Kharabeesh by a Blue Dolphin

I Believe...

2010-10-24T16:38:00.002+02:00

I enjoyed reading "I Believe", but I omitted some parts which I don't believe in and reorder them on a personal relevance.

I believe-
that we are responsible for what we do,
no matter how we feel.

I believe-
that our background and circumstances
may have influenced who we are,
but we are responsible for who we become.

I believe-
that it's taking me a long time
to become the person I want to be.

I believe-
that you can keep going
long after you can't.

I believe-
that it isn't always enough to be
forgiven by others. Sometimes you
have to learn to forgive yourself.

I believe-
that credentials on the wall
do not make you a decent human being.

I believe-
that sometimes when I'm angry
I have the right to be angry,
but that doesn't give me
the right to be cruel.

I believe-
that no matter how bad your heart is broken
the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I believe-
that two people can look at the exact
same thing and see something totally.
different.

I believe-
that your life can be changed in a matter of
hours by people who don't even know you.

I believe-
that even when you think you have no more
to give, when a friend cries out to you
you will find the strength to help.

I believe-
that you can do something in an instant
that will give you heartache for life.

I believe-
that we don't have to change friends
if we understand that friends change.

I believe-
that either you control your attitude
or it controls you.

I believe-
that no matter how good a friend is,
they're going to hurt you every
once in a while and you must forgive
them for that.

I believe-
that true friendship continues to grow,
even over the longest distance.
Same goes for true love.

I believe-
that you should always leave loved ones
with loving words. It may be the last
time you see them.

I believe-
that regardless of how hot and
steamy a relationship is at first,
the passion fades and there had
better be something else to take
its place.

I believe-
that heroes are the people
who do what has to be done
when it needs to be done,
regardless of the consequences.

I believe-
that money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I believe-
that my best friend and I can do anything
or nothing and have the best time.

I believe-
that just because someone doesn't love
you the way you want them to doesn't
mean they don't love you with all they have.

I believe-
that maturity has more to do with
what types of experiences you've had
and what you've learned from them
and less to do with how many
birthdays you've celebrated.

I believe-
that just because two people argue,
it doesn't mean they don't love each other
And just because they don't argue,
it doesn't mean they do.

Rumi - Only Breath

2010-08-31T10:33:00.003+03:00

Not Christian or Jew or Muslim, not Hindu,
Buddhist, sufi, or zen. Not any religion
or cultural system.
I am not from the East...or the West, not out of the ocean or up
from the ground, not natural or ethereal, not composed of elements at all.
I do not exist, am not an entity in this world or the next,
did not descend from Adam and Eve or any origin story.
My place is placeless, a trace of the traceless. Neither body or soul.
I belong to the beloved, have seen the two worlds as one and that one call to and know,
first, last, outer, inner, only that breath breathing human being.
There is a way between voice and presence where information flows
In disciplined silence it opens.
With wandering talk it closes.

Love Relationship Themes

2010-08-07T18:42:00.000+03:00

If we pause and contemplate on each relations we had as adults, we will figure out that each one has a central issue about it. Each theme holds a different suffering to go through. I am sure there are more themes but at least what I am aware of are:

Begging Theme
I love you, I will do anything for you
I love you, please stay
I love you, I will never love again like I love you
I love you, I will take good care of you
I love you, please don't go

Hurt Theme
I love you but please stop doing XXX it hurts me
I love you but please I am not feeling well of doing XXX
I love you could we please not do this any more
I love you but I can't take it any more
I love you but please give me space

Shame Theme
I love you but I can't stay with you
I love you but my belief & values don't allow me to be with you
I love you but what we are doing is wrong
I love you but my family, friends, neighbors will start to talk
I love you but I feel ashamed of us
I love you but my guilt is larger than my love

I Don't Care Theme
I love you but I am not interested in whatever you are interested in
I love you but can I watch TV now
I love you but I can't join you at your parents dinner
I love you but I have work to do
I love you but sorry I did not get you anything for your birthday

Sexless Theme
I love you but don't kiss me
I love you but I don't feel like making love tonight
I love you but could you just hug me
I love you but I don't know why I can not touch you

Some could be totally unlucky to experience two themes in the same relations; then their agony & hurt is doubled. But most cases will be a mix of one of the above themes & Love theme.
Any how, each theme teach us a lesson and gives us more insight of what we want in life.

p.s.
I left the Love theme till then then because it is my day dream one :-)

Love Theme
I love you.... I love you too
I care about you..... I care more
I want you.... I can't take my hands off you
I want to go out with my friends... I want to visit my parents
I am coming home early... my my what a romantic dinner
I want to join you @ your parents dinner... I want to be with you when you pick your sister
I want to leave my Job... I will help you finding a better one
I miss you... I will pick you up
I will pick the laundry... I will cook
I will massage your back.... could you please do my head too
Where will we travel this year?....em em China
Dance with me? .... I melt in your arms
You make me laugh.. you bring me joy
What do you think is a proper reaction... I guess you'll have to apologize
What is your new fantasy? .... To be a :-) to do :-)

I guess my definition of Love is a tango of friendship filled with passion & lived with romantic moments.

I go back to my day dream.

Enjoy the Silence

2010-06-15T15:08:00.000+03:00

Please read:

Writteninformationwithnoorganisedbreaksmakescomprehensiondifficult

Wellplannedtextwithgoodsentenceandparagraphconstructionwillaidthe readersabilitytounderstandtheinformationtherein.

Was it easy to read? to digest? to comprehend?

This is exactly how we do feel when we don't take any mental break in day(s)/ weeks/ months/ years. We lose connections with our inner self, we don't have enough time to digest & reflect on what is going on with our life, or in which areas we are changing, what are our values, the worse it to reach a point where we ask ourselves who we are?!

Now, here is the same sentence with organised breaks …
Written information, with no organised breaks, makes comprehension difficult. Well-planned text, with good sentence and paragraph construction, will aid the reader's ability to understand the information therein.

I bet it is much easier to read and digest without stress.

These breaks between words are silence... Silence is ssssssssssssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh; no chats, no TV, no radio... It could be by laying down before bed or staying in bed early upone wake up, or while watching sunset. Silence has no settings or position.
In silence there is an opportunity to observe thoughts and examine what pops up whether they are ideas, concerns, worries, people, emotions, etc.. Silence is a meter for examining life. Sometimes, after the silence agitation could be experienced, meditation & breathing could be used to return the inner self to peace & serenity status.

May we enjoy the silence.

Adapted from http://www.positivepath.net/ideasCJ7.asp

What are you, a raw egg, a jelly or an onion?

2010-06-14T01:10:00.000+03:00

After writing my last post "An Onion Model for Relationships Management", I found this article http://www.positivepath.net/ideasCJ9.asp that classifies people into three categories:

A raw egg type: people who have a hard outer exterior, but once their shell is cracked or broken they start to fall apart.

A jelly type: people who are soft, with no emotional barriers and easily manipulated .

An onion type: people who have emotional layers and permit others in, when they are worthy to be trusted with their inner emotions.

So under which type do you fall in? and which type of people you are more comfortable with?

An Onion Model for Relationships Management

2010-06-14T00:01:00.005+03:00

Past months led me to think deeply on how I view relationships and what do they mean to me. Since a big portion of my brain is built into analysis & modeling I came up with this analogy; relationships are wrapped into layers similar to onion layers. My onion is made up of five layers: the central layer is my relationship with myself, then in sequence, comes precious people layer, friends layer, duty layer and acquaintances layer.

My relation with myself is the core for all my other relationships. Getting to know myself, accepting, and loving her is my ultimate quest in life. It is not narcissism nor selfishness. My argument for this point is:

If I don't know myself well, how would I let others know me...
If I don't accept myself as it is with all my shortcoming & defaults, who would accept me ...
If I don't love myself who would love me...
If I don't cherish myself, who would cherish me...

My second layer is designated for my precious ones; the ones who I love unconditionally, accept them as they are. For them I do anything to maintain their well being and growth in life. I am there for them without them asking. This layer is for loved ones & a partner.

Then comes the friends layer, friends who I trust, love and care about. Friends who are an added value to my life.

The forth layer comes for duty relations; people who I am obliged to care for out of duty but not love. Some family members or old friends could fall into this category.

Last layer is for acquaintances; people who I share an interest or a hobby with, colleagues at work, etc...People who are nice to know.

Having this perspective has helped me to prioritize my resources accordingly; specially time, love & attention.

One more thing, since the only constant in life is change, therefore, people in these layers are not static. They are not placed in any given layer for a lifetime; their status is upgradable or downgrade-able. Usually downgrading is accompanied with grief process. Upgrading requires time, trust & effort and it is something I am very precocious about simply because I don't let go easily. Who would take loosing & grieving easily!

May we have fruitful relations in our life & may the bad ones make from us better people (not bitter).

Cheers

A Part Of You, A Part Of Me

2010-04-08T17:42:00.011+03:00

Relationships do touch us deeply; adding to our personality, introducing new habits, teaching us what matters most, etc... We would never be the same afterwords, this poem "A Part Of You, A Part Of Me" say it all.

Every moment that we are together,
I am learning something,
and that knowledge becomes a permanent part of me.

Though my feelings will be different a year from now,
or ten years from now, part of the difference is you.

Because of you, I am a different person,
and the person I will grow to become
will have gotten there partly because of you.

If you were not in my life right now,
I could not be who I am right now,
nor would I be growing in exactly the same way.

I don't worry about our future together,
sine we have already touched each other
and affected each other's lives on so many levels
that we can never be totally removed from one another.

A part of me will always be with you,
and a part of you will always be with me.
That much is certain, no matter what else happens.

p.s. I am not sure if Larry S. Chengges has written this poem!

Loss of Hearing My Inner Voice

2010-03-07T16:09:00.020+02:00

It has been a very very long time since I had a day to myself. On Friday, I went down to Wadi Mujib for an overnight. Here is how I spent my perfect 24 hours!

While driving I was listening & singing some of my favorite oldies & enjoying the scenery along the road. Immediately after checking in around 4 pm I laid down on the hammock facing dead sea. I started eating Man'aoush half zaa'tar & half cheese :-) yummy yummy. How humanity could survive without zaa'tar :-)

I rocked myself (on the hammock) from one side to another till 9 pm. I was not reading, nor listening to music... I was just observing silence, sea, mountains, sunset, darkness, stars....filling my soul with peace.

I went inside my room assuming that I am gonna sleep on the spot, instead I read till 10:30. Next morning, the minute I opened my eyes & for 2 hours tugged under a blanket, laying on the hammock I felt & enjoyed the early sun light & cool breath. After breakfast, I took some pictures of the area & went down to the sea level with my book. I kept on tossing under the sun like a Shwerma on a grill & reading till 4:30 pm. I finished the novel :-) then I went back to my room packed & laid again on my hummock singing my gratitude prayer.

I uprooted myself to leave... left craving for more. Despite this unfulfilled feeling & the short period, I managed to see a tremendous change of how I was feeling before & after. A soul make over!

