That Big Black Smog!

Around this time of the year I always wake up with a sour throat and head directly to the bathroom to get rid of that awful dark and thick mucous holding up to my chest all night that it feels so hard to regularly inhale and exhale!


It's by the strangest coincidence that the “Blog Action Day” this year about climate change, comes at the same time Cairo is totally covered - as every year since the beginning of the century - with the biggest black smog that smells really awful and suffocates all of the five senses, specially during night.

The smog is a mixture of "smoke" and "fog", so you can say it's a foggy smoke, or a smokey fog.. and in the media here in Egypt it's very well known by (The Black Cloud), so it doesn't matter what you may name it or call it, what does really matter is the future plan to get rid of it.

I guess people here don't actually realize it's hazardous effect and that it's one of the so many reasons the climate is changing every year in Egypt and the ecology system is

The

Ramadan Shopaholics Everywhere!!!

Travel Happily ... Travel Light

It is the end of the summer vacation, when every one wants a final getaway before heading back to university or school and before Ramadan.

Let's start packing our bags and leave the crowded and choking city with its hot, heavy, and stifling weather. Let's go far away and head to a place where there's a long blue beach and golden sand, a place of which every part speaks so delicately and beautifully of nature.

Now we're here! A nice chalet overlooking a garden and a beach. It's wonderful, isn't it?

After that long trip, don't you feel a little tired? Do you have a headache?

OK, just look in your bags and you'll surely find some painkillers.

You didn't find any? Even in that little backpack?

Never mind. A cold shower will melt your tiredness away, but where are the soap and the towel?

Can't you see that you've forgotten many important things while there is a lot of unnecessary stuff packed in your bags? Didn't you prepare yourself well before traveling? Didn't you write a list of the things you'll need while you're there?

To avoid this mistake, here are some tips to help you know how to pack your bag for your next trip:

Traveling by Car, Bus, or Train

* Make a written list of the things you'll need the most, so whenever you finish packing something, check out that item from the list.

* Follow the weather forecast of the country/city you're heading to in order to get to know what kind of clothes and things you'll need with you; sunglasses and light clothes if it's summer, or heavy pullovers and a coat if it's winter.

* Get a small handbag to use on your trip (backpack or cross bag preferred) and another big one for your clothes and personal stuff. If the big one is not enough, you can distribute your things between two medium-sized bags. Take into consideration that large- and medium-sized bags should be with wheels (trolley bags).

* Don't overload any of your bags. This can damage your bag, what's stuffed in it, and even your back and hands.

* Take a prayer mat, with a compass, and a copy of the Qur'an. You can also bring your booklet of daily remembrances and, of course, Du`aa' As-Safar (Arabic for "Traveling Supplication").

* Pack only the clothes you'll need. If they're ironed, you should pack them flat; if not, you can take a small iron with you.

* Don't fold your clothes in the same way you put them in your closet or chest of drawers; the idea is to make good use of a bag's space. Roll them up tightly and put any breakable stuff in-between them.

* Take one bed sheet and pillow cover just in case you need them.

* Don't forget your bathing suit or waterproof clothes, a good sunscreen, sunglasses, head cap, and skin moisturizer if you're heading to a place with a swimming pool or beach.

* Place the shoes and slippers in a separate plastic bag inside the main bag or separately in a small one. You can put scrunched up, old newspapers inside them so they would neither bend nor break. Also, take the ones that'll suit the clothes you've packed.

* Remember to take a first aid kit. Put your vitamins, painkillers, and emergency ointments in a small, separate bag inside the one you'll carry on you.

* Don't forget, for your personal hygiene: One big cotton towel and small ones, some bars of soap, a bath sponge, shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, hair dryer, moisturizer and body cream, a comb, hair brush, hair cream, and hair accessories (for girls and women), nail toolkit, toothpaste and a tooth brush (you'll need to keep your white smile and fresh breath!).

* Take small pillows with you if you want to sleep or rest on your way.

* Take, if you think you'll need them, some high-tech entertainment gadgets like a digital camera, a digital audio player, a laptop, and, of course, the old-fashioned radio. For the leisure time you'll spend indoors with friends or family, bring some games like monopoly, dominos, chess, and playing cards.

* Bring an interesting book you want to read, and a notebook and some pens for writing a diary or some thoughts and ideas; the outdoors is really inspiring!

* Take some snacks and drinks (e.g. apples, bananas, healthy sandwiches, fresh juice, and packed sweets). You can also freeze water in plastic bottles if the weather is very hot, or you can bring a thermos full of tea or coffee and plastic disposable cups.

* Bring your bike with you if you have enough space in your transportation. Riding a bike is an excellent way to easily move around and it's lots of fun!

* Don't forget to bring a plastic bag to throw all your rubbish away during the trip, especially if you're traveling in a car.

* Get yourself a spray-on repellent and/or some special incense or liquid to repel flies and mosquitoes, just in case.

Traveling Abroad by Plane or Ship

If you're traveling abroad, you'll need some extra tips:

* Don't forget these important papers and cards: personal ID, passport, traveling tickets, credit cards, cash, and a printed map and a little booklet of the country you're visiting as well as a small dictionary of the country's language if it's a language you're not familiar with. Put those things in a small cross bag close to your body, make it unnoticeable, and beware of muggers and pickpockets.

* Don't take excess weight in your bags so you don't have to pay extra money at the airport. Check the websites of the airliner and the airport about the permissible weight and the number of bags you can carry on board.

* Put big noticeable stickers on all your bags and write down your name, your address (in your country and the one you are visiting), and also your phone number (also in both countries). This is important in case they got lost and somebody finds them.

* Write down all your important numbers in a small notebook (ID, passport, insurance, and important phone numbers of relatives and friends). Don't write down your credit card number!

* Exchange your money before leaving your country and put the cash in many places: your waist bag, deep inside your pockets, and even in your socks! Always make sure that taking money into your destination country is legal.

* Turn off your cellular phone and radio (if you carry one) while the plane takes off, so as not to interrupt the radar transmission.

* Be careful not to carry any of these items in the airport or on the plane: any kind of weapons such as daggers, knives, a licensed pistol, or even your sandwich knife; any sharp or pointed objects; organic material or food that can go rotten; chemical substances, poisons, acids, and of course, inflammable and explosive substances; also, insect killers and sprays. You can buy insect killers and sprays from your destination country.

Finally, I wish you all a nice trip and a happy vacation. Remember this quote by the French writer and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, "He who would travel happily must travel light."

Not Addicted to blogging.. It's only about Time

70%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Created by OnePlusYou - Free Dating Site

That's a quiz that I took and it turned out that I'm not that horribly addicted to blogging and I guess it's so obvious from noticing the time gap between every post and the other.

So I figured out that I need to write down at least 10 reasons why I think I don't blog every now and then although I update both my Arabic and English blogs every month or two months at least!

1- I Don't have TIME... tell me when will I post anything when I wake up, get dressed, go to work, return from work very exhausted, cook dinner (not regularly I know), tidy the place, do some cleaning, sit hypnotized in front of the TV with Ali, stay on my laptop for 30 min., and then go to sleep... So when can I find the free time to blog?!!!

2- If time is a lame reason... then LAZY will be my second reason... Many times I feel LAZY... I have many pics to add.. many things to write about and many main events that took place in my daily life... but I just feel idle!

3- No thoughts....No events!
That's the third reason... yeah.. just when I might have time to write or have the motivation.. I find nothing to write... zero.. null.. just blank.

4- I write for myself about myself and what's around me.. so I'm not obligated to write for anyone or about anything I don't feel or want.

5- I don't have a huge and wide or constant base of fans and audience.

6- I seek no fame nor publicity.

7- I don't like being categorized or so much noticed, coz blogging here in Egypt is very much understood and considered as political activity and a way of rebellion and resistance and the bloggers community here are so much concerned about that (Those are the people who appear on TV, attend many workshops and seminars about freedom, and are always talking about human rights)... I don't critisise anyone really.. But I'd like to keep my blog away from judgement.

8- I didn't pay the monthly subscription of the DSL or there's just no internet avaliable where I am.

9- I'm not having my laptop around or shall i say (Our Laptop)... as it's a common property between Ali and me not a dominion.

10- Well.. the last reason is censorship... I feel and think about things that's so..... well.. I don't know how to phrase this.. yup may be in a good manner (inapropriate) or very very harmful, scandalous, and insulting to other people.

And despite all of these reasons... I had the stamina to add two new posts consecutivley in two days.
So I won't give up on myself and wish to raise that 70% of blogging addiction to 80% at the end of the year and I'll leave you to judge.

Boredom

These days I feel boredom and contradiction invaded my life and my mind.

I think about everything... my past.. my future.. how I got married.. how will I die.. why am I working with no ambition?!

I think about my future babies.. the death of the people I love most and then wish to die first!!
I think sometimes about divorce just because I don't deserve to be married to someone way too much better than I am.. then cry coz I believe it might be a choice for someone who's not in love that much.

I think how I wasted my years upon people who don't deserve my care.. and wasted other years not getting to know and understand people who turned out to be so amazing!

I think about how boring can I get when my mind is not occupied and how boring people become when they're so (the same) in everything everyday and barely nothing changes.

I think about how I want to dye my hair in deep red and have a new short (katie Holmes) hair cut and then convince myself that I've changed.

I think about the so many days I didn't cook or clean the house or take care of Ali and then curse myself coz he's the only man who deserves to be taken good care of.

I feel contardiction about my thoughts...in every aspect.. I want to stay at my work yet want to leave.. I want babies so bad yet can't stand the noise and cries of kids.. I want to run on the beach with my hair flying loose yet I know I'll never do it as long as I live.

I hate the continous pain in my back.. yet sometimes love it when it makes people care.. and then hate it again coz I think sympathy is absurd and i don't like acting pathetic.
I hate it when I'm so damn eager to buy something new that I saw and loved and then when I get it.. it becomes so ordinary... and that's why I sometimes love being deprived of objects that i love so that I have to feel the torture of craving for them.

I think I was just bored somehow and had to pour out those words... so think they're a total waste and dumb.. I don't care.. I just felt I need to type it down and then exhale... wooooph.

Too Tight... Too Overworn

Two weeks ago I discovered the dilemma of the season!!!
All my summer and spring clothes became either too tight (despite the diet I'm following nowadays), or too much overworn that it looked crappy as if it has just come from between a wild dog's teeth!!!

I decided to rebel.. and started the hunt for new clothes yesterday... comfortable sandals and slippers, bags, scarfs, pants, shirts, blouses, and wide skirts.
Actually I only bought four items.. a cotton loose mauve blouse (some kind of a short dress), a baggy dark brown pants, and another two items for next winter that were put on sale and were very very very tempting to buy!

