Self Expression

Sadness

2011-06-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the happiest moments in life can turn into the saddest ones because of some egoistic attitudes we adopt and stick to just to please ourselves. It is so easy to ride our prides and to see things only from one perspective our own!

It is time to be humble and to think of others and how they feel because of our attitude and to help them and support them even if they are being difficult...it is time for tolerance...although not the easiest thing in the world to do with a pride of rock but it is the most important...it is time to accept differences and to stop judging others as good and bad and to criticize their actions and generalize about how they might have or have not become.

Have some patience...try to understand...and this only comes through open communication and really letting go of that damned ego and pride...sometimes it helps to be selfless and to think of others beyond your likes and dislikes! Love is about trying to make someone you love happy even when sometimes what you do may make you unhappyyyy!!!!

Refugee

2011-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

I am so fortunate to have come accross people in my career that not many people come accross in their life more than once...i had the chance to live with them, to hear their stories and to gain some of their immesurable strength and survival skills which i now carry with me as tools to help me survive difficult moments in my life...every refugee i met added to my life experience and I am grateful to each and everyone of them for adding to my learning and wisdom journey living in this world!

Spiritual emptiness

2010-06-16T11:59:00.001-07:00

There's always more to life than our daily routines and socializing...each one of us matters to god, to family, to friends, even to the universe...some people feel fake...they feel they must pretend to fit in...they feel very successful yet still unsatisfied...what this boils down to is really to who we really are and why we are here..only by giving our lives away we find meaning...talent, background, ideas, creativity, what do you do with this?well you can do so much but think of what you can do that can benefit others...think for a second of doing something selfless!

Quiet Revolution

2010-06-12T14:16:00.001-07:00

Why do I feel like am going through a quiet revolution?..all the people and experiences coming my way give me signs and messages i would have never thought of in my own little corner....i am starting to open myself to the unlimited richness and beauty of creation which i couldnt see because i was blinded by the egoistic and materialistic drivers of our society...I have some fear of the unknown which i will try to overcome and i will rise to the challenge to prove that nothing is impossible...i am nothing at the end of the day but a human detached from nature...and overwhelmed with the pressure of this fast paced modern world....the closer i get to nature....the more i realize am nothing...the more i realise that our real power as human beings is within and that nothing can stop us to change the world but our own mindset....so i usually hide and choose to stay where i am.... far from the truth....
but to my surprise i am so genuinly and naturally driven to where i should be...in the arms of nature, in the arms of god!

Gratitude

2010-06-12T14:03:00.000-07:00

Often in life, we ask for certain things, sometimes it's a mere thought or dream but the most amazing thing is that at the least expected moment we realize our wishes and dreams are coming true and we find ourselves living them effortlessly. I have so much gratitude for everything he brings my way...i will rise up to every challenge he presents to me cause at the end i will only return to him knowing that i ll be asked why i didnt do what i had to do when it came my way. as human beings there is always a time to be selfless and to give back to others the very talent that we were granted...for some it maybe inspiration, for others it maybe art or any other talent someone has...for me i know it is the ability to influence others and inspire them towards a common goal...its the ability to give without thinking...its the beauty of giving everything for nothing knowing that by the act of giving you will only get back more than you could have ever imagined...i experienced this once in my life and to this day am in disbelief of how my life has shifted to a great extent over night...i know nothing is impossible and i know that only by giving and helping others...we can survive with dignity and with a purpose...I am grateful to you Allah for everything you have given me...i am grateful for every experience good or bad and out of which so much wisdom you have left with me...help me find my real talent and purpose and i promise to share it with mankind...i love you

All what we look for is a place called home

2010-05-06T14:33:00.000-07:00

Like living in a place that has no name...you wonder how long you can survive being so humane...when all that s around you seems so fake....the truth is clear right in front of your eyes but you sometimes chose to shut your eyes ....you wanna fly with the wind...let it carry you away...leave it all behind...start again...but you cant help but be captured by a reality that just drags you more and more into a materialistic set of adventures you re expected to go through...you take the wisdom and carry on but at the end....all what you look for is a place called home... home is so near yet so far...unseen and unknown but you know it s there waiting for you to return so pure like when you were born...but you know you re not ready yet...the power of our creator is that he created us left us in the world to experience all sorts of emotions and situations knowing time after time that we are learning and growing and gaining wisdom to make us ready to face that day....take my hope under your wings...god help me reach my dreams...carry me under your wings...god stand by me...keep me away from all the evils of this world....cleanse my soul and take me in your warm embrace....for there is no eternal love but your love....

Find the beauty within!

2010-05-01T11:17:00.000-07:00

Raise your head and look up to the sky...see the beauty of creation...hear this voice thats deep inside of you and...follow your heart...let the wind blow into your face...enjoy the warmth of the sun...look at the beautiful waves...think of heaven and angels...you are loved...you are cared for...you are part of this universe...find your place and move away from the storm...look at the roses surrounding you but beware of the thorns....trust in him for he is the only one who can save you from the storm...reach out and ask for help...its never a bad idea for only HE hears your call at every moment you just need to call...trust in him and you will receive an infinity of only the best of things.

