و كم ذا بمصر من المضحكات..!!ا

اثبات جديد على أن الابداع ليس له حدود..و أن فى مصر لكل شئ معنى و شكل و مذاق أخر يصعب على حواسنا ادراكه...انه حفل افتتاح مونديال الشباب 2009...!!ا

أذهلنا المنظمون و صاحب الرؤية الفنية -الذى أعلم يقينا أن الكثيرين قد حاولوا جاهدين فهمها فى اطار الفن السريالى..و لكن هيهات أن تدرك عقولنا المتواضعة ذلك الاخراج الفنى المذهل...!!ا

جماعات قليلة متفرقة فى ساحة الملعب ترتدى ملابس رديئة وتقوم بحركات سخيفة مكررة دون هدف على مقاطع من الموسيقى المملة...على المشاهد ألا يطمع فى وجود تشكيلات هائلة أو استعراضات ضخمة...ففى النهاية هم أعداد قليلة جدا و يبدو أن مهاراتهم ضعيفة الى حد كبير أو أن مصمم العرض قد أعطى لكل منهم بعض الحركات ليختاروا من بينها فى عشوائية و حرية-من الواضح أن هذا كله ضمن الرؤية السريالية-....الأهم من ذلك أنك بالنظر الى ملامحهم تدرك أن منهم البعض-أو الكثيرين- ليسوا بمصريين...يبدو أنهم من أوروبا الشرقية و روسيا ..الى أخره من الدول التى صدرت لنا راقصيها فى التسعينيات من القرن الماضى بعد انهيار الاتحاد السوفيتى ...!!!ا

قد تشعر فجأة أنك فى القرن الماضى وأن عمرو دياب قد يخرج فى أى لحظة بقميصه المنقط و هو يهذى "بالحب اتجمعنا و الدنيا حتسمعنا و الليلة أول أعيادنا....الخ"...أول أعيادنا...أخر أعيادنا...تتساءل للحظات هلى بقى لنا من معنى الأعياد شيئا؟!!!اتعود الى واقعك الأليم فتدرك أن ما تشاهده لا يرقى حتى الى مستوى افتتاح الدورة الأفريقية 1992...على الأقل كانت الجموع مصرية الملامح...و لم نكن قد بلغنا هذا القدر من التقدم التقنى الذى لا يغتفر معه ذلك المستوى الهزيل المفزع فى الأداء الفنى أو الاخراج التلفزيونى...نهاية الأمر ينتابك شعور واحد ...أن ما تشاهده هو الأسوأ على الاطلاق...!!!ا

يوسوس اليك ابليس اللعين لتقارن بين ما تشاهد و ما شهده العالم أجمع فى العام الماضى فى بكين...هنا تستعيذ بالله من تلك الوساوس و تحاول طرد تلك الهلاوس قبل أن يصيبك الجنون...!!ا

تحاول خداع نفسك و تحاول أن تتحلى بالصبر و الأمل فى ارتفاع مستوى العرض و الوصول الى ذروة الأداء بعد منتصف الاحتفال...تتحطم أمالك على عارضة الواقع عندما تجد كل شئ يسير على نفس الوتيرة...توقن حينها أنه من المؤكد أن جوزيف بلاتر قد تنفس الصعداء لعدم تأهل مصر لاستقبال كأس العالم 2010...قد تكون جنوب أفريقيا أقل أمنا من غيرها...قد يكون عليها العديد من التحفظات...و لكن حتما لن تصل الى هذا الحد من رداءة الأداء فى حدث يفترض أنه عالمى ...من المؤكد أن الحضور سينالون نصيبهم من المتعة و الانبهار...من الوارد ألا يأمنوا على حياتهم أو أموالهم..و لكن على الأقل سيضمنوا قسطا من المتعة البصرية...و ليكن ما يكن بعده...فليُسرقوا أو يُقتلوا حتى...حتما سيكون أفضل من ذلك التعذيب البصرى فى ما تشاهده هنا...!!ا

نعم..قد يكون مجرد احتفال يمر مرور الكرام...و لكنه فى النهاية انعكاس لكل أفات المجتمع فى اللامبالة و نقص التخطيط و فقر التنظيم و ضعف الأداء و الاهمال على المستوى الفردى و الجماعى...الخ

نعم..قد يكون مجرد احتفال..مجرد حدث كغيره من أحداث أيامنا المتتالية..نراها فنضحك باكيين أو نبكى ضاحكين...فكما قال المتنبى:

و كم ذا بمصر من المضحكات ....و لكنه ضحك كالبكا

Quran Campaign..!(Quranic Thoughs)

قال تعالى: ﴿كِتَـٰبٌ أَنزَلْنَـٰهُ إِلَيْكَ مُبَـٰرَكٌ لّيَدَّبَّرُواْ ءايَـٰتِهِ وَلِيَتَذَكَّرَ أُوْلُو ٱلألْبَـٰبِ﴾ص:29

Today, I'm inspired by Quran in my thought but it's also about Quran itself.I know that some ppl (or many to be realistic) won't like it coz it's discussing an idea that have thousands or even millions of supporters in this month.But after all i like to think in a loud voice & discuss everything without considering how many thumb ups i'll get.

So to b clear i'm not attacking ideas ,I just share my point of view & surely i accept others.

The issue i'm talking about is the campaign launched at the beginning of Ramadan to reach 10 Million "7'atma" by the end of the holy month.The objective is to motivate ppl to read Quran & to 'live with it'.A person should update the counter whenever s/he finishes a "7'atma".

The objective is specific , the idea is motivating for thousands of ppl & the good intentions exist.

So what's my problem?

Actually it's just that i dnt feel comfortable in dealing with religious issues with the business or the marketing concepts. I think that the numbers & the measurable goals are not suitable in dealing with "3ebadat".

I mean if a company's objective is to make a profit of X$ or if a charity organization launches a campaign to collect Y$, this is sth measurable & tangible, it also has specific indications & consequences to monitor.

