Today, the Arab capital of culture glistened under the snow. Shining beneath a white sky which enveloped the city with tenderness and lent it an awe-inspiring aura, Damascus seemed to settle comfortably into a role it always knew it deserved.

Time for the annual phenomenon of Ramadan television drama series, and for the phenomenon of reporting on them, as has been the fashion in the past few years.

Believe it or not, I am still mentally adding anecdotes and insulting examples to my first list of grumbles about driving, and about smoking.

The English like to say “mustn’t grumble.” Like hell I mustn’t: I personally must, and I will. And not just about politics and economics.

Many people in the Arab world were engrossed in a frenzy of excitement as the first Superstar program (the local version of Britain’s original Pop Idol, or the US’s American Idol) was coming to an end.