Truth of Purpose

2010-04-09T09:51:00.000-07:00

There is a heaven we live in called life...earth...planet...let's experience it together...whisper in my ears like the sound of the soothing waves of the ocean as they wash away the unwanted remains....wash away my fears like these waves and get over your pride...its not about you or about me its about us and its not about pride or being right...its about reaching deeper than on the surface and reading the depth of a soul and knowing how it feels in this world...connect to to my inner self and get beyond what is known...dream away and get to know the real me...there is always uncertainty in the unknown but there is always truth and nothing is more beautiful than the truth no matter how much it hurts as it helps us make the right choices...the choices we should be making but fear as humans....we all exist for the sake of god...our creator...we should live and make choices for the only purpose of our existance which is to return as pure souls to the one and only god who created us. let's experience purity....goodness and live the life...the test...the experience...whatever you wanna call it:)

Standing Still!

2010-01-06T13:27:00.001-08:00

A genuine spirit, a heart of gold storms my life with stories old and new bringing flashbacks of a distant past burried in the piles of rubble from years gone by. With so many scars that are yet to heal, i discover truth as i move along this new path...a truth that could have been told but only revealed now...maybe now is right cause it only gives me a push...i have so much strength that can break down mountains but so much weakness that can make me surrender like a loosing warrior taken hostage in a war...

More than ever i realize i was so fucken right to run away and leave behind years of bullshit and so much crap...more than ever i know i m special...this warmth surrounds me and holds me tighter than i ever expected or wanted it to...

Sincerity and passion as deep as the ocean...i feel overwhelmed by the reality and simplicity of it all...i get lost in these killer, innocent looks....YET , i can only run as far as i can to hide but for the very first time in a very long time...i just wanna stand still...i dont wanna run anymore....i just wanna let the waves of the ocean carry me in their warmth...embrace me with their rage as they wash away the remains of a shadow no longer feared.

My breath is taken away by this purity and genuiness of a soul that ran maybe even more than I did yet stands still with so much pride, inner beauty and wisdom i would never be able to explain!

Surrounded with positive energy

2009-12-05T01:07:00.001-08:00

This holiday's been heaven!!!!
lots of fun and meeting old friends...the nicest things in life are those that happen spontaneously...its been by far an interesting time for meeting of minds....god knows which roads will unfold in my path...but clearly so many connections exist and are created and so many will be strengthened while others will vanish....i breath and love LIFE and love just love and peace for what they are...there is this harmony that exists between certain human beings and there is no time to waste with non passionate people....passion drives me...passion grows me...and i will always continue to be passionate for as long as i live!!!!

Special

2009-11-27T01:22:00.000-08:00

one day you find the years have passed you by...live as if you ll die tomorrow cause tomorrow might never come...i love god and i love life....more than anything or anyone else...family is the most precious thing in the world...without them you are nothing...without them you are alone...dont you run and try to catch up with the stones you ve been collecting...start gathering these gems you ve been neglecting....every year passes like a storm of light that shines on us from above...am hanging out with the most amazing yet detached non intimate people in the world....they re fun to be with but do they really love you? this is a question that no one has answered....am so faithful but how faithful are you!!!! i might not come to that outing i might not be in the social light as much as you want me to be but for sure i ll be there when you really need me to be......love and gratitute are all about acceptance of people as they are and not having expectations to change them...stop trying to change reality....leave away your illusion...and live the reality...there is beauty out there...you just need to touch it and feel it...and you ll only do so by discovering who you really are!!!and by loving every bit of special elements you have....cause you are truly special if not in your own eyes or their eyes..surely in the eyes of GOD:)

Bring back the pharaoes!

2009-11-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

why does a football match strike up so much tension and violence to the extent that it changes from being something to enjoy to something that makes you think at the state of affairs in our countries....it s amazing that we unite in happiness and as one people when victorious in a match while we can never unite or direct our positive energy to anything else that has a wider impact on society...it's great to see all these smiles that have been buried for years now by the simple scoring of two goals...people are so tense so frustrated so negative to the extent that nothing brings happiness...we have lost our values and gratitude out of extreme hardship and frustration at what we ve become...where have the pharaos disappeared too? where is the beautiful egypt we once had? the paris or milan of the middle east? i wish we could turn back time and i wish we could direct all our energy in our football to make a more positive imprint on our society...to be there for one another in a foreign country...to be doing things with passion without expecting any pay back...am sure we ll regain our strength and our heritage will stay alive...only if we become one...like we used to be:)

The luckiest man in the world!

2009-11-09T13:35:00.001-08:00

someone once told me that the luckiest man in the world is an intelligent man, full of love for life but at the same time full of wisdom with a woman that like a pearl shines through his soul reflecting her own wisdom and love for life on him...so they both like shining stars have an immense power to change the things they can in themselves and in the world!

Can't stop thinking !

2009-11-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Somehow you re like a shadow in my life...someone that comes in for seconds and disappears leaving me with one simple but one of the most beautiful things...a huge smile that never leaves my face...i cant stop thinking about the energy you ve brought into my life...every time i look at you i feel you re with me...although you re not...i feel there's so much we can do together but i am scared of all the uncertainty...false evidence appearing real...you re just real...i know you re deep although you dont show it! but i know and that s enough for me!

