And Far Away...

Gone. Really. Completely.

2006-07-13T14:13:00.000+03:00

http://andfaraway.net/

It's a sad yet exciting experience moving to a new home. It's still not completely furnished, there a few paintings that still need hanging, many boxes that need unpacking, and a few plugs that don't work yet. But it's in livable condition- there's fresh content as often as I can serve, and warm water. So come on over and don't forget the housewarming cookies (I love cookies).

This has been home for the past two years, and I have grown to love Blogger. It saw growth, love, fights, stupidity, and a whole ton of art. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it doesn't fit my things anymore, and I found myself having to move out. This house will stay open, but it will get dusty with the days.

There are new keys, your old keys will open an old house now.

Please update your address books, it's rude to lead people to an empty house!

ey mambo, mambo italiano

2006-07-10T01:55:00.000+03:00

You would have thought that you were in Rome if you watched the game in Amman tonight. Ex-HardRockCafe was as crowded as heck with people who cheered for Italy. Personally, I was neutral yet leaning towards the Italian side (dude, they're hot). It was a good game other than for the bit with Zeidane, which annoyed me. What a sad end to a great player.

So, oh, my god, the World Cup is done? Life is gonna have to go back to normal routine?

Leaving you with a few horrible picture of Italian Amman.

M for... mathematical ability

2006-07-08T13:23:00.000+03:00

Yazan says:
Check this... "European researchers have created neuro-chips that fuse together brain cells and microprocessors.
Yazan says:
Around 16,000 transistors are glued to neurons in such a way that they can pass electrical signals to the chip." Sweet ey?
Yazan says:
We could add a math and navigation unit to your brain
Roobee says:
haha
Yazan says:
u'd be able to count and tell left from right
Roobee says:
i know i suck at math but i have good navigation ya zeft

Vendetta

2006-07-07T16:19:00.000+03:00

Today I had the chance to watch "V for Vendetta", a movie that I didn't expect to enjoy much. But as usual, I always end up enjoying the comic-book classics even though I never think I will. The story is too Orwellian and the directing reminded me too much of the famous 1984 Macintosh advertisement, but what the heck, I guess you can't really go wrong with 1984 and comic books as far as this person is concerned.

The directing was excellent, I want a Guy Fawkes mask. I was also of course greatly entertained by all the anti-conservative details of the movie, as well as the punches at the US's current "War on Terror".

Fair and... not so lovely

2006-07-06T16:29:00.000+03:00

NOTHING annoys me more than the unbelievably annoying, sexist, shallow, and stereotypical commercials of "natural fairness cream" Fair&Lovely. No. It doesn't annoy me, it downright pisses me off.

A typical Fair&Lovely commercial scenario starts with a little dark skinned Arab girl dreaming of being a television star (add singing into combs and dressing up in mommy's heels). Fast forward a few years, the girl is in her early 20's and isn't getting anywhere in regards to her dreams, and so mommy decides to whip up the magical bottle of Fair&Lovely that not only supposedly makes the girl prettier, but also drastically improves her personality and lands her a fantastic job followed by a wonderful career.

The last scene in the commercial that particularly pissed me off ends with the now-a-big-star-thanks-to-fair-and-lovely-girl giving a little speech on how Fair&Lovely changed her life, "I discovered that my skills, my college degree, and my personality are not enough to obtain the success I wanted in life- I have to be also beautiful. Thanks Fair&Lovely for making me beautiful."

YEEEEEE!!!!

Fair&Lovely, you are evil for enforcing the stereotype that with fairness comes beauty, as I'm sure a lot of the girls watching your stupid commercials actually fall for your claims and start feeling bad about their gorgeous olive-skinned complexions. Just because you want to sell your product.

Fair&Lovely, you are offensive for advertising your product with the stereotype that women have to be beautiful to be successful, rather than putting down the great qualities of wit, knowledge, self-confidence, and various other personality traits that we should encourage rather than dispel.

Advertisements could be such a dangerous weapon when it makes an impact on a young mind. The effect of such bullshit advertising on the mind of a young girl trying hard to make a career for herself while all the while being constantly bombarded by ads on TV showing that personal skills and wits are just a secondary add on to looks.

It is not that I am against whitening creams, although as someone who spends hours tanning, I do not understand the fixation with fairness. I mean, whatever makes a person happy and comfortable is good, whether it is bleached hair, tan-in-a-bottle (my guilty pleasure), or a nose job. But I am very much against stupid advertising that works on girls' self-esteem to sell a product.

Bleh! So you think MBC would give a bull's crap if we send letters and emails asking them to not show the stupid ads?

Death of an Artist

2006-07-06T13:42:00.000+03:00

My heart ached when I read this morning that leading Palestinian artist Ismael Shammout had passed away on July 4th. Shammout committed his life's work to Palestine, it's culture, it's people, and to the art of liberation.

self portrait of the artist

Shammout was seventeen when on July 13, 1948, he was evicted from his home along with the majority of the population of Al Lydd, after which he ended up in the refugee camp of Khan Younis where he painted the suffering of women and children. Shammout organized his first exhibit in 1950 in this very refugee camp.

Ironically, Shammout's career as an artist and popular hero of Palestine began with his 1953 exhibition of oil paintings in Gaza of the catastrophic march through wilderness, on his death, the world was suffering news of the latest attacks on Shammout's Gaza.

What a loss to the art world, what a loss to Palestine.

My sincere condolences to his wife, Palestinian artist Tamam Il-Akhal.

+ Shammout
+ Kabob Fest
+ Electronic Intifada

Why?

2006-07-05T21:34:00.000+03:00

Little yellow duckie floating in a blue ocean and pale blue skies in a MOUSE? (link)

Meanwhile, this is sorta interesting:

Blankness Speaking

2006-07-05T14:20:00.000+03:00

passing (july).
hating (sometimes).
sitting (car, seat, floor).
screaming (no).
wishing (cry).
loving (most times).
cussing (him).
dreaming (future, past, present).
yelling (piss off).
cheering (goal).
worrying (late).
smiling (superman).
thinking (yeah?).
spending (too much).
aching (gaza).
waiting (finish, come, when).

drained.

Allez les bleus

2006-07-02T01:52:00.000+03:00

And so the samba troupe dance their way out of the World Cup, and the roosters cock-a-doodle-dooed their way into the semi-finals. Weeeheee! It's not that I'm on the French side, but man, I'm so glad Brazil is out.

We're such a Brazilian country though- where we watched the game, there were literally around 8 people on the French side (including 3 on our table- hi Hala, mwah) and everyone else was Brazilian, flags, shirts and the whole works.

World Cup Mania

2006-06-30T18:53:00.000+03:00

The Jordanian way...

... and for God's sake don't sit and have piss fits at how this is not "Jordanian" but rather Western Ammani fakeness- it's definitely Jordanian, ok? Regardless of whether it's Western Ammani Bag3awi or even Tafili. JUST DON'T HAVE PISSFITS AT ME.

That aside, here are a few pictures and a video I took today of my brothers and friends getting ready to go watch the Argentina-Germany match.

You would think that they are Germans or Argentinians from all the passion- alas, the Arabs fada7oona in the World Cup and the Jordanian team has a long way to go before they show their sweaty calve muscles at the World Cup so whatever, eh?

I say, "Go Germany!", friend sitting next to me yanks my hair and tries to type "Go Argentina!"

Weeh.

And Argentina just got a goal. NOOOOO!

Kill her. Dead. End of brand.

2006-06-29T00:43:00.000+03:00

As a child, the only toy that ever proved satisfying to my creative needs was Barbie, and not in the girly-girly "Yayyy, dollll!" type-of-way. I loved Barbie because it provided a creative outlet I didn't find in videogames, sports, and boardgames. I could design her house, give her haircuts, glue fabric to make her clothes, create complicated plots starring my very big Barbie collection, and even sit her drown on my bed and draw her in my little sketchbooks.

Looking back, as funny as this sounds, Barbie's impact on my life was drastic.

It was during all those hours bending over my dollhouse changing the colors of the walls, arranging the intricately designed furniture, and making my dolls clothes that I decided I want to be a designer, and although I was so young, it is one of my most vivid memories. I was spending the day with a childhood friend of mine, Aseel, and while we were sitting on the floor glueing beads and fabric to make dresses and spraying glitter on tiny chairs, the conversation moved to what we wanted to be when we grew up. That day I learned a new word from Aseel- "designer", a job where we can almost play with furniture and clothes forever! We both loved the idea so much that we decided then and there that that was what we were going to be when we grew up.

The next many years saw Aseel and I preparing for our dream. We poured our effort into taking art classes together, sitting for hours with scissors and paper exchanging tactics we learned, making cards, dying our hair bright blue to look "artistic", sitting on her family computer pouring over 'MS. Paint', and we even took painting and ceramics classes.

I lost contact with Aseel when I was around 16, then I saw her in the mall last year and we chatted for a few minutes, and to my delight, I found out that she was also studying design at some university in Dubai.

I find it amusing that we both got what we wanted, we both became designers, but Barbie, our childhood muse, is seeing red.

I've been reading about her decline for years now and witnessing it as my baby cousins replace Barbie's graceful beauty with the aesthetic ugliness of Bratz. Today, a radical idea is being proposed: Kill her. Dead. End of brand.

Could it really be? Is Barbie really dying? Has she stopped providing creative energy to little girls?

Detour City

2006-06-28T16:32:00.000+03:00

How to encourage students to think for themselves

2006-06-27T00:30:00.000+03:00

"There are three things which you may never write about in your essays for this class."
That was the first thing I heard yesterday in my first writing class on the first day of the summer semester.
The professor walked up to the chalkboard and wrote the following three words:

1. Religion
2. Politics
3. Sex

An hour later in my second class, Military Science, the officer introduced himself and then told us that there is one thing that will never be discussed in this class, and which we are not allowed to ask any questions about - politics.

Snippets from the website of Jordan University,

The adoption of the principle of democracy in the education and decision-making processes.

... it is by such activity that the university would become a main center of enquiry into the physical and social problems of the country. Within its precincts, there could grow up succeeding generations of students with an understanding of the sociological and technical problems of their country, and, as practical experience was added to their theoretical knowledge, these scholars would be in a position to make an outstanding contribution towards their solution.

How depressing.

For the love of...

2006-06-25T23:15:00.000+03:00

Warhol :)

Have I ever mentioned that I absolutely adore Andy Warhol? Like absolutely. To bits and little tiny pieces.

Anyway, I've been having this intense craving for mushroom soup every single day of the past week, and aside from lunch at a friends house today and breakfast at Wild Jordan yesterday, mushroom soup is pretty much the only thing I ate all week.

I love Campbell's.