I can't believe of all what I know about myself, I managed to clutter my inner self with daze, chaos and noise. To extent I have hard time hearing my inner voice. I lost my serenity & connection with myself. I lost my best friend. What terrified me most, is that when I considered going alone a feeling of of aloneness & loneliness overwhelmed me. Which I never had before...I do maintain & restore my balance when I am alone.

For months I had this nagging need of spending time in nature by myself or with just one friend. My daily working out is not enough any more to maintain my serenity. Exercising in a gym is not a meditating routine… not like walking outdoors. Staying in my house for a couple of hours now & then is not enough... I could not any longer digest & reflect on all these events, emotions, & people around me.

I transformed my life from a life revolving around a few precious people to a life full of people & social events. I no longer could manage a balance between time for myself & time for others.

I know my reasons for postponing spending time alone but it is not an excuses to permit myself to reach such a stage. These noises & chaotic emotions that fills my soul have to end. I want my best friend & true self back.

It is just one corrective action that I need to take: Plenty of out door activities alone

My recipe for a perfect day consists of:

Being in nature, near water is an added value
Enjoying silence
Hearing my inner voice
Reading a good book
Eating yummy food
Listing my blessings

May our souls be blessed with serenity, peace & connection with our true selves.
more photos

Memorable quotation from Brick Lane (2007)

2010-02-27T17:31:00.005+02:00

No one told me there are different kinds of love. The kind that starts deep (big) and slowly wears away; that seems you will never use it up and then one day it is finished. Then there is the kind you do not notice at first but which adds a little bit to itself every day like an oyster makes a pearl, grain by grain, a jewel from the sand. That is the kind I have come to know.

Run Lola Run

2010-01-18T17:34:00.004+02:00

"Man... probably the most mysterious species on our planet. A mystery of unanswered questions. Who are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going? How do we know what we think we know? Why do we believe anything at all? Countless questions in search of an answer... an answer that will give rise to a new question... and the next answer will give rise to the next question and so on. But, in the end, isn't it always the same question? And always the same answer?"

Our life can be altered by 20 seconds, by people we meet, by sequence of events....This is what the movie is all about.

My last lesson in the last day of 2009

2009-12-31T23:10:00.003+02:00

My dad appeared on the new year eve dressed with a joyful smile. Our kids looked up at him and asked Sido why you are putting a flower in your pocket? He answered: “It is new year & I am wearing a new shirt as well, look... ” Do you want to smell the flower?

At that moment it hits me …. I ceased to really celebrate personal special days like my birthdays, valentine, new year, anniversaries. I have no longer joy in these days!

How I allowed myself to reach this stage! Am I depressed! Lost interest in life! Have no passion for life! Are all days the same!

I looked at dad again, he is much older than me; he is the one who should be depressed from all he went through & saw in his 69 years. Yet, he still celebrates new year from his heart.

My last lesson in the last day of 2009... I won't let what's so ever to deprive me from the joy of my special days. The joy is inside me, its a mental status, I control it.

I'll make sure that my resolutions for 2010 to include:

Celebrating my birthday regardless of old memories & who is there to celebrate it;
Celebrating new years with the joy of anticipating a new good days to come;
Making sure to remember anniversaries when I fall in love again;
Giving myself a gift on special occasions;
& not to be with who stopped celebrating life.

Grieving Process Based on Newton's Law of Motion

2009-12-15T17:55:00.012+02:00

Before I start my mumbling about grieving I want to share a couple of thoughts to establish a common background;

1- Grieving is not about who left who or what is the effect on the one who is been dumped.

2- Grieving process do not apply on me as some of its stages are irrelevant ; denial, bargaining, and acceptance. A rule I live by; you can't give orders to love. Hence, whatever I decide or my other significant decides is accepted as it is, without denial or bargaining,

3- We live in a continuous circle of love/loss. I am not sure if I will envy you, if you have just loved/lost once in your life. We become who we are of what we experience in our limited time.

So back to my major issue of this year Grieving.

I always thought I don't digest well specially when it comes to pain... I thought it takes me long time to acknowledge my loss that's why I have no immediate reaction. After a couple of major losses in my life I finally realized my personal grieving process. I follow Newton's law of motion. Don't prejudge me wait. I am still not hallucinating. One of Newton's law of motion is “For every action there is a reaction equal in magnitude and opposite direction”. When someone like me savor every moment in life & lives it to the fullest, it is normal to grieve each savored moment.

That is the philosophical background. It reflects how deep I am!

To make it simple what I mean by “grieving Newton's way” in layman words:

For every first time after my loss …I pack my gym bag I will remember every bag we packed & the discussion we had over what we missed and I will cry;

For every first time after my loss …I see a blue city I will wish that my X is with me and I will cry;

For every first time after my loss …I forget to bring my towel in the shower I will call my X and remember there is no one to bring it and I will cry;

For every first time after my loss …I eat a tuna in whatever variety it is cooked I will think how my X will drip on it and I will cry;

For every first time after my loss …I hear thunder I will experience the fear of my X and I will cry;

For every first time after my loss …I pump my head in cupboard because I forgot to close it, I will hear my X saying “You would never learn to close them” and I will cry;

For every first time after my loss …I go shopping my eye will catch what my X loves and I will cry;

For every first time after my loss …I remember our future plans, dreams I wonder which one I still want and I will cry;

My X birthday comes, I'd remember how every previous birthday was celebrated, wish secretly my X happiness and I will cry;

For my first New Year after my loss... I will remember our embrace, kiss and wish I won't cry any more.

May we all as long we are breathing be able to give & receive love no matter who and what we lost.

I Raise My Hands Up & Ask Humbly

2009-11-22T17:43:00.007+02:00

May I always be able to spread love & goodness;
May I always find happiness & joy in small things in life;
May my eyes are set on the inner beauty of human beings;
May I realize when I can swim with the flow & when to swim against it;
May I find the strength to focus on the good in my life and master shifting myself out of worry & negativity;
May I have free spirit to travel new paths;
May I choose my life in independence of what others think;
May I always find the way to grow and evolve;
May I find joy in who I become and the trip that is taking me there;
May I have a pure soul not contaminated with jealousy and/or greed whether it is money or power;
May I be humble yet assertive;
May I always chant the gratitude prayer.

Please help me to find home & my passion in life.

Prejudicial Questions & Reel Bad Arabs

2009-11-18T22:19:00.011+02:00

Since I started to travel & living abroad, I was constantly been asked “nana questions!”, it took me some time not to be insulted & to find my way of answering in calm, logical tone & yes... showing respect to the other person ignorance.

I can't recall in this moment all sort of questions, what comes to my mind are:

How come an Arabic lady can travel alone?
Are you vegetarian because you are a Muslim?
Why you are not wearing a veil?
Do you dress like this or only because you are abroad? When you go back to your country are you going to dress differently?
Why you have suicide-bombers who kill innocent Israelis?
No way, you have Arabs who are Christians?
How come you are educated?
Do you have normal streets & buildings?
Do you ride camels?
How many wives your father has?
We have Indian TV channels, it is not Arabic?
Where is Palestine? Ah you mean Israel...

No wonder I would be approached with all these questions if Hollywood alone produced around 920 movie which portray degrading images of Arabs women & men. These movies did play a major role in formulating prejudicial attitudes toward Arabs, Arabic culture & civilization. They managed to rob an entire people of their humanity & portray them as terrorist, savage, & uncivilized. “Reel Bad Arabs How Hollywood Vilifies a People” reveals how Arabs have been portrayed and how Hollywood has played a major role in creating anti-Arab culture & Islamophobia around the world. I recommend reading the book or watching this 50 minute documentary.

Maybe if these movies stop this type of bad portray, people will start to learn & accept the cultural differences. This what actually happens when Europeans & Americans come to our side of the world; they enjoy being with us. Enjoy our hospitality, generosity, kindness, social ties, knowledge, sense of humor, etc.. They think dressing in Bedouin cloth & riding camels is cool. They fall in love with our nature; sea, mountains, valleys, and desert. They become curios to learn about the culture and civilization that is behind all these great monuments they see around.

Maybe, mabye ...

One day when I travel I could be engaged in discussions that will involve how Arabs came up with number "Zero", how valuable is our soap invention to humanity, what our contribution in Math, Medicine, Astronomy, etc...

14 Kilometers

2009-11-17T09:59:00.005+02:00

14 kilometers is the distance that separates Africa from Europe , but these 14 kilometers is the last barrier that prevents millions of Africans from fulfilling their dreams & entitle them for a life without hunger and misery.

14 kilometers leaves you wondering how many of these immigrants disappear in the desert forever, sink in the sea, & how many when they reach Europe are distant for more suffering.

Cargo lorry overloaded with immigrants.

My Bucket List

2009-11-10T19:27:00.006+02:00

My bucket list is humble... nothing much... Whom am I kidding :-)

Things I want to do before I die:

Trek the Inca Trail, Peru
Swim with the dolphins again & again...
Trek the Great Wall of China
Ride the trans-Siberian railway across Asia
Climb Mt Kilimanjaro, Tanzania
Trek to Everest base camp, Nepal
Bungee Jump
Take a zero gravity flight (at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre)
Ride roller coasters (tallest & longest!)
Spend summer solstice above the Arctic Circle (Alaska, Canada)
Try canopying
Skydiving
Taking a hot air balloon ride
Stay in an ice hotel
Raft the Colorado river, Grand Canyon, US
Go to Galapagos Islands
Watching Iguazu Falls

Things I wish to learn before I die

Photography
Scuba diving
Dancing Dabkeh & some of latino dances

Hurray
It is a living organic list, which means it will defiantly grow.

Trip Journal - Tabarka 1 Nov

2009-11-01T21:06:00.003+02:00

We left the hotel very early, 6 am we were in the car, my & my new Tunisia friend tugged under a light blanket. The intention was to sleep a bit, instead we were giggling most of the time on silly things. The road to Tabarka is awesome, a small word to describe the rural area, beautiful, raw nature, hazy valleys, and green hills.

It was peaceful, along the way, we passed a lake, farms, lots of trees, houses coloured in white, green or red, different than the dominant blue & white.

Tabarka is located between the mountains and the sea. it a quite coastal town, we wandered until we reached “Dabbabees” The Needles. Though it is a fairly small area yet quite impressive. We stayed 1 hour fascinated by how these Rocks made up needling their way up into the blue skies. As if it is complied of many smaller rocks which all have different shades, & shapes.
Hearing the waves continuously hitting the needles with water foaming around them added magic to the moments there!

On the other side of these rocks lay a Genoese castle an old fort at the tip of the harbour. The fort is normally closed to the visitors as a military compound, but somehow, we opened Sesame for us.

Time for lunch! We were almost starving. We were drawn to a restaurant with the heavenly smell of seafood. We had two types of salad, Tunisian entree a mix of harissa, tuna, grilled carrots, and olives. Reaching the main course; a plate of several types of fishes grilled & fried topped with fried potatoes. We have managed to satisfy all our senses today!

Today was a another joyous day in Tunisia

Trip Journal - Utica, Bizerte and Zaghouan 31 Oct

2009-10-31T19:42:00.010+02:00

We decided to play it easy today, we are still recovering from yesterday. We woke up relatively late 7 am! Our destination today was Utica, Bizerte and Zaghouan.