Too Good to be True

2009-10-20T21:48:00.000-07:00

You do tick all the boxes as one of my close friends says...you leave me no room to say no...there's a truth behind our encounter...there is a true, transparent love waiting to grow...but there is always a challenge...age, beleifs maybe...time will tell if these are real obstacles to happiness. for what is happiness...but to be with THE someone special in your life and to enjoy the bits and pieces of your life...what is happiness but to be fulfilled by the simple presence of a deep soul who understands and is sympathetic with what goes on in your life...am happy with the life i have and grateful to you for sending me this angel...i wish all people had this heart of gold...i wish they wouldnt take no for an answer like you do....you ve turned my life upside down...and made me think in the most unconventional way....you re my life my everything! I will teach myself to grow and to live the moment...to live for today...so you can keep your shinning star lighting every good moment...i love the respect for my individuality that you give me...this is truly special and I wish that all the good in this life comes your way:)thank you for crossing my path...for you are surely special to have managed to stay in my life although i tried to shut the door more than once in your face...thanks for holding on and valuing every beautiful thing about me...and everything that brought us closer!

Liberation

2009-09-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

I feel liberated and free...i feel the beauty of life...i know tomorrow will only be better with its good and bad:) i know i ve done my best and have no heavy baggage to carry with me...i have gratitude for all the positive things that came my way in 2009....thank you..thank you...thank you...couldnt want more from life...even the bad... i know better will come...patience and gratitude i think are the keys to happiness...so simple yet so complicated...but they are the real path to serenity and peace of mind....:)

Self determination

2009-09-03T17:54:00.000-07:00

In its literal sense, Self determination is a purely political term that has to do with giving people their right to determine their own fate in terms of how they choose to be governed...in my life i ve finally reached my point of self determination, where only yesterday after 3 years I've made my uncompromisable choice to shut this door and to start living...as i felt as if I was locked up in blocked circles going round and round back to the same starting point again and again...allowing myself to be taken for granted although am no longer part of this life...giving someone the chance to manipulate and control me as if they own me...although i more than anyone else know only god owns me and besides that...that i own my wellbeing and happiness only by doing one simple thing....loving my self first....protecting myself...detaching with love without carrying the guilt for not helping someone else...when i simply couldnt....guilt and denial are two emotions that can drive us humans to keep stepping on our own integrity forever....today am free of this guilt and of this denial that someone is selfish and that someone never ever cared for a second...that someone tries to put me on this guilt trip not for any good but simply for their OWN good...i know see clearly that I should never look back....never go back on my decisions out of guilt when i know am right...thank you god for this long learned lesson...it took a while...but today i will never not love me...and i will never compromise my dignity or integrity for any living being on this planet....:))))))))

When will the puzzle be complete

2009-07-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

I sit and think of my life as pieces of a puzzle waiting to be complete...there s so much out there I wanna run and do yet can't find the time for or even sometimes the energy...some really special people cross my path and i just love how they think...i am holding back the tides of change maybe cause am not ready yet...maybe cause i have a false evidence appearing real...i dont know but i guess time will tell...my subjectivity makes it so hard to separate my feelings from what's actually happening today...interesting strangers keep crossing my path and I can't think straight about how i feel or what i think...my heart is locked for someone special...god only knows who, where and when i 'll find him...i know he's out there somewhere.....i love my life, love my friends, love my family so much to the point that I need to start loving myself more...i need to spend some time getting in touch with myself...feel my feelings once again before i ride the tide...i need to fill the emptiness with some love...not from a person but by opening my heart to life and live it to the fullest:)

Death

2009-07-11T13:18:00.000-07:00

With every end there is always a new beginning but with death there is uncertainty...the beginning is unknown...I live everyday not knowing if there's a tomorrow...i try to be as good as can be but am human so i find myself living with all the temptations life throws my way...i hope god will forgive me for anything big or small i might have done in my life!

Reverse reactions

2008-07-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

It is amazing how sometimes you discover and feel that the worst thing than can happen to you is actually one of the best things. It is amazing how with the end of anything there is always a new begining which is so much more fulfilling than you ever thought...

Children ripped of their innocence

2008-03-19T06:23:00.000-07:00

Children around the world and particularly in Africa and Asia are ripped off their innocence due to war and conflict. Children are sometimes recruited into the army or to join militia groups at the age of 7 and while in the military they are often subject to humiliation and to undertaking tasks that are beyond their physical capacity....Wars and conflict not only make these children unaccompanied after the loss of their family who either die because of attacks on their villages and destruction of their homes or after the child is taken as a soldier and being separated from his parents and siblings....many of these children often die on the war front or die as a result of landmines...the plight of these children is one that needs attention and one that is a priority...many international NGO's work in rehabilitation and try to reestablish the lost confidence these children have after participating in committing many atrocities as part of conflicts...Education is key to their progress, and for restoring their dignity as human beings...what can we do? we can do a lot by donating clothes, books, and other items to NGO's working in this field...we can also raise awareness through the media, films and programs.....so that we can contribute to ending the suffering and silence of a child after hearing the shots of unmerciful gun....