The hunt was so short, coz I had my mom with me and we started shopping around 7:30 p.m. and bought some stuff for her and a pair of sandals for my bro.

Actually I still need to shop desperately... So I'll start my journey again this week and will continue until I finish my budget for this month, then I'll start again next month, until I have a respectable and enough provision in my wardrobe.

So what I'm working on now before going out for shopping again is some clear outs!
This means that I'm washing or dry cleaning all my winter clothes, cleaning the storage space in my wardrobe, counting all my summer clothes including PJs, Outerwear, sandals,...etc.
Then deciding which of my outerwear should go out to charity, which should be worn at home, or which should turn into dust cleaning materials (especially the cotton pieces).

I came around this amazing video on youtube about storing your winter clothes... hope you'd find it useful.
So I'll see you again this week to talk about the best stores here in Cairo, Egypt for this summer seasons, and what are the best bargains you can find... see ya:)

When the going gets tough... celebrate!

It's been a long time since I've been here... it feels very comfy, as if I was at a faraway place and now I'm coming back home again:)

Well I'm having nowadays a very tough time dealing with my bosses at work.. Cairo office.. Dubai office... They're giving me such a bad time by not understanding the details of my work professionally, not appreciating the huge effort I'm exerting to make everything at it's best, and at the same time giving me negative and destructive comments and negative energy as well!!!

Well.. my time with my husband, is certainly the best thing that's keeping me out of that disappointing crap... and holding me back from wearing a saucepan on my head and wandering in the streets like a mad vagabond!

He celebrated my birthday last month which was on the 15th, in the best way I could ever imagined.. Flowers on my desk when I arrived at work... A big red teddy bear (Carte Blanche Trademark) which we both named (Morsi Zaza)... how cute... when I arrived at home.
And a fancy dinner at (Crepeaway), in which I got to order everything I like at any quantities and got the best dessert I'd ever tasted in years... something's called (James Brownie)... big chunks of hot fudge brownies with vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce.... mmmm tastey!

In addition to Ali's celebration of my birthday, I recieved a surprise party from my family at my grandma's home... my granny, mom, dad, my brothers, they all bought me a fruit and chocolate cake.. turned out the lights, and sang to me!!
And that was not just it... they amazed me with a new big (Sharp) microwave... something I wished to buy since I was married:)

Again... As march is the main month of our celebrations... my birthday.. mother's day.. our first date and the proposal... and certainly our anniversary.. We got to celebrate nearly every week!!

This year it was the second Anniversary.. and you know what!!!
It's still cozy and feels at ease when you can still celebrate and feel at wonderful spirits even when all you did on that day was eating pizza with sauce ranch and marinara dippings at home and watching a stupid horrible so-called-comedy movie... believe me it still felt great though:))

Also... One of the things that's distarcting me from my work's bad environment are the books I got read and finish since januaray... and the last one I've just finished tonight was (Twilight) by Stephanie Meyer... it's awesome really.. and I hope i'll get to write it's review soon... and watch the movie which I've been holding up myself to watch until I've read the novel!

Another thing is my diet.. which I started on the 1st of April, I'm still going on grilled and steamed food only.. no fried.. no soda... certainly no chocolate or desserts... and nibbling after 10 o'clock at night.

These are the things that makes me happy the most, and still feels good about myself... and as long as I and my loved ones are healthy and satisfied about life.. so .. certainly nothing else matters!!!

Find something.. anything to celebrate ... even when you think that life sucks... and certainly your boss sucks too... Celebrate life itself!

Good Night Oscars 2009... Amazing Night:)

Again from the back of the stage... came those stars to present us the best actresses...
(Sophia Lorren, shirley Maclain, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, and Halle Berry)... all stood up and went for a long and strong applause:)

The award went to... KATE WINSLET... in The Reader:))
she said about that fainting thing that penelope mentioned:))
and about the shampoo bottle that was in her bathroom when she was a kid in the shape of the oscar trophy... now it's not a shampoo bottle.
Kate could barely breathe and she tried to remember everyone to thank and give tributes.

And the one before the final.... The Best actor award... presented by star winners as well which are (sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Ben Kingsly, Micheal Douglas, Adrian Brody, Robert Di Nero)... And Best Actor Award went to......

Be happy Gays.... it's Sean Penn for the second time in the academy history... playing Harvey Milk!!
Don't know why, but this reminds me somehow of the year when Brokeback mountain was nominted for some awards... a gay movie as well.

I like sean Penn's movies of course, but don't intend to watch this one... don't support it!
And what was the equal rights sean penn talked about in his speech?!!

Sean Penn also said: "I thank God that we live in a country that elected an elegant man

Finally, Steven Spielberg came up the stage to present the nominations for best Film and present the winner.... and the oscar goes to....

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE...
Now it feels like Mumbai not LA.... all the cast of the movie on stage.. feeling very happy and excited..
Hugh Jackman wishes all of you a good night... and me too I wish you a good morning... it's 7 in the morning here in cairo...I just need 1 hour sleep to be able to work today...

And ah... by the way... Fox movies is playing (Escape from the planet of the Apes) for the hundredth time really since 2008!!!
They choose starnge times to play it:)))
Bye for now:)

Slumdog Millionaire Rules them all

Back from my 5 minutes rest on my couch... still covering the oscars and covering myself as as well:)

It's time for one of fav. awards.. the best original score.... and the oscar goes to..... SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE... A.R. Rahman (I guess an indian muslim), which is someone to be proud of definitly:)

Then came of course, the best original song of this year's oscar... the nominations are two songs from slumdog millionaire and one song from wall-E.

To my amazement A.R. Rahman the composer... performed the two of them!
It was a show mixing indian art with western... a bollywood-hollywood union:)

The best song went to AGAIN A.R. Rahman and slumdog Millionaire... the song's called (JAI Ho).

If you missed Hugh Jackman... he's back again to present new presnters!
Liam Neeson and slumdog Millionaire's Frida Pinto.. who presented the best foreign movie which went to (Departures) from Japan.
You should listen to the director speaking english and expressing his happiness through his eyes, he really made me smile:)
And thanks God that it was enough for the Israeli movie (Waltz With Bashir) to grab a golden globe and leave the oscars alone... If the oscars went to supporting the gays and Israel in one party, that would've made my heart stop and bleed!!!

Queen Latifah is here with a bright royal blue dress to.... NO.. not to present, to sing!
Sing for those who passed away through the year... and finalised them with paul Newman... did they miss Bernie Mac.. or It just flipped me by?!! Never know!

Reese witherspoon is presenting now the best director Award.... and the oscar GOES to...
DANNY BOYLE... for Slumdog Millionaire... people I love that guy:)))
He's too joyful and fun to be a brit!

3 more awards to go... I just need an hour to sleep and go to work... and I'll continue from my office as soon as I get the time to write more about the oscars...

Watching commercials and be right back for the last time this morning:)

Lots of winners to Go & I'm waiting for my trophy!

Back again.. it's nearly reaching dawn here in Cairo, and I'm still awake watching:)

Here comes the best supporting Actor award... presented the same way as the best supporting actress award
The theater opened for (Alan Arkin, Kevin Klein, Christopher Walken, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Kevin Klein "who presented Heath Ledger as the Joker, with emotional way).... and of course the best Supporting Actor went to... as known from the begining to.... Heath Ledger... for his legandary role as the joker in The Dark Knight.

It was a very emotional moment... many people really and hardly held back thier tears!!!
His father, mother, and sister.. took the award on his (non-existant) behalf, and said they're here this night to celebrate his work:))

After all those tears and emotions, came the award for the best documentary Feature which went to... Man on Wire.
There was this nice man who was very thrilled(one of the makers), came running up the stage, just to say (YESSSSSSSSS), thank his wife, do a magic trick with a coin and hides it on his palm, and then holds the oscar trophy upwards on his mouth like circus clowns!!!!

Winners who always amazes us... what a reaction!

Then came the best short documentary which went to... Smile Pinki.

Another theme which is related with action came in short promo... Speed... speedy cars, crashes, falls, trains, planes, jumps... Thrilling promo!
You said the oscars could ever be boring?!!!

WWWWWWWOOOOOW oh my God.... my favourite host of the night.. Will smith:)))
Also with the best Tux of the night!

He presented the award of the best visual effects... which went to... The Curious case of Benjamin Button... yeah..third award... congrats:)

And also the best sound editing which went to.... WOW... my other favourite... THE DARK KNIGHT... so proud of Batman... good job bats:)

AOO.. will smith is still here to present the best sound mixing award which went to... Slumdog Millionaire.... there were three trophies .. one of them went to an indian called Resul who was very very touched and thanked his teachers and his country..India.

It's still Will Smith with the best film editing award which went to... Slumdog Millionaire... Indian Luck bets the Irish people!

From Will smith to Eddie Murphy... who'll give the Jean Hersholt Award to All time classic comedian.. Jerry Lewis:)
People all stood up, clapping and applausing strongly.

Oh... I'm feeling sleeeeeepy and can't believe I'll go to work just after 3 or 4 hours.... yuck!
I'll rest for 5 minutes and be right back.

Third time... OSCARS still rolling!

Best Romantic moments from movies of 2008... what a theme... believe me this never ever fails... a short movie bringing them all in a very romantic and sentimental shots.

OH MY GOD... this is Natalie Portman along with a disguising-with-a beard- ben stiller (which made him more like a Jew than he really is!).. presenting the best cinematography award.

The best Cinematography went to.... slumdog Millionaire... this movie is really lucky... don't know if it the Irish Luck or the Indian Luck!!

Jessica Biel presented the academy award for scientific and technical achievement... don't know what's that actually.. and the transmittion here I guess may be skipped something... don't know, but that's relly wiered!

A hillarious short movie.. mocking the movies nominated and other box office (non- nomintaed) comedy movies, made by Kimensky... lightened up the show a big deal:))))))

Then came the Live action short film award, that went to... Spielzeugland (Toyland).

Hugh came back again on stage... but this time along with the stunning Beyonce in Red showgirl costume singing together different songs from different historical musicals... with them Vanessa Hudgens and Zack Effron from High School Musical.
They all performed a medley of musicals in one... so catchy:)

I'll stretch my back and come back again... don't go... be right back:)

OSCARS from my Couch... back again with my Drink:)

Penelope was amazing... with her white-like- bride dress and her sexy way of speaking spanish...WOW.. makes me wanna learn it everyday!


what a new and always creative way to present awards...
Steve Martin and Tina Fay... with thier funny looks and speechless acts that brings hilarious laughs!
They presented both best screen writer and best adapted script.
The screenwriter who won is the one who wrote the movie (Milk)... and yes he's Gay, or how else would he be inspired people... I thank God we don't have Harvey Milk living among us... and don't consider me racist about my views of the Gays!!!... Coz Really I am!... I mean Racist when it comes to sexual deviance and that's not our issue here...