On the other hand if a group of ppl decide to launch a campaign to reach Z "7'atma"-with having great intentions for sure - what does it indicate? can any1 decide if it's good or bad to reach the specified number ? is there any tangible consequences? can we say that it's an achievement? can any one measure the impact of all all this on ppl's spirits & attitude to announce the success of the campaign?

AND the hardest question: can any1 on earth know the percentage accepted by Allah after all?!

I think no1 will have the full answers for the previous Q's.

AGAIN b4 i go on; I have to state clearly that i'm not attacking the idea or the supporters, I'm just stating that PERSONALLY i dnt feel comfortable with involving such relation with Allah in campaigns,numbers, calculations,counters...etc. Others may feel that it's a great idea that encourage them.It's just a matter of point of views.

I just feel that it's really a private relation & no1 can figure out the factors within, such as the acceptance, "Thawab" ,"7asanat"...etc.No1 can confirm that the person who read 10 verses today is better than the one who read 1 verse.No1 can confirm that the one who participated with 2 "7'atma" is better that the one who didnt. No1 can guarantee the acceptance of all the number.No1 can say this number is low or high, coz it's not measurable or indicative after all.

I know that some ppl may feel that i'm over thinking about simple issues to get them complicated with digging deeper, but after all that's how i felt about the campaigning concept.

At the end i have to say that i'm not criticizing anything , i'm just sharing thoughts & if any1 decided to promote for the campaign & participate by updating the counter, surely it's due to a good intention and a different justified point of view.

So May Allah accept our deeds & guide us by Quran in our lives.

Change Resistance..! (Quranic Thoughts)

One of the things that drives me mad is meeting ppl who take things,traditions,ideas..etc. for granted without thinking about the origin, the justification or the reason behind them.
This can b in the simplest things in life that ppl got used to do in a specific way so that they became embedded in their minds as undiscussable facts.
The more frustrating point is that when u ask such ppl about their alibis from a religious,ethical , legal or any other point of view they can't give a convincing justification, they may get mad of u ,accuse u of being crazy & finally it'll end up with them saying "We grew up to find it that way " or "Heya keda"...!!

Actually i call this " بل نتبع ما ألفينا عليه آباءنا"* concept.!!I

I know that u may not find a direct link between the verse & my point, coz the verse mainly refers to the non believers who preferred to follow their arrogance & ignorance & to resist the change by sticking to their parents & ancestors' beliefs which led them to "Sherk" & "Kufr".
Though,i always link this verse to my point indirectly as in the current case ppl also stop their minds-which is the ultimate gift from Allah to the human-,follow their arrogance,resort to the traditions & ideas they inherited from their ancestors-without even thinking about them-,& resist change even if it's for the better.

Mayb u can't feel the link till now,..but to summarize;
In the 1st case when they followed this concept it ended up with them in "Sherk" & "Kufr" , so they got lost.
In the current case when ppl follow the same concept in their lives, it leads them to get their minds stagnated & to stop developing or moving forward which is another form of loss..!

So may Allah grant us the gift of thinking all the time.



(وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ اتَّبِعُوا مَا أَنزَلَ اللّهُ قَالُواْ بَلْ نَتَّبِعُ مَا أَلْفَيْنَا عَلَيْهِ آبَاءنَا أَوَلَوْ كَانَ آبَاؤُهُمْ لاَ يَعْقِلُونَ شَيْئاً وَلاَ يَهْتَدُونَ)I*
{170}البقرة

To leave a legacy or not to leave..! (Quranic Thoughts)

People always quote Hamlet saying "To be, or not to be: that is the question", though i think there's a more critical question in each one's life that comes after "being" which is "leaving a legacy"..!

I know that most of the people reading this thought have heared,read or discussed the legacy issue a lot of times before. I'm also sure that some of the readers-including me- may have felt -at least once- that the word became a cliché that is overused in any training,event,motivational speech...etc.

So I'm not here to talk about the concept itself. I just wanted to share a thought about it which is summarized in a Verse in the Quran where i always feel the meaning of "the legacy".Whenever i read or hear the word "legacy" , i link it to the the following verse (especially the underlined part)

أَنزَلَ مِنَ السَّمَاء مَاء فَسَالَتْ أَوْدِيَةٌ بِقَدَرِهَا فَاحْتَمَلَ السَّيْلُ زَبَدًا رَّابِيًا وَمِمَّا يُوقِدُونَ عَلَيْهِ فِي النَّارِ ابْتِغَاء حِلْيَةٍ أَوْ مَتَاعٍ زَبَدٌ مِّثْلُهُ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الْحَقَّ وَالْبَاطِلَ فَأَمَّا الزَّبَدُ فَيَذْهَبُ جُفَاء وَأَمَّا مَا يَنفَعُ النَّاسَ فَيَمْكُثُ فِي الأَرْضِ كَذَلِكَ يَضْرِبُ اللَّهُ الأَمْثَالَ

سورة الرعد

اية 17

May Allah make us all from the ones who leave a real legacy :)

:|

Finally I'm almost done with being a student,...actually i'm not an official graduate,..but according to the traditions ppl used to congratulate each others after the last exam considering the fact that the big rocks are over & this is really a good feeling..!!

Actually i'm not gonna write my thoughts about my feelings towards approaching the end of a 5-year phase,...mayb later...I just wanted to write random thoughts right now..!!

