Eight… off the top of my head!

Too many people tagged me, and I just can’t ignore it anymore!

My answers are random and in no specific order.

Knock yourselves out!


Things I’m looking forward to…

1- A vacation… not just from work, but also from all my responsibilities
2- A recovery from my disc… I can almost hear my physiotherapist’s laugh!
3- D’s return to Egypt… should have put that one first since it’s the soonest and most likely to happen :)
4- Re-decorating my room… I still haven’t gotten to that, ya mossahel!
5- The raise I was promised at work… R said it was expected by June; however, I am not sure if it really happened or it was one of my work-related dreams!
6- Meeting with some of the gals from my old work… they’re shaken up about my divorce!
7- More friends visiting from the states, and my friend from Canada…
8- Enrolling my Beem in sport/music classes or both!

Things I did yesterday

1- Took the kids to the pool with their dad… my mocha is such a kitten!
2- Held myself back from swearing at the x for bringing tanning oil instead of sunscreen for the boys!
3- Had to endure his singing along with Esseily’s new CD (what is that load of crap btw?)
4- Finally told him to stop having small talk that involved his girlfriends and acquaintances…
5- Talked to a friend… (or was that the day before??!)
6- Met with a friend… who actually made it early, luckily so did I!
7- Ate yoghurt with coconut… that’s actually something since I hate milk and I’m not a big fan of yoghurt!
8- Felt sleepy all of a sudden to the extent that I asked baby sis to come tuck me in, switch on the a/c, switch off the lights, and close the door because I could barely get out of bed!

Things I wish I could do

1- Feel fresh air brushing through my hair…
2- Travel to Turkey and Lebanon for a week and do things my way…
3- Have my own personal time to do what I want without ignoring my kids… perhaps when they grow up a bit
4- See those I love who are no longer there… I would settle for dreaming of them
5- Have the guts to color my hair!
6- Stop stress-eating
7- Walk on daily basis
8- (there is something I had in mind and I know it was BIG, only I can’t remember it! Barakatak yally fe baly!)

Shows I watch

1- Grey’s Anatomy… I HATED their season finale, makanetsh talbaha ghamm!
2- Private Practice… I don’t even want to comment on the last episode I’ve watched!
3- Frasier… I’m in S08 now and enjoying :)
4- Dirty Sexy Money… Anyone knows if there will be a S03 and when??
5- Everybody Loves Raymond… Just downloaded all eight seasons and plan on watching them once I’m done with Frasier
6- Sex and the City… I am contemplating downloading the seasons I never watched and catch up, just not sure if I want to!
7- Scrubs… I finished all eight seasons :)
8- I think that was too much TV already!

Things I like

1- Flowers… cliché I know, but I can’t help it
2- Jazz… nothing is as uplifting!
3- Hanging out with friends… best mood booster ever!
4- My boys when they’re quiet and cuddly… they’re just amazingly cute!
5- The scent of vanilla and that of Turkish coffee… that’s basically why I always have vanilla splash in my purse and must have Turkish coffee at least once a day!
6- Horses… I just can’t get over how beautiful those creatures are!
7- Movies about previous centuries, of course given that they are good productions and acting!
8- Profiterole… we ba7ebek aw ya rasha for getting me some akher marra!

Things I dislike (I decided to add that one instead of tagging eight people since everyone is being tagged... AND I had the urge to share the things I dislike that kept coming to mind while doing the tag)

1- Going to doctors’… I really like my physiotherapist but I still hate going
2- Yelling at my kids… I do that a lot recently!
3- The scent of pesticides… mama rashet 3ashan el naml!
4- Ignorance and lack of responsibility… I just came from the club and people are just… frustrating!
5- Police officers, and specifically the high-ranked pieces of shit who stand in the streets and terrorize people, 2al eh beynazamo el moroor! *insert sheteema*
6- Being asked to do favors… I believe I should do things because I feel like it, not because someone asks me!
7- Standing in lines… and I just hate when someone tries to stand in front of me, I become a complete b****
8- Family obligations… keyword “obligations” not “family”!

We kol tag wento tayebein!

A little bit of everything…

This keeps happening to me lately! That someone points out –either by implying it or saying it flat out- how they find it strange that I am one person!


Scene I - Last time At Dr. Magdi’s

That girl who was trying to analyze my drawings: *looking at Dr. Magdi* dool 7ad wa7ed bas rasemhom?!!!
Him: *smiling beneath his glasses while gazing at me* aheh oddamek aheh
Her: *looking at me* enty elly rasma dool kollohom???
Me: ah
Her: they’re full of so many contradictions we feehom 7agat mokhtalefa keteera sa3b el wa7ed yela2eeha fe shakhs wa7ed!!!
Me: I guess I am moody that way!
Him: Moody bas?! *smiling even more*

I have his smile engraved in my mind, I will so miss that man!


Scene II - Driving in my car with a friend and I kept pressing ff on the ipod, I drove him mad!

Him: *grabbing the ipod* do you mind?
Me: la khales, ekhtar elly 3ayez tesma3oh…
Him: ok, lama neshoof fe eh yetseme3 *after a while* eh el 7agat el ghareeba de?
Me: hehe I know, too many stuff that can’t be in “one collection”
Him: malhomsh 3elaqa be ba3d aslan! Elly ye7awel yefham shakhseyetek mel beta3 da ye2ool ennek akeed magnoona!
Me: *laughing* howa ana akeed mesh 3a2la! But if it helps, they’re not all favorites, sometimes I download soundtracks, or a discography of an artist for whom I like a few tracks and get stuck with stuff I don’t even listen to! I don’t delete them 3ashan yemken fe yoom ab2a 3ayza asma3 7aga ma3rafhash wab2a perceptive le something I didn’t like before…
Him: tab playlist!
Me: playlisting isn’t fun, I never know what mood I’m in or what matching song I would like to hear until it plays, I only know what I don’t want to hear so i skip it, we kaman I enjoy the little surprises my ipod gives me!

I actually playlisted that day to see if I actually have a consistent genre, but it was only a smaller list of too many different genres!


Scene III - On my desk taking some notes while on the phone. My colleague walked in with some handwritten notes I had given him two days ago to review before I write a report.

Him: khody, tamam keda, just put me on the cc.
Me: ok *handing him the notes I had just written* khod dool, de el details beta3et el course elly hakhdo, we mawa3eed el classes wel mawa3eed beta3et el English proficiency test…
Him: *reading it, then looking at the notes he was just giving me* sanya wa7da, enty katba el etneen dool *holding both notes*
Me: *not even looking at him* yes
Him: (my name), bossy, it’s like they’re written by two different people!
Me: *looking at them and realizing he’s right* hehe, yeah, looks like I have multiple personality disorder or whatever any professional calligrapher would tell you!

The first notes were written in small italic letters that looked a bit cursive, while the second notes were written in rather far-apart up right letters with bigger emphasis on each letter!