As for the best adapted script ... it went for (Slumdog Millionaire).

Here came Jack Black (one of fav. comedians) and Jennifer Aniston to present best animated movie and best short animation.
And the first award went to (WAll-E) as i guessed and wished for... thanx to Pixar:)
and the short animation award went to a movie called (La Maison En Petits Cubes) whose winner nearly spoke english and thanked everyone in his life... except maybe the one who ushered him to his seat!
Those who work in the animation field are always, humble, geniuosesss, and are subject to respect and admiration.. I guess the man deserved it.

The way the theatre is divided is exactly the way the movie goes... from paper.. to back stage.. and then to screen and audience!!

Sarah Jessica Parker and Daniel Carig presented the best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, and also best Make-Up.

The best Art Direction went to..... The Curious case of Benjamin Button:))) YEAAAAAAAAHHH.... a first award... yuuuuupiiiie:)

And the Best Costume Design went to..... The Duchess.

And the Best Make- up as I predicted from watching it for the first time... went to.... The Curious case of Benjamin Button..... yeaaaaaaaaahhhhhh. the second:)

Will be back again... need to drink... water people!

The Oscars LIVE from my couch!

This is one of my most private moments of the year... watching the oscars Live.. alone at my home, alone on my couch with my favourite mug of a any hot drink... wrapped in warm sheets waiting for my illusionary AWARD... for best supporting...watcher:))

Here we go after... after the amazing Red Carpet glamorous arrivals of the actors, actresses, directors, whole casts of the most wonderful and best movies of this year... I saw the best dresses ever... and also the worst... and to be honest there was nothing worst than Tilda Swinton's black dress last year!

The show is going on now with it's host for this year... Wolverine... yeah, it's Hugh Jackman.
He gave an amazing musical start using the help of the sweet Anne Hathaway sitting among the audience in the front seats.

Hugh was so light, funny, and easy going with all the stars... he made some jokes with Frank Langella from (Nixon/Frost),a dn also Mickry Rorck from (the Wrestler).

Here are the first Award to Go.... Appering from the back of the theatre... five of the best supporting actresses winners (Tilda swinton "with a dress even worst than that of last year"!!!, Anjelica Huoston, Goldie Hawn, Whoopi Goldberg, and

Best supporting Actress... and the oscar goes to....

PENLEOPE CRUZ.

Be back again people... will go to make a cup of my favourite hot peppermint and continue watching and blogging from my couch and infront of my new Ultra slim LG Tv... congratualte me later:)

Tearing up my heart

It was always summer and the future called
We were ready for adventures and we wanted them all,
and there was so much left to dream,
and so much time to make it real

But it was long ago, and it was far away
Oh God, it seems so very far,
and if life is just a highway, then the soul is just a car

And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are
And objects in the rear view mirror may appear closer than they are

Those exact words from a song for meatloaf came to my mind early this morning, although I intended not to write anything about what I'm feeling since four days.

I had my holidays and feast vacation last week and it lasted for 10 days.
I wished to use that time to write some stuff here and post some book reviews, but I didn't fully enjoy my vacation, despite going out with friends, having dinner out, and laughing out loud at the movies... I tried to locate myself in different places, and my mind as well, but It kept thinking about one thing.... Nada's face.

Nada is one of my far relatives, but we were quite good friends when were very young, we were at the same school, and particularly she was with my brother at the very same class.

Nada passed away on the first day of feast in a car accident while going with her husband and baby girl to Sharm El-Sheik. Her Baby Girl Lobna and her husband are fine, but it was Nada who didn't make it, it was her fate to pass away after about 15 hours from the accident due to repercussions in her spleen and because of the usual unequipped hospitals in Egypt (thanx to Sharm el sheik Hospital's unfound equipments and medical ignorance of ER).

After all, it was God's will to take her soul at that very moment.
And as I try to think about it, I try to feel satisfaction, but it comes mixed with rage, agony, and shock.
I can't help but feel shocked, although the last time I saw Nada was about one year ago, but we used to talk, write comments on photos, and communicate through facebook.

I still can't erase Nada's pics from my mind, although she erased them from facebook two months ago.

I numbly attended her funeral and her burial watching huge amount of people, her friends, family, neighbors, and even teachers, all crying her and praying for her.

It tore up my heart when I saw her sweet angel daughter Lobna running, dancing and smiling, and don't understand or even know why all those people are dressed in black.
Lolo is still 1 year and three months old, she's so sweet and calm and always smiling just like her mom.

I saw her for the first time yesterday when I was visiting Nada's parents to console them after they returned from el-Haj.
Seeing Aunt Amani (Nada's mom) made me speechless throughout my 3 and a half hrs visit, I was scarcely holding my tears, seeing her pictures hanged all over the place... A large wedding picture, her graduation picture, and some of Lolo's pictures as well... all of that was stored in my mind till I got into the car on my way home and it played again and again and again.

I burst into tears throughout my way home, and when I started to sleep at night, it all came back to me, that I couldn't just stop crying my heart out until I slept.

I just can't forget her face and her sweet memory, she left good words and good deeds as well that'll be immortal.

I still remember when we used to play at each other's homes, go to the club along with our families, and attend so many occasions together.
Nada was a childhood friend... it was long ago, when we were still so very young and innocent and don't have any problems or anything to cry for except a broken toy or an unsolved homework.
There was still so much to dream of and so much to achieve, but God chose that time knowing that her time and message in life has been done.

she was always intelligent at school, an active and eminent student, and very decent as well.
Nada, the morning Dew, as her name means, was like a sweet dream, a breeze that came so soft, and went by so soft.
I think I'll never ever forget her, coz her loss at that young age and all of a sudden left a wound in my heart.
I'll always pray for little Lolo to be just like her mom, and I'll always pray for you Nada and wish from God that we'll meet again in Heaven ISA.

So... I won't say Goodbye, just... see you again, soon.

You're never forgiven!

In a certain and specific time throughout your life, Have you ever been hurt so bad that you felt very broken hearted, outcast, rejected, depressed, desperate, and longing that all of this would just disappear in a blink of a second?

You just wish you'll wake up one day... and feel a miracle when all of this has gone forever and for good.. the nightmare of even the slightest thought about it has disappeared and you'll start from ground zero, a new start, new heart, new brains, and new emotions.

Assume the miracle happens... it totally and effectively happens!
You'll thank God a lot for the gift of forgetting and pray that you'll be able to forgive as fast or as deep and serious as you forgot, but because true forgiveness is a rare virtue of the strongest and bravest of human beings... you didn't forgive!

There were many times you'll think because you totally forget, so you'll simultaneously and spontaneously forgive... but that's wrong, don't deceit yourself and convince it that you've done so, specially if the one who harmed you in the first place is a total screwed jerk and don't deserve but despise and degrade.

Believe me it's a blessing to forget, a curse not to forgive.
I totally forgot, but I'll never forgive!

Poverty in Egypt and what goes behind the scenes

You may be amazed by the enormous number of poor people living in Egypt, and that’s what you’ll find out in the formal statistics given by our government.

Believe me, reality is more catastrophic and the numbers are increasing not the opposite!

The standard of living here in Egypt, especially in the main cities like Cairo and Alexandria is becoming very high day after day and the government is not having an effective control over the prices.

Salaries and wages are very miserable and pathetic and nearly don’t cover buying a family’s monthly share of bread.

Poverty is the general word, but what goes under it is more than you can ever count.

Let’s start with the main needs of a human being and a respectable citizen in his country… Food and water.

There are still many villages that are not supplied with water pipes or even any source of clean water, as for the water in the main cities, it’s highly saturated with lead and high amount of chlorine that comes while filtering, and that makes it very unhealthy to drink or cook with directly from the tap.

So it’s only available for the rich and the upper middle class to have high quality filters at their homes or buy bottles of mineral water.

What goes for the water goes for the food.

People become very sick and may get cancer or other strange viruses (that are spread nowadays) due to the cheap and unhealthy kinds of food they get. There are chemicals found in the vegetables, other places sell rotten meat and chicken to the poor. That’s beside the bread that looks like the pill of aspirin, only the pill is cleaner, and the way people get bread is very humiliating and weary.

The second thing is Education and job vacancies.

Many kids get out of school and flee to work and support their families when they’re still very young and those are so many (countless), besides of course they have no qualifications that’ll help them find a good job in the future.

Even those who finish school and sometimes a two years or 4 years institution are given the low jobs and of course the very low salaries.

Third is housing, where more than 30 million poor people are living in a very small tin houses placed randomly all around the capital, Cairo in a very anarchistic way. They rarely get any kind of services which includes electricity, water, gas, transportation, and clean roads and sewage system.

One of the shocking examples are those people who were living in El-Doweiqua neighborhood over the Mokattam hill which collapsed over it’s residents killing most of them under the rocks last month.

Many people are living in the graveyard and have lived there all their lives as well.

The places where poverty is at its peak, the rate of crimes, murders, theft, and rape increases as well and ignorance makes people’s behavior less civilized and vagabond.

The images of poverty here in Egypt are countless; those were just a small sample of a numerous examples of the people’s sufferings.

So, not only to focus on that black image, I have to mention that many NGOs in the last 5 years whose work is based mainly for helping the poor is so much dependent on the efforts of young volunteers and the help of the civil society. They are widening their activities every year and needs participation everyday.

I will discuss later some of the ideas that encourage you start helping the poor and affecting their lives.

So what can a normal person do to help eliminating poverty in his country?!

Well, I guess first we have to be very aware of poor people around us. They’re increasing in our country, so if you visit places and neighborhoods where they live (But of course in groups, and in the morning), you can join volunteers in an organization or a charity group that serves the needs of the poor starting from food and supplies to education and better jobs. You’ll see what I’m talking about from the stories of the people themselves, from their faces and their words.

Finally, if the people here stopped cheating, lying, and stealing the country’s money. If everyone paid his/her duties towards his homeland and felt responsible for raising our nation. If everyone stopped throwing garbage in the street, respected the people whether poor or rich, and accomplished his/her work perfectly… we’ll live a better life and poverty will definitely come to an END!

P.S. I’ll search and put a list this weekend with all the NGOs that you can join here in Egypt, which are concerned with serving the poor.

Blog Action Day... Three Days to GO

This year I decided to participate in the Blog Action Day 2008.
Only three days to Go, and I'm still collecting all my thoughts and ideas of what I'm going to write concerning POVERTY on that day!!