After the last exam i had no specific feeling,...some1 looked to me & said WOW it's over we should be over the moon,...she was so excited & still i felt nothing,...i just felt al7amdolelah & went home in silence as if it was a normal day or even more than normal...!!

here i thought about my reactions & found out that i have no extreme-or even more than the normal- feelings or reactions whatever happens...!

i dnt get so excited about sth,..i dnt get so happy,...i dnt get so sad,...i dnt get so impressed,...i dnt get so overwhelmed,..i dnt get so surprized ...etc.

mayb i have a high level of those feelings in certain occasions *,...but still this doesnt appear on me..!!

moreover, i dnt have "favourites" ; i.e: i dnt have a favourite color,music,singer,drink,food,style,place,company of ppl,writer,poet,sport,tv show,brand,subject,...to the end of the things & ppl prefer over each other...!!

i can try evth & get adapted with any circumstances & not get biased by anyth...!!

to sum up nth almost makes difference & to a point it's ok to b so neutral , but being neutral in the feelings & reactions is weird sometimes especially for the others...but anyway that's how it works with me for now...!!!

it's all the same,..i have no high expectations from the external factors,...i can expect the coming phases so i dnt get surprised or over react,..actually i sometimes under-react...!!

but all this doesnt oppose the fact that i'm satisfied al7amdolelah :)

----

*Actually i remember an occasion when i had the peaks of the good feelings,..this was with the best team i've ever worked with -for around 8 months-,..& still evth is engraved inside me :)

ذلك الشئ القابع فى الجانب المظلم من الحياة

هناك فى الجانب المظلم من الحياة...يقبع ذلك الشئ..قد لا أراه...قد لا أعرف ماهيته...و لكننى أشعر به..أشم رائحته الخانقة..فأعلم أنه يقترب..أحس به يتملك الكثيرين فى كل مكان...أراهم فأعرف أنه اخترقهم...أراه يمتص أرواحهم...و ينتزع كل ما بداخلهم..تخور قواهم سريعا فيستقر بداخلهم..و يمحو كل شئ و أى شئ..!!ا

تراهم فلا تعلم أهم هم؟ أم أنهم تبدلوا فى غفلة من الزمن؟ أم أنك لم تعرفهم قط؟

ترى فى العيون بريقا قد انطفأ و استقرت مكانه ظلمات حالكة تغشاك اذ أنت نظرت اليهم..!!ا

و ترى ذلك الصراع المرير بين بقايا ابتسامات تحاول فى يأس شق طريقها على صفحات وجوههم و عبوس شكّل الملامح كما تتشكل الجبال على مر السنين..!!ا

تراهم فتحار..أهم أناس استحالوا أشباحا؟ أم أشباحا تمثلوا بشرا؟

أهم أحياء يموتون فى كل لحظة؟ أم أموات ينشدون الحياة؟

أم هم الموت ذاته تجسد بشرا؟!ا

قد تتهمهم بالجنون و الشطط...قد تشفق عليهم و تنظر اليهم فى أسى...و لكنك أبدا لا تشعر بهم حتى يأتيك ذلك الشئ القابع فى الجانب المظلم من الحياة...لا تراه.. و لا تعرف ماهيته.. و لكنك تشعر به لأنه يكون قد اختارك فى تلك اللحظة لتنضم اليهم...!!ا

Define:"Motadayen"..!

I guess we've all been in a situation where u describe some1 as "Motadayen" or find some1 introduced to u as "Motadayen"...!!

actually sometimes i used to use the word,..till i felt that it's a flexible word used by each one according to his perception,..so i began to ask myself what is the definition of "Motadayen".. ?!



Ok,..1st let me mention that i'm really obsessed by definitions, dependencies,variables & constants in analysis,..judgements,..decision making...etc

so asking myself about the definition of "Motadayen" is a part of making sure that i'm using the right word in the right place , & it's also a way to make sure that i dnt miscommunicate with others when we mention the word "Motadayen"...!!



According to my observations i felt that most of the ppl tend to describe some1 as "Motadayen" for his image plus the apparent "3ebadat",....for example;
having a beard
wearing hejab or even having a certain style in clothes
saying "Jazakomo Allaho 7'ayran" instead of thanx or merci
avoiding music
fasting "al nawafel"
writing religion-related blogs or even copying them
carry a "Mos7af" all the time
using verses from Quran as signatures,status,personal msg's,..etc
attending periodic lectures for a certain she7' in a mosque or sth
talking with ppl alot about religious issues
forwarding religious e-mails
........etc

so those were examples of things that ring the bell of "Tadayon" for many ppl,...even they dnt know the person ,..they just look make the conclusion & label him as "Motadayen" & begin to deal with him from this POV..!!

actually i dnt have a problem with anyth i mentioned above,..on the contrary i appreciate all that & i know how valuable they r for the person,...but still can't make them criteria for favoring some ppl & categorize them as "Motadayenen" ...coz after all this is just one dimension of the human life ,...we cant forget the unapparent "3ebadat",..the human relations ,...the manners,..& b4 anyth the INTENTION behind any action,...all that complete the image & make the judgement closer to the truth...!!

so b4 any1-who doesnt know me-thinks that i'm messing up & that i have problems or complications like some ppl do when it comes to religious issues,...Al7amdulelah i'm not,...!!!
i'm just trying to understand the usage of a word with no specific definition for most of the ppl,...& i bet that if i ask a random sample of ppl about the word,...they'll give totally different answers or even wont b able to give a justified explanation....!!!


let me add another point that makes me uncomfortable with using this word. If we assume that ppl judge a person & call him "Motadayen" based on religion related behavior (3ebadat,clothes,words,..etc)...is it their right to judge & categorize ppl?...!!!
aint it just Allah who can judge ppl & categorize them (فلا تزكوا انفسكم هو اعلم بمن اتقى),..accept or turn their actions (إنما يتقبل الله من المتقين),...knows their intentions & what's really in their hearts...(ربكم أعلم بما في نفوسكم إن تكونوا صالحين فإنه كان للأوابين غفورا),...aint it all out of the human being scope.....?!

i can't get why ppl insist on giving each other vague descriptions like "Motadayen" or "Moltazem"-which is the higher version i guess- & i dont wanna go through it coz i'm not that aware of the rating system used in such cases....& i dnt know when exactly the person get promoted from level to another & who decides this?!!!!


I know all what i say may not make sense for u & u may consider it exaggeration,...but i really think about this issue alot,...so i thought about sharing mayb some1 can shed some light on sides i cant figure out...!!!

& after all i believe that Allah gave us all the best rank ever coz we r "Muslims" :)

A7'er El 3an2od..!