And just a while ago, Rasha was commenting –out of the blue- on how strange she finds it that I can be friends with such a vast variety of personalities and like them all the same! I found it extremely funny because I had just writing this post when she sent me that msn message!!!

Looks like I am either one hell of a moody person, or I have multi personality disorder like I was telling my colleague, or I have a serious identity crisis, or I could just be a typical Gemini; too many personalities wrapped into one!

My Dirty Laundry

I’ve been tagged on FB by so many people. For obvious reasons, I think it’s safer to share it here hidden behind partial anonymity; after all, my two sisters and two cousins are the only family I have aware of this blog which does not begin to compare to my FB friends list.

So here goes nothing…

1. Barely anyone knows all there is to know about me; each person –no matter how close- knows a piece of me. Of course they have a general idea about what they don't know. Let's put it this way, it won't be a great idea if I sit all those people together and leave them alone for enough time to swap information! No, it has nothing to do with being mysterious, it's just the way it is and I have no idea why!

2. My best friend and I wanted to plan a trip to Bermuda before we got married. By Bermuda, I mean the Bermuda Triangle; we wanted to find out what it was about and we wanted to disappear. She always said I was the one who bailed out on her since I got married first, well, I am almost single now!

3. I never smoked a cigarette. My two attempts plus my shisha attempt included endless coughing and trying to spit air, not to mention a minor vomit incident!

4. I talk to myself all the time. When I was little I had a twin, an older brother, and a bunch of friends, all imaginary! I still remember most of their names. I was an only child for four years and a half; I had to keep myself entertained!

5. I hated my younger sister. I hated her less when we had our baby sister, because baby sis was too darn annoying. Then I divided the hate equally between them. Then one day I woke up to find that I am madly in love with both!!! Girl, I can still hate you back so don’t abuse the love.

6. My first crush still makes me smile when I think of him! I really think highly of him; he's about the only guy of whom I did not come to think less. The secret is I never really got to know him better, but from a distance, he still seems perfect!

7. I never dyed my hair! Ok, I once tried a really dark red, but it barely showed at all, and last time I wanted to go for a lighter shade of brown but I guess I was allergic to the dye and I jumped into the shower the moment it itched. This concludes that my hair has been the same color all my life!

8. I am open-minded to almost all sorts of food as long as it's finely cooked and that its main ingredient is not one that I completely dislike. Of course I had a long hate-list growing up, but I am over it. However, I still hate my mother's cooking and any similar cooking (too much water, barely any salt).

9. I have OCD when it comes to how my hands smell. In my cooking days, it took me too much time to finish a meal because I washed my hands between every task and kept smelling it! I always carry hands gel because I hate cream and its greasy feel; problem is it leaves my sensitive skin rather dry.

10. My defense mechanism when I am intimidated by someone is to intimidate them twice as much! You can only imagine what my defense mechanism is like when I feel disliked by someone!

11. I hate weddings, with passion! I hated my own wedding and I was literally forced to have one by my dad! The only two weddings I have on my to-attend list are my sisters', that is if they ever get married.

12. Strong fragrances give me a headache and make me too noxious. This is why I prefer light perfumes, and even better, natural fragrances. Vanilla and cinnamon make it to the top of my list.

13. I barely ever throw up! And no, it's not cool; during both pregnancies I suffered from severe nausea and had constant urges to throw up but never could, unlike all the other pregnant women. When having a food poison, I barely throw up; my stomach fights the natural reaction to nausea thinking it's doing me a favor, it's not!

14. Growing up, I had two sever head traumas. One at the age of 2 or something, and the other at the age of 13. The first one was because my youngest uncle was tossing me in the air and didn't exactly break my fall, it resulted in temporary paralysis, I think it's one of the reasons why I kinda fear heights. The second one was in a car accident and my seatbelt wasn't fastened, my face was deformed for around two weeks until the swelling went away and my face regained its natural color! Every time I look in the mirror, I feel thankful none of it was permanent.

15. Whenever I meet people for the first time, I just sit there saying the least. I just smile and agree or refrain from agreeing. I mostly concentrate on studying the people, their way of speech, their facial expression and the way they interact with one another. People usually get the wrong idea that I am rather quiet and shy; truth is I am only deciding which side of me they shall see.

16. Everything about blood turns my stomach. One of the things that make me cry for no reason. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled (each on a separate occasion of course) I cried. The first dentist made it clear that I was a wimp! The second panicked and thought I was in pain and took twice as much time to stop the bleeding and do the stitches which resulted in even more crying! The one who pulled the last two kissed me on my forehead; he sexually harassed me a few visits after which definitely didn't help with my whole blood phobia!

17. I hate my birthday. For some reason I always expect spectacular events and somehow I always get disappointed and left to the horrid fact that I am one year older.

18. I am very good at pronunciation, even in languages I don't know!

19. I never liked my grandpa from mom's side, and I mean we were on horrible terms.

20. Both times I was pregnant; my only wish was that my baby would be healthy and smart. Alhamdulilah my wish was granted and that makes me eternally grateful.

21. My mind connects dots in a scary way. I can receive irrelevant data on separate and far apart occasions, yet eventually I come to correct conclusions 90% of the time! Thrillers that revolve around a mystery that unfold in the end (movies and books) are not that thrilling because usually I figure it out halfway, this is why I notice and appreciate the details even more. I would like to think it's how my mind makes up for its incompetence with numbers!

22. Despite the above point, my mind blocks out information it should not store; like people's passwords that I might see them type or they give to me to do something for them.

23. I do not wear makeup. I do not completely hate wearing it; I just think I look better without it! Not to mention that I like washing my face too often and I am always putting my hand all over my face to rub my eye(s) or bite my nails (not chop them off, just bite on to them!). Bottom line, I have too much makeup for someone who wears none!

24. I have come to the realization that I generally enjoy old music rather than recent! One of my all time favorites is La Takziby sung by Abdel Wahab, I can listen to it nonstop, ask my sisters!

25. My most brilliant ideas come to me in the shower.

Where metaphors go to die!

My best friend sent me an email with the following content earlier this week. Umslopagas's last post inspired me to share!

Enjoy.


Funny metaphors used in high school essays

Just in case you need some writing inspiration. Every year, English teachers from across the USA can submit their collections of actual analogies and metaphors found in high school essays. These excerpts are published each year to the amusement of teachers across the country. Here are last year’s winners:

1. Her face was a perfect oval, like a circle that had its two sides gently compressed by a Thigh Master.

2. His thoughts tumbled in his head, making and breaking alliances like underpants in a dryer without Cling Free.

3. He spoke with the wisdom that can only come from experience, like a guy who went blind because he looked at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it and now goes around the country speaking at high schools about the dangers of looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

4. She grew on him like she was a colony of E. coli, and he was room temperature Canadian beef.

5. She had a deep, throaty, genuine laugh, like that sound a dog makes just before it throws up.

6. Her vocabulary was as bad as, like, whatever.

7. He was as tall as a six-foot, three-inch tree.

8. The revelation that his marriage of 30 years had disintegrated because of his wife’s infidelity came as a rude shock, like a surcharge at a formerly surcharge-free ATM machine.