How am I going to participate?!... Then I decided that figuring this out will take a lot of time, I'll just log in.. and write what I really feel, pour down all my ideas even if they're small, share my thoughts about poverty globally and locally.

So till I meet everybody on October the 15th to talk about poverty... Remember... Participate now.. sure you'll make a difference... you increase the number of people who wants to fight it and really make a change on that planet.

Watch that and ACT

Blog Action Day 2008 Poverty from Blog Action Day on Vimeo.

Turn your Lights Out!

I didn't write for a whole month now, being so busy in the month of Ramadan which I spent usually cooking, sleeping, or visiting my family and my In-laws.
Not so much work have I done nor even thought about... and then I've celebrated the feast last week (Eid El Fitr) for a whole week along with many of my family and friends... Had delicious meals, saw many movies, hanged out a lot, and had the utmost fun ever after breaking the fast for a whole month (from dusk till dawn).
Now it's time to turn back to work...home work, and writing work, although they weren't missed that much but that's the norm of life. Everything has to get back to where it was.

The one thing I'm going to miss the most is my Lantern.
I dreamt for so many years that someone can buy me my favourite shape of the colorful Ramadan Lantern, and it finally happened this year.
My Husband surprised me with one... so colorful, so delightful, and so (What I want)!
On the first day of Ramadan I lighted it on at dusk and turned it off at dawn, till the very last day I used to do so, and now I had to clean it, remove all the dust, cover it with plastic sheets and keep it till next year:(((

I'll miss it's light so much... My lantern is like a christams tree... feels so happy to buy and light and feels so sad when you have to remove it away.

Here are some pics for my beautiful Lantern... see you next year:))

The egg and the Chick!!!

Yesterday I was sitting with my husband and my brother talking about everything and having some general chat, when they surprised me suddenly with that stupid, yet confusing question: "Hey Mariam, How do you know the difference between the egg with yolk and the egg with a chick?!"

Oh, my God... Really I never thought about it before, I can't even remember if we've studied it at school or not!!

YOU SHOULD ANSWER NOW.... niahahahaha:)))

They were extremely laughing, it's like the question: What came first, the egg or the Chicken?!

They were testing my info and they expect me to give the right answer, because my studies were scientific at high school, my major was chemistry and physics on the contrary my husband and my brother both majored in history and philosophy, so here it is an easy question to test the genius of the family!!!

My answer was simply: "I think they know it when they shake the egg, there's an egg that have a chick and another that have yolk".

Ali & Mohammad: "So Is it the same egg that the same chicken lay or different kind of eggs?"

Me: " I think the chicken lays different kind of eggs, or what else?!!!"

Mohammad: "Ohhhh, poooooooooooor mind".

And then Ali called cherine our friend and gave me the phone and told me to repeat my answer. when I did so, she was horribly laughing. They were betting on me to give the right answer, coz my studies were scientific, and here I failed.

Ali then said that fried chicken is the one that give eggs with yolk.

We burst laughing and we all concluded that chicken lay eggs, the farm man takes immediately the ones he'll sell to be eaten (Eggs with yolk) and leave the others under the chicken so they give chicks in the end... The yolk just turns into a chick... that's it!!

So do you think we're right?!
IS our conclusion stupid or is it nearly the truth?!
If you have an opinion, plz write me a comment.
Yolk or Chick!!!

I've been hacked by ZOMBIES!!!

A few minutes ago, My Arabic blog has been hacked by my husband, my brother, and their friend and my colleague Ahmad ElQotb who helped in uploading that Hilarious Pic...

I gave my husband the permission to use my password to add a new banner for our friend Ahmad's new TV program... Then he and my brother cooporated and used that privilage against me.
They published thier picture as Two ZOMBIEFIED INVESTIGATORS who had just come out from the morgue in my fav. TV series CSI...

That's a lesson you'll learn... never trust ur hubby or siblings, never ever give them ur password, coz that's what they'll be doing in the end!!!

Back for Good

As I've promised myself before that I'll never ever turn my back on that blog... here I am, Back again!
It's been a very long time since I've written anything in here.

My blog has been dead and down for quiet a time, nearly three months. A lot has happened during that time, I've read lots of books that I'll review in the book cozy corner and hopefully will start doing it from next week InshaAllah.

I've also attended the Wikimania 2008 this year which is an annual gathering for those who are interested in the work of the wikimedia foundation, including the great wikipedia, of course. I've met lots of people there and had so much fun. I've visited my family at Alexandria, hanged out with my cousins, attended my young cousin's birthday, and a lot more.

I've written in a new magazine and had my work published this month.

I'm working on a new project, that I will reveal about later, when it's only suitable.

Also it's summer time and everybody's is having a bad time working in summer, and good time having vacation and heading to the sea or even a near pool.

I need to have my share of summer, before ramadan... And Ah, of course, I'm preparing for ramadan.... I need to clean my apartment, buy food and supplies for the month, read more Qur'an and pray more and more, and start to have that magical spiritual shift that takes place every year.

So until I come back again.. see ya in the next post... I'm finally Back For Good!!!

Easter with my Husband

Today I celebrated Easter with my husband and his family…

Mom and dad are out of town. They headed to the north coast along with their friends for a couple of days. My brothers stayed with Granny at home, and I enjoyed the day at El-Ahly Gezira Club Down Town… where the atmosphere was cheerful, the weather’s warm and sunny, and the company was nice.

I remembered back in the days how we used to celebrate Easter all as one family… We had many customs and good habits…

We used to wake up early at 9:00 in the morning and find mom boiling us many eggs and prepared all the colors we can use to draw on our eggs… On one condition (We have to eat the eggs we’ve colored).

I always hated boiled eggs, but Easter Day is an exception… The colored egg looked so tempting and tasted delicious with salt and cumin, on a condition that the yolk has to be hard and well done.

I competed with Mohammad, my brother, on who’ll make the best drawing and colors on his egg. I usually drew a clown or a man with a very big mustache or a blond girl with heavy make-up… I really can’t remember why I was influenced by those three drawings?!
Sometimes I ask my mom to make me a drawing or a shape, and this used to make me soooo happy. And sometimes my brother Mohammad let me draw for him.

After we finish coloring, drawing, and eating, we wash up and put on our summer colorful clothes and head to (El-Mokkatam) hill.

It used to feel so dizzy and frightening to see our car moving up so close to the cliff, but even though, we used to enjoy watching Cairo from the top in that pure and warm weather.

We probably go to El Galaa Club afterwards which was near to our old apartment at Heliopolis, or go to visit grandma and grandpa and eat salted fish, sardine, and anchovies with tomatoes and onions.

As for Easter Celebrations at our school, we used to make cards and draw colored eggs and bunnies… I sucked at drawing bunnies.. and I still suck.
But Mom was very happy with my cards and my drawings, that she’s hanged them on the fridge.

Those memories though they seem so far, but they still are very clear in my head and make me so happy and eager to have the same customs with my future kids:)))

The swing

Sometimes I feel life is like a swing… It goes up high, then it goes down… then it stops, all so quickly.

In order to move it again you need to push hard… either you’ll need the help of somebody, or try to move your shoulders back and fro hard in order to feel the motion again.
I never thought about that when I was a kid, swinging was so much fun and so was life. But when I got older… I could never find the place where they allow big girls my age to swing or to enjoy life!!
I need to swing like I did before… but it’s a dream of course.

It was a time of freedom, no responsibilities.

No one to judge you or judge your actions, No worries about money, the end of the month, paying the bills and the installments… Thinking about cooking, cleaning, working, finishing my articles, taking a day off to spend it only with my husband, organizing the budget, shopping for groceries, ironing our clothes…

Thinking about our ups and downs, good days and bad days, people we should pay visits, family and friends events… OH, MY GOD… Do I think that much?!

I wish I had a swing to put it in my garden in the backyard… I wish I had a garden and a backyard actually… and a big house of course…

I really need to find a swing which could take my age and my weight (I’m fit and not fat at all)…
I need to energize and revive that feeling when I was young… So if anyone knows where can I find a swing (FOR ADULTS) here around Cairo… please tell me.

I need to swing to throw all the heavy stuff and bad memories off my shoulders… I need to swing to feel fun, fabulous, and free again.

Anti soda … Anti COLA!!

After I got married exactly a year ago, I started eating a lot of junk food, drinking a lot of soda, especially dark (coke and Pepsi), and got so passionate about eating lots of chocolate, cream, and fatty food.

My body has always been perfect and my weight is uniquely adequate and I knew I don’t have the tendency to gain weight because that comes from my Family genes… We simply don’t gain weight that easy and we have no fat members in the whole family (from the side of mother and father).

I started noticing about 10 kilos more in my weight.
All the new clothes I bought right before my marriage is not fitting anymore… I lost my flat belly… Everywhere is full of fat… I’m not that active and slim girl who used to eat whatever she wants, then lose all the carbs and calories, by running and walking and even practicing some exercises at home.

But after marriage, I stopped having long walks, stopped eating my mom’s healthy food, and never stopped eating EVERYTHING!!!

During Anxiety and stress, I let it all go with a bar of stuffed chocolate… And of course about more than 1 litre a day of SODA… My fridge is always full of sweets, chocolate, and lots of soda. And when soda specifically run out, I plead to my husband to buy me some from a kiosk at our street that stays 24 hrs open, and sometimes that happens at 4:00 a.m.!!!

The day I clean my home, I usually find not less than 10 cans of soda all around the place, in the living room, in our bedroom, on the dresser, on the floor… it was so pathetic!

So it turned into addiction, which is a disaster by all means.

I decided last month to stop and start this new phase on the 1^st of April… No coke and definitely No Soda… I’ll try hard to do my best, and that’s with the help of my family and specifically my husband.

When he orders me food now, He exchanges the coke with fresh orange juice along with my combo, when I feel thirst I drink water or juice or make tea.

Now it’s the sixth day and I’m still going good and doing great till now… I’m drinking canned apple juice now and mmm… blogging of, course!

So see you again tomorrow.. Bye:)

April’s Fool, Not that Cool

Today’s April’s fool… I used to remember that date and prepare some funny tricks with my friends and sometimes we just make jokes and laugh about it.

But there’s that year at school when we decided to take it real serious, and it actually went sooo far. WAY TOO FAR:)))

I remember it was our last year before getting to join high school, and we were a group of friends (4 of us), Fatema (She’s now married with 2 kids), Amira (Also married with 2 kids), and Heba (I don’t that much about her now), and of course me.

We used to call ourselves (Jet Set) and I really can’t remember why?!

Back to April’s Fool … It was Heba’s idea I guess, then it grew in our minds, and the least one who joined or approved was Amira as usual (She was the school’s angel, but being with us all the time I guess that didn’t last long).