Al Hadary's Return

2008-03-19T05:58:00.000-07:00

Am not amazed whatsoever how Al Hadary just gave up his career with Al Ahly for money from an international club which he claimed to be so famous but in fact is simply not that famous.....it is great to see how much i used to love him and always used to say "rabena yehmeeh" everytime he would keep a goal while he turns out to be a money runner.....no one told Hadary not to go international...no one did not make him a star...in fact ever since i started to get closer to football he is been one of my favourite stars....he could have waited till the end of the dawry and then left but no he decides with all the ego in the world to just say goodbye...to his fans, to al ahly and to everyone who beleived in him in egypt...and dont tell me that he was not recognized in the past for his efforts which is why he left...in fact he was more recognized than many others....it is sad but true how he turned from a glorious star into a greedy one over night...just by running after money...of course he had to come back..of course he had to apologize...the question remains how long will it take you hadary to regain the same position and popularity you had before that move? how long will it take to change your image in front of your fans from a greedy star this time to once again a glorious one:)))))))))love egypt...love your fans...that's all am going to say...stop being so ego centric:)))))

http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=710002.html

Dissatisfied

2008-03-19T04:58:00.000-07:00

This star just walked in right into cilantro right now as i was writing my daily thoughts....and amazingly no one stood up to greet him or to give him the importance he probably might have expected...there was no place left for him and for his friend who came along....the waiter pointed to an empty corner but the star wasnt satisfied with where they planned to seat him...he just looked so quietly and turned around and left...and yes it was tamer hosny...the singer the famous egyptian singer...i actually love some of his songs but after encountering him briefly i dont think he would be one of my favourite personalities...he is too romantic kedda i cannot even explain it....and to add to that he seems to be so arrogant it wasnt even funny...he was just so dissatisfied at the so unspecial place or spot the waiter wanted to seat him at...oh god they should have sprinkled the floor with rose petals to make things more interesting for him...too bad cilantro is not that great...at all:)

Tribute to Lucky

2008-03-19T04:50:00.001-07:00

It is amazing how the physical presence of an animal can make a great difference in a person's life...It is unbeleivable how some people treat animals better than humans while others just throw them on the streets or put them to sleep at the nearest opportunity. It is amazing how this white dog brought smiles and laughter to the whole family although the other side of everyone else's life was slightly sad and lacked the willingness for happiness to grow....it is great to see these innocent eyes look at you whenever you had food in front of you while in one night the whole world was turned around and this eager dog who wagged his tail everytime entered the house to greet them could barely lift his head to look back at us....every beginning has an end and every end is the beginning of a new life....am sure his spirit will always keep us smiling deep down in our hearts whenever we look back at all the nice memories...It is funny how even dogs can die from diabetes although there must be a treatment out there simply one that the big tycoons of the pharma world wouldnt reveal to keep making their bucks:::)))sad but true:))))))

Why me?

2008-03-18T03:08:00.000-07:00

Ana leeh? why me? leeh ana? a question with no answer which we often ask god or ask people we love about and often those around us just become so philisophical about it to an extent that it doesnt really help sometimes....simply we shouldnt ask that question because nothing happens for a coincidence..it is as simple as that...no matter how bad what you re going through is...it is often for a reason we ve created with our own hands...or contributed to in a way or another...even if you had no choice in the situation you found yourself in, it is important to realize that maybe God is making you go through this experience so that you learn and perhaps because you have a hidden talent that once discovered could make you achieve all your dreams....why me is a way to comfort yourself from accepting reality...why me is a way to make yourself a victim although you are not...why me? is all about denial...so cut the crap and stand up for your choices and decisions you made in your life...it might not be so bad at the end of the day...you maybe the special chosen one...right?.....not that hard is it?

Tahyees

2008-03-18T02:59:00.000-07:00

The best thing we egyptians are good at is tahyeesss.....we often know how to have fun and how to laugh and are the best at breaking out the silliest jokes which as silly as they are often make everyone crack up laughing like never before....it is like the ismail yassine movies they're so silly and simple and stupid but they make you laugh till you re on the floor....it is like the silly boys on the streets making fun of anyone passing by...although irritating at times sometimes you just cant help but laugh your head out.....I once had some boys who stand under my building when i had just cut my hair so short" ya wad eah el halawa dee yakhwaty....silvestarrrrr stallllonyyyyyyyy...mesh momken" as much as i wanted to kill them as much as when i went into my building i laughed so much.....or even shahed mashafsh haga or madrasset el moshaghebeen some legends in egyptian theater that no matter what would make you laugh till dawn even in a thousand years..... tahyees is one of our skills and talents where no where else in the world you would find...it is among the lower, middle and upper classes and everyone has his own style in tahyees...but unlike the lebanese who know how to have fun by partying and having the time of their life dancing and having fun which i really love about them....egyptians are the type of people who know how to be cynical in the funniest way ever...so enjoy your life and hayesso as much as you like cause life is short and laughter is the best medicine....