9. The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn’t.

10. McBride fell 12 stories, hitting the pavement like a Hefty bag filled with vegetable soup.

11. From the attic came an unearthly howl. The whole scene had an eerie, surreal quality, like when you’re on vacation in anothercity and Jeopardy comes on at 7:00 p.m. instead of 7:30

12. Her hair glistened in the rain like a nose hair after a sneeze.

13. The hailstones leaped from the pavement, just like maggots when you fry them in hot grease.

14. Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.

15. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood with picket fences that resembled Nancy Kerrigan’s teeth.

16. John and Mary had never met. They were like two hummingbirds who had also never met.

17. He fell for her like his heart was a mob informant, and she was the East River.

18. Even in his last years, Granddad had a mind like a steel trap, only one that had been left out so long, it had rusted shut.

19. Shots rang out, as shots are wont to do.

20. The plan was simple, like my brother-in-law Phil. But unlike Phil, this plan just might work.

21. The young fighter had a hungry look, the kind you get from not eating for a while.

22. He was as lame as a duck. Not the metaphorical lame duck, either, but a real duck that was actually lame, maybe from stepping on a land mine or something.

23. The ballerina rose gracefully en Pointe and extended one slender leg behind her, like a dog at a fire hydrant.

24. It was an American tradition, like fathers chasing kids around with power tools.

25. He was deeply in love. When she spoke, he thought he heard bells, as if she were a garbage truck backing up.


That beats 25 random things about me, no??

Have a great weekend you guys!

aaaaaand I'm done!

Favourite Colour: shades of blue, ruby red and certain shades of purple!
Favourite Perfume (Guys): Boss Bottle is a classic favorite of mine and sometimes 212, but it mostly depends on the person wearing it!
Favourite Perfume (Girls): J'adore, Curious (I know it's a Britney Spears brand, but it actually smells nice!)
Favourite PJ brand: why wear PJs when you can mix and match?!
Favourite Clothes Brand: No Consistent brand, no brand has uniquely served my taste :)
Favourite Person in the Entire World: ONE PERSON??? No, I have a few and I am not willing to shorten the list… my father, my boys, D, H, my close friends... are you kidding?!
Favourite Country: Italy (looks like a popular choice)
Favourite Car: I am not a car maniac, but I like Jaguar's elegance
Favourite Sport: none; too lazy to play any and can't see the point of watching!
Favourite Sports Player: n/a
Favourite Spot in the World: in the world?! When I check out the whole world, I'll make up my mind (and then change it)
Favourite Animal: Horses (I wish I were a horse)
Favourite Movie: too many to list, but I generally like dramas that make me reflect and I am not much for happy endings...
Favourite Singer: too many to list, TOO MANY!!!
Favourite Day of the Week: Friday... especially the mornings, you can drive all over Cairo abl el sala! AND, it's the one day of the week I can wake up late and stay up late without worrying about work, so much for an insomniac!
Favourite time of the day: night
Favourite holiday season: the time around my friends visit from NA
Favourite number: 2
Favourite food: steak
Favourite chocolate: Lindt Lindor
Favourite Cartoon: Tom & Jerry still cracks me up! I like Shrek too!
Favourite Blogger: too many to list, but basically the regular commenters :)
Favourite Icecream Flavour: anything but mango, and I like the extra stuff in my icecreamlike cookies, dough, choc chips, nuts...
Favourite Mobile Brand: Nokia
Favourite Name: Adam and Layla
Favourite Hobby: talking and learning more about people
Favourite Room in my House: my room, as messy and crowded as it is!
Favourite Fruit: Grapes, Strawberries, Melons, Peaches and Cherries
Favourite Flower: Tulips, Lilies and White Roses
Favourite Qur'an Reciter: I actually prefer my father's voice, it's soothing!
Favourite Ayah: Sooret Yaseen just warms my heart, all of it!
Favourite Website: ahem, all shopping websites make me happy!

RANTS

Despite that I am in a good mood, I have been piling up some rants about current events; internationally, locally, and of course personally. I planned to keep them for myself but Rasha hates how quiet my blog has been lately, so there…


- Barak Obama. mabrouk 3ala amreeca, I really mean it, but for the Arab world, ETWEKSO. All talk shows had nothing to discuss but that; analyzing the crap out the whole thing, hell even my x gave me his sick analysis through email! News flash people, the man does not owe you a thing, he owes whatever it is that he owes to the American people. Yes, America’s regimes do affect the world, I understand, but for the love of God and all that’s holy, stop analyzing something you can never experience, let alone achieve; you better work on things that you can actually do something about! Government officials and political specialists, analayze khebetko el te2eela or try do something about it instead of talking about things you have no first-hand knowledge of!!! And for the rest of the Arab world who just talk, 3ala fekra, da elly gayebko wara; el kalam wel faty el mas7oob be 3adam el entag… so, to sum it up ETWEKSO!!!

- I’ve been getting all sorts of enlightening suggestions through email about improvement of education since that poor child died (God bless him and his family), but again, seriously, why do we do nothing but making unrealistic suggestions. Most of those who can’t keep their pie holes shut have nothing to do with education and have no power to change things!!! I’m sorry for being a cynical bitch but unless there is something you can do, or unless someone asks you your opinions, keep them to yourself; it’s extremely frustrating to hear over and over and yet over again how crappy education is and knowing all the same that there isn’t much one can do about it.

- Noha Rushdy. I don’t get the controversy, I don’t! If she has been harassed, then I completely respect what she did and how she stood up for her rights, it’s really as simple as that. Her ethnic origin, whatever it is, should not be of any importance, and fellow Egyptians, Noha Rushdy is not how the el 3adow el sohyoony gets us, again, please ETWEKSO!!!!

- The court ruling regarding exporting Natural Gas to Israel. Do you seriously believe that ruling will be enforced?! Makansh da ba2a 7alna, this is not a transparent country with transparent politics and economics, and I really hate talking about those things because 1- I don’t know enough to say something meaningful, and 2- there is nothing I can do to change any of it. It just pisses me to see people cheering for an illusion.

- That statistics report about the Egyptian society and its notorious results. I find it extremely unprofessional that the specialists working on that report have failed to take into consideration something like Hofstede’s five cultural dimensions (which was taught in freshman year at college) when comparing awareness and satisfaction results of the Egyptians to those of other countries!!! It’s no secret theory and anyone who works in that field should be aware of it, mesh 3ashan kont ta3leem agnaby!!! And while I’m at it, how come no studies were done/regarded to understand the collective Egyptian culture before making any statistical report on the Status of Egyptians, and I mean the average mesel7y who walks the streets elly beykhaf mel 7asad we beydary 3ala sham3eto 3ashan tewala3 feeh we fe ahloh!!!