Oh… Here is the idea… We have to get cockroaches (Real Big American Ones. Actually those who swim in the sewage pumps!!!) and then let some free in the classroom and put some in certain girls’ bags:(((

You see how cruel and dirty?!

Heba managed to have a deal with her doorman; she gave him some money so he’d gather some cockroaches and put them in a glass jar.

When the deal was done and April fool’s arrived, everything was prepared. A very big jar with about 7 big cockroaches (Our little beasts) was prepared to blow everybody’s minds, the problem was that we ourselves were so frightened and disgusted, so we decided that we’ll leave only three alive and kill the rest.

Heba handled all the dirty work. She opened up the jar and 1,2,3… she let go of only four (I really can’t remember how’s she done it?!)… they ran free and we chased them and then crushed them with our shoes… YUUUGHH!!

Those who were killed were put on four girls desks. The 3 that were left alive, one was put in a girl’s pen case, and two in others bags… of course we used tweezers to move them from the jar to their new places!

It was a disastrous day… Screams in the classroom, girls running in the corridors, a girl somewhere vomiting and others are crying… We created a real mess.

It was hilarious for us and horrifying for others… but when we all used to remember it we laughed till our stomach aches… Girls… We’re sorry for that (after 12 years now) but we couldn’t help it… Happy April’s Fool:))

Thanks Mom... I'm a Book Worm:)

When I go back in time, I think of the days when I started buying books, reading books, and adoring books… I think that’s a main reason behind me being a writer and reach what I am today, of course beside motivation and help from my family and friends, and in the beginning.. Prayers and supplication.

If I have to choose two persons who made me become a book worm… I’ll choose my mom and her youngest brother, my uncle Tarek who’s staying right now in Saudi Arabia.

I remember that mom used to take to the Cairo book fair every year after saving some money for the event to buy books both in English and Arabic. My brother Mohammad didn’t show any response or interest in reading, except for Mickey and Donald duck comics which he still reads till now (Me too of course)!

Mom used to buy me famous stories in English such as, the sleeping Beauty, Mary Poppins, Peter Pan, Snow white, and The Red in hood and many 3D books about sailing and discovering the world, Inventions, and astrology which was made by Russian publishers and bookstores, but came in Arabic!

When I grew a little I started with mystery series which was very famous and well-known since the seventies and was written by Mahmoud Salem (The first crime and mystery writer for the youth).

The series was called (The five Adventurers), and there was another edition where there was three another adventurers and came under the name (The three adventurers).
Then I moved to another series by the same writer, called (The thirteen devils), but I didn’t last long cause it was more about spies and inspectors!!

I shifted to a complete new stuff… thrillers and crime novels, and that for my surprise till now was from the age of 10 when I was just reaching the fifth grade… I started with Agatha Christie and finished all her novels both in English and in Arabic… I was very keen on learning the new vocabulary from a little oxford dictionary which I considered at that time my closest friend!
I then moved to Arthur Conan Doyle (The legendry writer of Sherlock Holmes stories), Mary sheily, Edgar Allen Poe, and Steven King… Thrillers became my favorite novels, and stayed so till now!

Actually I'm very addicted to Dr. Ahmad Khaled Tawfik's series (Ma Waraa2 Al Tabee3a) which means (Behind nature... or I can say supernatural). It's a hororr and mystery series which started in the early nineties, and I started reading it from it's begining till now and own the whole collection which will reach a 100 issue soon... I love it's hero (Refaat Ismaiil) to death, and couldn't imagine my life without him (he is over 70 by the way:))))

When we studied Charles dickens novels and Shakespeare’s plays at school, I loved them very much and went beyond my studies to finish reading all his work in the original edition of old English!

Now thanks God, I’m very proud that I’ve read a large amount of books or I may say just a little if I measured it with what I want to read in the future and still reading till now!

Thanks mom and thanks uncle tarek for making me a book worm.
And In their tribute, I dedicate the Book Review Cozy Corner.

It will start next month by God’s will, as I’m preparing the list of books and also need suggestions from you people about good books for every month…
Till now I chose three books, and I’ll keep them a surprise.

The funny thing is that I’ll add comics as well… who doesn’t read them or love anyways.. They also deserve a review!
So till we meet in the cozy corner next month… keep following up:)

Make Us Happy ... These are the CHAMPIONS!

A stunning evening ... a glorious night ... and an unforgetable victory that crowned the Egyptian Soccer team, or may I say Heros, in their final battle to win the African Cup for the second time consequently and the sixth time in the history of the African Cup.

A historical match against the untamed lions of Cameroon grabbed us the title again and brought all Egyptians all around the world uncontrollable joy and happiness:)))

I was watching the match with my family at my Grandma's home which is located in one of the most important areas in Cairo that always witnesses huge events (El Tahrir Square)... We all cried and hugged each other when Abo Treika scored our first and only goal of the match, which was made in the begining by the charming and the fighter (Zidane) who struggled till his last breath to pass the ball to Abo Treika who scored tremendously:)))

We celebrated our victory with thousnads of people in El Tahrir Square (My Dad, Mom, Brothers, and me)... We saw different kinds of people merging together... Hapiness make people unite and become one!

I Pray we as Egyptians and as arabs shall unite someday as we did tonight, shall be one hand, one soul, and one heart.

I thank everyone who made us real happy, even for one night in our lives...

Egyptians are suffering the hardships of life everyday and the cruelness and the injustice of the government every second... They need a single touch of hope, and small ray of light, and just one second to smile.... So thanks to every single player and all the staff of the team... from the one who drives thier bus to the one who broadcasts the match for us....

Thanks to Hasan Shehata... Best Egyptian Coach in History (The man of the championship, the leader of the Pharos, and the one who proved that after prayers and supplication ... Impossible is Nothing):)))

Thanks to Abo Treika (who was areal man and sympathised with his brothers inn Gaza Strip), to Hosny abd rabo (Best player in the championship and who proved to be worth playing internationally), to Zidane (who has a nice smiley face, good sense of humor, and who exerted his ultimate power to make us win), to hany Saeed, Ahmad Fathy, Said Moawad, and Mohammad shawki (who are a good gain for the national team and were real men in holding the midfield, defending, and even scoring), to Amr Zaki (The most powerful player I've ever seen, and who've been given the title "The Truck" for his sweeping power and strength)...

Well Done Boys, and well done Egypt...

It's reaching 3:00 a.m. now and I'm still hearing car horns, and some drums being stroked...

We shall continue the celebration tommorow when the heros reach Cairo Airport ISA:)))

A New Day Has Come...

A year went by so fast and another one has come…
Three weeks have already passed from January… The first month of the year and the coldest as well!!
We're shivering underneath our sheets and blankets, holding
Our dreams in one hand and a cup of hot drink in the other!

However and whatever it feels… I love January with all its coldness and cruelty... with its vast space and short time... With it's heavy rain and light sun and warmth.
May be because it's the first... Month number one... The beginning of everything... I used to love everything that's unique and significant, and January feels exactly like one unique month.

Every year I put some plans and try to do only quarter of them which ends up to finishing only 5% of I what I planned or dreamed of..!

Of course that didn't happen all of a sudden… I only walked some baby steps towards my dream.. To be the writer I always wanted to be.. The perfect and super wife.. And may be that's not all I want.. God only knows!

This year I didn't write down any plans yet, they're still in the phase of daydreams and night dreams as well.

I believe writing down your plans needs more than just dreams and wishes. They need strong will the strength to achieve, and the patience to walk the line till its end and wait for the results… You'll continue.

Last year I learned that reaching my dreams needs lots of capabilities which I didn't have or didn't bother to develop... or may I say didn't bother to have!

This year I believe will be the hardest for me…
The year of taking chances.
The year of using all the available resources.
The year of change.
The year of an extreme make-over (Soul and Lifestyle Edition).
The year of standing up for myself.
The year of Glamour, Glory, and Genuine.
The year of having dreams in my head, will in my hand, and steps to achieve them…

This is dedicated to all of those who have dreams and didn't take a single step to turn them into reality…
To all of those who love January…
And to all of those who love the beginning of a new year… and a new day…

A Tiger in Egypt!!

A sign inside Giz Zoo that Reads (For your saftey, Don't tease animals ... Zoo Admin)!!!

Giza Zoo… a significant sight in Cairo... Particularly in Giza district and in one of its main streets (Mourad Street) and in front of the Four Seasons First Residence hotel.
It's mainly visited by school kids or mainly kids who want to take a glimpse of the animals they used to see in the books or the TV.
It's quiet or may I say an extreme crowded, smelly, and piteous place during our feasts.
Animals are mostly sleeping, sick (either physically or from the people themselves), or may be dead, or killed… like what happened to the rare camels there months ago.

I myself visited this distinct place when I was a kid and while it was still somehow clean and elegant and still had got entertaining (non-smelly) animals. I had many pictures there feeding the giraffe, the monkeys, and the elephant… It was and still somehow is a very special event when the parents take their son or daughter for the very first time to watch animals live!!!

What made me think about Giza Zoo is the accident that took place on the beginning of the Christmas vacation in the San Francisco Zoo in the U.S.
A big fuss was made and lots of investigation to see how the 17 year old boy was killed and two others were attacked and injured in the food court!!!

The mystery of how the tiger named Tatiana at the San Francisco Zoo managed to escape from its cage, kill one visitor and maul two others is getting clearer. Three days after the fatal attack, investigations by the San Francisco Police Department disclosed that the Lion House's wall was nearly four feet shorter than the height recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits zoos in the United States.

(I believe if this was in Egypt the Association itself will accredit 10 feet shorter than the height of your home fence… getting rid of a large number of pupil is one of the main targets of our government and among their long-term plan to decrease our population … it's more guaranteed than birth control!!!).

Tatiana, the tiger of San Fransisco Zoo

But another factor could have been involved: there have been reports that one of the victims provoked the tiger, named Tatiana, by dangling his legs over the exhibit wall. "If an animal is used to spectators on the other side of the barricade and someone … has their leg dangling over, that could be a problem," says Scott Lope, operations director of Big Cat Rescue, an animal sanctuary in Florida. "They could be provoked by anything out of the ordinary."

(I guess also that if that happened in Egypt, the tiger won't do anything… It'll just go to sleep or die or do anything else… coz here… dangling legs is normal not provocative and animals here have seen worse acts form Egyptians that any other people or animals could ever imagine… people are ready to hug tigers or pull their tails as if they're cats.. Coz they ignore how to treat animals… and sometimes… human beings!)

Lope explains that while tigers are not particularly territorial animals, they are extremely attuned to changes in their environment. Lope, who has spent 10 years working with tigers and other big cats, spoke to Newsweek's Sarah Kliff about what provokes a tiger to attack and why the number of such attacks has been on the rise for more than a decade.