"Sometimes we believe that sticking to our friends equals supporting them in any decision they do.. But that is only possible when there's no hope at all in fixing things.. What if there was ? And your friend would, sink down in life and gloominess when he's got a great shot in being someone a lot better ?

Then fight them back, and make their path down clear, and their path up as clear. So they see what you want them to fight for..

And that was the learned lesson from the last episode.. Do not let your dear ones, just go down with the flow."

------------------------------------------------

this was a quote from a friend's thought,...actually i read this thought more than once , stopped @ some phrases each time & surprisingly it turned out that the same bell rang for both of us when we read it...!!!

mayb she was talking about a certain situation,..but for me the "dear ones" mainly include my family & the very few ppl who could approach the level of sisters & brothers like u,...!!!

i was-& still-a big looser in making strong friendships ,....& i am satisfied with that coz one cant take evth in life & i got adapted to that in a way or another,....but in a couple of years i could gain very very few good relations-or that's how i personally feel from my side-with ppl i appreciate ,.... one of those is a brotherhood relation which makes me care & worry about some1 more than many ppl i met years ago,...it's u..!!
it may b a temporary thing ,...i have no idea how long it'll last but i'm sure it'll leave a good memory after all..!!

i know that i'm not good @ helping ppl,...neither @ helping myself when it comes to feeling down,depressed , frustrated or any dark feelings,...yeah,i always make trials to support u ,....& i know they mayb meaningless sometimes,....i dunno if u just listen to me coz u dnt wanna tell me how annoying i am...,&i'm not sure if they make any difference for u ,...but i cant help seeing u getting down & say nth,...that's y i always try to fight u back coz i believe u can be some1 alot better...!!

mayb u lose faith in urself sometimes,...but i dont & i wont isA ..!sometimes u say it's over ,..it's your end...i just smile coz i know it's not real,...i know they'r just desperate thoughts in tough moments,..& i know that u won't be broken,...& even when u r about to swear that u r gonna surrender,...i dnt panic coz i believe u wont...!!

i remember one day when u said u'd quit,...i didt push u to stay or blame u for ur thoughts,..coz i knew that u wouldn't quit,..i knew that u would go wander in the streets ,.. think & re-think then come back with ur final decision to stay,....!!

that day i didnt tell u i knew wouldn't quit ,...though i was almost sure,...& even if u decided to quit i would respect ur choice coz i would be sure it was not a childish decision...!!

let me tell u a little secret,...when i told u about the freakin' dream i had , i didnt tell u about a weird thing,...u were really broken in the dream,..i kept asking Why?..,u were about to cry , i shed tears & when i woke up i found tears on my face & on the pillow,...i dnt remember another time when i woke up crying,....so y all that?...simply coz i couldnt c u broken,....i couldnt stand seeing u destroying urself,...i couldnt believe that u surrendered...!!!


so mayb i dnt know all ur problems to judge ,..& mayb i dnt have enough info so i just overload u with my expectations & push u hard sometimes to carry on when u r not able anymore,...!

but actually i dnt wanna know anyth more than what i know which is ; u r able to get over anyth,...u will never surrender,...u have the strength to face ur problems ,..u have ppl who believe in u & pray for u,...u have values to guide u ...& b4 anyth u have Allah's guidance & protection as long as u believe...!!!

so it happnes that u feel so down,...it seems that the world turned its back to u ,..all the doors r locked & there's no way out,...u begin to lose ur strength,...u dnt wanna try anymore ,....u lose belief in urself ,...BUT even at this point i belive in the person i knew,..the real u,..i believe u can find a way out even if it seems impossible,...i believe that u wont fall,...!!


finally,...i know that u won't let ppl who trust u down ,...but even if u r obliged to,...plz dnt lose ur values & dnt let urself down,....coz if u lose urself u'll lose evth.....& i know u wont :)


dunno if this means anyth for u,...but after all years will pass,..each one will go in a way,..only the memories remain,...hopefully we'll look back & smile for good memories even in the toughest moments ever....!!

God bless u :)

Facebook Driven Life..!

since the day facebook was launched,it grew bigger & bigger each day with more ppl registering ,starting groups,creating applications,...etc.

for sure anyth can b used wisely or in a crazy way according to the person's control on it, but as i notice many ppl around using facebook as if it were the center of the life i just call it a "facebook driven life"...!!

if u look to some1 of this type of ppl u'll find him starting his day opening the browser to check facebook.
he searches for a catchy statement to write as the status wishing to get as much comments as possible from others .u may find silly statements changing frequently just to satisfy an inner need for ppl attention,appreciation,sympathy or anyth else he lacks.
u may find some1 announcing that his "soba3 regly el so3'ayar beyewga3ny" as his status,..& his friends just reply to wish him speed recovery or even make fun of him.
u may find som1 writing hidden messages for another friend,announcing sth,cursing some1,revealing a feeling,releasing anger...etc.

u also find him craving for any comment on his wall or anyth in his profile to comment back,...& if there's nth he just plays some games,..take quizzes,..add applications to feel that he made sth new,...till he finds some1 online to chat or till he gets a comment to read & reply...!!

he always adds albums & photos ,& u find him waiting desperately for more comments on his latest photos-sometimes this is due to an inner lack of confidence or just a search for popularity-.the photos comments is a crazy part in most cases & it always makes me laugh or even feel sick of the triviality it shows.

if it's a girls' community,..u find a certain style of comments such as :
"ooooooh my god ,u look so gorgeous" (even if she believes that the other one looks ugly)
"oh sweetie,...miss u so much" (even if she can't stand her)
"luf u,..muaaah" (i hate this kind of sound effects...yuk)
"Woooooooow,...u look like an angel" (even if she looks like a real devil without horns)
"Thaaaaaaaanx for ur sweeeeeet words,..kisses" (so what? ,...words r free,...dnt just live in the lie)
"u really look cute,...miss u mooooot" (so what about dialing her phone no. if u really miss her..!!?)

on the other hand if it's a boys' community,..u find another style of comments such as:
"eih ya maaaaan,...gamda a7'er 7aga "
"ah ya 3am ba2a,...maaaashy ;)"
"eshta ya prince"
"c u so soon dude"
& more of the vulgar & tough comments i dnt know for sure,..but anyway it's a matter of saying anyth about ayth ,..just to comment @ satisfy real & virtual needs....!!

actually y may find obsessed ppl hurrying to take photos for themselves anywhere & anytime just to add new albums & get more comments ,...& if a person is more & more obsessed with facebook u may find sth like "fatakat lovers" group or "mido"fun page....just to show their photos,& hear flattering from others,...how silly...!!!!

so this was just a part of the "facebook driven life",... it is not the worst case,..& some of it is acceptable & normal sometimes,...& we all use facebook for different purposes...but it can be bad if some1 is really obsessed with it that he sticks to it most of the time & seeks a satisfaction for his inner needs through it...!!!

so it's all about balance & wise use of anyth..!

