 3.

7- The People (contains stereotypes):

While in major shopping malls, chances are that you may enter a conversation with a college student, mostly about your career and how you got there. Most Saudis have positive impressions on people of these countries:

America. A LOT of Saudis love America, especially younger generations. Americans are practically everything. If this thing is made in America, it means that this is good, durable and worth praise.

UK. People from the UK are less 'awesome' than Americans, and are generally viewed as either cold, or people who -although very useful- could hold you in contempt. Students studying at the UK bring the impression of "hardworking" into the equation.

Japan: Japan, to many Saudis means these: Money, technology, and cars. Japanese people in Saudi Arabia are mostly if not all foriegn investors, so people are used to respecting them.

Chinese: They're a grade down from Japanese, but mostly the same coin.

And have negative impressions of people of these countries:

India:
Say what you say about the glorious achievements of the Indian people, but what Indian things Saudis know are these: Drivers, construction workers, and thiefs. Recently there has been a great increase in Indian investors, but it will take time to remove the bad stereotype.

Turkey: Turks are generally viewed as "the rebels", which is a really old stereotype considering when the Ottomanian Empire had control of the area and tried to stop the Saudi Kingdom from forming.


Comments with questions are welcome.

This post will be updated again soon.

Once my arm heals, I'm heading out to learn more about falconry. Not only is it just awesome, but I'm curious as to a first-hand experience, and I hope to chronicle this on my Livejournal. I may never actually become a falconer, but I'll learn the ropes.

And sparrowhawks are insane little things. I've heard stories...

*shudder*

They're small, but they dive-bomb at their targets sometimes, and then you see feathers everywhere. They're just insane. Anyway, I think I'll find what I'm looking for soon.

I do feel bad that I never seriously took up horseback riding. I mean, I can ride for a while, but my hips don't lie and they scream in agony. Not used to that just yet.
Or Taikwando. Can't do nothing there.
Only good thing I actually do is swimming, and we all know that's no awesome sport.

Look at me, I'm not drowning!

But in other news, I'm watching MST3K! And since I'm at the other side of the world where terrorists are bred and shit (seriously, I'm kidding about that), I don't get to watch the show unless I torrent it down. It's funny, but it's time-consuming. Probably best watched while multitasking.

ARGHMYARMHURTS.

I'll try to rest now, since my arm will bitch and my nerve system will continue to tell me "There's muscle displacement!"
*Actually, I don't think there's any muscle displacement, just a lot of strain and tension. I just hope muscles don't rip...a broken arm isn't what I imagined when I said: "I want to be RIPPED!"

I twisted my arm at the shoulder when i fell on our house's stairway. needless to say that it hurts and my orthopedic father is poking my shoulder, not removing the pain but either lessening it or amploftyin it.

I'm ntypin with 1 hand now. I feel sick in the stomachh, and I think I need to go 2 the hospirtal.

aaaggh...stupid keyboard

There is something to be said about people who are superficially attached to their social beliefs, so much so that by combating other people in public debates, began seeing hostility from anybody.

With that said, I only wonder how far a particular person will delve in my archives to find anything he or she could find against me.

I never did like confrontation posts, but please, keep it civil. That's all I'm asking.

I'm dropping Retribution is at Hand. No longer can I write for a franchise I now despise. Sorry Derrick Mace, but I'm afraid that your story will remain untold.

Short ending by chapters:

Chapter Eight: Talks about Derrick from Lyrissa's POV and she narriates her travel to the hidden chapel, and then switches at the end to the POV of a student, Dayrath, and it explains the magic system I've developed, and reveals that Ralph is closer to making his weapon.

Chapter Nine: Set a week after, where Derrick and Co. ferry old Sir Owen to Ironforge, the main part of this chapter is the process of ferrying him, and the news was leaked to the Scourge, who want Owen's body to examine how the plague effects paladins. They escape and send Owen away. Narlen goes to Silvermoon to leak false information about their movements and Lady Karin is sent to Light's Hope. Derrick infiltrates the Scholomance and interrogates a teacher to reveal how they were given away. Shit hit the fan and it was revealed that the spell Lyrissa cast on Derrick's cape was twisted by Ralph's magical mirror (having the ability to reverse mid-level spells), and now it works for him. Rest of the chapter consists of an escape for his life from the deathly school.

Chapter Ten: Set a week later as Derrick tends to his wounds in an abandoned cottage, Lyrissa finds the hidden chapel (finally) and tries to purify the Lay Line. The Scourge left soldiers in the chapel, and they attack Lyrissa and her dwarf bodyguard but are eliminated. Lyrissa tries to refresh the spell on Derrick's cloak and tries to find him, eventually being lead into the cottage where he rests. They talk, and Derrick tells her that he is preparing an assault on his brother, where he plans to kill him and break the new mirror he made before he develops it further.