For more of this piece of news… You can visit the Newsweek official website…
But believe me if a tiger had to appear soon in Egypt and it won't kill only one or two… they'll be hundreds… and the government will condemn this act… blame the tiger… and console the families… What a merciful Government!!!

Why is Christmas so colorful?

Last week was our feast… The Muslims big feast which lasted for 4 days.
Some people call it the Bairam and it comes in Thul Hijja (a month in the Islamic calendar) it's the month when people heads to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to do the pilgrimage (Al-Hajj) as long as they have the strength, the money, and a pilgrimage visa of course… at last it all happens by God's will.
For those who stay home to celebrate the feast, we usually fast on the 9th day of Thul Hijja, and then sacrifice a lamb or vealer and give our family, friends, and the poor from its meat.

Today was the Christmas for all catholic Christians and for many times it comes to meet our feast just days after our celebration.

When I think about our celebration… I don't find much fun in it, although I can't deny we share the happiness of taking a long vacation and days off from work, we visit family and gather for lunch and dinner, and we buy new clothes (only when the financial status is good coz it's not a sale season) and hang out.

But what does make Christmas more cheerful, more colorful, and more special?

1. The Christmas tree and the colorful decorations … I love the green Christmas tree with all the ornaments and toys hanging from it and I love the way people gets to decorate their homes with warm colors which are suitable for the winter like deep green and bright red.

2. I love the idea of Santa Claus who is an old man with white beard wearing also a bright red and white costume and brings gifts for everyone and put candies in his pockets and in colorful knitted and embroidered socks… although I don't believe in what he represents but I love him as a symbol.

3. I love the snowman and the snow balls and the snow flakes, anything related with the snow… I only saw it and felt it once during my visit to Denmark and I miss it a lot.

4. I'm sorry to say that but I like the tunes of Christmas songs and carols more than songs of eid… It's better for me to listen to (All I want from Christmas) or (feliz Navidad) performed by Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, or Michael Bolton… rather than to listen to the stupid kids song of safaa' Abol So'oud (Ahlan Ahlan bel eid)!!!

5. Gifts are so important, family exchange a lot of different gifts with colorful and delightful wrappings… it really makes Christmas good.

6. Sale is everywhere… The Christmas season is the best time in the year to do some shopping, either for clothes, kitchenware, furniture, accessories… etc.

7. The streets look clean and decorated with lights and trees.

8. There are millions of movies about Christmas, most of them are comedies, romantic comedies, or… pure comedy!
But not a single respectful movie about our feast and how we celebrate it nowadays or the social and economical issues during the time of the feast.

Finally, that's why I find the catholic Christmas more cheerful and colorful than any other feast in the world or in any religion.
Of course I don't believe in Christmas as a day or in it's spirit and I don't really think it was the day that Jesus (peace be upon him) was born in, due to many historical certified references of course.
But I only love the symbols.

What I love about our feast is its spirituality and holiness and what it really represents, but what I like about Christmas is the way it's celebrated… that's it.
I hope one day we can add colors, gifts, and cheerful symbols to our feast.

The Attack of Alien ..... MOVIES!!!

Although I don't like sci-fi and alien movies a lot... but there are many noticable movies no one could ever miss or ignore like Sigourney Weaver's masterpiece (Aliens) with it's four parts, the mystery and chilings director M. Night Shyamalan gave us in his Mel gibson's movie (Signs).

The two parts comdey (Men in black) where Tommy Lee Jones and will smith played the roles of agents Jay & Kay who were trying to coordinate between human beings and aliens living on earth. The invisible Predator who's fiercely slashing any huamn being in the movie.

Another comdey which is (Mars Attacks) where aliens take a hillarious shape with thin small bodies and large heads covered by glass. This one is really cool with Tom Jones singing my favourite (It's not Unusual).

If I count the movies it won't end believe me, but I found a real funny video on youtube about the alien movies produced by a team who call themselves (How it should have ended).

I put it down here, Please watch, It's a hillllllllllllllllllllarious smash you never wanna miss.

Home Alone!

What do you do when you're left alone?!
I mean if you're still living with your family, and they left you alone to pay a long visit to one of your relatives or went shopping for a whole day, or even traveled for the week end…. What are your wildest and weirdest dreams when you're home alone?!

I though about that question a lot, because I'm sitting alone now at my family's home with no one with me. And that makes me extremely happy and excited about what I'm gonna do during that long period of loneliness.

I may sometimes like to stay organized, like for example: wash the dishes, watch a little T.V., make a two or three short phone calls, finish some work and so….
That sounds so boring of course, but I only do this when I need human company and feel bored from staying alone after all.

Today I was not in that mood at all. I needed time to stay alone and do some funky things or even jump in the air and twirl as if I'm dancing in a big ballroom, at the same time I had some articles to finish and deliver within two or three days. So I have to figure out how I'm gonna have fun today!

I put a play list of more than 150 songs (Hip-Hop, Rock, Pop, classics), everything I love on the Winamp. All of the songs I wished they were played at my wedding and they were not and started listening, and dancing with an imaginary so-called-copy of my husband.

The Subwoofer was very high and I felt the songs were coming out of me.
It felt like all the bad feelings and stress I felt for the last week has gone.

Now my family came back home, it's 2:30 a.m. and I have to go in a hope that I'd have that wonderful chance again and stay at my family's' all alone.I have to think what am I gonna do next time, have any idea?!

Freedom of a FREE lance Writer … Finally!

It's been a very long time since I've written anything in here.
I've been away from the blogging life for so long that it felt like a whole age.
I got busy with many things those last two month, among them was having my new epilepsy medication which caused me some stupid side effects like nose bleeding, and oversleeping, besides, which is the most important, The doctor said that pregnancy is impossible during that medicine course!!!
But the thing that gave me some comfort was that my sickness was not physical or biological at all. Only over-stress and depression, and that I can stop those pills after a while.

So I decided to take that new step in my life which is working from HOME!!!
Yes, I left my Full-time job finally, although I didn't prepare a work desk or even buy a PC or a Laptop at my home; I just hastily took the step.
I had to go for many days to work from my family's home on my old PC which I left after marriage for my younger brother and my mom.

It felt like breathing fresh Air once again. Things were getting to the worst stage immediately before I left.
Then, as if it wasn't meant for me to work finally in peace, I suffered many misunderstandings from my Boss and some manipulations from the other Assistant Editor who was working with me. They thought I passed the deadlines of my work and then all of a sudden my freelance contract items were changed without me being told!!!

Even When I wrote a 6 pages letter to my boss explaining the misunderstandings that occurred during a whole week, she just replied back in about 10 lines telling me that it's her right to change the contract items anytime and that she's not obliged to ask my opinion.
Then I discovered today and for my surprise that the article I sent for September was published on the 11th of October in the creativity club corner which is a hidden subsection inside the Youth Department. I was ultimately pissed off!!!

Finally I decided I'll shut my mouth up and do what they ask like a blind dog until I find a way out and write for another reputable places (Not that the website I worked at is not Reputable!!) as I still believe in my talent and in my writing style.

I had a time when I lost my self confidence and thought a was a total failure and my writing career is falling down and it's the only thing in my life that I can do well, either to write in English or in my native Arabic language.
Until I gained myself again this week, I don't know how, but I felt like I want to write everyday. Even if it's not for living nowadays, but soon it will be by God's will.

I hope the day I dreamed of becoming a famous writer and author would come, even if that will be the last day of my life.
As long as I'm breathing, walking, seeing, analyzing, and having the mind to work and the hand to type and write, as long as I'll keep on that Path to deliver my message, my thoughts, and the peoples' insight and wisdom.

Mattel's (Barbie and Fisher-Price) ... Harmful Toys Recalled!!!

I found this important piece of news on MSN today, and I think it's worth sharing with you. Remember of course the girl's beloved Barbie and the boy's hot wheels and Baby's Fisher-Price... well It was discovered that Millions of items were recalled over hazards from magnets and lead paint!!!

And Guess what?!

The head of a Chinese manufacturer whose lead-tainted Sesame Street toys were the center of a massive U.S. recall has killed himself, a state-run newspaper said Monday.
Cheung Shu-hung, who co-owned Lee Der Industrial Co., committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself, the Southern Metropolis Daily reported.

So, What Do you think?!

(AP Associated Press - NEW YORK) Toy-making giant Mattel Inc. issued recalls Tuesday for millions of Chinese-made toys that contain magnets that can be swallowed by children or could have lead paint.

The recalls includes 7.3 million play sets, including Polly Pocket dolls and Batman action figures, and 1.5 million die cast cars that contain lead paint. The action was announced on the company’s Web site and at a news conference here by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Nancy A. Nord, acting CPSC chairman, said no injuries had been reported with any of the products involved in the recall.
“The scope of these recalls is intentionally large to prevent any injuries from occurring,” she told the news conference.

It was the latest blow to the toy industry, which has had a string of recalled products from China, ranging from faulty tires to tainted toothpaste. With more than 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are nervous that shoppers will shy away from their products.

The recall involving lead paint was Mattel’s second in two weeks. Earlier this month, consumers were warned about 1.5 million Chinese-made toys that contain lead paint.
Toys recalled Tuesday include 253,000 Sarge brand cars, because the surface paint could contain lead levels in excess of federal standard. The 2½-inch, 1-inch high car looks like a military jeep.

Also recalled were 345,000 Batman and “One Piece” action figures, 683,000 Barbie and Tanner play sets and 1 million Doggie Day Care play sets.

In full-page ads Tuesday in The New York Times and other newspapers, Mattel said it was “one of the most trusted names with parents” and was “working extremely hard to address your concerns and continue creating safe, entertaining toys for you and your children.”

The new Mattel action marks the latest in a string of recalled products from China, ranging from faulty tires to tainted toothpaste. With more than 80 percent of toys sold worldwide made in China, toy sellers are nervous that shoppers will shy away from their products.

On Aug. 1, Mattel’s Fisher-Price division announced the worldwide recall of 1.5 million Chinese-made preschool toys featuring characters such as Dora the Explorer, Big Bird and Elmo. About 967,000 of those toys were sold in the United States between May and August.

Mattel, based in El Segundo, Calif., apologized to customers for that recall and said the move would cut pretax operating income by $30 million. Fisher-Price “fast-tracked” the recall, which allowed the company to quarantine two-thirds of the tainted toys before they reached store shelves.

In documents filed Aug. 3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mattel noted that additional information became available in July on “other smaller product recalls and similar charges were recorded.” Those recalls involved design problems, according to company officials questioned last week.

Mattel officials have maintained that a European retailer discovered the lead in some of the lead-covered Fisher-Price products in early July. On July 6, the company halted operations at the factory in China that produced the toys and launched an investigation.