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously

2006-06-25T20:49:00.000+03:00

colorless green--> drab green(bright)

ideas --> creative thoughts

sleep --> are dormant

furiously --> opressed, fighting to get out

A drab idea that would have otherwise had creative potential lies opressed and struggling for release in the brains of idiots who refuse to accept that anything can make perfect and fantastic sense with a dallop of an effort inclusive of thinking.

100% full of sense.

Bloom

2006-06-25T13:18:00.000+03:00

When it was spring, every time I'd get on the phone with my parents, they'd ask about the plants. Did the flowers bloom? What colors are the tulips? Is the gardener taking care of the herbs? Naturally, I don't know anything about plants, so I generally just take pictures and show them later.

This morning, while walking to my car, I couldn't help but let out of squeel of delight when I saw a tree blooming outside in the garden. When my mother came after spring, she was really disappointed to see that this particular tree wasn't blooming at all. I hate the fact that she's missing it, especially as it is so big and pretty, so I just thought I'd blog this picture to show her (hi mommy).

Yay or nay?

2006-06-24T22:25:00.000+03:00

Worked on this for a school project, not sure I like it enough. What do you guys think?

2006-06-24T14:52:00.000+03:00

Happy 24th of June to all Jordanians.

Road Rage

2006-06-24T02:39:00.000+03:00

I'm often accused of being too aggressive a driver ("people like you cause road rage!"), and admittedly, I do use driving as anger management every now and then. Although I'm usually a nice calm person, piss me off while I'm driving and I have no problem rolling down my window and having a cow (hi zooks).

Isn't this awesome? Driv-emocion gives drivers the ability to express themselves traffically without getting too extreme. Your standard :) and :( are options while text such as "back off" and "thanks" offer a more direct expression. I'm not sure it's expressive enough for me, but I love it anyway.

Beep. Beep.

+ Core77

How, em, politically correct

2006-06-22T18:10:00.000+03:00

This is a print ad the guys over at Room 116 found in a magazine in the Dominican Republic.
I think its amusing, on many different levels.

Interact

2006-06-22T18:05:00.000+03:00

An awesome and really creative formula:

Blank white billboard:

Graffiti artists have some (legal) fun:

Adidas people cover the graffiti with stencils:

Awesome, eh?

Another cool billboard that caught my eye:

Walls of Gaza

2006-06-21T15:34:00.000+03:00

"Target" by Palestinian artist Laila Shawa, of a boy whose face is in the cross hairs of a rifle.

Shawa uses photographs of the ‘raw dialogue of graffiti’ on the walls of her hometown, Gaza, to bear witness to the brutalisation of lives, and in particular the impact of the ongoing conflict on children.

Closed for Redecoration

2006-06-20T23:13:00.000+03:00

The other day I felt like having a Doolab sandwich, basically kabab done the shawerma way in this tiny place in a hidden alley in Sweifieh. To my surprise, I found a big banner that loudly said "Closed for redecoration".

Today, I went to have shawerma at my favorite shawerma place, a cheap Turkish stall in Jabal il-Hussein. I looked and looked for the store among the plentitude of stalls, then I saw a small white paper glued to the only closed stall. Closed for redecoration. WHATTT?

Why is Amman becoming more design conscious all at the same time?!

It sort of reminds me of Tom & Jerry, a little hamburger place that was down the street from my grandmother's house growing up, and probably my favorite diner in the world at that point. One summer, we came to Amman to find the front door of Tom & Jerry sporting a "Closed for redecoration" sign. It hung there for a very long time. Tom & Jerry never got through to redecorating and the place never opened again.

World Cup Fever

2006-06-19T03:00:00.000+03:00

Is that the most cliche post title or what? Oh, well, a fever dictates some things and that title is a part of the package I guess.

I haven't blogged in what seems like a while to me (actually, the last post I poured Robenergy into was on the 12th, so there goes), and mainly, it's been the World Cup. Although it's not the first time I watch and yell at TV during the FIFA season, I think it's the first time I understand what the World Cup is all about; man... all these countries, all these people, all these cultures, exchanging a sweaty tshirt at the end of a match. It's the most fascinating experience (so is it too weird to be so easily amused at stuff that most people don't even notice?)

Anyway, I know that that sentence isn't enough to explain what I'm feeling, but whatever, I'm really not in the mood to explain, I'm too high on football. It really is plenty of fun. It's fun to watch people react to the games. It's fun to see the way the players react to each other. It's fun to scream and yell and get all angry at a ball being tossed around. It's fun to look at all the hotties. I also absolutely love Amman during this time, the streets are empty if a game is playing (especially Brazil, man, we're so passionate about Brazilian football that we should be given passports), and then during the time that it's not, there's such a crowd! It's awesome.

The funnest part though? The four years between each World Cup. My first memories of the World Cup are of 1994, but the first World Cup I actively watched was that of 1998. Then 2002, which I mostly watched in Amman with my fellow Jordanians-living-in-Riyadh. We went back to Riyadh as soon as it finished, and I still had a year to go in highshcool. I can't believe 2002 was four years ago, and I can't believe the next World Cup will be 4 years away!

What will happen in 4 years? Where will I be? What will I be doing? Who will I be with? Who will I watch most of it with? Questions, questions, and the answers will only come upon with another World Cup. In four years.

Yeah, I know this one has just started, and I think I'm rooting for the Spanish. I don't know yet.

Stealing a page from the past...

2006-06-16T20:30:00.000+03:00

Before the advent of a hot cellphone market, there was "Alo".
"Alo" is no more, but a lot of "Alo" phonebooths remain standing as a rather humorous tribute to the ephermerality of time- "Yeah, we don't work no more and we haven't worked for years, and most of us are as banged up as hell, but hey, look, we stay."

حواديت كأس العالم

2006-06-15T00:57:00.000+03:00

Snippets of tales from the World Cup ;)

"MAN! What's up with all the ties?!"

"Germany played with my nerves!"

"سوف نرى الفائز خلال التسعين دقيقة القادمة"

"عدم قدرة السعودية على الحفاظ على تقدمها في المبارة يذكرني بالمطاعم التي تفتح في مدينة عمان.
حيث تكون هذه المطاعم جيدة في البداية، ثم بعض شهور عدة يصبح طعام هذه المطاعم غير مقبول!

"سارة الحماد ستكون اليوم ممثلة المشجعة السعودية فهل سيكون مشجعات سعوديات غيرها في مبارة اليوم؟

"من هنا ارى أن فرص الفريق التونسي اقوى من بكثير (برشا) من الفريق السعودي. غير أن المقولة المعروفة أن الكرة مدورة تبقى ، فالمفاجأت كثيرة
"

"Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and Roberto Carlos were just fooling around!"

"Lets hope for some real Brazilian samba when Brazil meets Australia on the 18th of June!"

"Another thing, if anyone needs the Viaccess key just drop me a line and I’ll send it around."

"برافو عمر"

Be a part of the 7adouteh.

Register now and say what you have to say.

My favorite thing about the World Cup...

2006-06-14T19:01:00.000+03:00

... the Tunisian commentator of ART, Isam Il-Shwaly. Seriously. He's awesome- absolutely random and insanely passionate about soccer.
He makes me laugh so hard.

Girls.

2006-06-14T02:12:00.000+03:00

Nostalgic

2006-06-13T23:37:00.000+03:00

Like I said a few days ago, it's only been three years, so it's weird that I barely recognize the aerial map of Riyadh anymore. I have a hard time remembering the routes I took to the school I went to, although I took that route twice daily for many, many years. I have a hard time spotting Tahlia Street and that was the street that I'd look out at every night before bed. I can't even spot other places at all. It's all so fuzzy.

Anyway, Google Earth has finally updated the aerial map of Riyadh, so I spent a good amount of hours browsing through it today (sick, leave me alone), and naturally, memories came flocking in, especially of highschool, Manarat Al-Riyadh.

I don't think anyone in the world could have hated highschool more than I did (although admittedly, it was a lot more useful in terms of education and challenge than university), but I donno, I'm here in Amman and most of my friends have their highschool friends around them and I'm just extremely jealous, because I know I will never see 95% of my highschool colleagues ever again.

Anyway, that said, here are a few snapshots I took while browsing.

All the buildings aside from the ones sticking out to the right are the school I spent most of school education at. It's funny looking at it from above. The little red square is where my homeroom was, and my god, I can't even begin to remember all the times I was told off for staring out the window into the gazebos that filled the school.

If you're interested in non-aerial photos of that huge construction:

Ghost town, eh? A part of why I hated highschool. It was more of a military experience than anything else- there were so many rules and regulations it was fricking insane- to the extent that if you wore pink socks, they would take your shoes.

The other snapshot is of our house.

There were no buildings infront of us when we still lived there. One of my favorite things to do was to sneak to the roof and sit on the window's tiling, which would give me one of the most beautiful views of Riyadh ever.

Where is the anger?

2006-06-12T14:37:00.000+03:00

When I read that Zarqawi had died, I felt nothing- no sense of satisfaction, no sense of relief, no sense of justice. He is but a name, and unfortunately, the name isn't the problem, the problem is a mentality, hardrooted into god-knows how many people.

As the days passed and people reacted, the nothingness I felt turned into rage.

The "sees-sees-sees-Zarqai-ya-khasees" (anti-Zarqawi) chant is still fresh in my ears from the demonstrations that took place in November, but now after his death, the chants have turned into "bil roo7, bil dam, nafdeeka ya Zarqawi" (pro-Zarqawi). What the hell? Is our condition that bad? Has the brainwashing reached this extent? Or are we just emotional idiots who change our stands depending on circumstances?

Then to only escalate matters and make my rage soar, deputies of the Jordanian Islamic Action zeft in Jordan went to his funeral and refered to him a “martyr”, someone fighting for the “Islamic” cause. One of the deputies, Mohammed Abu Faris, attended prayers for Zarqawi’s soul during Friday prayers, and called him a “martyr”, "unlike" the victims of Amman's November bombings.

MY GOD. THESE STATEMENTS CAME FROM ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES. Echoing Batir Wardam, as a Jordanian citizen, I am ashamed that such individuals are a part of the Jordanian Parliament, our national representatives!

What the heck can be done to halt the growth of such agendas in our country?!

As angry as such, I decided to attend the sit in that took place today in protest of the ‘pro Zarqawi’ behavior of the four Islamic Action Front deputies. What greeted me there made me even more angry. The sit-in was full of protestors, yes it was, but there were no Ammanites. I was the only female, and probably one of less than a dozen Ammanites attending- IN THE MIDDLE OF AMMAN.

What the hell, Amman? Where is the anger? These representatives are supportive of actions that murdered our own blood and soil. The sit-in was two streets up from the Radisson SAS, where one of the bombings happened, in the very middle of our city, in the very middle of our wound, at a time when the insane sick assholes may attack another target across the street from our houses- and we sit silently and watch?!