Greatness Is Never a Given..!

on 20/1/09 the whole world watched the inauguration of Barack Obama the new president of the the United States of America,..& the 1st of african origins.

surely i was interested to watch the ceremony , neither coz i like Obama nor coz i have high expectations from him concerning his foreign policy like some ppl do.i do know that the american foreign policy is pragmatic & days will proveto ppl that they were wrong & so optimistic to think that america will deal with the middle east gently just becoz Bush had gone...!!

i was just interested to c sth different,..sth i've never seen in my country & the surrounding ones(& may i wont c it till i die...!).

i wanted to watch the transfer of authority (which i've never witnessed in my life) , the EX-presidentS shaking hands & congratulating the new one (not from the graveyard like here),..the speeches (which i've never had patience to listen to from our president through my whole life),..the oath(which is a fake here) ,.. the gathering of the nation (which doesnt happen for any political reason coz they may go to jail after all if they r more than 5..!) ,..the shared celebrations (which we dont have the opportunity to experience) , the inspiration & the power of dreams (which r lost words in our daily vocabulary ) ....etc.

mayb some1 will say i'm just exaggerating coz i'm impressed by this freakin country-USA- which is not perfect after all .it has many many defects & problems internally & externally,..there r concerns related to some issues such as the election process,the democracy,the discrimination,..etc.

i do agree on the 2nd part it's not perfect & ppl just get impressed by it more than they supposed to,...& i'm not one of those, though i dnt agree to the 1st part coz i'm not exaggerating ,..i'm mentioning facts that evbody knows,...we r waaaay far from them in the democracy to the extent that we cant imagine a day when we can c a peaceful transfer of authority,..or c an EX-president alive,..or a normal man reaching this position ...it's kind of madness if u just think this would happen one day....!!

so after all it was an interesting event to watch,...just as an audience,..coz anyway if this man is different he'll b different to his country & his ppl,...no1 here should expect a better era (mayb it can b worse,..who knows?)...& it's not enough to wait the miracles from outside,...& after all evbody should learn the lesson & remember somthose words which i quote from Obama's inaugural address :
"Greatness is never a given , it must be earned."...!!!!

The White Coated Organism (AKA Dr's) Journey..!

finally it's over ,..the long journey is over,..after 6 years(actually 7,never mind with numbers it's a complicated issue) my sister has finished her final year-the 6th-in medicine (actually not the final officially,but never mind it's a complicated issue) :D
as a matter of fact i was kind of involved in this journey so i'm celebrating her freedom(actually not a total freedom,coz...or never mind this is a complicated issue) by writing down some notes & thoughts concerning this journey..!!

one of the noticeable things that any medical student face is ppl's non-stop inquiries & comments concerning evthing,..& in most case they r so silly & repeated.
so let me mention some of those common comments & questions in a chronological order starting from the 1st year,..so here we go.

-in the 1st year:

*congratulations,but take care it's a loooong journey :s,..is it 6 or 7 years?...do u have a preparatory year?
{here u have to explain the system briefly ,being sure that no1 will get it..!!}

*OMG,u have a skeleton at home ,u study on real corpse ?!! poor girl,...how do u stand all this ...!!!!
{here u just smile & say it's ok trying to get out of this conversation}


-in the 2nd year:

*how's studying?...oh,u study anatomy...do u really deal with real corpses?(again),..i heared that some ppl get shocked & lose their consciousness in such situations,..don't u?!!!!
{here u try not to lose ur temper & say that u've heared this Q millions of times & u can stand the dead ppl coz they dont ask those silly Q's}

*do u have normal vacations like everybody?...i get lost in ur system...!!
{here u have to explain that the 1st four years are normal}


-in the 3rd year:

*sorry,which year is it?..the 2nd or the 3rd? how many years left?!..ur system is weird..!!
{here u explain-for the millionth time-that it's normal NORMAL in the 1st 4 years}

*which specialization would u like to choose?
{here u have to explain that it's early to ask this Q+it's a complicated issue}


-in the 4th year:

*so do u have a summer vacation?..i know some years are merged & u dnt have a summer vacation...!!!
{here u use all ur storage of patience to answer & say that the 1st 4 years are totally N-O-R-M-A-L...NORMAL!}

*oh,tell me,which specialization will u choose?
{again,u just explain that it's early to ask NOW..!}

-in the 5th year:

*is it ur final year?...i got lost in ur system & dunno anymore in which year u r ?

{here u force urself to explain quickly with a fake smile on ur face ..!!}

*(after few month)...r u still in the 5th year?...OMG,..it's a tough way u chose...ur friends in other faculties have just graduated...!!

{here u just find an inner voice saying,..SO WHAT?}

*oh,..u deal with real patients,...do u operate on them?

*haven't u got specialized yet...!!!?...do u have anyth in mind?...what about pediatric,it seems easy,...or ophthalmology ,we all wear glasses (with a silly laugh),..or or or (mentioning all the specializations they've ever heared about including dentistry..!!!!)

{here u have to confirm -for the millionth time-that the specialization is a big issue}

-in the 6th year:

*so how many years left?,..i guess it must b the final year..!!