Days after the Fisher-Price recall, Chinese officials temporarily banned the toys’ manufacturer, Lee Der Industrial Co., from exporting products. A Lee Der co-owner, Cheung Shu-hung, committed suicide at a warehouse over the weekend, apparently by hanging himself, a state-run newspaper reported Monday.

Lee Der was under pressure in the global controversy over the safety of Chinese-made products, and it is common for disgraced officials to commit suicide in China.
After Mattel announced the recall of its Fisher-Price toys, it launched a full-scale investigation into all of its factories in China, sending a team headed by Jim Walter, Mattel senior vice president of worldwide quality assurance, to meet with suppliers there. Such stepped up controls could have led to the latest lead paint discovery, according to one source who wanted to remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The toy industry has been jolted by a series of recalls this year, but the Fisher-Price recall is considered the most damaging to the industry’s credibility because it involved the largest toy maker and involved popular Nickelodeon and Sesame Street characters.

In June, toy maker RC2 Corp. voluntarily recalled 1.5 million wooden railroad toys and set parts from its Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway product line. The company said that the surface paint on certain toys and parts made in China between January 2005 and April 2006 contain lead, affecting 26 components and 23 retailers.

In July, Hasbro Inc. recalled Chinese-made Easy Bake ovens, marking the second time the iconic toy had been recalled this year.
Before this month, Fisher-Price and parent company Mattel had never before recalled toys because of lead paint.

Watch the Reuters Report on the biggest Recall of the world's famous Toys EVER!!!

Out of Service ... Electronically!!!

From the last time I posted my thoughts or I may say my fears... I've had these blackouts three times in three days, which is becoming a lot actually.

My mom decided she must pass me by at work today and grab me by force to see a doctor at 1 p.m. in the middle of my work. Okay, I obeyed the orders and went there with her only to know that I must get a rest from any electronic device transmitting radiations!!!

He wrote me one week to rest without being exposed to a mobile, PC, or a T.V.

So, I just want to say... I'll rest now till I see you next week after the medical tests, and the MRI results show up... Pray for me... see ya!

My Sudden Blackouts!

This is the third time!!!

And it happened this time at my office!!!

During this week I had two strange blackouts before. One last saturday, or I can say Sunday morning (nearly dawn) and the other Sunday night while I was having dinner with my husband and our friends. Now it's the third time to happen.

Suddenly while I was working I saw nothing for less than 5 seconds, as if someone has switched off the lights and then it came back immediatly. When it happened the first time, I thought I was just tired and my husband was very worried. When I told my mom after the second time, she was extremely worried and feared it was because of sitting for long hours on the PC and not sleeping well...!!!

She asked me to tell her if it happens again, Now I'm really afraid to tell her.

I started to get worried myself, and I hate that feeling of being sick that's transmitted to people like fire.

I wonder, why do I have those strange blackouts out of a sudden. I'll leave work right now, although I didn't finish my shift. I'll try to get some rest and figure out why is this happening to me?!

So Please would you pray for me?!

And tell me if it happened to anyone before and what do you think it is?!

It's been a long time ... Back From MBC Website

It's been a very long time since I last Blogged into my favourite place ... here on my fragile papers...

Nearly a month being active in writing in arabic and reviving my old days at 20at on my arabic blog Mistiqua in the Kitchen. It just felt like getting my lost soul in the youth english IOL back again.

It's been a very hard and tough month for me, I didn't cook a complete full meal by myself for a very long time, I felt and still feeling depressed till now coz of my work at the Youth section in Islam Online. It leaves me everyday very exhausted and wanting to quit, and I feel I'm not spending much time with my Husband or being fair in doing my duties towards him.

For the very first time today, I feel some kind of motivation, inspiration, and difference.

Baraa encoraged me two weeks ago to join him in writing in the MBC website coz he thinks my arabic blog is real good and I can do truely good reports and bring new ideas.

Baraa took me an appiontement today from the manager of the MBC Website Mr. Mahmoud Sadek, and I went to meet him at 1 : 45 in the afternoon although my time was 2:00, Ali walked me to the buliding and told me to say Duaa' and be very confident coz I'm really good at work.

No. 6 at Soliaman Square (which is actually a rectangle with a garden in the middle), a very clean building with an entrance of marble and mirrors, and the slowest elevator you could ever imagine. It took me like 2 whole minutes to reach the sixth floor and Baraa commented about that elevator also.

A glass Door with the MBC group logo and then an Old security guard whom I knew from Baraa to be an engineering graduate!!!

I entered and asked for Baraa and then he came and walked me to Mr. Mahmoud's office.

A very clean place with a big desk and a wonderful smell.

He was very warm and welcoming. We talked about the website, MBC, 20at, and my work and experience. He gave me his card and we agreed I can send in either the ideas or the articles on the web mail. I left him feeling very enthusiatic. I met Khaled Hanafy and Baraa and then he joined me to the elevator, and I left.

I called mom on my way back to work, and called Ali when I reached there.

I hope I can really make it and prove to myself that I didn't loose my talent after all... I can still work, give, and create like before ... Pray for me... Coz I'm very happy and energized to begin real work again... Welcome to the world of the living writers:)))

Sweat and Smell Good!!!

I woke up one summer morning, took a cold shower, put on my clothes and prepared myself for a new day at work.

I ran to catch the bus and when I had sat down, I noticed that girl nearly my age sitting next to me wearing fine and neat clothes. She looked beautiful, but … what was that smell?

How come someone so pretty and attractive had that awful smell that repels people away and makes them feel disgusted?

I tried to breathe fresh air, then I gave up at last, pushed the window wide open, and got my head out like kids until the bus arrived to the underground station where another kind of suffering was about to begin. I think those who are used to taking the underground in Cairo everyday know exactly how I felt!

What are those awful odors, people? Haven't you heard about soap and water?I finally arrived at work feeling very weary, not only from the sun and heat, but also from people who smell too!

Let Your Body Breathe

I thought many times if there's a way we could stop people from sweating, but after a long search on different medical websites I found that what I was thinking of may bring all people's life on this planet to an end!

As our lungs breathe oxygen, our skin breathes through the sweat we secrete everyday so as to lower the body's temperature and get rid of toxicants. A healthy person secretes an average of 1 liter of sweat daily. Here's why we sweat:

1. The rise of body temperature in general.

2. Exercise and involvement in different kinds of sports.

3. Consumption of hot and pungent food (e.g. Jalapeno and chili pepper).

4. Physical or mental exhaustion, stress, or nervousness.

Sweat Is Odorless

Sweating (also called perspiration) is the production of a fluid that mainly contains water as well as a smaller amount of salts, excreted by the sweat glands in the skin.The strangest thing is that sweat itself doesn't have a smell! Yes, believe me: it's odorless. There are two kinds of sweat glands responsible for hidrosis (the formation and excretion of sweat) :

* Eccrine glands : These are small sweat glands distributed over the body surface that produce mainly water and various salts devoid of odor and color). They are important in regulating body temperature. They are particularly abundant on the palms of the hands, soles of feet, and the forehead.

* Apocrine glands : These are multicellular glands that produce sweat containing fatty materials. They are present in the armpits and around the genital area. Their activity is the main cause of odor, due to the bacteria that break down the organic compounds in the sweat from these glands.

So now we know that sweat itself doesn't cause the bad smell, but it's the bacteria that secretes an acid formed in the places that sweat the most.

Sweat As You Like

The best thing about sweating a lot is that it's very useful and keeps you clean from inside, so now it's your role to keep yourself clean from outside.

Many youth go through many embarrassing situations because of their bad sweat smell, although they take many precautions in order to stay clean. That problem appears the most when we spend long hours outdoors in the sun and the heat or when we're in a damp or a closed place with many people. The big problem of sweat is that you can't smell yourself, only others, and vice versa.

There are lots of ways we can apply to get rid of the sweat bad smell and they're very easy :

* Take a warm shower daily using a natural loaf and strong-smelling soap or pamper yourself with a beautiful scented shower gel. You can take a shower more than once a day according to your skin nature. You could also use anti-bacterial soap or cleanser with a moisture.

* Drink large amounts of water and fresh juice everyday.

* Eat a lot of fruits and vegetables everyday and avoid food that contains caffeine like chocolate, tea, coffee, along with pungent food, pastrami, and hilbah (fenugreek) seeds.

* Change your clothes when they get dirty, greasy, and full of sweat and wash them immediately; that includes what you wear indoors and outdoors and your sleeping gown/pajamas, and of course change your underwear daily.

* Remove your underarm hair on a regular basis.

* Use suitable kinds of deodorant directly after shower. They come in different forms, such as powder, cream, splash, and roll-on. First You have to be sure that it doesn't contain alcohol so as not to blacken your underarm. For girls especially, you can use natural fruit deodorants. They smell good and at the same time they are not very strong scented.

* Avoid synthetic clothes that are purely made of nylon and polyester. Exchange them with clothes made of cotton as it absorbs the sweat and does not cause dermatitis (skin inflammation). Or at least you can wear cotton underwear as it is the closest thing to your skin.

* Spraying perfume under your armpits won't hide the bad smell. Instead, It will react with sweat salts causing dermatitis, black and dark areas in the skin. Plus, alcohol evaporates real fast!

* If you're allergic to regular deodorants or don't like them, there's quite a wonderful natural option: crystal deodorant rock. It's very cheap and odorless, and it doesn't have any side effects. It can be found in herbal shops.

Good Muslims

Finally, if none of the above worked out for you and the bad smell still exists, you can seek a dermatologist's opinion. You might need medical treatment.

Always remember that Muslims must be clean and should care for their hygiene. Instead of being a good person who smells so bad, be a good Muslim who always smells good.

Ordinary Day!

Haven't you go through an Ordinary Day Before?!

Not a good day... not a bad day... and not even a boring one!

Just ordinary ... tasteless.

Not sweet, not sour... But at the same time Breathless... It's very sunny, very hot that you feel you'll suffocate... but it's still ordinary... what do you expect summer to be rather than hot and sunny?!

The same work I'm doing, radio banner, radio show songs... seeing hadeel, Nerime, and Selma... No new faces... Everything's stable and fine like a slow old river that never rush, a stream that never changes ... Just a river ... not a waterfall!

I'd like to make something new, but at the same time I don't feel like that today.....

As I told you it's not a regular Day, It's just an ordinary day...

But I feel I'm still a young girl who wants to kick and to play... to have fun with my friends everyday... I don't want to work or feel responsible, but tell me who does?!

Everbody feels so, and that's why it's such an ordinary day.

I love it being myself, walk with pride, talk with one hell of a high ego, and trust myself when it comes to saftey and care, but don't when it comes to work and marriage ... but I have to... Doesn't most people feels so, or I'm alone in that?!