Chapter Eleven: Derrick rallies up his allies and asks the Argent Crusade for assistance and they send a few soldiers, and they assault the Mace estate at sundown. A big battle ensues and Derrick confronts his brother at the top floor. During their fight, Ralph expresses how he doesn't want to kill Derrick, and Derrick replies the same, but it is either the mirror or Ralph's life, and Ralph spirits away the mirror to Icecrown Citadel, sacrificing himself to get the mirror away. Derrick captures Ralph and strips him of his magic trinkets, afterward ordering Lyrissa to destroy whatever magic could remain in him. He is taken away and Derrick follows Lyrissa southwards to Stormwind.

The Plaguelands Arc is done, and then it's Northrend.

Chapter Twelve: Derrick flies to Dalaran with Lyrissa, she reports and he goes out to educate himself about the current political situation. The mirror is sighted with a magi, they go to kill him, wade through a flood of enemies and finally get back the mirror, bringing it back to Dalaran.

Chapter Thirteen: The mirror undergoes studies, and it is finally destroyed, and Derrick is free to go back wherever he wishes. Ralph is exposed to the mirror and all traces of his necromantic power are removed, and thus the world is given a way to heal the magic plague. Ralph, stripped of magic and a great deal of physical strength is taken by Dalaran to interrogate, Lady Karin is finally put to rest (as the magic was all that kept her together), Sir Owen retires, Narlen remains in his post as a spy for the Ashen Verdict, Lyrissa is finally relieved from her mission and Derrick returns home with magi and warriors to cleanse the Lay Line with the mirror and return the Plaguelands to what it used to be and call it: New Lordaeron.

The End.

Rushed ending? I guess, but it's a logical and a realistic one.

Thanks to Blizzard for killing off Arthas, Kel'Thuzad and most of the canon, and I have to end it with a low note like this.

Sorry, dear readers, but that's it. I hope it's enough.

I didn't familiarize myself with the Nostalgia Critic, mostly because I was often spending too much time with his more gaming-oriented counterpart Noah "Spoony" Antwiler. Even so, after reading the trilogy and watching the extended edition of Lord of the Rings, I kept feeling that there was something Bakshi got right that Jackson didn't. Burn me as a heretic but the Bakshi movies -although overdone and overacted at times (check the avatar)- was in many respects more faithful to the book. But enough of me!


Enjoy, and don't forget to drop by: WWW.thatguywiththeglasses.com!

In chapter nine I mentioned that it was October 14 year 1399. It was actually October 14 year 1899. In year 1900 it'll be the 500-year anniversary of the Pokemon League. >< Plot hole avoided.

Since Livejournal is (after all) a journal, it's not designed for long chapters/posts. I'm moving FP to another blog, hopefully I'll find a good home soon.

I'm thinking of MSN spaces. Why? First of all, I can customize them to maximum use, and then people won't have to suffer through boring events of my life or crazy ramblings of said life.

Will update when I find a good place. Promise.

http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2010/01/28/98706.html

After seven days of my post: RAGE at the LAW, the first Saudi Legislation Meeting was arranged in Riyadh, under the name, "Preparing Judges: A Look into the Future" with the presence of over 150 judges.

Reporters and legal experts from Alarabiya reported that this is a matter of critical importance, and that this issue I feel could be heading towards being resolved soon.
Many famous voices came in and endorsed the notion, and there has been a very recent, promising and very uncelebrated (and unreported) reformation that rearranged where issues are redirected. There are other steps, short, medium and long-ranged ones to fix this problem, and I must say that I'm glad that it's soon.

The original article is quite long, and I'm up till 3 am in the morning, so I'll be brief. There are new issues being endorsed by the government (and some, like underage marriage and women rights) being combated publicly. The notions of educating the public of the legal reformations are increasing also, so this won't go unappreciated.

I don't know what happened to spark this meeting and the media to move, but I'm glad.

This is my Fileave account; I sometimes upload bits of music I use while writing here. Knock yourselves out.

http://derrickmace.fileave.com/32%20-%20Evil.mp3

I had a post written here. It was pretty long, and fit the 'insights' part of my blog title, but it became too political.

So I deleted it. There!

It's all for your comfort, dear readers. No soapboxing here!

*cleans suit*

I'm not anti-authority. You know that by now, dear reader. I'm a follower. Maybe I'm a one that sometimes sounds like a leader, but I'm one to work behind the scene. I like reading about laws and legislation, and that's why I'm so obsessed with justice.