{here -for the 1st time ever-u can say YES without any addetional explanation}

*so u r getting specialized this year?!!

{here -for the billionth time-u explain that the specialization issue is affected by many factors ,& not just a piece of cake..!}

-after the 6th year:

u think that the Q's are over but unfortunatly u find another flow of Q's

*so r u now an official graduate?

*what r the next steps?

*will u get specialized now?

*what ...how..why..who..which............etc.

& the process continues...!!

so this was shot from the journey of a medical student ,..& after all i just can say congratulations for surviving , may Allah be with u in the next phase & give u the patience to carry on & to answer the silly questions ,....after all it's ur destiny & u chose it ;)

ارحل و عارك فى يديك

Farouk Gowaida's latest poem which is gonna b published on Al Ahram -friday 9/1/09 issue

For Bush

ارحل و عارك فى يديك

Part(1)

part(2)

part(3)

The Soda Behavior..(Personal Traits)!

Being an observer of evth around , i can c some significant common personal traits in most of the egyptians (& mayb most of the arabs,& i say MOST coz i'm totally against generalization in anyth) ,..anyway i thought about writing them down.
i intended to start with one trait i call "The Soda Behavior",& i was encouraged by the current situation we all live!!

"The Soda Behavior" is simply the kind of behavior that appears when the person gets so shaken by incidents or even words that he gets internally stimulated & close to explosion, this happens for a certain period before reaching equilibrium state automatically again.
This is like the case of a soda can or bottle when it gets shaken,..the bubbles goes crazily inside the container till u leave it to settle down or just open it to release the pressure & let it explode...!!

that's how most of the arabs behave in most of the situations they face,..starting from their tiny daily life situations,..ending by the big BIG issues.
whatever the issue is u can c the person so frustrated or excited that u feel he's gonna make extraordinary actions & take courageous moves.u can feel it in his excitement & hear it in his voice.actually u may even feel as if all the enthusiasm in the world is like a super fuel for his soul.
but unfortunately by time u can c all this fading,..the shake effect is vanishing,..the bubbles r settling down,...the internal voice is getting silenced,..evth is going back to the equilibrium state as if nth happened...!!

if u think for few moments u can remember many many situations in which u or any1 else u know were involved & followed this "Soda Behaviour"..!!

u can c it when a person faces corruption or injustice in his society or work , when he gets betrayed by another one , when he is misjudged or ill treated by a higher authority,when his human rights r not granted in his country, when he stands for a humanitarian cause, ...etc.

u can notice the curve of his behavior which reaches the peak when he shouts,curses,take heroic decisions..etc.then u can c the decline with a variable slope- depending on the issue-where he ,after all,ends by forgetting about the issue ,giving up,or getting adapted to it's severity & of course taking NO significant action.

surely this is not the case all the time with evbody,..that's y i mentioned the words "common" & "most" @ the beginning ,..but after all i guess it's so obvious & we frequently c it around & mayb that's one of the reasons for remaining as retarded societies & nations ,coz ppl insist on dealing with each & every issue with this "Soda Behavior"...!!

Gratitude Book..!

the Gratitude Book is sth i've passed by on TV & websites,..it's a way to practice gratitude on daily basis ,...it's a spiritual habit in the 1st place,...!

all u have to do is to:

-bring a small notebook

-spend few minutes each day to write 5 blessings (not necessarily 5,...u can write any no.,...but preferable a fixed no. to make it a habit )

-try to focus on what u write & feel the gratitude for each thing u write-write anyth & evth makes u feel grateful..,even if it seems tiny

-u may write the same blessing from different prespectives -u can make it i a fixed time in the day (once u wake up /or before u sleep)or any time

- if u forget it one day try to write'm down the next day aside with the new 5 i guess it's reasonable,..coz it's a kind of an interpretation for:

لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُم

ْوَإِن تَعُدُّواْ نِعْمَةَ اللّهِ لاَ تُحْصُوهَا إِنَّ اللّهَ لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ

practicing gratitude on daily basis makes u focus on evth around u to extract the daily 5 ne3am ,...u'll never underestimate a ne3ma,...u'll discover some ne3am u used to take for granted in ur life...!!

i just wanted to share it with u,..so if u find it a good idea,..go buy a small notebook & start ,...& it'd be a good idea to buy 2 & give it as a giftt to some1 to start with u.. :)

------------------------------
originally written on 27/10/08

Online War..!

Wars in the past used to be just by traditional weapons,...Nowadays,wars take new dimenssions in the world especially after the enormous global technological revolution...!

internet is on the top of the modern weapons used in wars,...& as we r in the middle of a severe war in Gaza-actually the worst in the past few years-we can c the Israeli ppl using this weapon to DECEIVE the world by spreading their LIES everywhere on websites ,webblogs,facebook,youtube,flicker,twitter,...etc.

& since we,arabs,are stuck in our argument ; we r not aware enough of this effective weapon ,..& we dont use it as much as they do to promote our cause , tell the whole world about the Israeli CRIMES in Palestine in the past decades & show every1 who is the real VICTIM...!!


one of the examples they use now is a facebook application to count Qassam rockets hitting Israel & update the user's status automatically HERE ,...they r making a big deal out of small things to make the world believe that they r suffering not TORTURING innocent ppl in Gaza....!!
they also fill their blogs with topics-full of lies or half truth- tagged (Gaza & Israel) to be on the top of the results when any1 searches..!!!
they play their DIRTY game on all the levels & use all the available weapons,...& that's what the war about....!!!

on the other hand i could find some efforts from arab bloggers to blog for Gaza & support the cause online like :
Bent Masreya غزة.. شارك في المعركة اونلاين
Gaza Talk How to resist Online ?

i also can mention a widget by Aljazeera (The Death Toll) which counts the number of dead ppl on both sides & shows the huge difference

so if u r a blooger,programmer, or even just a facebook member ,..if u have sth to do about this,..check the suggested ideas in the previous links & mayb u can write a fair topic in english or any language to talk to the world or make a useful application to support the cause,...who knows mayb it makes a difference more than just talking to ourselves in the same traditional way all the time...& fortunately this is an available & legal weapon but just needs new & effective ideas to make use of it...!!