Utica is not far away from Tunisia. It is considered to be the first colony founded by the Phoenicians in North Africa. "Utica" is from the Phoenician atiq meaning "old [town]," contrasting with the later colony "Carthage", meaning "new town." Today, Utica no longer exists. Compared to Carthage there is nothing much to see.
Our first stop was Utica Museum; a small museum with not so many artifacts. I laughed from my heart as the guy in the museum while he was explaining about one of the statues that it is without a tail in their Arabic slang that means something notty in my slang. We moved after to the archaeological site “The Punic Graves”, the excavation site has a huge Punic cemetery and Roman relics.

I loved the history behind Utica but was not impressed by the site. Yet, the surrounded scenery was worth it specially with the fresh sand smell coming from the land when it is raining.

Rain.. Rain all way to Bizerte

Bizerte
I didn't have enough time to read before traveling to Tunis. This added a sense of excitement to each place we went to. I was not prepared to any site Sidi Bou Said, Carthage, Kairaouan nor Bizerte. I was in OW status or maybe, I am a simple person who takes joy from any unexpected view.

The old port in Bizerte caught my eyes. I loved watching the local people, walking around, having coffee, fishermen on their brightly painted boats. We stopped by a small shop that sells Lablabi. sandwiches IT HAS NO TUNA :-) The ingredients are chick-peas, harissa, & olive oil.

Bizerte is known as the oldest and most European city in Tunisia. It was founded around 1000 BC by Phoenicians from Tyre. It is also known as the last town to remain under French control after the rest of the country won its independence from France. You can read more about its history on Wikipeida there is more to know.

Zaghouan, here we come..

On the way we saw a 138km long acqueduct from Zaghouan to Carthage that carried the water all way to Carthage. Amazing structure, I guess they are the longest in the world. I wonder how many years it took them to build it!

We reached the Water Temple a roman monument surrounded by a beautiful scenery. The location is very impressive. It’s the first monument of the big water system destinated to supply the roman city of Carthage in general and specifically its Antonin Baths. In the middle there is the cella, the most sacred part of the temple, typical example of the african style architecture of that time. Inside there was the source that represented the first step of this water system and it was permanently surveyed by the statue of God Neptune. The source came from the temple’s cell, the water arrived to the basin where it was filtered and then went to the aqueduct we saw on our way.

With an unusual shape of an “8” it was used to filter the water before going to the aqueduct.

First thing we did when reaching Zaghouan the city is to freshen up with the public fountain, water is fresh and good… directly from the mountains . Our driver filled some bottles to take it home. The fountain is colorful decorated with ceramic tiles in Andalusian style.

We passed by a Zawouia, which is a kind of chapel where a saint is venerated. Sidi Ali Azouz was the saint patron of Tunis and its said he is buried here. The walls are nice decorated and the building is finished with a beautiful green dome.
We walked or accurately we climbed it's typical narrow streets, passing houses with many decorations and tiles.

No day is complete without sweats. Zaghouan is famous of its Kaak Al Waraqa, round cakes stuffed with an almond base & flavored with rose-water.
We were supposed to go to Zaghouan mineral bath to pamper ourselves but it was closed by the time we arrived. Something to keep for next trip.

Tomorrow, is going to be another great long day.

Trip Journal - Kairouan , Monstri, and Sousse 30 Oct

2009-10-30T23:56:00.032+02:00

Our destination for today was Kairouan , Monstri, and Sousse, be ready for a loooong day.

Our first stop is Kairouan. In few word, Kairouan is the 4^th holiest city in Islam and one of the most important cultural centers in the Arab world, have the oldest mosque in North Africa, and the world's oldest minaret. Bas.

Islam has spread from this city towards the Maghreb by its founder Uqba bin Nafi. I felt like walking in the past within the old city walls. The city has not been touched by moderation.

What have we seen in Kairouan?

Zaouia of Sidi Sahab

House the tomb of one of the prophet's companions, named Abu Zama al-Belaoui. It is also called Mosque of the Barber, as he was known for always carrying with him 3 hairs of Muhammad. Zaouia contains a number of courtyards, a madrasa, a mosque and a hotel (for pilgrims).

Aghlabid pools

The has been used as a water reservoir. Water came from the hills 35 km west of Kairouan, delivered by aqueduct.The largest pool is 128 in diametre and 5 metres deep.

The Great Mosque

The great mosque is called as well Sidi Oqba mosque on the name of the founder of Kairouan. I started WOWing just by looking at the exterior walls & the minaret. The mosque became far more impressive upon entering and understanding its particularities.

The courtyard is paved with flagstones and slopes to intricately decorated draining hole in the center, which filters dust from the rainwater and deposits it into a 9th-century cistern.

Around the courtyard are beautiful horseshoe-arched porticoes containing some 400 ancient pillars. These were reused from Roman, Byzantine, and Latin Christian buildings.

On the north side of the courtyard is a massive, three-story minaret. The lowest level of the minaret dates from 728 and includes two reused Roman slabs with Latin inscriptions (one upside down).

According to popular belief, seven trips to Kairouan was worth one hajj to Mecca.

Museum

Can't recall the name of the museum :-(, but in their theater we watched an interesting short documentary about Kariaoun & its role in the Maghrib.

Time to eat! We had a fast food lunch; Tuna Pizza. I am destined to have Tuna every day in Tunis. I can't escape it. I have noticed to my pleasure that they don't have any of the American fast food chains such as Macdonald's, Pizza hut, Kentucky. Lucky them.

Our trip in Kairouan could not be completed; as our guide mentioned without stopping at the local delicacy, to eat & buy makroud–little pastries filled usually with dates but also available with peanuts and almonds. I loved the baked one, not sweat or oily.

Monastir City

On our way to Monastir: City of Bourguiba we were dozing in the car, I guess I took a 15 minutes nap. We were up since 5 am in the morning. Ya... I am a morning person when it comes to exploring.

We parked the car in front of the Ribat. Awesome! It is well preserved, it was used to scan the sea for hostile ships. "Ribat" in Arabic means fortresses, typical of those built in major cities along the southern coast of the Mediterranean, forming a defence line that stretched from Morocco to Egypt to protect the Muslim empire from invasions. We climbed every inch, entering every room & climbing up to the tower. We were joyful and playful. I guess it is the reaction of spending so much time in the car & the effect of watching the blue sea & smelling the sea.

From the Ribat, we could see cemetery with hundreds of graves, and behind we could see Bourguiba mausoleum. Habib Bourguiba was the first president of Tunisia, he is generally considered as the father of the modern Tunis. He was an advocate of women's rights, he made a huge impact on the country's law, to name a few: polygamy was outlawed. Marriage was redefined as a voluntary contract that conferred rights upon the wife as well as the husband. A minimum age for marriage was set, and the consent of the bride was made mandatory. Salute!

I was very eager to enter the mausoleum where Bourguiba is buried with his parents and his wife. Just by the time we reached it, it was closed. We presented the guard with a set of arguments of how we are are coming from abroad, we are not staying the night over & we sincerely would like to pay respect to Bourguiba. It is obvious why! We waited till last tourist went & we were allowed to go in after working hours. No more battery in the camera.

By the time we left the mausoleum we were tired and considering the option to skip Sousse, but then we put the extra step to at least check it out; specially it is considered as the largest tourist center in Tunisia.

Once we reached Sousse, we decided to have a walk on it corniche, with a long line of hotels on the other side. I am happy we left it to the end as for me it is too touristy.

Today, my new Tunisian friend gave me a new nickname. I love it, shall I consider changing Blue Dolphin!

Y3yscheck Ta7founa o 7bib for the good day. M3 Slamah!

Trip Journal - Hammamet, Sidi Bou Said, Tunisia 29 Oct

2009-10-29T21:40:00.017+02:00

Hammamet, is a very touristic area; except for the old quarter “Medina” surrounded by walls and crowned by an ancient fort overlooking the sea. On the beach lays down colorful fishing boats.

I took my time cultivating the view from top of the fort, watching the sea from one side & the roof of houses from the other side.

This guy sells Jasmine of which the city is famous of.

I had a new salad today for lunch “Mechouia Salad” made from a pile of grilled sweet peppers, topped with tomatoes and onions mixed with oil lemon and some tuna fish aside.

In the afternoon we left to Sidi Bou Said, a town near Tunis. Named after Abou Said ibn Khalef ibn Yahia Ettamini el Beji. Nah, not a long name!

I was not mentally prepared for what I saw; extensive use of blue and white colors all over the town. My best ever colors :-)

We spent 3 hours walking in the narrow streets, inner part of the town and around white-blue traditional houses. Once we reached the top my heart started pounding from the beautiful view.

We stepped into a family house turned into a museum, showing a traditional Tunisian life.

In Sidi Bou Said there is two typical Arabic coffee shops, one is called Café des nattes, where people sit on top of high seating area. The other one Sidi Shaban is on the top of the hill, where you have spectacular view of the Mediterranean Sea and the Bay of Tunis.

No way, I could have resisted the smell of Bambaloni - fried sweet donut-like cake served with sugar. Finally, we sat down watching the sunset & drinking tea with almonds. We could choose either to have tea with almonds, pistachio, or hazelnut.

A traditional product manufactured in Sidi Bou Said are bird cages, colored in white and blue

One more accomplishment of this day I DID NOT HAVE tuna for dinner :-) I had Houria - cooked carrot salad, & grilled fish.

Ya'ychak a beautiful Tunisian word for Shukran “Thank you”

Trip Journal - Marsa, Carthage, Gammarth 28 Oct

2009-10-28T19:15:00.016+02:00

Cafe SafSaf

Today my destination is Carthage, on our way we stopped in Marsa & Gammarth both coastal towns. Where most middle class Tunisian spend their summer. The small centre of La Marsa is quite charming & not much to see. Safsaf cafe is the main attraction a camel draws water from a well.

We had a sandwich Fricasse - tiny delicious sandwich with tuna, harissa, olives and olive oil.

All the coast road is beautiful a combination of green & blue. I am lucky that the weather is great sunny with cold breeze.

Carthage today, is mainly Roman sites, including theatres, temples, villas and baths. Many of the sites stand in ruins, including the Roman Amphitheatre and the thermal Antoine Baths, which were once the largest baths built by the Romans.

All these sites have one ticket of 7 dinars value! I started from the theater, moved to the museum, cathedral, baths & then the villas. I walked up the nearby Byrsa Hill enjoying the view of beautiful houses and gardens. Once I reached the top at St. Louis Cathedral I had a superb view of Carthage.

The Baths left me with a calm sensation & appreciation for Roman civilization at that time. I loved it, I felt like touching all the stones, ruins. The battery of my camera decided to die in this particular place. Maybe so I carry the feeling of this place in heart than in a digital format.

We stopped for lunch. I had a Tunisian salad made from diced cucumber, peppers, tomatoes, onions seasoned with olive oil and garnished with olives, eggs and tuna. It is similar to the French Niçoise. I have never in my life been in a place where Tuna & Eggs are as essential ingredients as in Tunisia! Maybe as a person who don't eat chicken or meat I am left with less options. Maybe!

Mild headache I started to catch up with Tunisian version of Arabic.