What the hell does it take to move us against such atrocities?!

Sit in

2006-06-12T01:52:00.000+03:00

Ahmad Humeid and Batir Wardam have both already blogged about this, but it is certainly worth reblogging.

There will be a sit in tomorrow Monday at 11 am, to protest the ‘pro Zarqawi’ behavior of the four Islamic Action Front deputies at Majlis il Nowwab in Abdali (next to King Abdulla Mosque).

Be there.

Three

2006-06-12T01:46:00.000+03:00

I didn't have a blog then so I have no idea when the exact date was, but I do know that early June marks the end of our third year here in Jordan.
My god, I can't believe it's only been three years. Three years! Such a short time, and yet it feels like an entire lifetime. Heck, even the last World Cup was further back!

+ My "Amman, Amman" photoset on flickr

Veggie Delight

2006-06-11T13:54:00.000+03:00

YOU ARE NOT VEGETARIAN. YOU ARE A VEGETABLE.

Scrambled, please (and why blogging is bad for your health)

2006-06-11T05:01:00.000+03:00

For the past four nights I've been having eggs for dinner (at around 3:00 AM) in futile attempts to teach myself how to make scrambled eggs.

I've always loved scrambled eggs. Toast on the side.

But Arabs don't make scrambled eggs, well, at least my family doesn't, thus making the scrambled variety a treat (perhaps because it reminds me of vacations?). Eggs made here are generally boiled (yuck), fried (closest variety to scrambled), or um.. 3yoon (which I will not attempt to translate at 5:00 AM with a project due in a few hours).

That said, I came upon a scrambled eggs recipe on a blog 4 days ago. Attempts keep resulting in fried eggs. Over and over again.

I guess it's hardwired in the genes.

Bleh.

Screw ART!

2006-06-09T19:23:00.000+03:00

I'm sitting at home working on a project, but the only thing I can think of is the cheering and screaming coming from the Howard Johnson World Cup Bash across the street.
Screw ART for monopolizing on sports.

32 teams : 32 cultures

2006-06-09T16:08:00.000+03:00

Today the first football will be kicked off a stadium starting the World Cup, 2006. My God, has it really been 4 years since the last World Cup? It feels like it was just last summer.
But it has, and tonight will mark yet another collision of 32 different teams from 32 different cultures all with one passion- football.

To celebrate the diversity, bora.herke studios created an individual, off-beat, artisy farsty football for each qualifying country, based on a key characteristic from the designers’ point of view, designed with a wink at the culture or the mentality of each of the 32 qualifying countries.

I absolutely love them!

Here are my favorites, but they're all worth checking out, so check them out here.

The only 'twigs' I'll ever be willing to put in my house...

2006-06-09T16:03:00.000+03:00

They're gorgeous aren't they? I'm especially in love with the pink one.

I feel like forwarding this gorgeously designed nature-induced gadget to whoever designed the ugly twig flash drive.

+ Undead Army

Entertainment Challenged

2006-06-09T04:27:00.000+03:00

It's a little weird being a very entertainment-challenged person among people who really love being entertained. I've said this before, but as it's important to the post, I will say it again- I do not know anything about the latest movies, the latest TV shows, and the latest music sensations, because well, I'm simply, well, not interested.

Last weekend, I call up a friend and ask what he is up to. He says, "I'm running a lost marathon."

What? A lost marathon? So late at night? A MARATHON? Then it clicks. Ahh... a "lost marathon" must refer to a personal crisis he is facing in his life, and this crisis must be taking a lot of effort from him like a marathon, but as he said "lost", his efforts are apparently going no where. Ya 7aram!

Then just as I am about to start consolling him, he tells me he has to get back to "it". You can imagine my confusion. He's getting back to "It"? How can he go back to a personal crisis?

Later on that week while with a different group of friends, I discover that there's a really popular television show called "Lost", and this is when I realized that my friend must have been "Running a 'Lost' marathon." Silly me. My god, the beauty of quotations! The beauty of visuals!

Such incidents happen often, my daily conversations are filled to the brim with stuff like "I'm sorry I have no idea what you're talking about", "I have never heard of that show", "Who the heck is Carrie?", and "No I haven't watched that movie."

I mean, it's not that I haven't tried. My friend Sarah once left me in her apartment while she went to pick someone up with nothing but a "Desperate Housewives" DVD, and all I could do was muse over the fact that people are actually entertained by this. I've tried to watch movies like "Munich" and "Wedding Crashers" only to decide that even staring at a blank wall is a more fascinating experience. Sarah claims that I'm going to wake up one day and think "OH MY GOD. I have just wasted 20 years worth of really good shows."

Naturally, in our globalized world, this generally refers to Western entertainment, because we Arabs aren't very productive in that field. Just take a look at what is probably the most popular Arab entertainment network, mbc. Other than the sheikh who provides the whole "hey-look-we're-making-up-the-sex-scenes-with-a-lesson-from-a-guy-with-a-beard" strategy, the front page is 80% hardcore Hollywood and 20% Arabized Hollywood.

Not that I'm complaining, looking at the Arab stuff makes me glad that entertainment is Westernized, because I've personally never seen an Arab production that wasn't absolutely horrendous on many different levels. Well, I like Kafroon, and I do think old Egyptian movies are absolutely fantastic, but somewhere along the line of the religiousalization of our culture and various other factors that I cannot come up with, Arab entertainment creativity plummeted downwards to a level that makes me feel like crying.

That aside, I generally blame my lack of interest in entertainment on my tiny attention span which impairs my concentration abilities rather than on lack-of-creativity from anyone else's side. I just cannot get myself to take in a set flow of information that is presented in television.

I'm the kind of person who starts a book by reading the last chapter, followed by a random skipping around of chapters until I think I understand the story. This way, I understand the story the way I want to understand it, and I also never wear the plot out, because the next time I read it, I read it in a different order which gives the book a completely different flavour. I just can't do that with a movie. I've tried to play chapters in a DVD randomly, and although it was admittedly a lot more amusing than watching a movie straight out, I still couldn't skip through paragraphs or go back to previous chapters with ease.

And this is why you should never talk to me about popular entertainment, or even the fancy-schmancy European movies that are all artsy-fartsy. Or ever ask me to a movie. Or make me make a movie.

I will not have the slighest idea what you're talking about. I will refuse. And my movie will suck.

(But if you ever do, rest assured that I will immediately equip Google, because this person cannot stand not knowing.)

Zarqawi is dead.

2006-06-08T14:54:00.000+03:00

Mr. Superman

2006-06-06T23:58:00.000+03:00

I fell in love with the portrayal of the human torso during art foundation year. The curves... the muscles... the smoothness... my god, it's just absolutely delightful to try to imitate. With charcoal, you have to do it so carefully or else you'll go overboard, and you have to keep the curves so fine or else it wouldn't have the soft suppleness of human skin! With clay, things are even more fascinating, because you have to push and smooth all the right places.

Anyway, seeing the thumb of Jean Paul Gaultier cologne bottle everytime I opened my blog gave me this really strong urge to create a torso. So I woke up this morning - really early after hitting the sack at 8:00 PM the night before- with that mood where I just want to do something fun, so I decided to make Superman. Here's a sneak peak at my Superman before he gets a head and before he gets a paint job, look, you can even see his belt!

Me loves Superman.

Woof! Woof!

2006-06-06T23:54:00.000+03:00

So Hareega has a really interesting question- who do you think is on fire this time round in the World Cup?!
I said Brazil... not because I know much about soccer, but generally because they're hotties.
Who do you think will win? :D Make your prediction now!

كل سنة و انتو سالمين صبايا

2006-06-06T23:33:00.000+03:00

اليوم عيد الستات
;)

زنخة، بعرف، بس لسا أحلى من البوستات تبعون نهاية العالم و يوم الشيطان و مش عارفة شو

school stuff

2006-06-06T11:41:00.000+03:00

Monday is finally over, signalling the fact that I'm done with most of my classes. I have one project left, but without a gazillion other projects to worry about, I'm going to enjoy working on it. Its funny there's some negativity to being too chilled-out a person when it comes to stress and pressure; I only realized that 20 hours with 4 studio courses is just way too much of a workload for one semester yesterday at 5:00 PM, after basically being sleepless for several days, with a room that looks like a hurricane struck it, and a lot of slacked stuff that I need to catch up on.

I'm taking summer courses this year (or I think I am, I register for the summer courses every year, but then I decide that it's too hot and end up dropping them, and this summer is looking as hot as ever). I registered Oloom Askareyeh (Military Sciences, still looking for a wasta), and an elective called "Writing" in the English Department. Allah yostor 3al writing class... I registered it a few years back as well but after my first class and a huge argument with the professor over whether the word "Glad" is an extinct word or not, I dropped the entire course. I need to take an elective though, and as this class seems to be one of the few options, I'm taking it again hoping that it would be a different professor. I'm not looking forward to it eitherway, I've seen the tests, and it's the same level of writing we took in the 6th grade, including questions such as "Write a letter to your penpal telling her about Jordan". So not fun.

09:44 am

2006-06-06T11:17:00.000+03:00

I've had the same phone for around 3 years. I've had this as my background for a little over 2 years (a picture of my mother and I taken with the phone). I've had the same ringtone for around 2.5 years, and it's a ghetto song that I hate and that I thought was a Kathem Il Saher, but apparently I was wrong and I can't be bothered to get a different ringtone.

Tagged by the Don.

Music Appreciation

2006-06-04T14:58:00.000+03:00


,--^----------,--------,-----,-------^--,
| |||||||||   `--------'     |          O
`+---------------------------^----------|
`\_,-------, _________________________|

/ XXXXXX /  `\   /
/ XXXXXX /\______(
/ XXXXXX /
/ XXXXXX /
(________(

Quick poetry help needed

2006-06-03T20:11:00.000+03:00

Did I mention that I know zilch about poetry? Although I took English Literature for many, many years.
Anyway, point in case is, I need a short poem related to the passage of time, a poem that reminesces happier times, or a poem generally about the ephemeral nature of time and how much things may change. I need this poem in the next few hours. Lyrics will also do.
Help, anyone?

Stealing a page

2006-06-03T16:46:00.000+03:00

I was amused by Omar's post featuring his flickr favorites. It's cool seeing the colors and personalities that make up a person's taste- so I thought I'd share some of mine. Not all of them- you can check all here.

Can you tell anything about me from my favorites? ;)

(and did any catch your eye?)

Movers and Shakers

2006-06-03T16:34:00.000+03:00

Been studying the votes streaming in (and they are plenty) for the toot design competition and man, it’s one hot race to the top!

Moorish Girl, Bloboz, Sabri Hakim, Tololy’s Box, Subzero Blue, One Big Construction Site, Bakkouz, Earth to Omar, 2:48 AM, Pheras, Sabbah’s Blog, Al-Doktorah, The Black Iris, and Rampurple are in hot water.