Magic Moments..!!

The following is a part of paulo coelho's novel "By the river piedra i sat down & wept",...actually i didnt like it that much although it was recommended for me by more than 1 person ,..but those were the 2 pages which got stuck to my mind...!!

-----------------------------

You have to take risks, he said. We will only understand the miracle of life fully when we allow the unexpected to happen.

Every day, God gives us the sun—and also one moment in which we have the ability to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day, we try to pretend that we haven't perceived that moment, that it doesn't exist—that today is the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if people really pay attention to their everyday lives, they will discover that magic moment. It may arrive in the instant when we are doing something mundane, like putting our front-door key in the lock; it may lie hidden in the quiet that follows the lunch hour or in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. But that moment exists—a moment when all the power of the stars becomes a part of us and enables us to perform miracles.

Joy is sometimes a blessing, but it is often a conquest. Our magic moment helps us to change and sends us off in search of our dreams. Yes, we are going to suffer, we will have difficult times, and we will experience many disappointments—but all of this is transitory; it leaves no permanent mark. And one day we will look back with pride and faith at the journey we have taken.

Pitiful is the person who is afraid of taking risks. Perhaps this person will never be disappointed or disillusioned; perhaps she won't suffer the way people do when they have a dream to follow. But when that person looks back—and at some point everyone looks back—she will hear her heart saying, "What have you done with the miracles that God planted in your days? What have you done with the talents God bestowed on you? You buried yourself in a cave because you were fearful of losing those talents. So this is your heritage: the certainty that you wasted your life"

Pitiful are the people who must realize this. Because when they are finally able to believe in miracles, their life's magic moments will have already passed them by.

For The Memory of Someone I've Never Seen..!

I haven't seen this person before he died,...i haven't known anyth about him,...& i even dunno till now, except 1 thing, that he was more than a special person...!!!

he died more than a year ago, & i can c how special he was in the eyes of his friend,..i can hear how different he was in their words,..i can feel how blessed he was from the everlasting grief filling them...!!!

i have seen many ppl,..& seen many kinds of friendship,...but i dnt remember i've seen this kind of eternal friendship,that lasts after death & gets deeper as time passes...i havent seen this loyality towards some1 who has gone,..i haven't seen some1 who leaves a great impact on ppl even if they have never seen him....i have never seen all this before...& i guess i wont c sth as impressive as this again...!!

mayb he's not around -physically- ,...but i can feel his precence all the time coz they feel it,..& as it's a strong feeling ,...its sincerity can touch everybody even if they dunno him...& its strength can make it as visible as the sun for everybody even if they havent seen him... !!

i know i have nth to do with this & i'm not involved to express it coz i didnt experience such a kind of relationships,..but at least i could c it & now i believe that some ppl can really have an extraordinary bond that turns them into 1 person in several bodies,.. so when 1 body goes away ,..he's never really gone ,...& when it seems for ppl that it's an end,...it's not really an end...coz the bond remains forever...!!!

so they were all lucky for having each other & mayb the destiny didnt give them the chance for many years to come,coz it's alwayes the case,perfect moments ends quickly & good ppl leave early(fortunately to a better place) ,..but at least they were given a special relationship , a tremendous memory & a unique feeling that few ppl can experience through their lives,..& before evth they were given the BOND that will last forever...!!


so for the memory of some1 i've never seen i say:
may Allah keep this BOND forever , & gather u all in paradise :)

إِخْوَانًا عَلَى سُرُرٍ مُتَقَابِلِينَ

Chapeau Israel..!

Chapeau Israel...that's all what i can say now !!

u may get astonished & ask y the hell am i saying that about the worst enemy ever?!!!!

but just wait a second i haven't turned insane yet, despite the severe scenes,... the deep pain,..the fading hope,..despite death & destruction,..despite all the darkness around,...i have't lost my mind yet...!

so y am i saying:"Chapeau Israel"?!

coz as usual they won,...& to be fair i have to admit it & greet them for their continuous success,..!!

they didnt win coz they killed hundreds of innocent ppl,...they didnt win coz they destroyed Gaza,..they didnt win coz they have the power ,..they won coz they could get us into an awful trap ,..they could blow in the fire of "Fitna" on all the levels,....no1 is talking now about Israel that much,..ev1 is talking about 7amas,Fat7, E7'wan,Egypt,Qatar,....etc.,..ev1 is arguing if there's a betrayal ,...each1 is blaming a party,...ppl are screaming on TV trying to prove their opinions ,...each unknown journalist or analyst is trying to make use of this opportunity to get in any talk show to say anyth about anyth,....arabs are arguing everywhere & accusing each other,...youth are fighting on chat rooms & forums about the cause,...,ppl are soaked in the tons of contradicted news they hear & read....each1 claims that he knows the whole truth when no1 really has it,....countries,leaders,ppl began to throw each others with words & on the other hand they began to get defensive concerning themselves, forgetting the main issue,...the main crisis,..the main ENEMY....!!!

so it's really justified to say Bravo Israil,...coz they always defeat arabs,..& arabs always help them with their stupidity,triviality,arogance,retardation & ignorance. they always give Israel the way to beat them,...they alwayes give it the best & the easiest chances ever for an enemy to take.

How lucky Israel to have such a kind enemy...& How pathetic we r..!!!

it's really awful but i have to say it & unfortunately seems i'll say it for years to come :"Chapeau Israel"...!!!!!

Nostalgia..!

I say: "A human being is nth but an accumulation of memories & experience."

both are gifts; no matter how good or bad,..no matter how happy or sad..they remain the core of the person.BUT the good memories are the ultimate gift...!!

last year i met 10 ppl who gave me this gift like no1 did b4,...those r my amazing "IT & Media' 08" Team...!