Trip Journal - Medina, Tuisia 27 Oct

2009-10-27T22:07:00.010+02:00

Bab Bahr

The old quarter of Tunis is called Medina which means in Arabic "city". Median has a strong Arabic flavor; as most old Arabic cities, they have different doors to enter the city. The main entrance is called Bab El Bahr "Sea Door". More Arabic city characteristics are the narrow allies, covered souq, wonderful buildings, doorways and tilework can bee seen all way around. I loved strolling aimlessly in the maze of narrow allies, putting my head inside open doors to see the hidden treasures of each house.

Medina is classified as world heritage by the UNISCO.

Unfortunately, I arrived after the opening hours of Al Zitouna Mosque (Mosque of the Olive Tree); something to keep for future visit.

In the souq, there are everything you could thing of; colorful hand-made carpets, hand-crafted jewellery, leather products, copper and brassware, pottery, exotic spices, and much more. I can spend days as shops offer a fascinating insight into Tunisian culture and lifestyle. I found out that they have two types of souqs one is called the Arabic souq which is the Tunisian one, the other is called the Syrian Souq which refers to any imported merchant.

I have a rule when traveling is to taste every day something new, mine for the day is a Brick (pronounced breek) is a Tunisian version of burek consisting of thin pastry around a filling of egg, chopped onion, capers, tuna and boiled potato. Brick is served in a plate with a slice of lemon and Harissa. I later on found that Harissa is an essential part of the Tunisian cuisine. My days & nights filled with it. It is a hot red pepper sauce made of red chili peppers, garlic and olive oil. Ah, Sweat shops kept offering us pieces to taste, yummy... mostly are made from nuts specially almonds.

I am having a headache from concentrating on understanding what the people accompanying me are saying. How different is there Arabic. I guess I will have to start a dictionary of East & West Arabic dialects.

M3 Salamh

http://picasaweb.google.com/Bluedolpin14/Tuni

Trip Journal - Bardo Museum, Tunisia 27 Oct

2009-10-27T18:35:00.008+02:00

The Bardo Museum is located about 4 km from the Tunis city center, in the suburb of Bardo. It occupies the former Bardo Palace, official residence of the Husseinite beys. The present palace was built at the end of the 17th century and became a museum in 1888.

Fishing

Mosaic pieces have be categorized in correspondence to the main Tunisian historical stages:

Prehistoric era
Carthaginian era
Roman era
Christian era
Islamic era.

I was not astonished merely with the mosaic & how well they are preserved. I was fascinated with the ceilings. Moving from one room to another takes you from one style of ceiling to another. All beautiful. Why now we have only plain ceilings!

Generally speaking, I guess we stopped building artistic buildings!

More pictures http://picasaweb.google.com/Bluedolpin14/Tunis

Dido Queen of Carthage

2009-10-26T13:47:00.001+02:00

On the 15th of Oct I was in a bus heading to Syria, after cycling for some days in Lebanon, I was sleepy, could not keep me eyes open.
Out of no where, the old lady besides said: I want to tell you the story of Dido. Me... I started mumbling who is Dido & why now!
But, out of respect & curiosity I listened. I enjoyed the story, and did not have any clue of what I should learn from it :-)

Here I am on the 26 of Oct landing in Carthage Airport, Tunisia. What a coincidence.

Once upon a time... There was a king dying in Tyre (Lebanon now), made his very beautiful daughter Dido and son Pygmalion his joint heirs. But on his death the people took Pygmalion alone as their ruler though Pygmalion was yet still a boy. Dido was married to her uncle Sychaeüs but the marriage didn't last long, as she was widowed by her newly crowned brother, who murdered Sychaeüs for his money.

Sychaeüs’ ghost warned Dido to leave Tyre and she fled with her loyal followers across the sea to the Libyan coast, taking with her sacks of gold. The party arrived at Cyprus where a priest and some women joined them in their expedition.

Eventually Dido and her followers arrived on the coast of North Africa, where she asked the local inhabitants for a small bit of land for a temporary refuge until she could continue her journeying, only as much land as could be encompassed by an oxhide. They agreed. Dido cut the oxhide into fine strips so that she had enough to encircle an entire nearby hill, which was therefore afterwards named Byrsa "hide". That would become their new home. Many of the locals joined the settlement and both locals and envoys urged the building of a city. In digging the foundations an ox's head was found, indicating a city that would be wealthy but subject to others. Accordingly another area of the hill was dug instead where a horse's head was found, indicating that the city would be powerful in war.

But when the new city of Carthage had been established and become prosperous, Iarbas, a native king demanded Dido to become his wife or he would make war on Carthage. Dido preferred to stay faithful to her first husband and after creating a ceremonial funeral pyre and sacrificing many victims to his spirit in pretense that this was a final honoring of her first husband in preparation for marriage to Iarbas, Dido ascended the pyre, announced that she would go to her husband as they desired, and then slew herself with her sword. After this self-sacrifice Dido was deified and was worshiped as long as Carthage endured. In this account, the foundation of Carthage occurred 72 years before the foundation of Rome.

Maybe people who read or listen to Dido's story eventually go to Carthage :-)

Warning! Challenges All Way Long

2009-10-08T23:01:00.006+02:00

These words caught my attention. I have changed them a bit to reflect my opinion of why people don't take a stand for injustice in order to make this world a better place for all of us to live in.

Warning! Challenges All Way Long

People...Don’t know

Know but don’t care

Care but don’t know what to do

Know what to do but don’t know how to do it

Know how to do it but don’t have the support

Have support but terrified to do it.

We Have On This Earth What Makes Life Worth Living

2009-09-09T08:27:00.002+03:00

We have on this earth what makes life worth living
April’s hesitation,
the aroma of bread at dawn,
a woman’s point of view about men,
the works of Aeschylus,
the beginning of love,
grass on a stone,
mothers living on a flute’s sigh and
the invaders’ fear of memories

We have on this earth what makes life worth living:
the final days of September,
a woman keeping her apricots ripe after forty,
the hour of sunlight in prison,
a cloud reflecting a swarm of creatures,
the peoples’ applause for those who face death with a smile,
a tyrant’s fear of songs.

We have on this earth what makes life worth living: on this earth,
the Lady of Earth,
mother of all beginnings and ends.
She was called Palestine.
Her name later became Palestine.
My Lady, because you are my Lady, I deserve life.

Watermelon & Cheese

2009-09-04T14:14:00.000+03:00

This year in Jara "Flea market" I saw one of the most creative items.

Ya, nice dish. It turns out that some Watermelon lovers in Jordan decided to offer new creative ways of serving watermelon.
Nothing beats eating Batteekh "Watermelon" with Cheese in hot summer evenings.

Ramadan Sensation in Amman

2009-08-24T16:30:00.003+03:00

During Ramadan Amman vibes are transformed. It is a different routine than the rest of the year.

During the day streets are jammed with traffic (much more than the normal days), shops and supermarkets are crowded, endless line of people in the bakeries. To be honest, until this day I can't figure out the least crowded period to shop in!

People at home laying down with a TV remote control in their hands, flipping from one channel to another to catch up with the marathon of Arabic series. People in the office have a daily serious discussions, of what they going to eat today; how the food is prepared; where they are having their food.

As the day advance, and sunset approach … streets become empty. Most people are gathered sharing their food with friends, family, neighbors. Endless discussions start about the series which one is better, how is that one introduce a new social problem, or a historical, and so forth.

Menu will consist of dates, soup, salad and a main dish(s) followed by Arabic sweats and combined with Ramadan beverages Sous (Liquorice), Kharoob (Carob), Amar Eldeen & Tamer Hindy (Tamarind). I am already full :-)

At night, restaurants caters for Ramadanyat and people hang out playing cards and enjoying music. Most of the time meals are not served, without you ordering, a list of dishes will start appearing on the table, Baleela (Cheakpeas); Foul (Brown Beans); Tormus (Lupine) and a plate of mix Arabic sweats; Layali Libnan, Tmaryeh, Um Ali, Baklawa, and most importantly, Qatayef!

This doesn't mean that I don't see any negative side but I close my eyes on them. I do love Ramadan if not for any reason but spending nice time with my family & Qatayef.

Ramadan Kareem

Anthem of Bread & Flowers

2009-08-24T13:29:00.012+03:00

Here is an attempt to translate to English the lyrics of "Anthem of Bread & Flowers" a song by Marcel Khalifeh

You have enough of bread,

But

Not enough for all the people

And the earth is full of spikes of wheat

Uprise

And fight

You have enough of love

But

Not enough for all people

And the earth is flowers and letters

Uprise

And fight

You have what is sufficient from land and house

But

Not enough for all the people

And the earth is full of sand

Stand Up and struggle

Uprise

Don't keep prisons,

Uprise

Don't keep chains

Stay

Between the torches a torch

What & Where Is Home?

2009-08-17T17:00:00.001+03:00

There are certain subjects/issues people want to understand and it captures their attention to extent it becomes a quest in their life. Some are puzzled to know what is: love; death; after life, God. Me, I have been always puzzled about home...
I have been asking many people to tell me what do they consider a home. I heard a lot of descriptions. I guess as most things in life, home is a relative concept and feeling.

Is it a place we belong to! is it just a place where we have our stuff in! is it a place that is arranged in a comfortable way! is it a person! is it where we grow up! is it where we have precious memories! is it where we want to go back to when we are sick/tired/down!

I don't Know...

What puzzles me is not just the definition of a home but why no place feels like home! That's why I look for home definition because I believe if you don't know what you are looking for how you will recognize it.

But, do we need to feel there is a place we call home? If we don't have a place called home would we go in life loose? Floating around without a sense of belonging. Why do we need to belong? Is home a place we start from & go back to!

Monday Party Time in Amman

2009-08-17T15:23:00.001+03:00

Since my twenties I have been puzzled why do we party in Amman on Mondays. It doesn't make sense! Mid of week. Partying on Thursdays is logical as we have the next day off, so why Monday?

While I was surfing the internet today looking for cultural events I came across an article titled "Leisure Time in Amman" that explained this mysterious day. Off we go:
"A British Airways crew from the 1960s has left a mark on Amman nightlife, maybe. Some believe there is good reason for the Monday ‘big night out’ phenomenon: Back in the ’60s, there was one flight a week from London to Amman. It would arrive on Mondays and the British Airways stewardesses and flight crew would stay in Amman’s Shepherd Hotel. The crew would always drink in the hotel’s pub that night and soon word spread of pretty women drinking there. So the crowds began to arrive, with locals from the capital arriving in their throngs. Soon, the Shepherd pub became so popular and full that the overflow started going to other, new pubs.

And so the Monday night phenomenon was born, some would say, and continues to this day."

Source: http://emaj2008.wordpress.com/the-academy-day-to-day/emaj-articles/leisure-time-in-amman/

Sumud Resembled in The Palestine Youth Orchestra

2009-08-16T15:08:00.003+03:00

Watching The Palestinian Youth Orchestra playing for two hours in Alhussien Theater yesterday was overwhelming. I was not watching only young Palestinian musicians playing music, I was watching 60 family overcoming occupation, suffering, land confiscation, separation wall and hundreds of checkpoints and diaspora. They are an example of the Palestinian Steadfastness in Arabic Sumud; a word that I personally love. A word that could describe the Palestinian culture of not giving up, and hanging on to all possible means to stay alive in Palestine and in Diaspora for 61 years.