- The doctors in KSA. I’m appalled and it makes me angry every time I think about it. I know Egypt is rotten in so many ways, I know every country in the world is rotten in its own way, but the one thing that makes Saudi Arabia more obnoxious is that they inflict social and legal injustice using the name of religion which is just *insert sheteema*. I say social and legal injustice because I have serious doubts the same court ruling would have taken place had the doctors been of Class A nationalities or God forbid Saudi royalty. People who make such horrible things and hide behind religion disgust me. And I don’t give the least care if the are religious scholars because I still doubt their fairness and objectivity.

- My x sent me yesterday (the 18th) a text on my cell wishing me a happy 8 years and 6 months anniversary. Why does this person like to remind me of my lost years?!


Kefaya keda, I think that was too much ranting and I think I ended up doing what I just mentioned above that I dislike; giving my unneeded and unasked opinions about things I can’t change. Well, in my defense, I would have kept my opinions to myself had people around me refrained from providing me with theirs.

I think there is nothing left to say...

Tagged by Deeeeeee

RULES:
1. Put your iTunes/music player on Shuffle,
2. For each question, press the next button to get you answer,
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER WHAT!!

After you’ve answered all of the questions, tag 5 other people and then let them know they’ve been tagged to do them themselves.

[if D couldn't help not commenting, I doubt I could!!]

1. IF SOMEONE SAYS “IS THIS OKAY” YOU SAY?
Non, Je ne Regret – Edit Piaf
[hehe, I like the sound of that]

2. WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Lose Yourself - Eminem
[I didn’t even know I had that!! Ooo my kids are dancing to it!!]

3. WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
The End of a Love Affair – Billie Holiday
[does this mean I like it when it’s over?!]

4. HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
People Aint No Good – Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds [Shrek 2 OST]
[itunes is telepathic!]

5. WHAT IS YOUR LIFE’S PURPOSE?
Blue Moon – Frank Sinatra
[I love the moon]

6. WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Moon Over Burbon Street - Sting
[mmmm]

7. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR PARENTS?
Unforgettable – Frank Sinatra
[like they would give me the space to forget them!! I say it with luf]

8. WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Mishet Khalas – Wael Gassar
[I knew I’d regret having D send me this song]

9. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Save Me – Bird York [Crash OST]
[only natural!]

10.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
La Vie En Rose – Patricia Kaas
[;)]

11.WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Leave Right Now – Will Young
[thank you very much]

12.WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Sorry – Tracy Chapman (Acoustic)
[now why would I like someone who makes me think that!!]

13.WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Kohl – Kamilya Jubran
[really!!]

14. WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
In the Arms of an Angel – Sarah McLachlan [City of Angels OST]
[I actually had to make sure I deleted the songs that played at my wedding!!]

15. WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Ode to My Family – The Cranberries
[ok, I’m fine with that]

16.WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Swinging on a Star – Frank Sinatra
[mmm… the mule, the pig, or the fish??? perhaps the monkeys!]

17. WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
I’m a Long Way from Home – Shooter Jennings [Walk the Line OST]
[it’s not secret at all :s! first time I ever listened to that song though, I download OSTs a lot but barely spend time to listen]

18.WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
I’m no Angel - Dido
[if that’s what I’m telling them, they know…]

19. WHAT SHOULD YOU POST THIS AS?
Tangled – Maroon 5
[7ader]

20. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOURSELF?
Impossible – Whitney Houston & Brandy [Cinderella OST]
[HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA… serves me right for being obsessed with OSTs]


Now, I tag The Caller, Eventuality, Will E, Shimaa, Frustrated

Judge a book by its cover, and you may never read me!

• M: el net bateee2a awy awy awy el naharda, 3andek keda
  bardu?
  Me: *nodding* but I just restarted the router men hena, shoof keda
  tany… heya ba2et a7san showaya!
  Him: *almost out of my room, then remembered something and turned* 3amalty eh?
  Me: *innocently* 3amalt lel router restarting!
  Him: meneen???
  Me: men 3al pc hena!!
  Him: how did you do that?
  Me: ta3ala hawareek
  Him: *standing next to me to see the monitor as I showed him, then gasping and saying in a surprised tone* enty bete3rafy te3meleeh men hena!!!
  Me: yeah! Enta awel mara te3rafha?
  Him: I know it akeed, bas matakhayltesh ennek bete3rafy, the way you handle things just… *couldn’t find the words*
  Me: *laughing* that does not sound like something nice, but it’s ok, now you know you should give me a lot more credit than that

It’s true!! People in real life always always seem to get the wrong impression of me. On my blog I babble a lot and share too many things it makes it easier for whoever reads it able to guess what I am like in real life. In real life however, people don’t get to know what I am really like until I am comfy enough to share!

I usually keep a calm smile, and keep my opinions to myself until asked; I hold back sarcasm so that I wouldn’t offend people who have not yet gotten used to the fact that this is how I channel a lot of things.

People usually mistakenly describe me as: hadya, ra2ee2a, mehawda, talabaty 2olayela, and a3saby hadya!!! They simply don’t get it; when I behave that way, it’s because I don’t care about expressing my point and I have no problem not reacting to whatever it is they’re saying or doing! But once I am comfortable enough, or provoked for that matter, I show all shades of my true color, and I don’t care!!

Another thing, I don’t do a lot of things because I don’t feel like doing them. When I say I don’t know how to do that, chances are I never even bothered trying because I know someone else has the know-how and would do them smoothly without me having to take the time and learn how to do them myself. Usually when I decide that I should do them, I do them, and I do them well; I kinda am a fast learner!

Here are a list of things I always say I don’t know how to do, simply because I never thought I would need to do them, and I still don’t!

• - Change tires… de el meeza el wa7eeda fel sha3b el masry, 7ubbo le mosa3det el shaba el me7tasa!! How can I deprive them of that? Seriously though, I would have it done and pay for it if I had to, otherwise park and leave the car and send my dad’s driver… I know I am a spoilt brat that way
• 
  - Bargain… I am against the concept; I believe in the seller’s right to profit, if I were the once selling something I would hate it when people deny me that… if I think something is over priced and I'm being ripped off, toz felly beybe3ha, snobbish I know!
• 
  - Set up any software on the pc other than the day-to-day kinda stuff and preliminary settings of printers and scanners… if it gets complicated I ask someone to do it, and they usually take some time to figure it out on their own, ya3ne mesh bastahbel!
• 
  - Read manuals before using anything… I rely on instinct, if I get stuck on something I check the manual, but reading the manual before trying is something I just wouldn’t do
• 
  - Speak better Arabic… ana batkalem 3araby kowayes geddan, homma kam kelma everyone I know makes fun of… I know how to say them properly, it’s just that I got used to saying them the way I do… ok, and I am really bad with some plurals… eh gam3 toktok masalan???

I can’t think of more now, but you get the general idea…

M has been working with us for less than a month now, but after this conversation, he realized I am not as ignorant to technology as I seem to be judging by how I told him I didn’t know so many things before as well as asking him to format my pc.

