It’s been a while

It has been a long time. I was busy during the past few weeks, and it was almost crazy especially the last few days,,,  ma3aleina, now I’m back….. Hurray.

Oh I missed blogging, I missed talking to my friends, I missed watching out for Cairo’s events and choosing what I will go and what I will skip. I really wanted to see Fire Of Anatolia’s performance on Sunday and Monday, and last night’s Shakira’s concert (I had the right to have an invitation but circumstances prevented me from getting it and from actually going there !!), I missed grabing my camera and wondering in the streets of Cairo, or taking a novel and sitting in a quiet place with a cup of Latte… BTW I’m so happy that Beano’s opened a branch right next to my home ! 🙂 Many times I would go there, have a take away cup of Roman Cappucino,, I even went with my father one friday morning! My father is not a fan of Cilantro, he doesn’t like anything but Grecco, so it was a nice surprise for me that he’d like Beano’s cafe.

Anyway, I received this exhibition invitation and I think the photos are really good. Enjoy!

Last week or something, OTV aired a documentary “A Place called Home مكان اسمه الوطن” , it was brilliant. It talked about our perception of home. First he started asking people in the streets and through emails, then he decided to follow up the lives of 4 Egyptians living in Cairo but from different background:

1) a man who lives in Faisal street and is preparing his house in order to get married, so he calculates very well his expenses and goes around with his fiance to find the best prices of the equipments and all their stuff

2) a guy who wanted to follow an artistic career, he has a great voice and almost made it through Star Maker, but he couldn’t win, he went to Canada, then his father obliged him to return to Egypt to join his business, but at the end he can’t wait to travel once again as he doesn’t find ‘himself’ here

3) a girl who travelled all over the world, only to find out that the place she wants to spend time in is her homeland, so she returns. She had an issue for marrying the man she loves because he was not muslim, but he converted and they are happily married

4) a girl who works as a translator, she loves her job but at the same time she really wants to experience what it feels to be on her own abroad, and she is having all these debats with her family in order to accept her decision.

It was brilliant. The stories were amazing, I felt very close to the personalities, I can almost feel like having them as my friends or cousins. The director was very skillful in presenting the materials, with fast movements, different types of dialogues, interviews, narration. (it was also funny that I have previously met or contacted the 2 girls in different activities 🙂 ). Very recommended.

Hazzak el Yom

Scanned from El Akhbar (26/3/2007) !!!

No Comment! 

Photos of Egypt

My friends sent me two links, I found them AMAZING: Egypt d’ Antan and  The library of unversity of Chicage, ENJOY!

 (Shoubra Palace 1870, this is where they had the opening ceremony of the film festival)

 (Kobri Abbas in 1913)

(in 1905 the menestrli palace and the nilometer from the view point of somewhere close to the current Nile Peking)

(Charles Baehler 1913)

 (from left to right: Nabaoueya Moussa (1886-1951), Céza Nabaraoui (1897-1985) et Hoda Charaoui (1879-1947), in a feminist conference in Geneve 1920)

 (hotel and coffee shop in Zagazig in 1906)

 (Imbaba bridge in 1914, now in the area right after Nile City towers)

 (Collège de la Sainte-Famille des Pères Jésuites à Faggalla. L’intérieur de la chapelle, vers 1912)

 (Le Palais de Habib Sakakini Pacha, à Daher, en 1924)

 (Port Said 1898)

The Tangerine Incident

Yesterday while driving home, and in the middle of Cairo’s traffic jam, I saw my mother’s car right beside mine. It was a very nice coincidence :-). El mohem,,, as the red light seemed to be lastnig forever, she picked a tangerine and threw it to me through the window!!! Tab3an the passengers in the nearby cars were amazed ! They thought she was distributing tangerines to the passing cars or something !! One of them actually asked to have one too 🙂 

This tiny little incident really changed my mood for the big drive home 🙂

BTW why do we call it “yostafandi” or “youssfi” ?? When I was young I was told that someone called “Youssef Effendi” was the first one to bring it to Egypt, but is it true??

زورونى كل سنة مرة

Zourouni kol sana marra, it’s a day dedicated to the memory of Sayed Darwish, there will be a concert with many bands (including Eskendrella), plus other cultural and documentary stuff about his life. It will be held in Alexandria next Thursday… How I wish to go there!!! but I can’t ;-(

Books on my wish list: The Motorcycle Diaries: Notes on a Latin American Journey

How is it possible to feel nostalgia for a world I never knew?