The Orchestra resembles the Palestinian culture and reflects it very well; a mix of Palestinians coming from Palestine and Diaspora. A mix between Men and Women; a mix of Christians and Muslims.

I am not into discussing their performance or evaluate it as I am a mere listener. I did enjoy the three types of music they played; classical “Beethoven”, Arabic “Marcel Khalifeh” & last “Palestinian” accompanied by Reem Talhami singing.
They are a source of pride for every Arabic person.

Request for action
I checked the orchestra website it is outdated http://ncm.birzeit.edu/pyo/about.htm, it would be great if there is a company that could approach the institution to sponsor the development of their website and branding.

Ithaki of Constantine Cavafy

2009-08-07T21:55:00.009+03:00

This poem has dazzled me with its simple meaning; what is really important is not Ithaka (the destination), but the journey itself; because this journey help us to evolve to become a better human beings.

As you set out for Ithaka
hope the voyage is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
angry Poseidon- don't be afraid of them:
you'll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians and Cyclops,
wild Poseidon- you won't encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope the voyage is a long one.
May there be many a summer morning when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you come into harbors seen for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind-
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to gather stores of knowledge from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won't have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you will have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

Here are some explanations that helped me to enjoy the poem more.....
Ithaka is the island off the western coast of Greece to which Odysseus returned after the Trojan war. Odysseus’s journey was a long and difficult one. It was ten years before he was able to rejoin his wife Penelope in Ithaka.

The poet mentions three of the obstacles that Odysseus encountered in the Odyssey. First are the Laistrygonians, who were half-men and halfgiants, who devoured many of Odysseus’s crew. Second are the Cyclops, who were giants with just one eye, placed in the middle of their foreheads. The last obstacle is Poseidon, who was the Greek god of the sea.

Gaza Children Didn't Break Guinness World Record in Flying Kites!

2009-08-01T16:26:00.019+03:00

On the 30 of July 2009, 3,000 kites were seen soaring Gaza's sky breaking Guinness World Record in Flying Kites. This event took place just after 7 months of Israel’s attack on Gaza leaving 320 children dead and scores injured or maimed for the rest of their lives. Many thousands have lost their loved ones.

1.5 million Palestinian kids carry heavily the emotional and physical scars associated with death, killing, arrests, humiliation, spread of the terror acts, destruction of homes and schools, military incursions, movement restrictions, and poverty.

Gaza children did not break Guinness world record in flying kites; they broke Guinness world record in pleading for their Human Rights.

Kids gazing to the sky; kites soaring the sky; symbols and messages sent to the whole world requesting one thing: the right to LIVE in freedom, security and dignity.

What an example of Sumud (steadfastness)!

Raise Your Voice In Singing

2009-07-09T23:33:00.001+03:00

As far as I can remember I loved the songs of Mohammed Mounir. His songs are associated with different stages, memories and emotions; joy, sad, and anger. His songs reflects my rebellion personality. I think that he is the greatest contemporary singer in Egypt. He is been always different. I was lucky to attend for the first time a live musical concert for him.

In his concert he sang amazing mix of different songs that were a blend of Egyptian/Arabic pop, Nubian, and sufi... all great. He managed to carry us high with his voice, music, genuine performance and lyrics that carry a message in each song. His lyrics never been easy to comprehend from first time, they are deep, construct images and sends messages of freedom, hope, and love.

He do have a style and always will.....

Mending My Relationship with Amman

2009-06-21T03:14:00.001+03:00

I left 6.5 years ago with wounds & pain and a decision to heal, become a better person and most importantly to start over a fresh life. I knew long time ago that my healing was not complete... I am not in peace with Amman; with the place I grow up in. Simply because Amman for me has been nothing but its kind people. I ended up associating Amman with lost relations and friends, unfulfilled dreams, and painful memories.

For the first months I have stayed here this year, my resentment for the place and rejection to stay was increasing. The tiniest idea of settling back here made my heart heavy and my body gave out all the signs of refusing. I felt it badly.
Almost two month ago I was lucky to meet new people who are unconsciously helping me to re- associate my memories of Amman in a new and joyful way. I started to reestablish a new relationship with things I used to adore and lost along the way, though they are simple but they are … em em … warm, part of me, shaped my character and I missed them a lot.

They are as simple as eating what is available in the season bateekh o jibneh (water melon and white cheese), 7amleh (grilled green chickpeas), Turmus & much more food :-). Interacting and hanging out with people who speak my language, use our funny expressions and terms (min elakher, 6yneh), laugh loud, listen to Fairouz in the mornings and Um Kalthoum at night. gossip, generous, fight and care about each other. How much we (Arabs) differ from other cultures when it comes to interacting with people!

All these simple things are formulating a fresh perspective of place I once called home. For this I am grateful.

Nirvanah

2009-06-08T16:45:00.002+03:00

Yes, there is a Nirvanah; it is in leading your sheep to a green pasture, and in putting your child to sleep, and in writing the last line of your poem.

Kahlil Gibran

May you always choose

2009-05-20T15:11:00.002+03:00

May you choose to see beyond life's storms, to uncover the blessings that the rain brings, and during all of life's twists and turns, may you always choose.
--Michelle Sedas

61 Years Of Humanless Rights

2009-05-15T07:30:00.000+03:00

We have been hearing for ages of how the developed world aka The West stands for justice, peace, freedom & democracy. We only hear because what they practice is the opposite. They preach but don't act on it.

For 61 years we have no human rights of whats so ever. You know what your hands done better than us! Ripping us from our Watan (home/land) it is all documented in your archives. Still if you need more, we do have ownership certificates for our land, houses, farms, and water wells. We have our identity cards.

You have made UNHR principles & UN resolutions a joke to laugh at. We are aware of the amused human rights UN created on the same year we were deprived them!

We are Palestinians and no one has the right to rip us from our nationality.
We have the right to own our property and no one has the right for our land, farms, and homes.
We have the right for freedom.
We have the right to protect our honor and reputation.
We have the right for freedom of opinion and expression without being subjected to prison and punishment.
We have the right to take part in our country, directly or through freely chosen representatives; not to put sanctions on our democratically elected government.
We have the right that the will of our people be the basis of the authority of government. We choose.
We have the right for life & liberty and security of persons.
We have the right for freedom of movement and residence within our state boarders.
We have the right for a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of ourselves including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right for security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond control.
We have the right to education.
We have the right to participate in the cultural life of the community; to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.

We are humans if you have not noticed! We have the same rights as any American, British, Canadian, Italian, German, and French. We have hundreds of UN resolutions that give you all the right to act decently just for once in your history. I am one of 10 million others who are not asking you for your mighty power. We are not pledging you to move your troops to Israel as you have done to other countries for no justified or legal reason . We are asking you to cut the financial & military aid from Israel. Above this you don't have the right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth in UNHR.

I wonder why countries like Latin America, Africa, Arabs...Any country that is oppressed, ripped of its dignity, honor, resources; don't withdraw from UN as a protest for the corruption & double standards.

For your amusement, here is the UNHR Joke http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights

On which bases can I identify myself?

2009-05-14T15:39:00.005+03:00

I am in always quest to understand myself to know exactly who I am. Since I am in constant change I have been thinking that I need to come up by a kind of classification to fit myself in. I don't care about giving myself labels as much to know who I am really.

I started by combining my nationality, religion, skin colour, gender, ethnic group, to come up by who I am. This left lot of parts of me unidentified. So I can't be only this. Specially, these are among the things I didn't choose in life but they certainly shaped who I am.

Then I thought of my social roles, roles I perform on life stage; daughter, sister, student, friend, lover, manager, colleague, aunt; and more. Is the sum of these social roles define who I am?
To some extent in each role I behave, react, and act differently. More, these roles are not static; from one period to another I change roles; move out from some & take new ones. Does this mean I change my identity each time? As well, I don't place same priority for each role. Example, being an aunt is more important for me than being a manager.

Reflecting deeper, I realize I am not the same person 15,10, 7, 3 years ago. I assume I am growing ;-) My character has changed from experiences I went through, knowledge i acquired and skills I learned. But certain values have not changed, I am still serious, playful, kind, bla bla. Which characteristics can be changed & which arenintrinsic? Are my self core characteristics genetics, something I can't change but they could label me for as long as I live!

For me to recap my kharabeesh:

I am Chinese, Christian, Female, with black skin colour (inborn)
I am a daughter, sister, manger, friend (social roles)
I am kind, generous, stupid (core characteristics)

There is a something in me refuse to be the sum of these, as two classifications: inborn, & core characteristics I have no control of.

I guess I need to search to know more how self identify is classified.

Chicken Ala Carte

2009-05-03T15:36:00.006+03:00

We are so used to good food that we are not any more guilty of wasting it. How can we allow for people to die out of hunger in 21 century! Some pets around the world eat by far better food than those kids. How much waste/excess food there is after parties!

p.s. I am sure there is a lot of caring, considerate people but its not enough.

Managing Contacts

2009-04-27T00:56:00.007+03:00

I am sure I am not the sole person who is suffering from managing efficiently his/her contacts. Or maybe I am exaggerating about it. Let me explain here my dilemma. How simple life could be if it stopped on issues like this one ;-)

Considering that I am somehow, sometimes, & in some areas I am systematic (again I stress the point some). I have the urge to have an organized contacts; which I don't for these reasons:

I have accounts at
I have lived the past 10 years in 3.3 countries and worked in 4 different companies.
I have 3 major sim cards for 3 different countries that I keep moving between on regular basis. In which taxis, restaurants, services and other daily contacts I need just during a certain period.
I am losing contacts with people I would like to stay in touch with, because both sides are in constant move.

What I need to do is to de-clutter my contacts and find a permanent solution for my problem. I need an application/solution that can perform everything (this is what exactly my customers ask for).

Seriously, I need:

A Centralized address book, for which initial input is done through it, later to populate the date into the rest of the applications mentioned above
Give ownership of some of the data in the contact profile to the person him/herself to keep it update it
Two ways sync between all applications i.e. between yahoo & google, google & hotmail, etc.
Capable of creating different sync list for the mobile i.e. per category, country

Abra Kadabra, the solution is....

Baraka

2009-04-27T00:15:00.002+03:00

I didn't read any review before picking the movie, so I spent the first minutes expecting to see an actor, a human voice, a narrative. Nothing came up; not in the first 10 minutes not in the last 96 minute. At the beginning, it was not easy for me to keep my concentration & focus.

It turned out that Baraka is a nonverbal film containing breathtaking images of 24 countries from 6 continents combined with an incredible sound tracks. I was restless to figure out where the shots were taken to the extent that I wanted to pause & google it on the spot. At the end of the DVD Fricke explains that it was intentional to leave the movie without narration or subtitle. "It's not where you are that's important, it's what's there."

At the end of the movie, I wanted to grab my bag and start traveling to India, China, Africa, Cambodia. There is a lot to learn about other cultures, religious, nature and the world over.

It doesn't say anything. But you will find a lot to say about it.

I will watch this movie again & again.