The blogs closely following and submerged in lukewarm water include Jacqui, Mental Mayhem, Tata Botata, Beirut Lemons, Big Pharoah, Mahmood’s Den, Tech Hash, Cocktail, Hamoud Studio, Rantings of a Sandmonkey, Saudi Jeans, Manal and Alaa’s Bit Bucket, Into the Wind, Al-Qitat Il Amyaa’, Farah’s Sowaleef, Tomanbay, Kuwaiti Chopper, Rants and Rambles, Nzingha’s Soapbox and M. S. Ahjiouj.

Everyone else- cold water ;)

We still have a week or so to go, so go on, vote for the designs you like, be movers and shakers!

Design a Radio

2006-06-03T03:47:00.000+03:00

I never listen to the radio. I have quite picky taste in music, and the closest thing to my taste is Mood FM but they unfortunately put really corny stuff every now and then and I hate being surprised.
That said, the only radio recievers I ever owned were 2- the one that came with my phone (in my phone), and the one that came with my car (in the car). And I never considered owning a real one, because I know I'll never use it.
But then I saw these. My God. Aren't they gorgeous?
(And yeah, not eloquent tonight, working on a project, need more caffeine)

+ Wouter Geense Design Studio

Jordanian Party ;)

2006-06-03T02:50:00.000+03:00

(Post aimed towards non-Arabs)
I have recently gotten a lot of comments/emails asking for more posts on everyday life in Jordan, so I thought I'd post a Jordanian party (yeah, we party). I took this video in my brother's graduation last night, and its quite the typical formal party scene for West Amman.
I think the best part is the guy being thrown in the air.

(Ok, sorry for terrible misalignment, if you want to check archives and stuff go to a different page.)

"no more shoes pls. thanks"

2006-06-02T18:41:00.000+03:00

That was one of the comments posted on the reader survey I had on earlier. The thing about the comments posted on the survey is that I do not know who wrote them, nor do I have the emails of the people who wrote them so I can't reply on a personal level, but if you want a reply from me, please email me (my email somewhere in the sidebar).

35% of readers are from Jordan

60% of readers are male

43% of readers are in their 20's.

66% of readers are Arab.

52% of readers speak Arabic.

41% of readers read "And Far Away" on a weekly basis.

65% of readers prefer posts related to life in Jordan.

30% of readers are not bloggers.

25% of readers follow less than 5 blogs.

Cut n'Go

2006-06-02T16:50:00.000+03:00

I'm absolutely in love with the new trend of combining sheets with design. I love how interactive it is with the consumer.

cut'n go is a series of 19 “smart little basic products made out of 1mm steel sheet. Lasered, folded, pulvered: ready to go!”

+ Julianappelius.de
+ MoCo Loco

I think my favorite out of these will be the spoons. Quite cool.

Class of 2006

2006-06-02T03:49:00.000+03:00

Today was my brother Omar's highschool graduation- the Class of 2006. Congrats Omery!

Decisions, decisions

2006-06-01T01:42:00.000+03:00

Gonna buy Lavazza. And all it's awesome, eccentric furniture. Turn it into a house. Live there. My address will be "Rainbow Street"!

Eventually.

Strawberry Flavored Water Ice

2006-05-30T23:37:00.000+03:00

The only topic dominating the echoes echoing through the hills and valleys of the bustling city of Amman is heat. Good god- it's been hot, in the sense where my work doesn't stick together anymore because the glue keeps melting.

My favorite part about the heat is that I can pig out on popsicles. I love popsicles. Especially when its bright red. You know the cheap bright red askimo which still costs a shelen, labelled neither "askimo" nor "popsicle", but instead, "Strawberry Flavored Water Ice". It really is as good as Pepsi. And I really love Pepsi. In the past 30 minutes, I've had 4 popsicles.

The best part? Popsicles are the only thing in my world that haven't gotten more expensive. It still costs a shelen a piece. I feel like a child when I hand my Leira to the guy at the dokaneh and he gives me back a bagful of askimo. My God, can you believe that a Leira can still buy so much of one thing?! It barely gets two scoops of icecream at Frosti's. I remember a time when a scoop at Frosti's cost 20 piasters.

And so, the freezer is stocked with popsicles. And ahhh, they're the perfect solution for such a hot week. A terrible week too. MY CAR IS STILL NOT FIXED. I'm really suffering without her- I'm absolutely and horribly emotionally attached to that creature (to the extent that I picked up some of the broken pieces and hung them in my room awaiting her return). I still have 4 exams/projects to go, and I'm not in the mood to do anything at all. There's also all the damn mosquitos. But the worst bit of all is my internet connection. It has suddenly transformed to dial-up speed. I hate Batelco.

That aside, the survey thingy was apparently floating in the middle of the screen for some screens (thanks for the heads up Omar!), so I removed it. If you haven't taken the survey yet, this will be your final chance to do so before I close it this Friday and post some of the results, so please take a minute to fill it out. Thanks!

Get your pencils out

2006-05-29T21:55:00.000+03:00

because it's time to scribble in your ticks for the best designed blog on toot! Exciting, eh? So go ahead, cast your vote, and let the best design win.

You can vote for up to 10 blogs blogs on toot Show the love for the blogs you love!

So you’re wondering why? Well, toot is not only interested in providing the best content, but we’re also interested in making sure that this great content is represented in a visually pleasing manner- you know, eye candy! So as easy as that, we decided to run a competition to choose the best designed blogs on toot! Good luck for all blogs!

Student of Design

2006-05-27T03:20:00.000+03:00

... and one of the worst bits about that is creating makeshift solutions for "I'm just a student with no professional equipment" problems. Take for example a project due this Sunday- how the heck am I going to give the font on my package that shiny gellatine-y cover layer?

Genius makeshift solution: Maybelline Water Shine Nail Polish - chip resistant and super high-shine, all the while somehow managing to maintain the font's characteristics.

It doesn't show much in the picture- but seriously, it shines!

The freaky thing about all this is the fact that I just cannot get myself to sit still and listen to one hour of a movie, and yet I can sit for three hours painting type with nailpolish. And I actually enjoy it.

Time to go spray glue. Did I ever mention that I absolutely love UHU Spray Glue? Ahhh... efficiency in a bottle!

I know you well, I know your smell

2006-05-26T16:53:00.000+03:00

Call me sentimental (which I'm really not unless its about streets and colors and stuff), but my heart aches every time I see this (which is often, as Abdoun is a quite-often taken route)- Dowar Abdoun Moghlaq! Abdoun Circle is shut!

The drama.

From all the circles of Amman (and they are plenty), Abdoun Circle is the dearest one to my heart. It was just the thing throughout my teenage years. I wasn't old enough to drive, but my god, I can't help but smile remembering the countless times I was driven around Abdoun Circle by others just for "fun", which was always followed by an evening lingering in Galleria, MacDonalds, and Gerards. Beep, beep!

Dowar Abdoun Moghlaq. Ahh ya albi!

(me not the only one, Hala is better at having fits, enjoy!)

Abdoun Circle during her prime...

2006-05-26T16:28:00.000+03:00

Nostalgia. I actually love this picture although it isn't much of a work of art. It was probably taken 3 years ago.

Manpurse

2006-05-26T01:11:00.000+03:00

Poodle

2006-05-25T17:04:00.000+03:00

Snip, snap.
Oh, damn, he's cutting it too short.
Snip, snip, snip.
I watch my strands fall off to the floor with horror.
He catches my expression, shakes his head and holds up his brush, with my hair rolled tightly on it, "How many times a week do you wash your hair?"
"Daily."
"Yes, I can tell. Your hair is so thin and so fragile! Ya 7ayateh you should only wash it three times a week."
"I can't. I hate the feel of it."
"But you will get used to it 7ayateh! Three times a week."
He gets out his blow dryer. I hate this part- not only does he burn my scalp, he also manages to pull my hair out of its roots, and to make matters worse, this terrible proccess is always followed with dollops and dollops of wax- "For volume 7ayateh." Ok. Volume. Volume is good, right?
Right.

I leave looking like a poodle. A GODDAMN POODLE.

In the car, I call a friend of mine, "I look like a poodle."
"Good," he told me cheerfully. "I like poodles."
Wrong answer.

Ruff. Ruff.

"Sixty Springs in Your Glory, oh, Jordan!"

2006-05-25T13:49:00.000+03:00

That's so slogan they're using to celebrate Independence Day on University Street, my literal translation of "ستين ربيعا في مجدك يا أردن".

Sixty springs- what a fascinating way to put it, especially as spring has so many symbolic meanings. Sixty years of flowery hills and clear blue skies after a winter. Sixty years of a new beginning. Sixty years of spring under the Jordanian sky.

Above is my favorite view of Amman, a representation of cultural and historical diversity, hills, and the bluest blue.

Happy Independence Day, Jordan, with much, much love.

Learning To Fly

2006-05-24T21:32:00.000+03:00

My favorite new possession...

2006-05-24T21:27:00.000+03:00

Ctrl + Z

2006-05-24T14:59:00.000+03:00

Backspace. Backspace. Backspace.

Sit and wait.

Nothing.

Control.
Alter.
Shift.

Nothing.
(bang, bang)

As if they serve as a constant reminder that there's nothing virtual about reality. The keys don't work beyond the wires and cables.
Delete. It stays. End. There is no end. Insert. What?

Control + Alter + Delete.

No breaks.

Quote of the day

2006-05-24T11:53:00.000+03:00

"Sure, I go around assuming they are all a-holes, and that way, when one isn't an a-hole, I am pleasantly surprised, instead of being constantly disappointed."

-Hala

What are we discussing?

No truce yet

2006-05-23T13:55:00.000+03:00

Jad says:
K, are you coming?
we are ordering mansaf from Jabri
K says:
yeah coming
Roba says:
2of, ana mish ma3zoomeh?
Jad says:
roba, No you are NOT
Roba says:
hehe, toz
Jad says:
3aliki, eh!
Roba says:
la7alak!
K says:
roba you are always welcomed... you kow that
Jad says:
K, no she is not and she knows that
K says:
you are very mistaken jad...
Jad says:
she didn't add my blog! so she is NOT
Roba says:
you know Jad, your humor is growing on me, after what.. 2 years of knowing you?
Jad says:
Roba, actually it's after two years of civil war between us

K has left the conversation.