Expecting the unexpected

2008-03-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

It is a great feeling to feel recognized for the efforts which we undertake with joy and never knew where they were going to lead us. Although there were no concrete results it was clear that we did leave the impression we ve wanted to leave. We can be so full of passion for what we do sometimes but we don't often give it the value that it deserves. We tend to underestimate the talent we possess by the simple fact that it was never recognized but once it is we surely take pride in our achievements even if they did not translate into a meaningful outcome we could have expected or wanted for our valuable work. To every passionate and talented person I wish you luck and keep up the hard work and the passion and most of all the beleif in what you do:)))Rise and shine:)))

A home away from home

2008-03-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

I wander through the streets of Cairo and I see this animated city full of life with so many people who come from different backgrounds and mentalities. I am walking with caution cause I look different and I know it but I feel like am at the heart of my own culture….i love the smell of spices in the market. Al Hussein is sacred, it is holy it is special..it is egypt…just like the nile it runs through my blood…real Egyptians are found there with their spirit and values or principles that no longer exist…I continue walking holding my camera taking as many photographs to capture a reality that is now forgotten the heritage and story of a people…my people…the Egyptian people….with their kindness and humor with their respect for differences with their hearts as pure as gold….I know am one of them but we somehow drifted apart….but in the deepest part of my heart I know for sure this is where I belong…on al fishawy…or at the barkouk mosque or just talking to the woman or boy selling parying beads…this is my home…where I find myself most at peace….I went into a shop to buy a sebha…one of these famous ones with the smell of anbar or 3oud…they re simply amazing…I love them….they give me the feeling of depth…and the smell arouses all my senses of belonging to this place. Then reality hits these boy come closer and closer…they look scary and real vagabonds. They start talking to me and wont leave me alone….i start running like mad to my car out of fear of what will happen next…this is when I know for sure I don’t belong..to every part of this beautiful market and area of Cairo…I am just like the foreigners walking in the market…am not like the locals….am also subject to intimidation cause am different…am not like the woman in the black galabeya…the big me3alema who no one would even dare look at her cause they d be eaten alive…or even the girls from the manteka whose brothers or family would kill any man who dares to glimpse at them…...the khan with all its beauties, its depth and clarity…it is a home away from home when I wanna feel more in touch with my culture but that’s where it stops…this is the truthJ

2008-03-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Fishermen by the Nile

2008-03-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

They start their day at the wake of dawn, gather their nets and start to head out to the river...the silent and deep river we call the nile....its beauty surpasses many others and it runs through our hearts and blood....it is Egypt....or at least one of its main characterizations....They gather on their boats throw the net to see what luck they have on this sunny day....they get some fish...some nile perche...one of the best in the world...they seem to live such a simple life but with so much beauty...they are satisfied and dont want more...they like the boat, they relate to its wood, they relate to the nile...it is their comfort zone where they find peace and serenity...it is HOME...I watch them from far by the sunset and can't get my eyes away from the other side. all i see are boats and boats...families smiling laughing...children swimming in the water....it is just simple and just so beautiful...some moments last a lifetime in one's memory and this simple humble life fills my soul with peace....ya rayess someone yells...rayess is the big boss of the fisherman...he is slim but has a big belly...like a bear belly but actually it s big from the amount of fish and bread that fills it....the face of the rayess is filled with a healthy glow and his cheeks are so red from living on the sea side...the tanned color of his face is the influence of the sun...Egypt is all about the sun and the nile....we get our warmth from this sun and we get our pride from this nile without which we wouldnt be here....we love it...we live it and we relate to it....:)

Mony

2008-03-12T07:56:00.000-07:00

Mony was young and old at the same time. she knew what it meant to love and what it means to hate. she knows what confidence is and what insecurity means. She is like an angel with strong determination to let people know what she thinks...she is a woman of many faces, of much character...she is extreme because she is sincere....she tends to overexaggerate and always underestimates herself but deep within she is a source of depth and knowledge about human nature, attitudes and behaviors...she is feared because of this very knowledge and depth of thought which scares anyone who doesnt share the same.... I wish she can take care of everything precious in her life.....I look in her eyes and they're full of passion...I wonder how she keeps the passion so alive although it is so hard for me to do that....I think she is seen as much as I have but yet she knows how to be idealistic about life. What she doesnt know is be objective...cause her emotions run her life...that's who she is while my practicality runs mine....it is tough to say what's right and wrong and whether I should be like her going with my own heart or whether i should be like me going with my mind....both are wrong there should be a balance but how hard is it to strike that balance...almost impossible to determine the answer to this question?...I guess it is a process of learning and maturity which only comes with time....we both got a long way to learn...me and my best friend mony

My friend Mo

2008-03-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Mo is always there for you. he is fun and wise at the same time. he is young and old. he is full of energy yet likes to chill. he loves the same music I love and he is full of passion for the world and has his heart out to help others just like me. He is daring and cautious, active and lazy, he is every contradiction that ever existed. he is one of these strangers who influenced my life, who made me feel like life still has these very rare very sincere and truthful descent people. I thank him for guiding me whenever I needed advice and I thank him for being my friend. His words of wisdom are like sentences from a book stored in my brain and I remember them whenever I need that push to keep pursuing my dreams. I know he ll be a great leader in whatever field he plans to be in so long as he continues to beleive in and works hard on getting there...I wish him all the luck...he is my source of inspiration a lot of the time.....Thanks Mo

