Pixels For Four

My job requires that I complement the fonts to the layout of the printed materials that I design. My daily acquaintance with typography has led me to appreciate the Arabic fonts. It has many variations, just like its English counterpart, and I especially like the distortion and the arrangement that can be done with the letters. You can stretch the letters for as far as you like, and they never lose their form and meaning. I don’t read nor write Arabic. I just copy and paste what my Arab officemates give to me. But if I were to choose, I would’ve learned to read, write and speak Arabic. It is clearly an asset to my profession. But since we came here late, I couldn’t learn it anymore. Below are some stores with beautiful Arabic fonts. I will share with you more on my next posts as I stroll along the streets of this beautiful city. And speaking of language, I came across this newspaper ad last week, got curious about it, and asked my officemate what it meant. The ad said Saudis ...

I didn't realize that my last entry here was already fifteen days ago. Time passed by so quickly because I was (and I always am) busy accomplishing my work and domestic duties. But I am not complaining. I am the kind of person who always look at the brighter side of things. I always try to justify things that come my way.

There's a quote I read about traveling and taking photos. And it goes something like this:   " A journey without pictures is a journey half traveled. " I remembered that quote because I wanted to explain why I post many pictures of our trips or experiences here. That quote is my ground for doing so. I also wanted to show how far or how wide I have explored a certain place or how little I know about it. Sometimes, when people ask where I went, I just open the gallery on my phone and show them my pictures. I always let the photos do the talking. I searched for the source and complete version of the quote above but I couldn't find it anymore and chanced upon this very interesting travel quote from Albert Einstein. "To get to know a country, you must have direct contact with the earth. It's futile to gaze at the world through a car window." I searched for the source and complete version of the quote above but I couldn't find it anymore a...

One of the things that I like here in Saudi Arabia is the long vacations. My leave from work and the kids’ leave from school last Ramadan was one week but we used that up to move to our new house. This Eid, it’s eight days for me and the kids again. Fred was given 6 days. Even though it was already our second Eid here in Riyadh, we didn’t go somewhere far. One primary reason, as usual, is the budget constraints. And two, I don’t know the options yet. I don’t know where the bus stations are if we choose to commute, or how far the nearest province or region is, the activities and scenery that await us there, and the procedures on how to get visas should we decide to cross-country. But I am learning. And when I learn, especially about travel and adventures, I learn fast. For the meantime, we decided to join some friends in exploring Riyadh first. Red Sand was our main destination last Monday but the sights along the way were almost enough to satisfy my visual sense. I was awed b...