Roba says:
hehe yeah.. civil war
Roba says:
so this is a truce?
Jad says:
no
Roba says:
balash
Jad says:
anyway if you can eat with your hands you can join us
Roba says:
la2 ya3, ba2raf
Jad says:
ya3 be3enek, sho eneek high class , yo2oo yo2oo

The ugliest gadget in the world

2006-05-23T10:46:00.000+03:00

I mean, seriously, what sort of terrible idea is that? Who said anything about mutated technology looking cool? I for one find nothing appealing in having a twig sticking out of my computer.
Hideous!

more

Just a little pinprick

2006-05-23T00:13:00.000+03:00

I spent my first year of living in Amman in Mecca Mall. That year was a terrible year for me, having felt like I had been yanked out of my little perfect life and into one full of never-ending rain, terrible cold, moldy walls, and mean people. The mall was one of my few comforts, a little part of my previous existence, complete with marble floors, bright neon lights, and the familiar white noise produced by the patter of mall-goers, regardless of whether it was rain or shine outside its concrete walls.

Ahh... it's incredible how homogenous malls are. Regardless of where I am, whether the mall-goers are half-naked, covered up in winter coats, or barely visible with their abayas, there's this delicious familiarity in malls that makes me feel all warm and cozy inside. The brands of the world form an array of welcoming hosts, completing the familiarity, and making the world easier in any country, whether I speak the language or not.

This homogeneity and these brands were my home away from home, constants in a period where everything familiar to me had disappeared. The brands somehow turned into long-term friends- Mango with its modern classicism, Burger King with its cheap coffee, Stradivarius with its edginess. The fonts are deliciously the same as what I grew up with, the displays are what I've walked by a thousand times.

That year, I learned to appreciate the power of branding and globalization as cures for homesickness, and I, homesick, would spend hours just walking around playing pretend.

With time, I naturally became more comfortable with Amman. I also found out that I hate the "tourist Amman" that I grew up with and that I was much happier with the more relaxed and local "older Amman". So Mecca Mall, belonging to the former group, stopped being a part of my weekly routine. It became an old friend, someone I grew out of, someone I avoid seeing because it makes me so uncomfortable. I even stopped shopping, opting to have clothes picked out for me by my mother, who is so much more fashionable than I am, and delivered in a suitcase to my bedroom.

***

Today, my mother and I went to Mecca Mall to buy a hammock for the garden. It almost felt as if the walls of the mall were echoing "Zorooni koli sannah marrah", making me feel like running my fingertips over the marble and apologizing for being such a hypocrite.

Then I got sucked into an emotional rollercoaster of nostalgia.

Ahh... the familiar white noise which I love so much, making life prettier and better and surreal. Mango smiling at me brightly on one side of the wall, shining teeth and all. My mother and I walk in. I like this, I like that. Look, dressy shorts. Me? Wear dressy shorts? Sure. Why not. It's 'Moda'. Ok. Moda is moda. Pretty slippers. I want. Let's go get glasses too, I need glasses. Yalla. Try on frames for an hour- beige or purple? Beige wins. I was 12 when I first shopped at Mango. It was a little black skirt and I loved it to little bits and pieces.

As soon as I'm back home, I find myself staring lovingly at my gorgeous new shoes and shorts, experiencing the same form of satisfaction I've experienced a thousand times in a period of my life that feels like it almost wasn’t mine.

Cute, huh?

He

2006-05-21T21:58:00.000+03:00

It's his birthday, but instead of allowing us to celebrate him, he's celebrating us. He took my mother to the Dead Sea this weekend. He rented a car for me today. He bought the boys a new screen.

It amazes me how a person can give so much while expecting nothing in return.

I had the happiest childhood. I don’t ever remember a time when I felt like my life was missing something. Love was granted so generously. Fun was holy. Trips on holidays, even if they're only to nearby towns, make my sweetest memories.

One of my few very early memories involves him tossing me into a pond. I remember my mother would be freaking out in the background but I would only giggle and go back for more. Fast forward a few years, early 90's, before the globalization of Saudi Arabia, and I have a bagful of clothes on my bed from dad's latest trip to Holland. During my early teens, it was a habit for dad to take us to Fuddruckers for lunch every Friday, and we would just sit and laugh and talk about the past week.

When I graduated from highschool, he came with me to JU and helped me fill out the application papers, which were probably the first things I've ever had to fill out in Arabic in my entire life. That day, I applied for Fine Arts and Design, and when I went to give in my application to the registrar, he shook his head and told me with my grades, he refuses to let me apply for Fine Arts, and that he will put me in under Architecture, "Which is the same thing 3amo, but for smarter people." My dad took it from there, although he was probably the person who was the least keen on the idea of me studying what I do.

That's who he is, and that's why I am who I am. The picture above is during my 6th birthday. The pictures below are of trips during short vacations. We would drive around for hours listening to Majida il Roumi and Kathem Il Saher. We would play a game called "Shu Lon 3aroosti" and he would tell us about Nables.

Happy birthday. With much love.

Sealing the 2006 Election Fiasco

2006-05-21T01:11:00.000+03:00

Thursday. They asked for my ID at the campus gates. They never ask for my ID.

"Asef ya 3ammi, ma inti 3arfeh, intikhabat o ma bedna mashakel" (Sorry, elections, and we don't want problems)

I nod a "Ya3teek il 3afyeh" and walk into the Adaab Department only to be kicked out by campus security– "Barra, barra, ma fi il yom mo7adarat, intikhabat! Intikhabat!" (Outside, outside, there are no lectures today- elections, elections!)

I leave and get into a cab. Intikhabat. Intikhabat. In the cab, my mind went over the long discussion my mother and I had the night before about Jordan University's annual student elections.

My mother's experience and thoughts about the student elections are particularly interesting to me because she was the first female to be elected in the Faculty of Educational Sciences back in the 70's. Then, they had jam3eyehs, which apparently were what gave way to today's student council, and which replaced something more similar to the today's student council after what I believe was a turbulent period in Jordan University's history.

But the Jordan University my mother went to is very different from the Jordan University I go to today, in matters mostly related to the diversity of society, which in turn influences almost everything, including elections. The result is something terrible, for not only are these elections the perfect example of a fake democracy as the university appoints 40% of the chairs, it's also a disgustingly racist circus reeking with intolerance.

For such reasons, I am personally not involved even slightly in Jordan University's elections. Not that it matters- my wonderful department does not have a single candidate this year anyway, so the most I can do is just walk around campus amusing myself over the graphic facet of the various campaigns, the worst case of annual visual pollution I have ever seen in my life (it is even worse than the ugly lights lighting up Zahran Street this week, which I'm hoping is a temporary Independence Day decoration).

Tree Molesting:
Naturally, the biggest victims are the trees. Poor trees. As if it's not enough that JU can't spare some of the cash on investing in a different type of pesticide- I hate the way the white looks, it's hideous!

A rose-bush of papers and look, a tree that has businesscards for leaves!

"Interesting" marketing:

Maybe it's just because I find geekiness attractive, but I thought that this was the most amusing slogan I saw

A feminist man in Jordan? Ma32ool?

They actually passed this out. Charming. Just charming.

7aflet chips

Visual Organization
The visual organization is amusing. How do they even think about hanging stuff up like that?

Calling out to boycott the elections:

Election Parties, with dabkeh et all:

Why you should never hang stuff around the funoon area:

And my personal favorite, even Dino celebrates and cheers:

For more on the politics of the elections, check out the following posts by fellow Jordanians:
Khalaf
Tololy
Batir Wardam (Arabic)
Jordanian Issues (Arabic)
Omar

Boys

2006-05-20T14:07:00.000+03:00

I'm the only girl in a family of males. Even Whitey is male. And I hate it. HATE IT. HATE IT!

So the boys and I are always violently fighting.

I woke up this morning to find this on my desktop, courtsey of brother Omar, who loves stealing my glasses and making use of the fact that he's 2.00 meters tall to put them in places that I cannot reach (click to read):

(2aah, Sayed Qweider?)

And Far Away Reader Survey

2006-05-20T01:39:00.000+03:00

I just put up a reader survey and would really appreciate it if you took a minute to fill it out. It's short and sweet and doesn't require any blabbering from your side.

You can access it by either clicking the image below or the image on the sidebar.
Mucho gracias!

(Why? Simply because I need to know the percentage of readers who understand the phrase "hishek bishek" and know what Shmesani kids are, and also for general "target audience" reasons.
I guess all those marketing classes in highschool paid off.)

I'm a cowboy, baybee

2006-05-19T21:49:00.000+03:00

Yes, yes, I know we're supposed to be pouring all our creative energy and supplies of glue into actually finishing the-now-piled-sky-high list of projects we have to submit by the end of the month, but isn't it more fun to make "heshek beshek" cowboy hats?

Well, believe me, it is. Especially when they turn out so cute! Now I want red cowboy boots (sort of like the infamous Jessica Simpson ones).

Physically Augmented Reality

2006-05-17T19:20:00.000+03:00

There is nothing digital. There is nothing projected. There is nothing virtual.
An analogue world scares me.

But this is awesome.

Me wants

2006-05-16T22:56:00.000+03:00

Issue explosion

2006-05-16T14:35:00.000+03:00

If there's anything that pisses me off, it's the attempts of those with power to practice thought control on those beneath them- it makes me feel like I'm living a chapter out of an Orwellian novel.

Bleh!!!

I mean, regardless of whether you are for or against a certain issue, IT STILL EXISTS. You should have the right to think about it, discuss it and debate it. Fact of life- CLOSING YOUR EYES WILL NOT MAKE IT DISAPPEAR. It will not make it any better either. Or any worse. Actually, maybe worse. Depending on how you look at it.

Point is, God gave us brains, let us use them, alright?

Banning "The Da Vinci Code" will not magically make the book and the theories behind it disappear, it will only make people more anxious to see what the fuss is all about. Pulling out a magazine off shelves because it has an article dealing with LGBT issues does not make the fact that we have homosexuals in the Arab world disappear either. And worst yet, condemning female sexuality does not mean that it does not exist (this post by Amino, entitled "Sexuality and Sex and the Arabic Taboo", is one of my very favorite posts, make sure you read it).

Hello Arabia! Wake up and smell the coffee.

Thinking about such issues makes me laugh at our hypocritical tendencies- they are amazing, aren't they? Most magazine stands around the country stock Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Vogue, and many other Western magazines that elaborately discuss issues pertaining to sexuality. Yet, when a local magazine starts to discuss these issues on a local scope, the drama kings have a piss fit. It's like- oh, my, don't you even dare to think that we have the issues that have resulted in the fall of infidel West, oh, no, no, no. Don't discuss it either, discussing it will make it come true! Shut up! Don't talk about it! Shut up! You're making it come true!

Yeee 3aleina 3ad!

The silver lining? I am so happy to see that we have such fantastic women in Jordan, whether I am talking about the women over at Viva who chose to publish the articles, or our very own bloggerettes who gave a piece of their mind.

Quoting Lina, and completely agreeing with her a hundred percent, "To me, this isn't about this particular magazine or about Gay and Lesbian rights, it's about respecting people's right to know, and people's right to decide for themselves. When will the custody over our minds end?? It's very naive to think that you can completely block certain issues from being exposed and pull a blanket over our eyes!"

