Week Six: Libraries, Legacies, and the Art of Not Stepping on Toes

Week Six: Libraries, Legacies, and the Art of Not Stepping on Toes

Week Six: Libraries, Legacies, and the Art of Not Stepping on ToesHamed Arab
Published on: 13/10/2025

There's something profoundly surreal about receiving an email informing you that your book – the thing you poured a decade's worth of experience into – will be permanently housed in some of Britain's most prestigious institutions. It's the sort of news that makes you sit down rather suddenly with a cup of tea and stare at the wall for a bit.

Personal JourneyLife in BirminghamCultural FusionCareer & WorkBritish ObservationsIdentity & BelongingNew BeginningsLanguage & CommunicationWeekend LifeBooks & Writing
Weeks Four and Five: Squid Wrestling, British Passports, and the Return to the Jeweller's Bench

Weeks Four and Five: Squid Wrestling, British Passports, and the Return to the Jeweller's Bench

Weeks Four and Five: Squid Wrestling, British Passports, and the Return to the Jeweller's Bench
Hamed Arab
Published on: 07/10/2025

This week's been no quieter, which is why I'm cobbling this together at an hour when most sensible people are still negotiating with their alarm clocks.

Personal JourneyLife in BirminghamCultural FusionCareer & WorkBritish ObservationsIdentity & BelongingNew BeginningsWeekend Life
Week Three: Royal Appointments, Bond Street Wanderings, and the Art of Not Burning Lamb

Week Three: Royal Appointments, Bond Street Wanderings, and the Art of Not Burning Lamb

Week Three: Royal Appointments, Bond Street Wanderings, and the Art of Not Burning LambHamed Arab
Published on: 23/09/2025

From CAD designer to meeting the Crown Jeweller - this week brought a surreal London trip, Bond Street wanderings, and kitchen disasters. Sometimes life writes better plots than fiction.

Life in BirminghamCultural FusionCareer & WorkBritish ObservationsIdentity & BelongingNew BeginningsWeekend Life
The End of Transition and a New Beginning

The End of Transition and a New Beginning

The End of Transition and a New BeginningHamed Arab
Published on: 07/09/2025

Tomorrow marks exactly one week since I walked through the doors of Mappin & Webb for the first time as an employee rather than a customer browsing impossibly expensive watches I couldn't pronounce, let alone afford.

Personal JourneyLife in BirminghamCultural FusionCareer & WorkNew Beginnings