Children Of Heaven

2009-04-17T00:44:00.005+03:00

We lose appreciation for a lot of things in life by taking them for granted. This is a simple movie about a lost shoes and how two Iranian siblings, Ali and Zahra make arrangements between themselves to share the remaining sneakers. The story glow of kindness and good-heart of poor people despite the financial difficulties of their day-to-day existence. The movie satisfies you emotionally by the goodness and calmness it disseminates.

Innocent Voices

2009-04-14T15:57:00.002+03:00

"Innocent Voices" is a sharply detailed, moving film that tells a powerful human story and documents the horror of El Salvador's brutal, U.S.-funded civil war from 1980 – 1992.

The movie manages not to send explicit massages about USA role in El Salvador civil war or plays any political arguments; it simply depicts the struggle of those who suffered as it is happening. The movie is narrated through the eyes of a child Chava an eleven-year-old boy who takes on the role of the man of the house after his father abandons the family in the middle of the El Salvadorian civil war. I was really impressed of the performance of the lead actor incomparable with any other child actor I have seen before.

The movie is full of well captured emotions and moments of drama that stay in the memory and stir the feelings; moving smartly between brutality of war and the innocence of children in normal moment of life between friends and family. One of the scenes the left a footprint on me is when the boys were laying flat on the tin roofs of their homes hiding from the government military who wants to recruit them.

"Innocent Voices" is worth picking up.

My Relationship with Books

2009-04-13T15:47:00.006+03:00

As long as I can remember I have a special relationship with books and an abundance of appetite for them. As kids we had our light curfew at 7 pm, this is when I start my “candle light” readings. Most of my books then had wax spots all over them. At school, I was board of the subjects they teach us; my escape was by hiding a book within a school book and read most of the day. During summer vacation I could spend 10 hours in a row reading just moving back & forth between bathroom & bed.

In a good book I would get so lost in; totally lose touch with reality in the sense that it is very hard to get my attention. I would have less motivation to work or sleep. I would be transferred to another world; to places I have not been to before, with characters I get involved with & grow feelings for. I could laugh out loud in public because I remembered something funny that happened in a book. I could cry in public because I felt the character pain. Sometimes at the end I feel as if I am saying goodbye to real people that I cared about or played a role in my life.

One of the direct effects of reading on my personality; is that I think in pictures not words. For this reason, most of the time movies based on books fall short of my expectations. And if I watch the movie before reading the book I am ripped of my own visualization.

By now I know my favourite things to read, but I still branch out from time to time. I never know when I might find a new favourite. One more thing, I don't collect books, its a shame to keep good books to myself, every couple of years I make sure I donate them to public libraries.

Books for me are a way to enjoy new views on life, to dream, to escape to far off places, to grasp more knowledge, to grow and to laugh.

What I have Learned From My Pocket

2009-04-07T23:09:00.018+03:00

We learn from different sources in life, family, books, people, but mostly we learn from our own experience or as in an Arabic expression from our own pocket. These lessons are usually the most learned and memorized.

I am sure my pocket has much more lessons but for today these are more than enough:

Living my life not other people's life.
Encouraging people to live their own lives & respect their choices.
Living life with dignity and integrity is a virtue.
Taking life easy & not seriously. I will only live it once.
Concentrating my time on positive thinking & activities.
Knowing my self is the hardest thing in life and it is a life time process.
Forgiving helps in leaving the past behind & moving to the future.
Giving importance to initial explicit signs will formulate better judgment.
Avoiding negative and energy draining people is a boost to life.
Happiness is a mind set and an accumulation of special moments in life.
It takes years to build trust but it takes one incident to destroy it or to shake it fundamentally.
I am the sole person responsible for my well being, happiness and peace.
I can't please everyone so at least I should put the effort to please myself.
Once I truly love I can not replace it with hate.
Life is not fair. I don't wait for justice.
Since I already hit the bottom some time ago, I won't be scared next time; I already poses the skills and tools that helped me to get up.
People need to be listened to when they are down, they don't need advices. They will ask for it when they need it.

Adios Cyprus

2009-04-04T02:01:00.016+03:00

April is where I evaluate myself & life path. In April 2007, I said WOW. I am here... living my dreams. Having all I wanted. I worked hard on levels to achieve them; myself, academic, knowledge and professional. I was scared I have no more dreams to peruse, how I go in life dreamless!

I started to ask myself what to do next. Absolutely nothing. Just to live & enjoy my life to the fullest. And I did.

I enjoyed every single weekend. I enjoyed laying down on the beach, reading, swimming, listing to music, watching people. I enjoyed my daily morning walks sea side. I enjoyed exploring villages, beaches, & taverns. I loved my car & all the disasters I did driving on the wrong side of road.

At home, I enjoyed my room mate intelligence, sense of humor, easy going, respect, and compromises. I enjoyed our rituals, chores. I enjoyed rectifying our disasters. I enjoyed the cultural exchange we had to go through. I enjoyed cooking & experimenting new dishes. I enjoyed watching from the windows the rain & thunderstorms striking the sea. I enjoyed cold days tucked under the blanket on the sofa in front of the TV just watching series after series. I enjoyed going home with take away pizza & watching CSI. I enjoyed peeling pomegranates every Sat wearing hand made cover from plastic sacs (it didn't work, I can't count how many undershirt I ruined). I enjoyed going back to Amman whenever I could which was often. I enjoyed hosting my family every summer. I enjoyed the vacations traveling.

At work, I enjoyed leading a team, running projects, for sure not handling the customers. Enjoyed the pre sales consultation & product marketing. Enjoyed setting implementation standards. Enjoyed working on new products & ideas. I enjoyed the challenge of working with 7 nationalities in same office and our breaks on balcony playing tricks on each other. I enjoyed the business trips I had by extending a weekend before & after exploring. Maybe this part (work) was the worst of my life setting; stressful but bearable.

I never complained about my lifestyle or settings. I was happily satisfied.

I guess what I am just trying to say here is goodbye. I am closing a chapter of my life, for it I say Salute.

My Birthday Gift

2009-04-04T00:58:00.001+03:00

I got this year for my birthday the best gift ever. It was unique very personal. Couldn't imagine different perfect timing to receive it. From excitement I became numb. I have no clue how to react properly to it!

Just mentioning it today let me realize how huge it is … How it will alter my plans!

Yet, my current concern is from where I can buy my preferred ROC rollon deodorant. I have to google it soon.

So Far So Good

2009-03-30T01:35:00.003+03:00

I have not yet reviewed 2008 or set my resolution for 2009. Ha! Three months of 2009 passed & I still don't know where I stand. Its OK I am still in my transitional period.

Lucky me in two days I have my Personal New Year a.k.a my birthday. I decided that at least I could list what I have enjoyed in life so far. Off we go:

Traveled to 125 cities in 24 countries in 4 continents. (dream in progress).
Swam with dolphins in Malta (a dream coming true).
Slided down the third highest water slide in the world in Fortaleza, Brazil. Can't claim I am a super hero woman I didn't find the courage to do the highest.
Played in Disney World on all scary rides “as claimed”, loved Soarin & Twilight Tower most.
Went by seaplane to Victoria.
Flew in a glider with and without an engine.
Went for Whales Watching trip. Awesome!
Swam in Dead Sea the lowest point on earth.
Swam in the hot springs of the volcanic islet of Palea Kameni, Santorini and climbed to the top of the still-active volcano.
Prepared Prawns for exporting with locals in Palau Ketam (Crab Island) in Malaysia.
Rode a go kart, motorcycle, scooter, & dune buggy.
Went in slingshot for the first time in my life three times in a Row.
Walked on Capilano - the world's longest suspension bridge.
Tried several water sport: parasailing up to 100 meter, jet ski, kayaking, surfing, & diving.
Prayed in Mosque, Church, Hundo, temple, Chinese Temple, not sure if I did in others.
Went camping in a tent on sea shore.
Tasted yumy yumy seafood, to name a few: sardines, anchovies, mackerel, smelt, kalamari, cuttlefish, Octopus, sword fish, tuna, lobster, crab, prawn, shrimp, bream, salmon, mussels, cod, clams, sea urchin. Some I ate alive & some with head (work in progress).
Lived by sea side for almost 6 years. (a dream coming true).
Stayed in Acqua Verde hotel in Istanbul. My sanctuary.

I can't complain that I have not lived :-)
What's more? for sure more adrenaline pumping

Travel, Travel, Travel
Sky diving
Punji Jump
Safari (place not defined yet)
Watch Cirque Du Soleil
Sliding the highest water slide in the world! Whom I am kidding?

The best is yet to come. Cheers.

I hope you dance

2009-03-24T20:34:00.009+02:00

No matter when or how many times I hear this song I become silent. Silent for what it inspires..

Not to take anything or granted - I hope you never lose your sense of wonder. May you never take one single breath for granted
To be humble - I hope you still feel small When you stand by the ocean
Hope - Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens. When you come close to selling out Reconsider. And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance I hope you dance
To live life fully - Never settle for the path of least resistance . Wants to look back on their youth and wonder Where those years have gone.

There is nothing more I could wish for anyone but to take chances and & get the most out of his/her life. Don't settle for less than what you want.

I hope you dance … Dance

A Tradition I Cherish

2009-03-20T22:09:00.012+02:00

I owe my father for a lot of things in my life, but one of the things that brings comfort & sense of belonging to me is “Friday Breakfast”.

Friday starts by buying FOOD: Hummus, Foul, Falafel, Fatteh, Bread, Eggs, Cheese & much more. Then going home & preparing everything as a team; one would cut vegetables, another would cook Allayet Pandora, etc... We were the owner of the kitchen.

We grew up & started to find all the excuses not to wake up early on a Friday (who on earth want to!) or to prepare or even to attend. Yet, we didn't succeed! No matter what we would do somehow we ended up back in the Kitchen on a Friday Morning.

Then after passing the rebellious stage we figured out that it is better to enjoy it than to fight it :-) so we started inviting our special friends over for this breakfast. I forgot to mention that after eating until knocked down comes the magical nap - a very easy thing to happen taking into consideration the side effect of Foul & Falafel. Each one of us has his own spot on a sofa in the living room with TV switched on and if the weather permits the window will be open to let in a cool breath that lets us drift away into calmness!

Some years ago dad moved abroad for a long period ... No we didn't skip it at all :-) our friends & boyfriends/girlfriends started to be part of this ritual of graping the stuff from supermarket & bakery, preparing food, even adding new dishes & flavors.

Now, we have our second generation asking dad if today is a Friday? I think this breakfast is a witness of our life.

Me, I plan my trips back to Amman in a way that allows me to attend as much Fridays as I can. I don't leave after the breakfast I still need to to take my nap in that same sofa with TV on & all talking around me. How deep I sleep!

This ritual is one of my moments of life that I do cherish.

Jordanian Bloggers

2009-03-19T00:35:00.000+02:00

Recently I started to read some blogs of people who live in Jordan. I admit I was ignorant & absorbed with an idea that in Jordan we just take certificates without real knowledge & intellect. And our only concern in life is what we own, how we look, and who we know. These blogs proved me wrong. I could not be happier.
I enjoyed reading these blogs because they reflect our culture, tackle our concerns, courageous, and some were really funny. Which I really miss listening to & discussing.