A on the other hand was just telling my boss “de 7o2na! de lama te7ot fe demaghha te3mel 7aga, khalas hate3melha, and in her own way, mayetkhafsh 3aleeha, wana elly kont ba2ool 3aleeha helpless we me7taga 7ad yakhodlaha 7a2aha!!”… I reminded him of when he used to say “qanoo3a we mesh betefre2 ma3aky ay 7aga, we ya batkht goozek beeky”, he said “and you are, mahonto keda ya borg el gawza2”

It could be a Gemini thing… now I know there is enough Gemini bloggers here to tell me if it’s true ;)

Mmmmm…

In the past week, if not even before, I have been figuring more things out about myself!! Some of them I have already known in a “they-kinda-make-sense” way and were simply re-identified, while other things came to my attention as a shock!

My previous two posts seem to be a result of me taking some time to contemplate and figure out some more about who I am with respect to all the things I’ve been finding out.

So, in the spirit of finding out even some more, I will be posting about my new discoveries for the purpose of documenting as well as sharing; perhaps it would help me know yet more about moi!!

Who knows, may be I would actually find something to write in the About me space!!

As if I wasn’t quirky enough!

I know it’s a bit late, and I know Kov probably forgot, but here… I won’t write the rules, everyone knows them by now…

• 
  1- I don’t “aghammes”; I eat whatever with a fork/spoon, then take bites of bread! My x used to be embarrassed that his faffy wife eats fool with fork… before anyone makes any related jokes, my dad was the one who taught me that, and he was pretty strict about touching food with our fingers (only thumb and index). Oh, and when I do, I keep sniffing my hands and washing them over and over until I can no longer smell food. No wonder I hated cooking.
  
  2- I am not good with any kind of social protocols we Egyptians seem to excel. I don’t insist that visitors drink something when they visit, I offer sincerely, they say no, I don’t push!! I don’t throw food in their plates during lunch or dinner. I don’t feel comfortable fighting over who gets the bill at a café. And most of all, I am lousy at giving tips; I don’t know how much to give or how to give it, I turn red and I completely avoid eye contact!!
  
  3- I have too vivid an imagination, and not always in a good way, so if I happen to be worked out about something and I am feeling too negative about it, trust me, I live the worst-case scenario in my head, sometimes I cry! I have relived my divorce in my head in so many scenarios so far!
  
  4- I don’t ask people for favors, I don’t know how! And I feel extremely uncomfortable when someone does me a favor or any nice gesture, and it keeps haunting me until I return it.
  
  5- I barely lose touch with my surroundings even in my sleep. It’s not just about insomnia, I am a light sleeper; my mind barely shuts down! If I’m lucky, things that happen around me find their way into my dreams without disturbing me. It’s worth saying I am not always that lucky!
  
  6- I have an extraordinary ability of blocking painful things away from my memory and not reacting to them at the moment; this is how I survived the past two years! Problem is, sometimes my mind stops performing that task when I am exhausted and it’s like you pulled the plug on your freezer; a serious meltdown of unpleasant thoughts!
  

There Kov, you can’t say I don’t keep my word, the tag is done :)

Oh, and if you feel like doing this tag, be my guest, just leave me a comment so that I can check it out.

My babies…

I’m at work, obviously not working!

And it just hit me, I miss my kids!! Yeah, I was too tired yesterday I slept like a log and I remember shooing them out of the room in grumpy sleepy manner. Since I did not spend time with them, I seem to be making up by it by talking about them to everyone who mentions them!!

I ran out of people, so I am sharing a few things… However, be warned, this is all mushy and cute and contains mommy material that can make some people nauseous!


My Beem…

His recognition of trademarks and brand names is simply outstanding!! It started out with associating car brands to their owners! Like how Peugeot is the brand my dad drives and so on. It would only take him seeing the brand once and he would associate it to the person who happened to be there!! He calls Skittles “batabata” because Batabeet was the first one to give it to him!! And he is capable of recognizing McDonald’s golden arches anywhere; moreover, he knows the way to go from where we live!!! He recognizes Adidas… it is his father’s brand when it comes to sports wear… I find it surprising that he still points at the logo saying Adidas and refers to his father; it has been around 10 months!! He associates Pepsi with me and Lipton with my dad, he even recognizes Kodak for photos! And that includes all logos to every brand!!!! I am not sure, but I think it’s worth mentioning that I used to work with trademarks during my first pregnancy!!

He is very kind hearted and sweet regardless how angry he gets. I don’t think he’s capable of harm; it’s usually more of a reaction to him. Like he would be really angry and giving me that mean stare my baby sis refers to as “the stare of the little boy from the movie Identity”, then I would say something I know would make him laugh and in a split second he’s smiling like nothing was upsetting him!!! He’d be attempting to hit, bite or pinch me or his brother and I start tickling him, he cracks up and it’s a different mood!! I love him.

He’s a typical “ya wad ya t2eel” kinda kid! He would spend hours and hours giving strangers intense stares; not the acknowledging kind of stares, more like the intimidating don’t-you-dare-make-friends-with-me kind or the you-do-not-exist-in-the-scope-of-my-vision kind!! But once he knows you and he’s really familiar with you, he’d be too nice and friendly; he’d even be willing to share his candy with you!! That’s A LOT, trust me :) And he’s popular among the girls at the nursery too ;)

He has imaginary friends. I keep running into him playing with non existing people explaining rules to games in his not so easily understood dialect and he also explains that “mama bet2ool mes ne3mel keda…” which makes me smile because he actually listens to my rules even if he does not do by them!!


My Mocha…

We refer to him in so many words that have to do with “egram”!! I swear, the kid is motacharred, but in the most charming way possible!! He has a smile that brightens up my mood, and those big brown eyes of his just make me wanna keep kissing his little cheeks until he pulls away!

You know how sometimes we parents make all sorts of wild guesses about our kids’ future professions based on their early interests… my number one expectation of Mocha’s career is mokhber or a shaweesh (as illustrated in Egyptian Black/White movies by el shaweesh 3atteya)!! You know that dude who yanqad we ye2fesh el wa7ed men afah!! He does it all the time as his way of greeting; he practically throws his not so much of weight as he gives you the feeling that you’re being caught!! And don’t forget the amazing smile.

He hates bathing and showering! He does!! The moment he sees me filling up the tub or senses any arrangement of his post shower, he freaaaakes and starts bending himself violently trying to make me let go of him; he kicks, screams, slaps, scratches, whatever it takes!! I am ashamed to say I surrender most of the time and clean him up really well instead of real bath or shower; anyone knows how to install straps in a bathtub???

He’s extremely restless!! I get the following comments from his nursery instructor in his daily report notebook… “he’s the most active kid in the class”, “he moves a lot, it’s such a challenge teaching him to sit still in his chair”, “how do you handle him at home? How do you make him sit still?” In addition to her face to face comments that go like “is he really just 13 months old; he walks much better than kids his age usually do, let alone the climbing” and “he is so friendly with other kinds and he interacts very well, and he has such a smile”… yessss my cutest mocha ever :)


I can’t wait until I’m home and spending some time with my little monsters.