Don't let them pull the blankets over your head. Read the articles here.

Jordanian bloggerettes take on this:
Khalidah Mufleh
Hala Khalaf
Natasha Tynes
Lina Ejeilat

and

Miriam Asnes

The message after the beep

2006-05-16T00:07:00.000+03:00

Roba says:
screw mosquitos
they loveeee me
but the love isnt shared
Hala says:
HHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA
PErfect blog post, those 3 lines!
u started in with the mosquitos already?
they havent really visited us yet
relief
Roba says:
hehe
mahoweh we leave doors open
we have a thing for leaving doors open
Hala says:
that's smart
real smart
Roba says:
i know
Hala says:
and she complains

58

2006-05-15T19:20:00.000+03:00

Today is the 58th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakbeh.
I could have pasted a history lesson, or shared the stories of others as I have none, but then I decided that I will be more personal, perhaps a little too personal, with a little family history.

These portraits of my family's pre-1948 life in Palestine.

My paternal grandparents (coincedentally, his too)

My maternal great-grandparents and their daughters, my mother's aunts. I'm loving the tarboush.

My maternal great-grandmother and her daughter

My maternal great-uncle

Today, my mother's family, Dallal, is scattered between Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and the US. My great-grandfather is buried in Jeddah, and my grandparents are buried in Amman.

Most of my dad's family still live in Nablus, Palestine. My grandparents are buried in Nablus.

What a way to start the day...

2006-05-15T09:38:00.000+03:00

Some asshole hit it and ran off some time during the night. The hit was really strong, the damage is huge, the left tire is entirely misplaced.
Of course our lovely police are not helping- "how can we have a kroka when the guy ran off?"

Ah. Not my baby!

Yel3an abu heik shaghleh.

I hate everyone and everything.

Update: Ok, the damage isn't that bad il7amdella, the shasi is fine and so on and so forth, and it needs around 10 days. After having the car wenched to Marka, we opened a kroka "ded majhool" or whatever, but the insurance company with all its loops and shit says that they will only cover 50% of the entire sum as the kroka is "ded majhool" although the insurance contract is shamel! URGHH!

Ladies and gentlemen, it's university elections time!

2006-05-14T17:48:00.000+03:00

I get out of my car to walk into school this morning and I'm literally "mish tayga khayali" (I hate early morning classes), but then I am greeted by this scene- a scene I actually wait for year after year. This view makes me get all excited and then I start laughing and giggling and then my whole day becomes better. No, actually, the whole week becomes better and we spend all of it discussing the appealingness of kitsch behind such visual pollution.

So far, they're not as juicy as last year's election campaign, which was full of red and pink hearts- but, hey, it's only been a day, I'm sure I'll get to see enough juice within the next week.

Anyway, I'm gonna be having a real post with a lot of pictures of the elections fiasco because I get such a kick out of the whole deal, so stay tuned.

NO TO VISUAL POLLUTION!

(check out last year's election pictures for a good laugh while I wait for Jordan University to turn into the annual circus)

How to tell that this person has an attention span of 3 seconds

2006-05-14T17:43:00.000+03:00

(Well, at least, this is one of the ways)

Keywords: Busy, Stress

2006-05-13T14:18:00.000+03:00

The whole point of this post is that I will be sort of "gone" for a few weeks. I will not stop blogging because it is therapy to me, but just in case I don't reply to emails Please don't hate me. I'll reply eventually I promise.

The only time I realize that I have way too much of a workload and that I'm really stressed is during the end of each semester. This blog has been documenting this fact during my past two years of blogging (which translates to 4 semesters), because after a keyword search for "busy" and "stress", these are the results:

Semester 1, Sophomore Year:
Wednesday, January 12, 2005- Bury the Hatchet
"So the semester is almost over, and gladly so. Everyone at the moment seems to be extremely busy finishing projects, meeting deadlines, and studying for the after Eid finals. As for me, I still have a few things to do myself- three research papers due after Eid, a project due Sunday, a test on Sunday, 3 terribly long tests after Eid, and a 6-hour sit-down design test which I'm already panicking about."

Semester 2, Sophomore Year: (particularly stressful!)
Sunday, May 01, 2005- On cops, pictures, and well... shoes
"Anyhow, it's been a really bad month. I'm really stressed out with school work, I'm really anxious and anticipative for a few things, and I'm really pissed off at someone at the moment."

Saturday, May 28, 2005- Freaking Out
"Project due in three days and I can't find my colors!
My room is a black hole, a BLACK HOLE I'm telling you. Place something in there and it is lost forever. Forever."

Wednesday, June 01, 2005- Creative Juices
"Yet another school year is almost done dropping down the drain, and it feels really good, especially since this term was extremely stressful with gazillion things to do. I say "almost" because teaching isn't over until next week and because the tests didn't even start, but when you're doing what I'm doing, the real stress comes from the projects, the research papers, and the presentations. There is a lot of stress from the tests of course, and they're actually not easy as most people imagine them to be(try learning all the history of art and all the weird foreign art terminology), but a test is a test- simple night-before cramming(I'm the crammer par excellence), and most importantly, no creative-juices squeezing required(Yay, now my creative juices can be left in peace for a little while to develop and grow... *mediate that thought*)"

Wednesday, June 01, 2005- Throwing up history
"It's as if finals week is not bad enough, so team that up with 5 history courses- History of Islamic Art, History of the World, Art History, Art Aesthetics(mostly modern art history), and Art Terminology(like, every word has a history!)
Me can't take it anymore..."

Semester 1, Junior Year:
Wednesday, January 12, 2005- Schizophrenia(and I learned how to say it Mr-you-know-who-you-are)
"I admit I've sort of been neglecting this space recently, and I'll even admit I've been acting cuckoo every now and then, but it's been a stressful semester and I apologize for those affected with the bouts of schizophrenia."

Wednesday, January 12, 2005- The life of a design student...
"I guess I would take being at some kitsch printing center arguing over colors late at night for a project final than trying to cram for a test, but it gets so tedious anyway!
Especially when nothing goes right- my red is a 7afartali shade of watermelon pink, Sara forgot to create the outlines so the font looks funny, Noor's file is busted... and the project is due in less than 7 hours! The waiting queue at the printers is 2 hours long, so we'll pick them up tomorrow before class although class starts at 8:00 AM sharp.Ya 7alawlaw.
Stressing at the moment in the freezing winter, but I'm looking forward laughing about it in a few months just like we laugh at all the times we spent creating clay furniture and taking pictures of chairs.
I'm praying for snow tonight."

Semester 2, Junior Year:
Saturday, May 13, 2006 - And that's today. AHHHHHH!
Ok, since I have to whip this entry out of thin air, allow me to have a mini-panic attack:

*begin mini-panic attack*
3 more weeks (less?) and im smacking my hand for putting too much of a workload on my self and the fact that i missed a whole week of the last month in beirut doesnt help at all either i have no clue when im going to manage to figure out several programs i also have to finish all my projects before may 30th and thats so soon and the projects include lets see 2 packages one which i still didnt start thinking of an advertising campaign a movie a goddamn movie that i have to shoot edit and shit a movie damnit! im no good with audio and video (or so it was claimed with a "you suck roba" screw you dude) i also have to do whip up two papers and one of them is in arabic yikes theres also a project for my webdesign class am i forgetting anything im sure i am this is not to mention all the unschool related stuff which i also managed to pile on myself ahhhhh
*end mini-panic attack*

Ok, that felt good. Blogging is so therapeutic- it really is. Now I'm going to go tan.

Hanging in a moment

2006-05-12T02:24:00.000+03:00

When I was a child, I went to a Lebanese school in Riyadh, which meant that I was the only kid in class that "ah"-ed instead of "eh"-ed (for the none Arabs, "ah" is Jordanian for yes while "eh" is Lebanese for yes). Other than that, I didn't really feel like there was much of a difference between me and my Lebanese classmates until the around the end of 4th grade, when a classmate gave me a card that read "I hope you have a nice summer in Lebanon and I'm glad that you won't die from the war because it's over now."

I rememeber looking at her words with horror, "Die? War?" That day, my father told me that a terrible civil war in Lebanon has just finished and things are still unstable.

I know it's ironic as I have always lived in the Middle East and because I'm of Palestinian origin, but I have never experienced a war in my life. Well, that is unless you count the short period we spent in Riyadh during the Gulf War, but my parents shipped us off to Amman almost immediately so my only memories are of a red screen popping up while watching cartoons.

~

My first memories of Lebanese TV are from around '95- and the TV image of Lebanon is that it is a happy, liberal, creative, and slightly shallow country full of belles and too much French for me to understand. As I grew older, my image of Lebanon changed to become that of "Lebanon, the center of culture in the Arab world" (and this time not from TV because I stopped watching TV around '99, but rather, from the books that were all published in Lebanon and the university brochures) .

This image of Lebanon created by popular culture had pushed my only memory related to the Lebanese civil war way back into my subconscious so that I almost didn't remember that it ever existed.

I boarded a flight to Beirut expecting to see beautiful Levantine architecture and a lot of the famous cultural activities going on around town such as bazaars, bookfairs, festivals, and events. Beirut is famous for being beautiful, and how many times have I heard people sigh and utter "Oheboki ya Lobnan"?

~

But I saw war.

It was a shock because I was not prepared to see war. I was not prepared to see bombed out and derelict buildings standing tall and straight as a depressing reminder of a gruesome and near past. I was not prepared to see the still-inhabited houses decorated with a horrifying amount of bulletholes. I was not prepared to see a city ripped apart by hate.

Of course I've read about the war before, but I never fully comprehended what I read because the image Lebanon markets itself with is too polished and shiny, so the first thing I did when I got back home was do some research. The history I read made my heart ache, the pictures I found horrified me.

How sad are these pictures?

~

Ahh, Beirut. People asked me why I wrote that Beirut broke my heart. I have never met a visitor to Beirut who did not praise the sahar, the nightlife, the shopping, the beauty.

Is it just me? Why does Beirut haunt me so? I do not consider myself much of a sensitive person, so why is it that when I close my eyes I only remember the destruction?

~

لبيروت من قلبي سلامٌ لبيروت و قُبلٌ للبحر و البيوت لصخرةٍ كأنها وجه بحارٍ قديمِ
هي من روحِ الشعب خمرٌ هي من عرقِهِ خبزٌ و ياسمين فكيف صار طعمها طعم نارٍ و دخانِ
لبيروت مجدٌ من رمادٍ لبيروت من دمٍ لولدٍ حُملَ فوق يدها أطفأت مدينتي قنديلها
أغلقت بابها أصبحت في السماء وحدها ... وحدها و ليلُ
أنتِ لي أنتِ لي أه عانقيني أنتِ لي رايتي و حجرُ الغدِ و موج سفرٍ
أزهرت جراح شعبي أزهرت .. دمعة الأمهات .. أنتِ بيروت لي أنتِ لي أه عانقي

Fayrouz. I love Fayrouz. She is a treasure.

