Destination KSA - Your Guide to Saudi
Saudi editor, writer and tech/gaming geek. Words are his playthings (also, Legos) and he voraciously consumes digital media. Ahmad also copy edits this magazine.
It’s not every day you run into a game that manages to answer all your concerns, no matter which ones come up. I present Mansions of Madness (MoM): Second Edition, a Lovecraftian-themed cooperative adventure game filled with horror and mystery. What concerns did I have when I had first heard about this game and took […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
This is going to be a “why didn’t anyone tell us this before” kind of tip. Also, please keep in mind that your mileage may vary since, as with anything baby-related, each baby is different and will react and grow at their own pace. At just about four months, Eisa was absolutely obsessed with watching […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Got an informal meeting planned and nowhere to go? We’ve got options. Le Meridien Al Khobar Hotel This is a classic choice. At any point in time you’ll find groups of people sitting at the Latitude 26 cafe in the lobby, working away at their laptops or having animated discussions. They’re either consultants having a […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
You know what I love about boardgaming? The stories that emerge from the gameplay. In this article, I wanted to shine a brief boardgaming-shaped light on a term that’s usually reserved for video games: emergent gameplay. Emergent gameplay is what happens when you have a game with simple mechanics and rules mixed with very light, […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
I’ve never been one to ask for what I want, to really know what that is and to simply ask for it. When Father’s Day came around this month and my wife asked me, “what do you want to do? What do you want this day to mean?” I was stumped. It didn’t even occur […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Son, I want you to know how things are at this point in your life. It’s more a snapshot of now, rather than a recap of the past, which could honestly fill a book. For fellow dads, I’ve provided links to recommended products and parenthetical tips throughout. The one thought that persists in your parents’ minds and is […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Guess what? I promise zero Star Wars puns or references in this entire article. Ahem: The Force of Star Wars love has been re-Awakened! Crap. Hmm. There’s a New Hope in the boardgaming scene… Sigh. (shaking hands) Prepare to boldly go where you’ve never gone before (Yes, loop hole)! Star Wars: Rebellion is a two-player […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Meet one of Al Ahsa’s prominent graffiti artists. During the recent 966 Box event, people got an up close and personal look at how a graffiti artist does his magic. We sat down with the artist himself, Marwan Al Hatlan, who goes by the street name of merro_boss and was kind enough to let us […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
In April’s issue of Destination Sharqiya, we talked with Nia instructor Manal Dabbagh about her experience with this aerobic dance of joy. Are you thinking about hitting up a Nia class and not sure what to expect? At a mechanical level, a typical Nia class is 50-minutes long and always starts with a warm up, […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Babas, this is going to be far from an exhaustive list and I’m only targeting the first few months of babahood, but personally, I found each of these items to prove surprisingly valuable. The first four I’ve rarely seen used around here (if at all) and the last two are just damn useful toys that […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
So I’ve been talking about fun and easy intro experiences ranging from 10 minutes to 1-2 hours or longer. But as with most games, once you’re done playing it, that’s it; everything resets for the next time. Naturally, right? I’d like to show you the potential that’s out there when you dig deeper. Pandemic Legacy […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
So many flavors, so little time. It’s time for dessert and this time around your taste buds have landed on a craving for cupcakes. It can be pretty overwhelming trying to pick from the array of stores and flavors we’ve got around, but thankfully, you’ve got us! We went through the painstaking process of checking […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Is your fridge full of takeout leftovers? Did you burn your eggs, or worse, your toast today? Are your kids stuck looking at screens again? Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me and, in fact, I have just the solution for you: cooking classes! Yes, we actually have a few places that host classes […]
By Ahmad DialdinGamers, welcome back! Picking up after last month’s piece about short and quick games, let’s look at some longer personal options that would still work really well as introductions into this wonderful world. King of Tokyo/New York (45min) Dice rolling at its simplest and finest, each player is an awesome monster terrorizing the city. Push your […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Whoa, what are you doing? Put down that burger, pizza, salad and/or soup. Are you having that again? Here, let me tell you about a much better option and explain why you should go get a burrito right now. 1. Covers all the bases. If you think about it, a burrito hits every food group: bell peppers, corn […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Guys, I have been a parent for a whole four months, so basically an expert. Allow me to impart a few bountiful fruits of my experience that I personally wasn’t aware of or prepared for. Older dads, feel free to laugh at my innocence. Newer ones, bow before me. 1. Milky goodness. Did you know that breast milk has […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
Psst, we heard you wanted to open a restaurant. We think that’s awesome and to help you out we sweet-talked restaurateur Wejdan Ismail into sharing a few tips of the trade that she learned the hard way, just so you can be ahead of the game. Pass by Wejdan’s restaurant, Burrito Loco on Prince Faisal bin Fahd Rd […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
A loco awesome restaurateur with a loco awesome restaurant. I sat down the other day with Wejdan Ismail who, along with Sinan Khatib, owns and runs a delightful burrito place in Bahrain called Burrito Loco. They opened their most recent branch in Khobar last November. How did you get into the food industry? I used […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
I’m Online! Hi Online, I’m Dad. If you ask my wife, she’ll tell you that my life purpose has always been to be a dad. Not that I disagree with it, but it’s not something that ever occurred to me before. I’m 36, so coming in late to fatherhood, especially in our neck of the […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
By Ahmad Dialdin Greetings gamers! So, I know that there are already many articles about getting people into boardgaming. I promise to add a personal touch with this series by not simply regurgitating the same list of games that others have confirmation-biased into copy-pasting over and over again. Yes, Settlers of Catan is the standard […]
By Ahmad Dialdin