You know you’re Egyptian when…

you have one of those convos…

on msn, after the heys and how are yous...

My cousin: how is your family, parents, sisters, kids, husband?
Me: all is fine… is your dad coming to egy this summer, I heard rumors!
Her: yeah, he most likely is, with his so called wife!
Me: she IS his wife, no?
Her: yeah she is, I just don’t like her, you’ll know what I mean when you meet her
Me: I asked because you made it sound like they haven’t gotten married yet, so called wife does not apply I guess, X is my so called husband tho!!(not knowing if she knows about my pending divorce, so I decided to test waters before I come out)
Her: yeah! So is it really a divorce???
Me: lol, so you know? hehe
Her: I kinda heard, just wasn’t sure
Me: how did u hear, I’m curious
Her: My brother S hinted it
Me: yeah it’s funny, he sent me a message on facebook asking me in the weirdest tone “r u ok” while he has been checking on every one else on their walls, I thought it was strange, but I didn’t dwell! So how did S know??
Her: I think cousin A told him
Me: lol, omG how did A know, we barely speak, I chat with strangers more than I contact him, and we exchange notes on facebook every now and then!!
Her: I don’t know!!
Me: I only told your brother O, and uncle G and just told aunt H a couple of months ago!!
Her: I don’t find it surprising, hehe, mesh awel marra!!!
Me: does your dad know tayeb, wala saybeeno ma7adesh 2allo?
Her: I think he does
Me: cool then; now I can ask him to remove X from his facebook friends and I can have all my family members who added him do the same :)
Her: but r u ok, you seem to be fine, r u?
Me: yeppp alhamdulilah, I am especially fine these days Kaman, will you be visiting with your dad?
Her: only if I can talk the husband into it
Me: hey come on, u haven’t vsisited since u got married, u know the way things should go, you bring him to meet the family here, they get to meet him and judge him and talk about the two of you behind your backs, then they give you their blessings and say “rabena yewafa2ek ya habibty”
Her: yeah I can’t wait…

The rest of the convo is rather private!!

Living in the states or not, my family is holding on so tightly to their Egyptian heritage :)

It was a good chat though, catching up, jokes, and simply a good family moment! I hope she visits this summer with my uncle. Hehe, I can have stuff purchased for them to bring :)

An evening with my family*

Act I

People: My parents, my kids, my baby sister, and I
Place: In the car, going out for a late lunch
Random Information: My dad insisted on driving because he feels sick when he’s not. I said I would choose the music if he does, and connected the ipod, and chose an Arabic play list to avoid sarcastic comments. Hanine y Son Cubano was playing their version of "2alby we mofta7o"

Beem: *pointing at a kiosk selling pepsi* da bta3 mammy
Goody: noo beem, da mesh beta3 mommy
Beem: la howa pepsi bta3 maaammy ah
My dad: soot meen da?
Me: a Lebanese singer and a Cuban band
Goody: no she’s Palestinian
Me: Hanine is Palestinian?
Goody: yes
Me: strange, I thought she was Lebanese!
Mom: Hanine meen, sa7bet el kiosk??


Act II

People: My kids, my baby sister, and me
Place: Home
Random Information: My baby sis helping Beem wear his home sandals so that he’d go to my dad downstairs, as I was changing Mocha’s diaper

Beem: *mumbling stuff*
Goody: sam3a ebnek?
Me: la2, bey2ool eh?
Goody: gomla phalsafeya
Me: eeh
Goody: ana mesh enty
Beem: aaaaaAAhhh

*Maat was at the Marcel Khalife concert. I hate her for not getting me tickets. I was considering disowning her, but she got me Pepsi on her way home, so I reconsidered.

Shaking things up…

Everyone is having a rather longer weekend… some people with lives traveled and enjoyed some change of scenery, while some others are too lazy to make plans… I am one of the lazy ones; so I had the time to sit and think of the 10 random things Arima asked for…

But first...


The Rules

• - Post 10 random things about yourself
• - Choose 5 people to tag and a reason you chose each person
• - Leave them each a comment directing them to your blog so they know they are it
• - You can’t tag the person who tagged you (you’ll have to make new friends)
• - As a courtesy to the person who tagged you, please let them know when you have posted so they can have the sheer delight and extra work load of reading your answers)
  
  

My 10 Random Facts

1. I am a Pepsi addict; seriously, I tried quitting, I tried substituting for all other kinds of drinks, nothing worked… I don’t think my bones will age gracefully, do I hear hip replacement at the age of 50!!

2. I am lucky/unlucky for being able to lose/gain weight so easily… either way I suffer financially with the continuous wardrobe changes!!

3. Up until I was 18 or something, I never listened to Arabic songs (except the oldies my dad played in the car during long road trips, when my walkman was busted or simply ran out of battery)… and when I finally did, it was strictly nothing but Fayrouz until a couple of years ago!!

4. I do not pay much attention to most of my properties; one look at my car, laptop and my cell phone, you’d see I am guilty of abuse!! I watch out for other people’s properties thought, I promise!

5. My hands tend to get all hot and sweaty, especially when I am nervous, until they sweat off all the heat and I am left with freezing palms.

6. For someone who has that much perfumes, I am not big on them; I am more of a natural fragrance girl… vanilla is on the top of my list along with berries, country apple, lime and coconut, and light jasmine fragrance… Bath and Body Works stuff are simply the best and The Body Shop is overrated!

7. As articulate as I can be at times, I find it extremely hard to say the words I mean the most; words that reflect sincere authentic emotions just make me stutter… I think I have emotional paralysis… it got a lot worse thanks to my x.

8. As much as I don’t seem to react properly to advice, I actually listen! When it’s good advice from people whom I value their opinion, it usually keeps haunting me until I do by it!!

9.I have authentic phobia from insects and spiders, I MEAN IT. Idiots who thought it was funny to wave a dead insect in front of me or throw an ant under my shirt scarred me for life that now I see a cockroach and I can start crying hysterically! I am way beyond fixing, so don’t try; it will only scar me some more.

10. Up until I had my kids, I always wanted to die young, I never wanted to turn 50… now that I have them, I wanna wait around until they’re all grown up and not needing me, and then I wanna die before I start getting helpless and sick… I have seen how people can age; it scares the shit out of me to be in that place one day.

The people I tag (in alphabetical order)

• 1. Deeeeeee; A sweet girl who knows how to speak her mind, and has an opinion about almost everything :o)
• 2. Embee; Love the sense of humor and the sarcasm; I just never get a chance to comment enough!
• 3. Gun Barrel Klashnikov; He’s bound to say something that is good arguing material; I just love that (hehe)… Everyone here knows about your Godfather obsession though, so different facts please :p
• 4. Nora; One of the sweetest most kind hearted people I have ever dealt with, God bless her :o)
• 5. Ragin Raven; His blog is always a good read, and he likes Edgar Allan Poe; does it get any darker!!
  