Special

2008-03-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

I get closer to her. She is full of passion and energy. She is very dynamic and can reach the sky with her dreams. The youthful thinking is still there with a little bit more maturity than a year ago. She amazes me and impresses me with her determination. I know she'll be something great one day. I love talking to her and sharing original thoughts I wouldnt speak about just to anyone. There are some people in life who are simply unique and special in their own way and even if they arent the closest people to us, there is some sort of connection and a bond that brings us together. If these people's ideas and thoughts are nurtured they would be the best mentors and the best practices and examples for others...I love my friends and I wish them well and hope their dreams become a reality for they are truly each special in their own way and in their own ideas. I wish we could keep the link and stay as close as we are forever.

When it pours it rains

2008-03-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

Really it is so true when they say that when it pours it rains. I cant help but think of how much we go out of our way to please others to the extent that we put ourselves in awkward situations. It seems like everything hits you hard all at once and without any pity. This is life. This is the situation and this is reality. Deal with it. Thank you very much.

Taking a toll on you

2008-03-09T03:45:00.000-07:00

You're the first to run whenever your friends need your help. You sit and listen and absorb and speak and try to understand. You're like the deep water well with its depth and freshness. You give comfort and security with your light spirited heart like its water. People throw all their worries in and you stay like a patient volcano waiting to errupt. You barely try to make yourself look better or feel better cause you re too busy taking care of others. But today things will change and take another shape because you can't keep letting other people's problems continue taking a toll on you. You ll be drained and eventually wont be able to help yourself and others....:)

The Courage to Say No

2008-03-09T03:36:00.000-07:00

One of the things we should be able to do so easily is SAY NO when we have to and want to yet it is often one of the hardest things we know how to do. It is amazing how many times in life we feel pressured by words, gestures or actions to the extent that we doubt ourselves and our capacities and fear the consequences of this big word NO. The nicest feeling in the world is when we reach conviction to say no with all the confidence in the world and realize that we can handle whatever it is that follows cause we simply made the right decision.

The Feared Shadow

2008-03-08T16:24:00.001-08:00

It is easy to judge and to run away from anything that we consider taboo. It is even easier to pretend that bad experiences dont exist in our lives but the hardest thing is to accept things we cannot change and to keep building on every little piece of our inner self to become the best we can not in the eyes of those around us but in our own eyes and in the eyes of God. To do your part is always not the easiest thing. It is often so hard to just stick to what you have to do and to your role in any given situation. As humans we love to judge, gossip and blame others for our own negativities. The shadow was like an open space, as cold as the wind that blows, as warm as the cosiness of a nice home, as sincere as a dolphin but not as honest as it should be. Everyone feared the shadow because it was so unexpected and sudden and no one knew how to control it when it spread like a cancer infesting everything around until one day I came to realize the shadow that is so feared is no more than a peaceful warrior fighting itself for a simple thing called LIFE, for something even simpler called HOME. The Shadow looked for a comfort zone which it only found in my own space, in my own life, in my own home. This is where this uncontrollable feared image found its peace and turned from being feared to being loved. I love the shadow now more often than I fear it . In fact I love it regardless of anything but I still wait for the unexpected and so the shadow remains feared.

A deep ocean

2008-03-08T16:04:00.000-08:00

I look at him and he reminds me of the ocean. He's got the same calm and the same rage. His eyes show a journey of suffering but also of wisdom and experience. His words are only based on sound and good judgment eluminated by that of a higher power. His scars tell their own stories of how life took him right and left. I always wanted an older brother like him to guide me through life but the more we spoke which was rare, the more fearful I got. I feel am read like an open book and it makes me uncomfortable to be so well understood by someone who feels like I ve barely known and only met a couple of times. The ocean is mysterious and so is he, with its depth and shallowness, with its uncertainities and unknown but for sure its serenity can make even the most complexed of people feel at peace with themselves if only for a moment. I don't know what he thinks of me and for some reason I care. I wonder how he perceives me and whether he values me just the way I am or if he thinks am putting on that mask everyone puts on when they wanna hide or runaway from reality. I think he knows too much and knows too well for anyone to be able to wear that mask. Only time will tell

The Man of the Street

2008-03-08T15:50:00.001-08:00

He was vigilant, observant and generous with his kindness. Only good words are heard from his mouth although he is not your typical goody goody, presentable man, in the opposite he is the man of the street who comes accross people from all walks of life, who works till he sweats just to win his daily bread yet he manages to impress me with his simplicity and humbleness and love for my family. The new family I have chosen for myself. One that I cherish with all my heart. He cares for us maybe more than a far relative and makes sure we re under his protection whenever he's around. His eyes speak words of truth, they glow even in the darkest night with a light of wisdom and a lot of hope as if he was telling me on one of these bad days, that everything is going to be alright. I wonder how much worries and problems he has himself but yet he manages to read every single happy or bad day me or my family go through. God bless him and keep the light shining from his soul. A simple man can touch your heart and the most sophisticated can make you understand what worthless means. Some people are simply more worth it than others and this has nothing to do with who they are, which family they were born to or what they do in life. That man of the street can influence your life just as much or even more than your closest friend can reach out to you when you need it. Some eyes can just tell you what is true and what is right without a word. The silence is sometimes more powerful than words.