~

It took me a while to get myself to write this post.

~

Anyway.

That aside, Lebanon is surely beautiful. I love the mountains, they practically fall into the sea! I absolutely hate the matchbox apartment architecture of Beirut, what happened to stone? Sayda, or Sidon if you prefer, is underrated, what a beautiful city! The old town reminded me of Nablus and Damascus. I thought that Byblos is way overrated. The sun is particularly hard in Lebanon, my freckles doubled.

Here are some pictures I snapped during the trip. Like usual, clicking on each will take you to a bigger version of the image and a little caption about each.

Cheers to Lebanese readers.

Art[iculate]

2006-05-11T00:34:00.000+03:00

"Revolution" by Kamal Boullata

The reason I'm so passionate about art is not because it's beautiful, because I strongly believe that art doesn't necessarily have to be beautiful. The reason also isn't because art inspires me, nor is it because art is an expression of human creativity. I'm passionate about art because I see the story of civilization in art.

Does that make me a smart ass? Or does it mean that I am anxious to find a deeper identity? Maybe it's because it helped me formulate myself, or perhaps I find relief from frustration in the one thing that stands as proof of my ideals. I don't know. I can't explain.

I should sit down once and try to articulate these thoughts. At the moment though, I'm anxious to express these feelings, but I find myself incapable in my current state of mind, so I will quote from a book about Kamal Boullata, a contemporary Palestinian artist:

"Behind this passion for geometry lies the tradition of icon painting which forged the beginnings of his artistic training, a tradition that has maintained a venerable continuity between Byzantinium and the Arab Islamic civilizations of the Middle East. Indeed, a correspondence necessarily manifests itself through this common heritage, where the contemporary artist leaves a trace of the secret of his initiation, of his voyage to the distant past.
"Centuries ago the same language of geometry was employed in my culture of origin". In a brightly colored acrylic work titled "Jacob's Ladder," Boullata uses color and geometry to reflect the architecture, tilework and light of Palestine, and uses the title of the piece to evoke the three monotheistic religions."

Does that make sense? Is it possible to relate the above excerpt to what I said?
During this time of intolerance and inability to celebrate diversity, art is the only satisfaction that allows me to freely indulge in the continuity of civilizations in the part of the world that my being stems from.

By combining Byzantinium with Arabo-Islamic influencs, Boullata celebrates what most of us forget.

We need a revolution of thought.

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

2006-05-08T23:33:00.000+03:00

I just came back from an absolutely fantastic screening of the 1923 animated German film "The Adventure of Prince Achmed". I was transfixed by the beautiful live oriental music, the vibrant and wonderfully creative animation, and the fact that the story line was in German, a language I do not speak half a word of.

The most beautiful part though was the live music composed by Jordanians Elia Khoury and Agnes Bashir, and played by Nawazen and the Chamer Ensemble. Bravo! It was truly a beautiful performance.

Three special cheers to the Faculty of Arts and Design students that partcipated in the performance of the live music.

Bloggers and activists arrested in Egypt

2006-05-08T23:01:00.000+03:00

Currently there are about 48 Egpytian democracy activists detained in Egypt, 6 of them are Egyptian bloggers. The most known of them is Alaa, who helps organize the protests and spread the information through the Egyptian bloggers aggregator he runs. With him gone, the Egyptian aggregator could shut down without his maintenance, the other Egyptian bloggers get too scared to be active and find no way to organize and reach one other.

What you can do to help Alaa' and the rest of the bloggers.

A conversation with a civil war

2006-05-08T16:39:00.000+03:00

Two very old men, Araq, argeeleh, and a gun.

(Picture of a photograph hanging in socialist, leftist bar called Barometre in Beirut)

Something that should be introduced to the Jordanian market

2006-05-07T20:10:00.000+03:00

Teddy Bear Guns...For Weddings.

"Midt i Beirut"

2006-05-06T18:22:00.000+03:00

The complexity of cultures and civilizations is something that globalization and media are ceaselessly trying to homogenize- stereotyping entire regions, underplaying the startling differences in cultures, and portraying differences that should be positive as negative oddities with a lot of potential to start conflict.

Denmark. I've always known that the Danish capital was Copenhagen, I knew that they had green, rolling plains and a whole lot of cows, and I knew that my favorite dairy products were made in Denmark. I had met a few Danish people who I automatically classified with the rest of the blue-eyed, blonde-haired Northern Europeans who were naturally "colder" than Mediterraneans and who generally preferred to mind their own business.

One of the exercises we did at the dialogue workshop consisted of having each person write down a demonstration slogan that they think is vital to the betterment of today's world and in which they would go protest for. After the first round in which each person represented their own slogan, everyone was asked to choose another person to demonstrate with based on the other person's slogan.

The slogans contained things like "Better Education", "Peace", "Freedom of Thought" (mine), "Trust", "Reconciliation", and "Freedom of Belief".

Dina, an Egyptian woman, went a step further from these generalizations and wrote a more specific slogan- "Palestine". The most shining case of on-going injustice, where thoughts aren't free and necessities don't exist. Palestine; the ultimate breach of human rights. And to my surprise, the Danes agreed, because at the end of the exercise, "Palestine" was the most people chose to demonstrate about, and behind Dina stood an equal number of Danes and Arabs. I found it very surprising to listen to why they chose "Palestine".

I mention this particular incident because during the cartoon controversy, the Israeli-Palestinian case was mentioned in every single conversation I had about the cartoons. "Do you think the newspaper would be allowed to draw something similar about the holocaust?" I also mention it because most of the Western youth I've met in my life (and believe me when I tell you they weren't few) were extremely ignorant about Middle East politics, which led me to generalize that all of Western youth are the same. I was proven quite wrong.

There were other similar exercises that broke my own stereotypes about "all the Western world". One was similar to a poll, where our facilitator asked a question and gave 4 choices as answers each of which was equivalent to each corner of the room. Seeing people physically representing their answers was fascinating, especially as the proportions of Arabs and Danes in each corner was equal.

For example, one of the questions was "In personal matters of great importance such as marriage, jobs, etc. what is your family's role in your decision?" The choices were:

Corner 1- I would not even tell them
Corner 2- I would inform them of my decision
Corner 3- I would ask for their advice but do what I think is best
Corner 4- I would depend completely on their decision.

I would have thought that most of the Danes would stand in corner 1 and 2 and that the Arabs would stand in corners 3 and 4. To my surprise, there was an equal number of Danes and Arabs in corners 2 and 3, and no one at all stood in corners 1 and 4. Similar results were seen in the rest of the exercises.

Other than breaking cultural boundaries, the workshop was a lot of fun.

Here are some pictures of the workshop. (if you click on them they grow, wheee. Better yet, download Firefox and click on each box while pressing Control and gasp as something really magical happens).

Closure

2006-05-06T14:58:00.000+03:00

I'm having a really hard time writing about the workshop because I'm so saturated with thoughts about so many different things that I simply cannot collect my thoughts into one solid and coherent post. So I decided I'll divide it into little posts (or not so little, just relatively little to all the thoughts in my head). The first post will be about a thing that wasn't of much importance to the aim of the workshop, but of which I feel inclined to share- what was discussed in regards to the cartoon controversy.

To those who expressed that I wasn’t the best representation of Middle Eastern faith, let me start by putting your mind at ease by telling you that it wasn't interfaith dialogue as much as it was intercultural dialogue.

The Arab group consisted of 11 people, which included four Egyptians, three Lebanese, three Jordanians, and a Syrian. Four of the 11 Arabs were Christian and the rest were Muslims. The Danish group consisted of 14 people, which included atheists, Christians, and a Muslim.

The first day was spent preparing and presenting a presentation to exptess each group's point of view as to why the controversy was blown out of proportion. Naturally, each person in the Arab group had a different opinion, but we managed to draw circles around what we all agreed on and we, as Arabs, managed to present a united front (surprise, surprise).

Here are the three main points we presented:

1) There most definitely is a mutual misunderstanding of the other culture which helped escalate the controversy into a crisis. We agreed that the reactions to the cartoons weren't as much religious as they were cultural- Arabs generally identify more with their religions than with being Arab, perhaps because we are politically, economically, and socially frustrated in our own countries. Meanwhile, the Danish and the Europeans in general do not associate with religions as much as they associate with their countries. This point drew a lot of nods from the Danes, some of who said that the worst part to them about the whole issue was the burning of the Danish flag, which they cherish to the extent that they hang it outside their houses whenever the weather is good (we, meanwhile, are quite used to burning flags aren't we?).

2) The reactions were way out of proportions and that violence managed to only accentuate the message of the cartoons. The Prophet is a religious symbol that should not be shaken, and there are many other much more effective ways to express dissatisfaction. We also have had many other disasters in our region that are far more drastic in their effects than a bunch of cartoons, such as the Palestinians which are currently boycotted and starving, and the Iraqis who are practically on the brink of a civil war.

3) Finally, we also agreed that the media played a very major role in escalating the crisis. The Western media is biased towards portraying Arabs as aggressive. They kept playing the violence over and over again while ignoring the peaceful demonstrations that took place around the Arab world. The local media is very sensationalist and it helped in furtherly aggravating the other already emotional and reactive Arab street.

The Danish chose to not represent a united front but instead expressed the different opinions of the 14 people in the group. Most agreed that the cartoon was provocative.

The Cartoon Crisis was only discussed during the first day. The other 3 days were spent trying to develop a personal approach to dialogue, which I will discuss in a different post.

Beyrouth

2006-05-05T21:34:00.000+03:00

Amman once again after a week in the city that was destroyed and rebuilt seven times... Beirut.

Beirut broke my heart.

The workshop was fantastic. The Danes are wonderful. Interfaith dialogue is exciting. A post (or two) due as soon as I collect my thoughts.
(I love Amman)

You stare straight ahead

2006-04-30T16:20:00.000+03:00

I love how we have a spacious garden, a commodity we didn't get to enjoy in Amman prior to moving to this house in October. But October was the beginning of the cold, wet season, so we only started enjoying it recently- and, oh, my! Although I'm not a nature person, having a garden in Amman is absolutely wonderful because the weather is fantastic!

And so, I spent the entire afternoon tanning and eating the shelen eskimo from Jabri, which is probably my very favorite thing in the world, and listening to the sound of the hustling leaves of a birch tree, which is on of my favorite sounds in the world. My mother, who grew up by the sea, says that it sounds like crashing waves. I think it sounds like the hot summers in my grandmothers house, when the world was so hot and all I could do was sit outside and listen to the birch trees.