Home Alone..Not The Movie

2009-03-17T22:41:00.013+02:00

Ya, I know I am a person that really enjoys herself without people's company & I am myself best friend. But I love the company of joyful, interesting friends. A tiny reason for having friends is that I enjoy laughing on my goofiness with them. Trust me I have plenty.

Being back here in Amman for such a long period (3 months) made me feel very alone. With no like-minded friends I am spending most of the time Home Alone.

I am fully aware of why I reached this stage.. it doesn't hit me as a surprise; Simply:
- I had best friends who didn't know my full story, then quitting on them slowly for a reason they have no clue about;
- leaving Jordan; &
- living abroad in two different countries with extensive business trips.

What do I expect to have friends dropping from the sky!

The issue now is:
1.Who makes new friends at 37! No comments of whats so ever
2.How can I manage to meet new people in Amman? Is it worthy! I have less than one more month here.
3.If it is worthy, where can I find such “like-minded” people?
4.How can I avoid having the same problem in Canada once I settle there?

What do I mean by “Like-minded” friends:
- Open minded & liberal
- Joyful & love to play
- Have love for culture, books, travel, other interests of their own
- Take their share of responsibility in life i.e. live for a cause
- Accept people for who they are
- I'd feel comfortable and happy around

I don't want to be desperate for friendship, I trust it will come on its own time.

My Gratitude List

2009-03-16T13:24:00.011+02:00

I am grateful for my transitional period; for the time to relax; travel; explore; reflect and connect with people I care of.
I am grateful for my health; I have never been healthier.
I am grateful for my ability to think clearly, to grow, and to help myself.
I am grateful for my curiosity and hunger to know more.
I am grateful for my knowledge & intelligence.
I am grateful for my ability to take decisions and be in charger of my life.
I am grateful for my ability to dream & make these dreams come true.
I am grateful for my goofiness.
I am grateful for my caring Baba.
I am grateful for having someone to share my life with.
I am grateful for my relation with my nephews and niece; they are filling me with warmth & joy.
I am grateful for my sister/ best friend; for trusting me of what she values most in her life.
I am grateful for my mom for being nice.
I am grateful for the health of my family & friends.
I am grateful for Leens presence in my life.
I am grateful for my house & my financial comfort.
I am grateful for going to the gym every day.
I am grateful for the books, articles and blogs I am reading.
I am grateful for the documentaries I am watching.
I am grateful the the series that helped me to understand myself better.
I am grateful for what I have achieved so far in my life.
I am grateful to blog my kharabeesh again..
I am grateful for who I am; out of mind & total mess :-)

The Quest For My Passion

2009-03-14T22:39:00.010+02:00

“There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few that will catch your heart . . . Pursue those.” Anonymous

I am in a stage where:
1- I have accomplished much in my life on different levels i.e. education, career, & more.
2- But now I am in a point where the dreams and goals I pursued in my life have either been accomplished or don’t seem appealing anymore.
3- I have a wonderful life and yet something is missing. Simply I am dissatisfied & restless. What shall I do with the rest of my life? How can I make the most of my years to come! (Is this what they call mid life career crisis? :-))
4- I want to use my experience, knowledge, and talent to make a difference in some way and to enjoy it!

This is my puzzle! What catches my heart?

All I know in this moment is that this passion; has to make my life satisfying and fulfilling, matters to me, is intellectual & cultural, and can make at least a slight difference in the world.

"If" by Kipling, 1895

2009-03-09T22:03:00.000+02:00

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

Occupation 101: Voice of the Silenced Majority

2009-03-09T03:54:00.006+02:00

I wanted to watch Occupation 101 for some time, finally tonight I managed.
Really I will recommend this movie to everyone one whether they are ignorant of this subject or not.

The movie tackles straight forward the root cause of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict which is occupation. It is one of the few movies that tells the story of the Palestinian side & starts right from the beginning of the the first wave of Jewish immigration from Europe in the 1880's, the 1948 war, the 1967 war, the first Intifada of 1987, the Oslo Peace Process, settlement expansion, the second Intifada (2000), and the Apartheid Wall. The film also details life under Israeli military rule, and the direct role of the United States in the conflict.

The credibility of the movie stems from some of the most credible Middle East scholars, historians, peace activists, and journalists, and humanitarian, including Noam Chomsky, Cindy & Craig Corrie, Jeff Halper, Amira Hass, Rashid Khalidi, Ilan Pappe, and others.

It is worth watching.
http://www.occupation101.com/about.html

Value of what we have

2009-03-08T18:15:00.007+02:00

I am wondering why some people don't appreciate what they have in life until they lose it. How they can't be grateful and thankful... How they can not live it and enjoy it.

Verse – A Poem by Nizar Qabbani

2008-12-28T10:00:00.001+02:00

Friends
The old word is dead.
The old books are dead.
Our speech with holes like worn-out shoes is dead.
Dead is the mind that led to defeat.

Our poetry has gone sour.
Women’s hair, nights, curtains and sofas
Have gone sour.
Everything has gone sour.

My grieved country,
In a flash
You changed me from a poet who wrote love poems
To a poet who writes with a knife

What we feel is beyond words:
We should be ashamed of our poems.

Stirred by Oriental bombast,
By boastful swaggering that never killed a fly,
By the fiddle and the drum,
We went to war,
And lost.

Our shouting is louder than our actions,
Our swords are taller than us,
This is our tragedy.

In short
We wear the cape of civilisation
But our souls live in the stone age

You don't win a war
With a reed and a flute.

Our impatience
Cost us fifty thousand new tents.

Don't curse heaven
If it abandons you,
Don't curse circumstances,
God gives victory to whom He wishes
God is not a blacksmith to beat swords.

It’s painful to listen to the news in the morning
It’s painful to listen to the barking of dogs.

Our enemies did not cross our borders
They crept through our weaknesses like ants.

Five thousand years
Growing beards
In our caves.
Our currency is unknown,
Our eyes are a haven for flies.
Friends,
Smash the doors,
Wash your brains,
Wash your clothes.
Friends,
Read a book,
Write a book,
Grow words, pomegranates and grapes,
Sail to the country of fog and snow.
Nobody knows you exist in caves.
People take you for a breed of mongrels.

We are a thick-skinned people
With empty souls.
We spend our days practicing witchcraft,
Playing chess and sleeping.
Are we the ‘Nation by which God blessed mankind’?

Our desert oil could have become
Daggers of flame and fire.
We’re a disgrace to our noble ancestors:
We let our oil flow through the toes of whores.

We run wildly through the streets
Dragging people with ropes,
Smashing windows and locks.
We praise like frogs,
Turn midgets into heroes,
And heroes into scum:
We never stop and think.
In mosques
We crouch idly,
Write poems,
Proverbs,
Beg God for victory
Over our enemy

If i knew I’d come to no harm,
And could see the Sultan,
This is what i would say:
‘Sultan,
Your wild dogs have torn my clothes
Your spies hound me
Their eyes hound me
Their noses hound me
Their feet hound me
They hound me like Fate
Interrogate my wife
And take down the name of my friends.
Sultan,
When I came close to your walls
and talked about my pains,
Your soldiers beat me with their boots,
Forced me to eat my shoes.
Sultan,
You lost two wars,
Sultan,
Half of our people are without tongues,
What’s the use of a poeple without tongues?
Half of our people
Are trapped like ants and rats
Between walls.’
If i knew I’d come to no harm
I’d tell him:
‘You lost two wars
You lost touch with children.’

If we hadn’t buried our unity
If we hadn’t ripped its young body with bayonets
If it had stayed in our eyes
The dogs wouldn’t have savaged our flesh.

We do not want an angry generation
To plough the sky
To blow up history
To blow up our thoughts.
We want a new generation
That does not forgive mistakes
That does not bend.
We want a generation of giants.

Arab children,
Corn ears of the future,
You will break our chains,
Kill the opium in our heads,
Kill the illusions.
Arab children,
Don’t read about our suffocated generation,
We are a hopeless case.
We are as worthless as a water-melon rind.
Don't read about us,
Don't ape us,
Don't accept us,
Don't accept our ideas,
We are a nation of crooks and jugglers.
Arab children,
Spring rain,
Corn ears of the future,
You are the generation
That will overcome defeat.

Collecting As A Hobby

2008-12-25T01:48:00.005+02:00

I have been always amazed of people assembling collection of just about anything; mugs, shots, rubbers, pencils, stones, matches, etc... I wonder if it gives them a sense of security or it is an expression of an emotional status.

I am not a fan of collections, I feel that by collecting I will become attached. With attachment I am immobile, I am stuck. I have to fit what I love in my bag. If it doesn't then it is not mine!

After giving this speech.....

I now collect magnets from different corners of this world, they give glimpses to the things that caught my attention in the country I am visiting. I have no idea when or how it started.
And I am not sure if I am attached to them? If I am stuck? I hope not. I just collect them for the fun & pleasure of coloring my dull metal door at home :-)

My collection is nice but it is not comparable with the Magnet Lady who owns 29,000 magnets as of February 2002 according to the British "Book of alternative records". I don't want to compete with her not even in my wildest dreams.

My Recipe to Happiness

2008-11-24T21:23:00.012+02:00

At a certain point of my life to be more specific in June 2003 I decided that life is not worth living. Life is ugly, hard, tough and not fair. So, I took the decision that either I find my way to happiness no matter what I go through or....

After 5 years of my decision, I can say I am happy this does not mean that life got much better! My secret recipe might be applicable to others.

First -Happiness is now, not when I get a better job, more money, or find a partner. No more postponing. My happiness is met with minimal conditions, in indifference if my “if conditions” are met or not.

Second- What happened has happened in the past. It shaped me, made me who I am. I am grateful for all what I went through. I tired hard to deal with my past, pain, & agony. I did my best to get over it & let it go. Sometimes past do pop up again but now I have better things to focus on :-)

Third – Over the years I cultivated good habits through daily practice. I no longer put effort to do them but I can't claim it was easy. My new routine allowed me to maintain a certain momentum of happiness even when things go wrong. What have worked for me are:

Keeping my gratitude list active
Nurturing my relationships; specially my 1^st circle of relations
Doing some random acts of kindness to strangers & people I love
Exercising; walking, swimming, playing squash, etc..
Connecting to nature, spending as much time as I can out doors
Contemplating on beauty; sunset, sea, mountains, kids clouds, smell of flowers, delicious food
De-cluttering- I no longer keep things I don't use in a year. I no longer keep books from university days or documents from my work, or cloth that I don't wear. I enjoy giving stuff away.

Fourth- Happiness is my internal status not the result of life circumstances. I do get sad when my company lay me off, when my relationship with my partner is spiraling down, when.. when. But they don't knock me down or let me lose my insight on the other great things in my life. By having happiness as my ultimate goal I became healthier, stronger, more helpful, creative, and willing to try new things.

Tweeting what I said: Happiness is achivable coz it is state of mind that consist of positive emotions and & positive activities.

May we all be happy.