One with strangers

2008-03-08T15:37:00.000-08:00

To my surprise it seems like today i was hit with a rocket in the head while mingling with the most sincere people I might have encountered in my entire life. We re all one but we re not the same, we all happen to be there for a reason, that same reason but we each have our own life and are all like one big melting salad pot. The fun side of things is that we all have something to share but not just anything something that is coming straight from the heart, as if we were waiting for someone to tell us to let it all out and here the chance finally presented itself. I felt like talking for hours but could only do so for minutes cause there were so many other people who needed that same chance i was given to speak. my heart was beating so fast before i opened my mouth to the extent that i started getting so nervous and forgetting what i wanted to say. It is often difficult to open your heart when you know everyone is listening and doing this actively. It is even harder when you re not there to make that big impression but simply opening up to love and faith. This is when the moment of truth arrives and you re put to the test and you have to just spit it out like a bad tasting chewing gum. I feel, I hear, I taste, I smell and this is a blessing not only that but also I feel the strangers i would have never mixed with in a hundred years. I feel their hope, their happiness and pains. their sorrows, their regrets and every part of their journey in life. It is amazing to be one with strangers. I hope you can all exprience this one day and you can open your heart and ears to the truth...

The Beauty inside

2008-03-05T05:09:00.000-08:00

He was a charming little boy with so much passion and energy and a lot more of curiousity. He wondered and had a wide imagination whenever he would walk through the streets of Cairo holding his mother's arms. From the man with the burned face to the woman selling the lemon under his building, he indulged in understanding and tried to explore what to him was the unknown. He greeted every morning 3am Shaht the bawab who called him Basha, a word alian to him which he was not accustomed to hear as a young child but nonetheless enjoyed hearing from 3am Shahat cause he knew it was a sort of respect from the man who was his grand father's age but warn out by the years of poverty and life as a simple street man. The boy grew up to be so charming and caring for others who were less privileged than him, giving them as much as he could and smiling with warm greetings everytime he walked back on that street under his house. He is the youngest kid I love the most in this world and wish the best for....his smile is like the sunshine and his greenish hazle eyes like a field of peace and his white skin is like the serenity and calm of the most beautiful river. He manages to always put a smile on my face with his simple but very smart character at such a young age which reveals to me how this world has developed and how the young generation has a lot more to offer in terms of intelligence and grasp of things around than we ever did. i wish him all the love and luck in this world

Life ahead of us

2008-03-05T04:51:00.000-08:00

Life is nothing but an experience that takes you right and left and where every soul rests itself on what brings happiness to its inner self. It is amazing how we can always have the world turn around like crazy and how we bump into friends who have now become strangers. We re always one but we re not the same we all strive for happiness . You wanna be your own boss but life isn’t about jumping so high in a second and patience is a virtue as they say but it is impossible to grasp that without going through the torment of life and learning that you re not perfect and still have a lot to learn. Only memories are there to stay reminding us of the beautiful times and people who came our way…only these give us a sense of being.

Mothers are the heart of all the generations yet we grow up and feel too tired to care for the same persons who cared for us to the least for the past 30 years…it is unbearable for a mother to hear her child cry but it is bearable for the grown up child to shout at his mother and even walk away when she s feeling down …life is nothing but an irony ........I am nothing but a woman who wants her cry to be heard who wants to make this world a better place who wants to share into humanity’s beauty.

I am nothing but a human after all full of good but also full of mistakes that keep repeating themselves just like a domino effect which I wonder when it will end and when one can rationalize a better alternative and be who we are and live how we wanna live.Lights over hearing what our heart wants to let out..the chains of the future are bound to break and set us free into the person we want to be come only if we have the will and the power to carry on and continue the endless but ending journey we re bound to go through…namely life…you might consider this a gloomy concept but in fact it is nothing but a realistic interpretation based on one s experience and only by taking wisdom from these words can one believe in overcoming past mistakes….we are who we are and we wont change for anyone or anything and this is a fact of life but we gotta learn to trust each other and to get over ourselves in the quest for happiness we gotta develop humility to be able to enjoy the most simple rather than the fanciest things in our lives….we gotta feel privileged going through these experiences but learn not to fall every time when things go shady…we gotta continue standing tall for the sunshine will only warm the ocean’s water when its meant to be so there is no point in dreading life and the past nor breaking our heads about the future…there is only a point in going forward on a journey of empowering our inner self to deal with the challenges of our every day opportunistic bubble we call life…it drains you, beats you, lifts you up and then trashes you but it also makes you stronger and the person you would never have been if it was so simple and nice….:)

Everything has a beginning and an End

2008-03-05T04:46:00.000-08:00

It is easy to say things without thinking but it is so hard to accept what will come next. It is not easy to take responsibility for our actions but it is more than easy to just keep going letting our desires take control of our emotions, actions, brain and soul. It seems like I was created to constantly extend a hand to my fellow humans and to constantly struggle against the tide until the day comes where I will rest in peace over the ocean waves and float till I feel the warmth of the sun and the embrace of the clouds.