Guys,..i owe u tons of tremendous memories,... i can catch myself smiling at remembering great moments we've LIVED together ,..yeah LIVED ,...i dnt say "spent" or "worked" ,..coz we really lived together for almost 8 months (31July'07-22March'08),...8 months that seemed years,..we had those days when we spent around 12 hours together,....we had those weeks when we met everyday,...we had those months of continuous trainings & work,..we had all those wonderful moments which i will never forget...NEVER!!

i know months passed & it's over....but believe it or not,.. I MISS u all like hell...!!u r the best team ever,..u r the best group of ppl i've worked with,...u r 10 unique,..mmm... teammates,..friends,..brothers & sisters,...dunno what should i call u ,..coz we all had this special relationship that gathered us all the time & built special bonds between totally different 10 personalities!

i believe that i wont have a better team,...i know we went through evth a team can go through,...we had ups & downs ,..we had those tough moments,.but as a whole i can say it's the best experience i have ever gone through,..we were the best team ever,..& even ppl out of the team witnessed that & say it till now ..."You R The Best"...!!

Guys,..i know we still c each others,...but even if i dnt c u physically ,...i can c u in evth around....!!!

i can feel u in every corner we passed by in the faculty,..i can feel u when i pass in midan Salah El Deen,..i can feel u in Nabil el wa2ad,...i can feel u in Crunchy or Boreo Jumbo,..i can feel u when i work on my laptop,..i can feel u when i c my old RAM's,..i can feel u in salé sucré,..i can feel u with Andrew Cramer,...i can feel u in PS,Flash,DW,AE,ZEND,..i can feel u in my flashmemory,..i can feel u in kaspersky,...in can feel u in Carlos Santana,...i can feel u in any chroma,..i can feel u in my digital camera,...i can FEEL & SEE u EVWHERE...!

yeah i feel u evwhere, but i also have those times when i feel this bitter feeling of missing each and every moment we have lived together,...i miss the trainings,..i miss the sweet pain we felt while working for hours,...i miss the brainstorming,...the shooting,..the editing,...the rendering,...i miss the sleepless nights,...i miss our victory moments when ev1 said "IT...u ROCK",..& we said "Al7amdulelah"...!!!

SIMPLY i miss evth,ev1,ev.moment..!!!

i know that many ppl had those feelings for some days after the closing,..they suffer from the "Post Conference Depression ..PCD" for few days ,...but guess what?...i had a "Pre Conference Depression" symptoms,..when i used to look at evth & ev1 & felt bad for imagining that evth was gonna end in few days,...& surely i had a deep "Post Conference Depression",..with severe withdrawal symptoms for long time,....& surprisingly for the 1st time i shed tears for leaving a group of ppl with whom i worked & lived...!!

& the unbelievable thing is that i still have sth inside longing for those days,.. those thoughts become stronger in some moments that i find myself having all the possible expressions on my face as if i'm re-living those moments.

OMG,..i'm digging so deep in memories ,..& guess what?..it brings me this feeling of the bitter-sweet longing for the past,..the sweetness for passing through all that,..& the bitterness for not having those real moments anymore...!!

it may seem weird- for some1 not so emotional & expressive like me-to write this now,..but for me it's not,..coz i always recall those memories whenever i feel bad,..so that i cheer up & smile :)

Guys,i know months & years will pass,...ev1 will go in his way & have his life,..we may c each others & we may not,....but i'm sure the memories wont fade,... i'll c u in evth around,.. i'll always remember u & long for the great moments we lived together,...!!

Gasser,Yasmine,SaraH,Amal,OmEr,Ismail,Negm,Abdu,Tarek,Zizo;I owe u all those tremendous memories :)Thank u for every single moment we lived together :)

Life Spectrum..!

being in contact with different ppl having different mentalities makes me always think , analyze & sometimes come up with theories & analogies between ppl & anyth in life...!

this time i had a little convo. with some1 who almost has 1 priority in his life ,..or mayb i should not call it priority coz one prioritizes when one has multiple things to be managed,...so this person's life is almost dedicated to 1 thing,...he may not have the time to sleep or eat ,...he believes that anyth other than his main goal is useless,...& actually he succeeds to outstand in that one thing....!!!



i'm not gonna judge & say this is good or bad coz after all one's life is one's choice ,...i'm just gonna put emperical models for ppl's approaches in life to show my point of view...& excuse me if i get into math...so here we go...!

i call today's theory :"Life spectrum"...as it deals with the distribution of all the human activities across his life...& i'm gonna examples for clarification...!

1st of all
let:
the x-axis be the different human activities (career,family,entertainment,spirtiuality,charity...etc.)
the y-axis be the weight of each activity,..or the power given to each...!!

& here are 2 examples:

1st:
the type whose life is almost about one thing- like the example i mentioned at the begining-

this type's life spectrum can be modeled by a delta function located @ one point (i.e:one activity),...with maximum amplitued,..while the amplitudes @ the other points are zero ,..or let's say TEND to zero to -b more precise-!!

2nd:
the type whose life is multidimensional ,..those who make different things in life with different weights according to their priorities , they outstand in one thing & @ the same time have other small accomplishments in other fields..!

this type's life spectrum can be modeled by a Gaussian distributed function ,which has a maximum amplitude @ one point (which corresponds to the thing in which the person outstands & puts much efforts ) ,...& has other significant values around the maximum...!!


those r 2 models of life spectra to make my theory clearer,..& surely each one has his own unique model which is formulated by his thoughts & actions.

i believe there's no optimum model for life spectra,...but my personal opinion is that:
the Gaussian(or Normal) distributed spectrum is the closest one to the normal life balance -as its name reveals-coz it increases the person's exposure to different things ,..& gives life new dimenssions.
while the delta spectrum -in my point of view-is a disguised triviality coz the person of this type-even if his delta amplitude is incredibly large- leads a one dimensional life since he mainly believes in one thing ,...does one thing,..& know sone thing...!!

this was the "Life Spectrum" theory,..& this was my personal opinion...!
& now u can think about ur life spectrum & adjust it the way u want coz it's all about ur choice..!!