Can You see that bench up there?!

Well I'd like to go to that place and sit there alone with my little lunch box, just eat, watch the river, and dream away... think about all the good times I've been through and that nothing bad may come around nowadays... everything's still stable and comfortable ... Didn't I tell you It's not a regular day... It's just an Ordinary Day!!!

I listened to Dolores O Riordan's new single (Ordinary Day), "She's lead vocalist of My favourite all time irish group The Cranberries", and that made me feel it's exactly that day... and here it goes :-

This is just an ordinary day

Wipe the insecurities away

I can see that the darkness will erode

Looking out the corner of my eye

I can see that the sunshine will explode

Far across the desert in the sky

Beautiful girl

Won't you be my inspiration?

Beautiful girl

Don't you throw your love around

What in the world, what in the world

Could ever come between us?

Beautiful girl, beautiful girl

I'll never let you down

Won't let you down

This is the beginning of your day

Life is more intricate than it seems

Always be yourself along the way

Living through the spirit of your dreams

Beautiful girl

Won't you be my inspiration?

Beautiful girl

Don't you throw your love around

What in the world, what in the world

Could ever come between us?

Beautiful girl, beautiful girl

I'll never let you down

Won't let you down

Down, down...

You Brought Me Flowers

Actually what I'll talk about is of more concern to women, ladies, and girls more than to men and guys... It's flowers... not buying them .. or smelling them... or even eating them (Some really do) ... but recieving flowers!!!

What does it feel to get flowers in the least expected way or place or from the least expected person or on the least expected time?!!!

That's what happened with me today... After all that time I recieved a flower bouquet at my office... I was sitting listening to the song (Over the Rainbow) by Harry Nielsson when all of a sudden a boy came with an awesome and heart-catching flower bouquet... I thought at the begining he got in wrong .. but he said "Mariam Al Mo3tassem".... "Yess"... "This is for YOU".... "ME!!! ... Thank You"...!!!

I was very stunned and surprised.. I found My husband's name on the receit and in between the stems a small card with wonderful and touching words...

Actually this turned my whole day upside down ... you can't imagine how it feels to recieve flowers from someone you love at your office, in the middle of the day and the middle of your stuffed and loaded work...!!!

Oh, Thanks God... It feels sooooo Good!!

I felt extremely happy the whole day... And I wrote this, not to talk about me, my huband, and our personal life... but to tell people not to forget such sweet touches in thier lives...

Believe me... Women appreciate one flower more than a fancy dinner outside (not that I'd refuse a fancy dinner of course:))!!)... So put flowers in consideration and make someone you love so happy...

By the way the flowers are White, blue, Lilac, and yellow ... a beautiful summer collection really...

Thank you for bringing me flowers ... I love them so much.

The Fly Must Die

There are so many things that can drive you mad while you're in the middle of your work.

For Example, Very bad weather with a broken AC, lights going off, a demanding boss who wants to meet you every ten minutes so you won't be able to continue half a task in your whole day.

But the worst thing of all, is a buzzing... sticky... dirty..... FLY!!!

That Fly had been staying in our office since yesterday. Nermine tried to do many things since then but it all failed, since the fly went mad and started to hit the neon light bulbs in a hysterical manner. Actually it's very stupid because we're not locking it inside. The door is open and the funniest of all we already have a broken glass window that can let a Wolf dog out not a tiny fly..!!

Today we were all complaining from that same fly, (Me, Nermine, and Hadeel), who supposedly took our office as her all-time shelter or a summer house maybe!!

We discovered that we stayed about 5 hours saying "Heeeeeeeeesh hesh hesh hesh" and calling it bad names and cursing the day it decided to enter our office.

Then Nermine decided we should turn the lights of our room off and switch off all the monitors and go outside. Actually we stayed out for about 15 minutes thinking that it's a "chicken" Fly that'll "fly" once it's in the darkness ... at least out of fear!!

When we came back thinking it had all gone... We started hearing the buzz again... and that was when I made up my mind ... either me or this mean fly in the office today!!

I grabbed a kids color book and started haunting the fly until (out of it's bad luck) it stood still on my desk... then "Tssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhh" it's dead!!!

Oh God It's dead!!

See how something innocent like a kids color book can kill something mean like that fly..!!!

Now we can work in peace... pheeeww...!

We stayed for one hour like that and then all of a sudden we heard the same sound ... and a small fly then appeared... "That's for my mama bloody humans!!!"... I think that's what it would have said if it spoke...!!!

The daughter's "FLY" vengeance will be cruel and harsh ... it's buzzing now and showing us it's tongue ... But we'll prove that we're much harsher... we're fly killers you stupid fly ... and I swear if you insist to take revenge we'll kill your whole family!!!

Say Goodbye to the world fly ... coz you're about to die ... Niahahahahahahahahahahaha:)

This is getting too much!!!

"This is getting tooo much" that's what Mr. Kamal, my Boss and the head of the English Department in the website I'm working in, said to me the moment I arrived today at work.
"Mariam you arrived late today AGAIN, and This is getting too much. Selma is not here and Nermine is not here. You've got to be here ON TIME".
Actually I felt very embarrassed, I've never been spoken to like this before. I'm ashamed of the whole situation.
Everyday I think what makes me actually bear this?!
I always had a problem with my attendance, and the evaluation of my training period the last 4 months in the English Department showed that I'm very poor in showing up on time and I didn't get good marks in following the Administration rules (Which I don't know what they are till now!!).
I've never been humiliated in such a way, and that's why I HATE work, I hate being bossed over, I hate being a possession for a company or a human being.
I love to write, to invent, to be creative, I love to be freeeee as a bird. Writing needs no boundaries, No Attendance, No force… It needs a mind, an open mind, not a closed, unorganized, stuffed one…!!!
I hope that day would come, when I can be the boss of myself.
I shall write and write and write… till the last day of my life.
I shall stop doing the stupid routine and administrative work I used to do… VIVA CREATIVITY.

But as for now, I have to work Hard, I have to Attend on Time, I have to prove myself because I believe deep inside myself that I'm good… really good.
It's all for the CAREER and for the MONEY…!!!
Something that'll support ur CV and the other will support ur needs, ur home, and ur life..!!!
Oh my God… This is really getting too much for meee.

Enemy of the State … Everyone is!

Yesterday while I was switching between T.V. channels late at night, I catched MBC Action channel when it was about to repeat playing Will smith's Enemy of the State after they played it last Tuesday. And because I really adore conspiracy movies, This one remains my favorite one after Mel Gibson's Conspiracy Theory. I started concentrating on watching for the zillionth time. And of course every time I notice some new things that I didn't pay attention to before!!

First of all, this movie reminds us of the scandal that took place a year or two ago after discovering that the BUSH administration took full credit and control of monitoring people's phone calls and tracing the personal life details of certain citizens without having any prior right or even suspecting that person…!! Well, to be honest, I can't remember the full details and that's what I can say.
Everyone after then (either than 9/11) became an enemy of the state, especially the Arabs and Muslims of course.
But will the plot that took place in that movie shall apply that way if the hero was an Arab?!

I don't think so … Here is a new and quick scenario I thought about if Bobby Dean Clayton (Will Smith) was called (Muhammad Samir) for example, and here goes the story :

(Scenario 1)

- Mohammad is an Accountant (not an attorney), He was buying Abaya for his wife (not LingerieJ))), and then suddenly a colleague of him entered the abaya store running as he was chased by some government feds.
Daniel Zavitz the colleague (as in the movie) used to attend a course with Mohammad in George Town University, and when he met him while running, he just threw the Disc hidden in the Game Boy into his bag.
The same original movie incidents goes on until that part when Mohammad's visited by those Feds. They enter by force saying those eternal words, only if they have time and have that sense of guilt or humor to say 'em, (You have the right to remain silent and everything you … blah blah blah blah…) till the end of this crap.
When they searched his house they found the game boy and the disc, and from that day he's been accused of 20 felonies, 14 murder crimes, 17 burglaries, and the list goes on.
They didn't have to exert any effort tracing him where he goes," just catch him, and to hell anyone who dares to speak"..!!

After the US government discovered what's on the tape later at the end of the movie (where Mohammad disappeared after the first 5 scenes or something) and that one of it's congress men was murdered.
The US government announced that Danny Zavitz was a martyr and honored his soul by naming the new Game Boy Editions after him.
They said Danny was a victim coz he took the video tape by chance thinking it was porn and he made a copy for his friend, and when he was delivering it, he was afraid to get arrested because of the usage of an illegal copying program…!!!
But What about Mohammad Samir?!

Okay, just open any human rights organization website and you'll find loads of campaigns to free him … Oh, I forgot to tell you that he's in Guantanamo after the fifth scene…
He was accused of his intentions to sell that tape for Al Qaa'da…!!!

He couldn't be an American hero, I though that was clear from the beginning!!

Actually, I thought of another four scenarios to write, but I'll post 'em later, it's 9 p.m now and I have to leave coz My husband is about to come back home, and I'm dying of hunger…Salamz all.

To Blog or not To Blog!!

Why everybody blog nowadays… Do people have something to say, chit chat, kill their spare time, or they're just following the craze?!
My cousins, my friends, my work colleagues, college and school old mates … all of those have their personal blogs from about a year or more, but not all of them get responses or even care to update and put new topics or even pics..!!!
That's what I noticed the most.
Many make blogs, but rarely are they devoted to it.
They're just so obsessed by a slogan or a quote they'd like to put online (Oh, that's absolutely a cool motto!)as they think, and then comes the choice of a blog's name which is the easiest part.
Just bring a large list of singers and music groups (inspirational ones like Pink Floyd, Nirvana, The cranberries… etc) and then go through their songs and musical lyrics and you sure will find millions of names to put.

Actually that's what I've tried as a beginning, but I found nearly all the names of my favorite songs and lyrics taken and not available.
The thing that annoyed me the most was when I checked these blogs online and found nearly either no posts, small number of posts, very very old posts (from 2004 or 2005)…. So these people just took the name and didn't make any use out of it...
They Just took the surface not the core!!!

So Awkward actually from those who are supposed to say something … Have people lost interest in writing even on the PC?!!
Have they become so empty?
Are they soooooo busy and life is moving very fast?!
Has their life became just crap and the same things go on and on daily, just a damn boring routine?!
Actually I thought about all of these things before taking the decision of having a blog… and I decided I should take the risk… I asked myself many times that eternal question … Shall I start today, may be tomorrow, maybe next month…
Actually I'll start now… I took that promise on myself and now (Immediately!!!) I will start…

To Blog or not To Blog … That's the question!
And I chose to Blog!