Progressing From Motivation To Habit

2008-08-23T16:46:00.002+03:00

Even though I love working out & I fully realize its value. It was not easy to maintain a daily work out. After several trials and errors during the years, I prevailed. So how I managed to make working out equal to brushing my teeth. Here are my tips:

Mental Attitude
I developed a mental attitude that working out is not a pleasure it is a necessity for my well being; not less important than eating healthy food, sleeping, brushing my teeth.
Another mental trick; it is a pleasure to have physical pain and my muscles sourness reflects my progress.

Working out Objectives
I set different objectives each season/month; it helps me to accommodate work, social, and personal commitments. Examples; If I have to be early at work this means for that week I workout 45 minutes. Less is better than nothing. In summer, I concentrate on swimming & aqua aerobics; while winter is for weights lifting & yoga.

Set Regular Time
I workout on a regular time every day; my preference is in the mornings. Simply because I clear my mind, restore my energy, get my time alone, and I don't worry if I will be stuck at work or with any social commitment. I tried exercising after working hours but at that time I am hungry or tired. Besides, I get energized to do nothing (watching TV) and worse I end up eating most of my evening.

Working out Is An Appointment
I am busy and have a lot of commitments; but I plan my weekly working out as any other appointment that I have to keep, and it is jotted down on my calendar.

Logging
I log what I exercised; aka minutes of meetings :-) It helps me to know how I am progressing & percentage of how much of my objects are met.

Enough Sleep & Food
I make sure I sleep enough hours and eat healthy food. How would I mange to get out of bed if I just had a couple of sleeping hours. I am not into hurting or knocking myself down.

No Working out
I hate obligations & guilt feelings; I am not into making working out a burden. So I made sure to know when I am not exercising.
My "No Working out" List is:

One of the weekend days I rest
No workout when I am injured
I exercise lightly when I have flu
On business trips, I can skip if there is no time or space to work out
On vacations; I skip if my mood is set on Lazziness

Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.

How much I love to workout?!

2008-08-20T15:02:00.002+03:00

A loooot. I found the heaven of working out when I decided to quit smoking. I guess I replaced a bad addiction with a better one :-)

I am not going here to preach on how to be motivated. But, I managed to get up most mornings for the past 8 years to workout, Why?

- I keep my sanity- Every single day I get out all my disappointments, anger, frustration, negative feelings, in straight forward words I practice a Daily Emotional Detoxification

- I have sustainable source of energy

- It is MY time; not for friends, family, or work

- I add life to my life. Walking seaside, hiking in a forest, playing squash with friends, cycling on an island. Wow; who could say working out is an obligation

- I stay connected with nature; sun, sea, wind.

- I become a genius; I find solutions. Not sure my concentration has got any better ;-)

- I am worry-less about gaining weight. I have space to worry about other things!

- Being fit gave me confidence to try new activities and challenges

- Shy to admit but I really love to touch and feel my muscles

- And finally, maybe I managed to add a couple of healthy years to my life.

Home

2006-07-05T18:48:00.000+03:00

I am wandering away, with no exact destination... I neither know the way back Home, nor do I know the way ahead!

Stranger - by Gubran Khalil Gubran

2006-03-15T12:10:00.000+02:00

A stranger in this world..
A stranger..
In estrangement there is cruel loneliness
And painful desolation
But it makes me forever think
Of a magical home I know not
It fills my dreams with shadows of a far away land
My eyes never saw
A stranger in this world
I wandered East and West on earth
But found not my birthplace nor met one who recognizes me
Or who heard of me.

Life For Rent

2006-03-05T13:59:00.001+02:00

I haven't really ever found a place that I call home
I never stick around quite long enough to make it
I apologize that once again I'm not in love
But it's not as if I mind
that your heart ain't exactly breaking

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't lean to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

I've always thought
that I would love to live by the sea
To travel the world alone
and live my life more simply
I have no idea what's happened to that dream
Cos there's really nothing left here to stop me

It's just a thought, only a thought

But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
Cos nothing I have is truly mine

While my heart is a shield and I won't let it down
While I am so afraid to fail so I won't even try
Well how can I say I'm alive

If my life is for rent...

2006-03-01T11:23:00.001+02:00

I came across this statement. I believe it has a truth in it: We have all had our struggles in life – it’s part of what makes us all unique and (hopefully) interesting people; however, we are also so much more than our struggles.

2006-02-24T17:06:00.000+02:00

Can we miss someone we don't know?

The Past Is Past

2006-02-24T14:32:00.001+02:00

Green is everywhere…the long trees are hiding the sky… you can barely see the sky when looking up… Leaves are everywhere on the ground, you can hear the cracking voices while you are walking…

The sun breaks through the trees & creates a dazzling view… Walking aimlessly, walking slowly, there is nothing to run for… You are absorbing every single scene, inhaling deeply each breath, smelling the trees and the land… You just keep walking…

You want the nature to touch your spirit… to heal the wounds inside… to cure the pains… you are opening up … you are letting it inside your body … you wanted it to sneak to every corner… not to leave a place without a gentle touch of love & warmth…

You keep walking till you reach a lake… You sit down near the shore, doing nothing… nothing at all… a calmness wave brush your soul, creating a sense of relief, a sense of "everything is over”... nothing more to be worried about… the coolness doesn’t bather you at all…as the sun is going down…. u feel just safe, secured, healed, & warmed…

Follow Your Destiny Wherever It Leads You

2005-12-02T21:24:00.005+02:00

I bought myself a gift; a Blue Mountain Arts poster“Follow Your Destiny Wherever It Leads You”, and since then it is hanged where I can read it. I find it a truthful one and something I can relate to in my own life. Life brought me equal amount of surprises and disappointments that altered my path and directions in life. In both ways I had to be decisive to do something about my plans and choices, and never just wait for them to fall right in front of me. For me it is claiming my life, and be in charge of it.
I guess by being decisive I am believing in my own capabilities, skills, values and ration. I wish never to let life steer me but I to lead my life despite how harsh or kind are the circumstances.
Here are the words of the poster:

There comes a time in your life when you realize that if you stand still,
You will remain at this point forever.
You realize that if you fall and stay down, life will pass you by.
Life's circumstances are not always what you might wish them to be.
The pattern of life does not necessarily go as you plan.
Beyond any understanding, you may at times be led
in different directions that you never imagined, dreamed, or designed.
Yet if you had never put any effort into choosing a path,
or tried to carry out your dream,
then perhaps you would have no direction at all.Rather than wondering about or questioning the direction your life has taken,
accept the fact that there is a path before you now.
Shake off the ‘whys’ and ‘what ifs,’ and rid yourself of confusion.
Whatever was — is in the past.
Whatever is — is what's important.
The past is a brief reflection.
The future is yet to be realized.
Today is here.
Walk your path one step at a time — with courage, faith, and determination.
Keep your head up and cast your dream to the stars.
Soon your steps will become firm, and your footing will be solid again.
A path that you never imagined will become the most comfortable direction
you could have ever hoped to follow.
Keep your belief in yourself and walk into your new journey.
You will find it magnificent, spectacular, and beyond your wildest imaginings.

Vicki Silvers

The Temple of Poseidon at Sounion 26 Feb 05

2005-02-26T22:25:00.001+02:00

I went to Sounion by bus, the drive from Athens is wonderful it goes along a scenic coastal road which affords a splendid view of the Saronic Gulf passing through beautiful suburbs (Glyfada, Vouliagmeni, Varzika) to Cape Sounion. The trip took around 2.5 hours.

Sounion is where the temple of Poseidon resides. The temple of Sounion sits above the beach on a mountain that juts out into the sea and was dedicated to Poseidon. For who doesn’t know Poseidon is god of the sea in Greek mythology. In ancient times the temple was the last sign of civilization the Athenians saw as they sailed away from home and the first as they returned. The temple is of Doric style and was built in the 5th Century BC, supposedly on the location of an even older temple. You are not allowed to enter the temple any longer and it is roped off but you can get close enough to appreciate it and even read the graffiti carved on the ancient columns, some of it hundreds of years old. The sunset there is amazing. I was told that from the temple site on a clear day I can see at least seven islands but on that day I only saw a couple of them. The sunset was amazing there! I watched the sunset with a cup of hot chocolate it was freezing that day.

My Relaxed Fat Greek Weekend 21/02/05

2005-02-21T22:24:00.001+02:00

I had a typical Greek weekend, my friends picked me up at 8 am from the hotel, and we headed towards Poros by car. Usually it takes 2.5 hours by car, but it took us 5 hours!

The ride from Piraeus towards Poros was interesting, in the beginning it was a highway without much to see, little by little we were heading towards the suburbs the scene was changing; green was spread across the sight. You could tell spring is on the door, tinny winy flowers were colouring the green carpet, the fruit trees started to flower. After 1.5 hour of driving, we stopped for a coffee in Strike. The scene from the coffee shop is really striking I can’t find words to describe it nor I think the picture I took can give its justice. Ah, I forgot on our way we passed the Corinth Canal (I encourage you to read about the canal history).

My friends informed me that we will stop at Epidaurus. I didn’t have any previous idea what is that! We bought tickets on the entrance, we walked for 10 minutes, & here it is. I was shocked to see an ancient theatre lying between high pine trees, there is no previous indication that you would see such a thing in this area. The area is very peaceful it has a calming effect, I told my friends this before realizing that a healing center was near by Epidaurus. In Epidaurus actors/singers don’t need any microphone, as the theatre was constructed in a way that moves sound from the center to the highest point in the theatre. I was told that until this time, no body could imitate the echo system of this theatre with all the technology we possess now.

My friends they come from Poros, they have been driving to it almost every weekend for the past 25 year. On our way, we stopped to pick some goat cheese from an old lady, then we stopped to pick fresh bread from a bakery. Yes, this was our breakfast. What a cheese! Probably I will remember the taste for the rest of my life. Not only because I was starving J. We continued picking food along the road.

Finally, we reached Galatas. Galatas is where their home. I have been there 2 years ago. I had one of the best time in my life then. I believe Galatas is very similar to Yafa. It is a small village people grow there citrus and olive trees. I cannot describe how beautiful it is to see orange, mandarin, and lemon trees all way long to the sea! We headed immediately toward the town center to pick some seafood or fish. No luck! It was 1:30 pm by that time, fish shops have closed. We stopped for Ouzo and a snack.

We went back home, started to prepare lunch from the vegetables we picked & put on the fireplace! Lunch lasted until 5 pm J. After a lot of eating & drinking, sleeping was a must! The nap lasted until 8 pm.

It was now time to head to Poros. Poros is a small island in the Saronic gulf. All we had to do is to cross from Galatas to Poros by a taxi boat. The ride lasts for 10 minutes. We had coffee with their friends, more friends joined after.

It was now time from dinner! We went to a fish tavern. Again, more drinking & eating! The food was great typical Greek mazeh. Greek songs were entertaining us, people were chatting, singing, and eating. I guess all the people in the restaurant knew each other; they were exchanging jocks and drinks.

Guess what! At 1 am we moved to Bouzouki a live Greek music & dancing. People were dancing and singing none stop; by the way singing on the stage is not limited to the band. At 4 am it was time to leave. No, we went for a walk first. Time means nothing. It is a Greek weekend.

I will spare you the details of the next day :-)