Do we really care about the common good?

2008-03-04T17:05:00.000-08:00

Where are we heading and what do we want to become. We say we care about the common good? The few of us who do actually get out there and make a difference can be counted on our fingers. All the rest of us are just sitting on our butts watching the news and hearing the gossip about social problems. It is amazing how some people’s major concern in life is making sure they get through the day with some food while some others are mainly concerned about which coffee shop they’re going to head to and who they re going to meet. It is just different priorities and concerns. Just simply amazingly. This is how the contrast is in cairo. You go to coffee bean and tea leaf and you find lots of young people having coffee and sitting there for hours chatting their brains out while at the other side of town in some poor area are a group of unemployed men sitting on the Qahwa with a nice shisha breaking their brains down. The contrast is so great yet both seem to enjoy their time. The only difference is that those at coffee bean are hopeful and ambitious for a better future while those at the Qahwa have become apathetic at how things have become. They chose to continue to be unemployed although so many jobs are being created and people are needed to fill them. It is amazing how we all wish we could all contribute to the greater good but somehow we re no longer able because the contrast is so great that the engineer and doctor are unemployed and about to be criminals because life is so harsh and the bawab and askary are watching out for their daily bread while the cream of the cream of the society are concerned about the latest louis vuitton bag and prada suit or the limited edition of some exclusive brand they’ve come across on some celebrity in a magazine.

Laptop Mobile mania

2008-03-04T16:55:00.000-08:00

Now take a laptop and go sit in that coffee shop. That s an amazing trend in Cairo….looks like every person in the country owns a laptop…looks like every person in the country who sits in a coffee shop is become a computer guru. My favourite part are those people who wanna seem like they re seriously into it but they really arent…they just open their laptop at cilantro and sit and pretend but in the middle of this depth of thought and nice movie being portrayed to the outside world you see this shaken insecure b--t--d peaking at every person walking in and out of the place checking them out in such a desperate way that anyone who would ever consider approaching would be turned off at the first sight of this scene . Then you see bisso just walking in alone and pretending to be talking on his mobile but surprisingly the mobile rings while he's talking all of a sudden...wow how embarrassing!!!!.....even bisso who kind of looked cool has to pretend he is somehow important popular or busy although he doesn’t have much to offer the world but a big lot of what we call HAYAFA. It is more like konafa to be honest. His brain is been mixed with some really sweet strips of pastry with loads of honey…that he s probably so sugar high to the extent that his only and main concern in life has become how to show that he is the coolest and most popular guy in this vibrant city of the world called CAIRO. The western look I cannot even describe, one in 5 young boys in cairo are sagging their jeans and one in 5 young girls in cairo are wearing leggings and a long pull-over cause that’s what the top fashion lines or what the coolest rap musicians are wearing so why not drag along and follow that amazing cool trend? Of course no one objects to fashion in its own sense but fashion has to come with a sense of identity not just blindly following

Cairo Traffic

2008-03-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

Contrasts everywhere you go and in everything you see. The traffic our daily hassle. You struggle to get into any empty spot that comes your way just to find yourself stuck again. You stick to your lane well no that s not how things work around cairo…..you have to cross from extreme right to extreme left to actually make it to where you want to go…if you stick to your lane you somehow get into an accident cause probably some weirdow driving at the speed of 20 km per hour would be in that lane waiting to be hit by a car that s driving at the normal speed. And if you re driving in the middle lane you ll probably be squashed like a sandwich before you even know it. And if you stick to the left lane that s only for the cool dudes who wanna show off their new cars and again you ll probably get run off by that speeding a--h--- who just couldn’t press the breaks or reduce his speed when it was most needed. So what are we gonna do about it? Just sit and wait and see how some supernatural or heavenly power is going to resolve the traffic problem? why not start to change our ways and gain back these values our grandparents once had...where they would courtouesly let someone pass before they did without feeling like it was a step on their pride

Simple thoughts

2008-03-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

The man in the galabeya fills my soul with happiness and simple humbleness. The woman in the black veil reminds me of the extremes people take when they truly believe in something. The funky Egyptian dude is just another contrast in this amazing society where globalization has just stormed our thoughts and way of life. They all don’t bother me but each is in his own single entity and way of life is so different that I can no longer relate. Not because I am different but because I’ve lost every sense of being and belonging to the society I live in.

I just live each day by itself hoping tomorrow is going to be a good one. This harmless little white dog tells me there is no hope, that things cannot change and he too just does his own things. With his innocent dark brown eyes filled with this icy spark he stares at me waiting for some food. He just eat but he still wants more and more. Just like we humans we get and we always want more. The difference is he gives back love and sincerity through these big brown eyes but we don’t we continue being greedy as much as we can. We fight ourselves to keep taking more and more and not giving back. This is life this is life. What can we do? This is human nature which we cannot change. Maybe someday in a hundred years when we humans are truly plagued with the disasters we ve created by our own greed and hands, we might then realize it is time to change