Come on people, don’t be shy!

Seriously!!!

I am responsible for organizing an event where the company I work for hosts a big meeting inviting other companies within the same field. So as I prepared the invitations and had them sent out last week, I left my name as the contact person for any updates regarding the attendees and the reports I am supposed to receive in advance to be available in that meeting.

BIG MISTAKE!

I mean I just wrote my first name and my last name! I did not write my dad’s name because I know people in the field would recognize it. I thought I was relatively safe from being recognized as his daughter (which is not embarrassing at all except for the part where people call and start saying weeeeiiird things)

So here is goes…

Mr. X: Hey inso (yes, he nicknamed me), ezzayek ya habibty 3amla eh
Me: yes, ezzay 7adretak (thinking it was a friend of baba’s whom baba passed my work no. to for whatever reason)
Mr. X: we ezzay ‘ABOOKY’, eh 7ekayto el ragel da, regleeh akhadet 3ala Alexandria keda leh?
Me: 3ady ba2a, merato el tanya kanet 3ayana showaya (mesh 2aly abooky, he must know the joke about baba having a second wife in Alex)
Mr. X: hahahaha dana kalemto yoom el khamees (the day I sent the invitations) 2a2olo en benty fel maadi, but he told me he was in Alex (ok, so baba is sheikh 7aret el maadi now!!)
Me: kont tekalemny, ana assed makano… ana 3arfa el soot bs ma3lesh mesh merakezza, meen ma3aya (la 3arfa el soot wala beta3, bas ba3mel manazer)
Mr. X: ana lessa ba3etlek email
Me: (refreshing my mailbox and reading his name in a stupid loud voice) Mr. XYZ (the name did not sound familiar!!)
Mr. X.: aiwa, ana ebn el kalb da, hahahaha
Me: *mumbling* (ha2olo eh ya3ne, ah masalan?)
Mr. X: hab3atlek ba2a el hard copies later, forsa sa3eeda ya insomniac eny kallemtek, salemeely 3ala baba

Needless to say, my faith in baba’s acquaintances has shaken!!! DRAMATICALLY

But then there was that other guy calling to tell me that they did not receive an invitation, so I asked him about his company name and confirmed that an invitation has supposedly been sent, and with my most polite tone I told him “ana hab3atha le 7adretak 7alan via fax, we in sha2 Allah tesharafna yoom el meeting”, he thanked me and referred to me as Miss insomniac… ok, I won’t interrupt him to tell him “madam men fadlak”… lol

He called me yesterday asking if I received the soft copy of the report, I confirmed and asked if his company was to send the hard copy, he said he’d send it today and said he’s looking forward to seeing me again referring to me with Miss! Today, shortly after I received the report he called asking if I received the hard copy, I confirmed, so he went on and on about how it’s a pleasure talking to me referring to me as Miss again!!! Then he paused and asked me:

Him: your family name sounds familiar, do u have relatives in maadi??
Me: I’m sorry can I get your name again? (well, if he knows baba I might as well write his name down and tell baba he said hi, mana fadya)
Him: folan el folany
Me: ahlan be 7adretak, sorry I am not good with names (in fact I am)
Him: so u have relatives in maadi?
Me: yes, who do u know? (I like a3mel 3abeeta)
Him: Mr. ABC (baba) he was the chairman of the NGO for blah blah blah
Me: yes, he’s my dad
Him: really, then Mr. DBC is your uncle??
Me: yes, in fact he’s my dad’s second cousin (ok, this can go forever, since my dad had another second cousin who used to work in the same field, only he died, Allah yer7amo)
Him: you know I live in maadi too, and I used to come to your dad’s office around 10 years ago
Me: Really. (that was the most uniterested ‘really’ ever said)
Him: yeah, I think you were a little girl back then, akeed keberty we ba2eety 3arooosa
Me: (LOL) merci
Him: khalas salemeely 3ala baba and I will see you on the day of the event ya MISS insomniac

El ragel gayebly 3arees shaklo… eh el araf da!!!! Maat, I know how it felt with the last guy who proposed through your boss (did I just say too much?)

I think I am about to change my name. any suggestions people??

P.S. my real name is not insomniac, and all the aliaces are not the people’s real names either. OK!

Random!

On Roller Coasters…

Why do people get on them?? I mean, I for one have acrophobia, and my heart and chest simply hurt when the ride starts, right before the action begins!! I am not the type that throws up easily, but it happens from time to time that I just do after roller coaster rides!!

I am not the only one who’s like that! How come roller coasters are that popular?!!!

And why do I know I would get on the next ride?!! However, only outside Egypt because I do not trust the Egyptian standards of safety whatsoever.

P.S. Maat, I do reget not getting on that balloon, not because you said it was awesome, but because I know I would have loved it! Damn you Egypt for screwing my fun with your lack of safety.

I couldn’t stop laughing!

Yesterday, my dad was going to Alexandria with one of his best friends, a man I just enjoy his company. If it weren’t for my kids’ flu, I would have joined just to be around people who actually make me laugh from the heart. Looks like my prayers were answered, for around an hour or so after my dad left to pick up his friend, I found his friend calling…


(sorry the conversation is in English transliteration, but translating it would have killed the fun really)