“What do we leave behind when we cross each frontier? Each moment seems split in two; melancholy for what was left behind and the excitement of entering a new land” ~ Ernesto ‘Ché’ Guevara

“The Motorcycle Diaries (Spanish: Diarios de motocicleta) is an autobiographical book by Che Guevara about his travels through South America with his friend Alberto Granado on a 1939 Norton 500 motorcycle. Born into an upper middle class family, this was Guevara’s first expedition around Latin America. In the book, he details the role and life of the indigenous peasantry throughout Latin America, including mine workers and persecuted communists fleeing their homes. The book ends with a declaration by Che of his willingness to fight and die for the cause of the proletariat in Latin America. Many people talk about the Che, some regard him as a hero, others as a bloody revolutionary, either ways, it’s a shame that I know about him from what people are saying (or from his famous picture), I HAVE to read the book…

Seguiremos adelante
como junto a ti seguimos
y con Fidel te decimos:
!Hasta siempre, Comandante!

 

Why??

Maybe because of the moon phase or the season. Maybe because of unrealistic expectations. Maybe because of some unfulfilled dreams. Maybe because of a disorientation (hopefully temporary). Maybe because of a wider distance growing between with me and some friends. Maybe because of all these things altogether.

Tahsseel Hassel

“و من منا عنده أمل, إنها مجرد محاولة يائسة أو تحصيل حاصل…. حتى لا يعود الإنسان باللوم على نفسه في المستقبل قائلا: لو كنت قدمت لكنت دخلت… لقد قدمت أنا لأقطع على نفسي طريق اللوم و التأنيب فأنا أعرفها جيدا… عندما تقول في المستقبل: لو كنت قدمت… سأقول لها: لقد قدمت و فشلت فوفري لومك.”

رد قلبي – يوسف السباعي

كانت على طرف لساني !!

If I had a sister

“لو كان لي اخت لما كنت انا , باتاكيد ساكون اخر اجمل واقل ثرثره واكثر ميلا للعزله , واقرب للرياضات مني للالادب , لو كان لي اخت ربما لما اخفقت كل علاقاتي العاطفيه , ولتدربت جيدا علي تحسس دروب الروح ومسالك الجمال الداخلي , أن يكون لي اخت يعني ان افهم سر البكاء في اليل , بينما العالم كله نائم أبلها وقاسيا .

ان يكون لي اخت يعني ان اتفهم ضرورة ارتكاب خطيئه ما تطهرا من غبار سجون مرعبه تتخذ شكل قرارات وقوانين , يعني ان اهدا واستقر نسبيا علي الاقل وافكر بهدوء حين تقطع حبيبتي علاقتي معها , يعني ان اطل على العالم الاخر اطلاله دهشه وفرح خبيث , كم هو لذيذ انا اتجسس علي حاجات اختي واغراضها , وان اختبر عطرها ابعثر اوراقها , واتنفس كتبها واقف حائر امام غموض موقفها , وارتباك سلوكها , وحين اكبر سافهم , كم هو جميل ومثير ان يكون لي اخت اري من خلالها جسر امان نحو ضفه تبدو بعيده , ضفه احتاجها واريدها!” – زياد خداش 

Me too I don’t have a sister, I have two older brothers, and as I grew older I appreciate their presence in my life more and more, but sometimes I think about what if I had a sister, will be each other’s best friend? will we comfort each other in breakups?  and learn make up tips? or will we be competitive and quarell? and then comes the issue of marriage and who will get married first, and who is prettier than the other,,,,, etc.

Either ways, El hamd lelah

I am the Hermit

You are The Hermit

Prudence, Caution, Deliberation.

The Hermit points to all things hidden, such as knowledge and inspiration,hidden enemies. The illumination is from within, and retirement from participation in current events.

The Hermit is a card of introspection, analysis and, well, virginity. You do not desire to socialize; the card indicates, instead, a desire for peace and solitude. You prefer to take the time to think, organize, ruminate, take stock. There may be feelings of frustration and discontent but these feelings eventually lead to enlightenment, illumination, clarity.

The Hermit represents a wise, inspirational person, friend, teacher, therapist. This a person who can shine a light on things that were previously mysterious and confusing.

What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.