Now what's with the title, you may ask...
Here's the thing.
Since we're in a developing country, technology comes fresh in. Since we live in anti-technology weather conditions, things get a little hard to install.
The other thing is...the law doesn't work here as much as I'd like it to.
Here are the statistics and the facts:

From the 66% graduates from Shari'a high schools end up in teaching after taking up teachers' college.
From the 30% of the graduates that go into upper studies, 10% of which work to be judges.

30% of future judges change to other less demanding, info-packed jobs.
Can you believe how many judges we have per citizen here?

We have one judge for every 30,000 person.

At ideal conditions, there is a judge for every 2000 person. Most neighbor countries have one judge per 3000 person.
Every judge has about 800,000 cases a day to handle, and the number is steadily increasing 12% each year due to population growth.

Fact: Being a judge isn't even nearly as profitable nowadays. It's like Samurai with rice.
Fact: People aren't financially interested in helping out.


Fact: This causes many cases to be RUSHED!! Do you know how bad this can go? You can't rush judgment, and with all the pressure on speeding up trials, judges sometimes intentionally toss people to jail before reading the entire case, mostly because there are A MILLION EXACT CASES AND HE DOESN'T HAVE TIME TO BE IMPARTIAL.
This is wrong.

Fact: The king can interfere in cases, and sometimes suspend judgment. One said that "It's fine, since the king can only rule rightfully," and I shove it in his face. Nobody is above the law. This is the Shari'a, damn it! You are ruling and I put my neck at your feet, but you don't cross the red line (not like it was done before, but feel with me here).

Fact: I want to help.

Fact: I can't help. I'm majoring in management, and chances are I'm going to work in the private sector, and what good can I do while I'm there?

Fact: Now the situation is only becoming worse. The king pushed out 7-billion dollars into fixing the system, but there just isn't enough manpower to handle it.

Now, I don't EVER want to quote Sword of Truth, but this is Righteous Anger. I'm angry for people, and that's not just the faceless crowd, but also for the nights of the judges.
How horrible could their lives be, knowing that their situation is only getting worse?

What do I propose?

Nothing.

King Abdullah has already did what he's supposed to do. He paid out of the treasury to the people who are supposed to work on it.
I just pray that they actually do something, instead of waiting for three other years for changing a department's name...

Now why am I concerned if I don't do wrong?

Because people are being hurt by this system.

I know you, dear reader, may have more pressing concerns in your own country, but this really hurts me.
The Shari'a law doesn't pass judgment when there isn't evidence. If you don't have witnesses, evidence or just plain 'pictures', you don't get judgement. The case goes on. BUT THAT ISN'T WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW!!!

By the hells, immigrants who were RAPED and being punished. That isn't right, and the Shari'a knows it.
There is something wrong, and I hope it gets fixed.

The sooner the better.

 Since I was writing up chapter ten (already), I noticed how much I like Saif as a character. If anything, I feel he's real.

Since he's getting a few major things done in chapter ten, he deserves a few illustrations.


Yes, he changed a bit over the time I last posted an illustration. I've became better in drawing with anime-style.

Now I don't want to hit the rock-bottom of fanfiction writing (since I'm only writing this to erase whatever bitter taste the original Forgotten Paths left -among other reasons-), but I think he needs a musical theme.

I won't link to some major anime soundtrack or musical score. I just thought he'd fit for something...

I should try my hand at music. Not a bad writer, not a bad artist, I should learn if I'm a good piano-ist...

 This chapter is cool. I like it when I bring new blood into a story, or just go into the past for a while. Regardless, there's also action in the present. 

Enjoy chapter nine: The Guard and the Student



“You’ll just sleep anywhere, won’t you?” Diane asked, as Catalina’s snores rose.

( Chapter Nine. )

 A note: 

From now on, I'll keep chapters focusing on Sir Derrick Mace minimal. It ruins the mystery side of the story, so that's most you'll get.

Good news! I'm keeping canon/fanfiction character relations realistic. No character here is a Sue, it's just how it would work out. I like Sir Tirion Fordring (he's canon) but Derrick doesn't like him. Why? Because they have a teacher/student relationship that got blurry. 

Other things...Yeah. Chapters will come out quicker now that I removed appearances of Derrick. It'll focus more on Lyrissa. 

That's most of it. Coming up with the next chapter of Forgotten Paths, but I just got an awesome soundtrack from a very old anime. It's called Robin Hood no Daibouken. Has a surprisingly fitting synchronization with the events of Retribution. So...check that out, especially the antagonist's theme, Kishi.

I'll post links soon.

So that's it for today. Thanks, dear reader for your time.