Uncle N: aloo
Me: aiwa ya uncle, ezayak? *big smile on my face*
Him: Kowayes, kowayes seebek… kan nefsy tekoony mawgooda ma3aya delwa2ty we teshoofy el manzar da! *an extra serious tone*
Me: Manzar eh?
Him: mayetwesefsh, bas ha7awel la2en de la7za tarekheya…
Me: shokran *smiling again*
Him: ABOOKY
Me: kheir???
Him: ABOOKY, el ragel el mo7taram elly lama beyedkhol makan el nas beto2af 3ashan tesallem 3aleeh… elly lama beyesh7'ot fel beet el sha7'ta, bey7'aleeko teleffo 7awaleen nafsoko…
Me: Aiwa aiwa, 3arfah… 3amal eh ya3ne!
Him: Geh le7ad 3andy we a7'adny we so2na le7ad Master’s we geena no2af 3ashan neshrab 2ahwa we nesally la2eeto labes gazma farda bonny we farda sooda
Me: *LAUGHING*
Him: el beeh elly 3amel beyefham fel alwan mesh 3aref el bonny men el eswed
Me: ya uncle wenta betkalemny leeh, enta mesh 3andak camera 3al mobile, sawarro besor3a abl ma ya7'od el mobile mennak…*still laughing*
Him: yaaaah, fatetny, maho ya setty 2am gab gazma Tanya men el shanta *baba’s voice in the background* bey2oolek ebnek el gazma howa elly bey7ot gezzam mesh shabah ba3daha gamb ba3daha…
Me: bas ebny 3aref el far2 been el gazma el sooda wel gazma el bonny, 7atta es2al baba hay2ollak… we eza kan bey7otohom mesh gamb ba3d, da mesh 3ozr aslan….. rabena yekhaleek leya ya uncle 3ashan kalemteny tesaya7lo..
Him: la howa ana haskot, eskenderya kolaha hate3raf…. Khody 3ayez yekalemek..
Baba: aiwa ya *insert some sheteema, but in a joking tone* ebnek yeb3ed 3an gezamy khales… fada7toony
Me: enta kol 7aga te2oly ebnek, feen 3eneek…
Baba: aslan ana geet 2a2la3 el gazma oddam el game3, wel denya showaya dalma, la2eet farda be robat we farda men gheer robat…
Me: KAMMAN!!! *laughing even more*
Uncle: *in the background* ya3ne mesh bas 3andak 3ama alwan, la2 a3ma tamaman
Baba: bas eskot enta khales, 3ala fekra, el ragel da mesh hayenfa3ek….
Me: wala tez3al, 2ollo yama bento nezlet be farda we farda, de marra aslan nezlet be farda be ka3b we farda la2, we lama ma3erfetsh temshy eftakaret enaha beto3rog we khafet 3ala nafsaha….
Baba: begad??!!!
Me: Ah, kalemooha es2alooha *laughing even more, for it did happen*
Baba: tab khod khod ya abu el habla…
Uncle: tab ana benty habla, Allah yekoon fe 3oon bentak
Me: la ya uncle, ana a3da 3andohom, mesh hala2y 7etta abat feeha keda…
Uncle: tab khalas…. Kefaya keda, yalla bye, hakalem ba2eet el nas a7kelhom… tesba7y 3ala kheer ya bent (baba’s name)


My dad turns 59 next February; I think he’s getting old!! He never NEVER would have even worn a pair of socks that wouldn’t match his outfit!!! He has like million shades of each color and he has a name for each, although he would call dark dark olive: grey; but still, he could tell one shade of color from the other regardless what he called them.

When I told Maat about the shoes incident she was like “BABA!!!!! Ya 7aram ya baba”.


P.S. Cousin O, I know you check my blog from time to time, I would appreciate it if you do not tell any one in the family this, until I do it myself in the next family gathering… I don’t want people finding out about my blog girl :)

If I am not depressed, then why can I not control my negative emotions?

Your EQ is 107

You're average. It's easy to predict how you'll react to things. But anyone could have guessed that. You're a bit moody, and sometimes you have trouble coping with every day life.But you're by no means depressed, and your good days definitely out number your bad days. There's nothing really wrong with your life, but you may not be living up to your actual potential.Negative emotions can be a real drain of your energy, so make sure you have them under control.

What's" Your EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)?

Update... update!!

Since it was a bit cold and rained yesterday, I could only check places in Maadi for the potential costume. I did find a superhero collection in Fundays, I just though they were too cliché and well, stupid (sorry to all who dressed as superheroes in their childhood).

Needless to say that a pirate was ruled out and I won't even begin explaining why! (Shh Maat). Also the burglar wasn't something I wanted him to dress as, since well, let's say he has enough potential for that and I did not want to encourage it :)

My dad would not spare a tie for the nerdy look (the man has lost count of how many ties he has, yet he'd actually recognize if one was missing!!), and I won't begin talking about the shirt... men are weird that way!!

Could not find a cowboy hat (and didn't find a pair of cowboy boots either, maat) although we already had the plaid shirt and the matching bandanna and could have managed to find a rope! (bummer)

I even asked baba for his old construction hat, but his reply was "enty habla walla eh", and it wasn't in the form of a question!!

So basically, my attempts to be as creative as possible miserably failed since I could not find the stuff I needed.

All this was to prepare you for the final result

.......................

I got a jester's hat, and face paint...

I Dressed him in the most colorful top he has (one sleeve orange, the other has multi colors stripes and all, which seemed to boggle his mind for a while!).

He did not let me paint his face (I did mention he has too much ego for a kid his age, haven’t I?), so I wiped off the red nose & chin, and sent him wearing that colorful top with the hat that chimes.

I took a couple of photos, but they weren't great since he wanted to leave with my sis and kept shooing me away, will post one if he decides to let me take more photos when I pick him up.


I have a very strong feeling he would have resented me if I had used the face paint, I am even worried that one day when he's all grown up, he'd think the jester's hat was not a great thing to make a photo record of... I don't care, as his mother; I am entitled to cause some kind of damage, no?

More and more about my beano!!

Yep, another post about him :) ridicule me all you want; it serves me right for making fun of those obsessive parents whom I seem to have joined their club.

So his teacher told me there is a Costume Party tomorrow. It’s worth mentioning she told me so two days ago; only I have been busy with other stuff and planning to think of his costume today.

I am not familiar with stores that sell costume wear for kids’ parties and stuff, but I think I have a couple of places on mind that I can check. However, I would like to handle that thing as creatively as possible since this is as much challenge as I get, so I have to make the best of it.

So I’ve had a couple ideas that I discussed with Goody, Maat & Nephthys...

- Maat she really really really wants beano to dress as a pirate!! I have no idea how I can make him look like one, I know I can buy an eye-patch from a pharmacy, but that’s it. So Maat, if you have a clue how to get the rest of the costume, do it, you have my consent!! (oh oh oh, maat, we have that parrot thing, the one mocha plays with)

- I thought we could send him to the party as a cross-dresser… you know, he would love to wear high heels and a purse, and I am not sure he’d mind a skirt and make-up!! But I kinda think (actually I am sure) this could scar him for life, so pass.

- Goody suggested Superman, but instantly withdrew the suggestion when I started laughing for she realized the red underpants would definitely scar him even more.

- I also kinda thought of that nerdish look I’ve seen so many times in pictures for kids my son’s age… you know the one with big shirt with sleeves, the tie (we can take both from baba), the glasses (I can buy those from any kids’ store)..

- I also thought of cupid!! He still wears diapers anyways, so it won’t be extra embarrassing or anything! We can get feathers or even wings from wherever! He’d love to hold a bow too, he’s aggressive that way!! However, I think it’s too cold for that, may be in the summer…

- Finally, Maat came up with another suggestion: a Darweesh—(not sufi darweesh, rather magnoon darweesh kinda look)-- homeless darweesh… baba’s pj top (yeah it’s the cliche pin-striped ones in all Egyptian movies), we can tie a rope around his hip for an extra bahdala effect, and we have soo many seba7-- worry beads, and we can always put some dirt on his face, he’d love it! Let’s not forget that he likes listening to the call for prayers and he can do the whole act… hehehe…

I know I know, at this point, I am not even sure my sisters and I provide the best environment for either of my kids to grow up and become healthy adults.

So people, any suggestions… I know it is short notice, I should have asked a couple of days earlier, but that’s the case now! I could use any real suggestions before I go shopping tonight for whatever needed.

Waiting…