Anyway, tonight I'll be heading off to Beirut for a few days to attend a Danish-Arab dialogue workshop discussing the publication of the cartoons considered offensive to Islam and Muslims and caused tensions worldwide. The workshop will be filmed by film-makers on both sides with the purpose of producing a 26-minutes documentary film which will be placed in documentary film festivals, classrooms at the high-school and university level as well as in the public broadcast media. It should be a really interesting experience.

I'm excited about Beirut, especially as so many of highschool friends live there. I'm also extremely thankful that I'm going to be out of Amman for a week, I'm in the utmost need to distance myself from routine and certain people.

But you wouldn't have to miss me so much. Jameed and Co will probably be airing their newest episode of JameedKast, of which I was the victim. I agreed to be on the podcast but then I found myself regreting it because Iyas and Laith bombarded me with questions that I couldn't answer while keeping a straight face. I haven't listened to it yet, and as I'm not much of a humorous person, I don't know what parts they'll edit out to make me sound funny. Allah yostor.

: I’m obsessed

2006-04-29T12:26:00.000+03:00

"If your heart is in a dream, no request is too extreme, when you wish upon a star, as dreamers do."
-Walt Disney

That was the opening quote I used in an essay I wrote for a class when I was 14 or 15 about what I wanted my career to be like 10 years from then. Seven years later, I find it funny that I used that particular quote- dreamers? Wishing upon a star? It should have been a more grounded quote by Walt Disney, perhaps "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."

I found that essay sitting lonely in a file somewhere in my harddisk while looking for something unrelated earlier today. It's amusing to read something I wrote so long ago, especially as I was in a completely different mindset.

No. I was in a completely different life. Does it sound like the same person?

This is my tribute to a Disney dream that is now reality. Disney has taught me something no tuition and no friend could teach; to set sights to infinity and beyond. Disney is by and large known for "Making the Magic", and it is definitely the "dreamer who does". Whether its dreams are hidden in the heart of a pretty sapphire-clad belle that slumbers until her prince comes or a roller coaster that is ignited to life by the shrieks of those who are soaring through the sky inside it, no one can project a masterpiece of love and dreams so stunningly.

As a child, my parents surrounded my life with the magic of Disney; I went to sleep by gazing at the murals of Snow White on my bedroom walls, I dressed up as Pocahontas to all the costume parties I went to, and I hungrily devoured every word of Disney Weekly on Thursdays. In fact, when I look back at my childhood, I realize that the best phrase to describe it would be "blurb-of-colors". So now, as a young adult, my fantasies are tainted with falling down the rabbit hole to wind up in The Neverland or putting on the fairy-tale slippers to transform into a princess. Consequently, these tainted fantasies and a background full of animation and color lead my mind to renovate everything lackluster I see into a "how-to-make-it-more-pretty" project. After years of feathering doorknobs with fuchsia fluff and concealing paint-stained desktops with tie-dyed pillowcases, I set a life-long goal for myself. This life-long goal, also known as "beautifying", is really nothing more than pixie-dust sprinkled across my world.

I have so far succeeded in giving small scenes in the play that is my life the ability to let my spirits ascend. The scene that is my bedroom, for example, is my candy-land. Being my creation from corner to corner, and filled with handmade uniqueness and simple creations dressed-up, I feel inspired to imagine when I’m in it.

I believe that every human deserves to have such a sanctuary to fade into, but I also believe that not everyone will enjoy inventing love with colors and creativity.
For this reason, I aspire to establish a career that will facilitate me in helping others create such a sanctuary. I want to cultivate the ability to tap into people’s deep-seated desires and to fuse age-old fairytales with brand-new originalities, while also developing my perception of the dissimilar psychological personalities of individuals. I yearn for the ability to transform a fantasy into a multihued, exciting world that individuals can move through cheerfully, touch, and enjoy. I want my hands to have the ability to create a life-sized child’s dollhouse- safe, bright, and swarming with innocent temptation. I want to manage to make poverty seem, well, charming. I want to dream, and I want my career to be the platform of my dreams.

Such fabulous work is the daily business of Imagineers, Graphic Designers, Architects along with Interior Designers, and I hope to be received into one of these professions. I know that I would love to be a part of any of these careers, giving up my heart and soul to fill others lives with beauty. I’m in love with doing such things. Actually, I’m not only in love; I’m obsessed.

Ten years is an eternity away, yet it’s also too close. Human life is sinking with prosaic ebony’s and insipid whites. It is over-involved with everyday realism and practicality to worry about simple things such as colors that harmonize and the minute details that may ember up a classroom that fails to motivate. I know that I will not be able to achieve my lifetime goal like I want it to be achieved it in such a short period, but I do desire to have access to miniature projects in vicinities that need to be sugarcoated. I also hope to accomplish innovation. I aspire to frolic with creativity. I wish that what has filled my life with inspiration and magic will spread to engulf the lives of others.

But most of all, I want to be a part of what started by obsession; I want to work for Disney.

Man, I guess I've been so mphalsapheh my entire life.

Saudi Champagne

2006-04-29T00:18:00.000+03:00

One of my favorite beverages is one that is often served in "special" occassions in Saudi Arabia is Saudi Champagne, an improvised concoction of apple juice, lemon perrier, apples, oranges slices and mint. It's quite delicious, and one of the few things I'm willing to replace my meal Pepsi with.

سخريه القدر

2006-04-28T22:27:00.000+03:00

قررت انني "احتقر"  اللغة العربيه في الصف الرابع عندما لم أنجح في صف العربي في المدرسة. ذلك الصيف، وفي كل مساء من عطلتي الصيفية المقدسة، كنت أجلسُ في غرفة الطعام ببيت جدتي في عمَان مع معلم للغة العربية أٌراقبُ بغيرة اخوتي و هم يلعبون خلف الشباك.  قضيتُ ثلا ث’ أشهر فى هذه  الحال و كلُ ما تعلمتهُ ذالك الصيف هو أن "أحتقر" اللغة العربية التي سرقت صيفي مني.

و لم أنجح في صف اللغة العربيه في الصف الخامس ايضا.

بعد ذلك، لم يكن لدي أي اهتمام لوضع اي جهد في تعلم اللغه العربيه. ولأن اللغه العربيه كانت تُدرس في مدرستي كلغه ثانيه، لم أتعلم أكثرمن القراءة البسيطة جدا. حتي هذا اليوم، بعد سنبن عديدة، ما زلت لا احاول أن أكتب باللغة العربية خوفاً من الاخطاء في القواعد و اللأملاء.

انها سخريه القدر ان هذه هي المره الاولي التي أحاول الكتابه  بلغتي الام.  ابدا.

-كلمة "احتقر" هي تعريب حرفي لكلمة "دسبايز" و التي أستعملها كثيراً

Age: 21

2006-04-28T13:54:00.001+03:00

I'm just a girl

2006-04-27T01:39:00.000+03:00

It's no big secret that I'm a feminist, and my first push into feminism was a song.

Ironically enough, I had completely forgotten about that song until I found a cassette today under the front seat of my car, and as Mood FM was playing sappy music (I can't tolerate sappy music for the life of me), I popped it into my cassette player only to find out that it is a collection of my favorite No Doubt songs. Within a few minutes, I found myself listening preplexed to a song I know so well, a song that, back in 1996, pushed me into the first step of becoming who I am today.

Take this pink ribbon off my eyes
I'm exposed, and it's no big surprise
Don't you think I know exactly where I stand?
This world is forcing me to hold your hand
'Cause I'm just a girl, little 'ol me
Don't let me out of your sight
I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite
So don't let me have any rights
The moment that I step outside
So many reasons for me to run and hide
I can't do the little things I hold so dear
'Cause it's all those little things that I fear
'Cause I'm just a girl I'd rather not be
'Cause they won't let me drive late at night
I'm just a girl, guess I'm some kind of freak
'Cause they all sit and stare with their eyes
I'm just a girl, take a good look at me
Just your typical prototype
I'm just a girl in the world...
That's all that you'll let me be!
I'm just a girl, living in captivity
Your rule of thumb makes me worry some
I'm just a girl, what's my destiny?
What I've succumbed to Is making me numb
I'm just a girl, my apologies
What I've become is so burdensome
I'm just a girl, lucky me
Twiddle-dum there's no comparison
Oh...I've had it up to here!

Ahh... Those words make me shiver.

It's funny being a feminist in a country where the majority of the populace are mostly machismo pigs. A few days ago, I was having this really heated debate with a few guys about the role of women in society as well as their rights. Our main debate points were the following:

1) I believe with a severe passion that young females should be provided with equal oppurtunities as their male counterparts so that when the day comes when they need to decide whether to become housewives or working women, they have free will in the sense where they are fully aware of their options and the consequences of their decisions. The guys thought that it is a woman's god-given duty to sit at home, cook, clean, and take care of children, "I wouldn't mind if my wife works before we have children, but as soon as we do, I would not get married to someone who wouldn't stay at home to take care of them."
I say, toz. I respect a woman who is herself first and foremost, rather than a mother, a housewife, and a childbearer.

2) I believe that religious rules are mostly outdated. I'll end this point here.

3) I am very much against gender roles. I do not think that it is a woman's god-given duty to cook, clean, and raise, nor is it a man's god-given-duty to provide for the household. A couple may switch roles if it makes them more comfortable. Of course, I'm always attacked severely in regards to this point, "Ba6al zalameh ili bog3od bil beit." It always makes me say, "Mish fahmeh ya3ni, 3eib 3al zalameh yo2-3od bil beit o mish 3eib 3al wa7deh?"
I personally am not willing to be in a relationship where I do not make my own money or at least participate in the budget of maintaining the relationship and all that may involve it including a house, children, and so on and so forth (this is where people usually jump in and scream "With a degree in fine arts?!" Yes, mish 3ajebkom?)

Naturally, after an hour-long debate, the conclusion these guys reached was hilarious- "Roba, you know what happens to women like you? They never get married."

Hehe, I found that absolutely amusing! It's ironic how people think it is more appropriate to be unsatisfied, unhappy, and married than satisfied, successful, and unmarried.

Finally, a story and a question. A while ago, one of my male friends told me with an extra bout of confidence that he would never be with a woman who is smarter or as smart as he is, because as a man and like every other man, he thinks a woman slightly dumber is "easier to manage". I was shocked silly to hear that, especially as he was someone I respected. When I expressed my shock and offense, he simply said, "Come on, Roba, admit it, wouldn't you want to be with a man who is smarter than you? Women like that."

Double whammy. According to this friend, men like dumber women and women like smarter men. Now, I'm posing this question to everyone- what do you think? Do you agree with this person?

Question open to both genders. I would really appreciate honesty, I wouldn't bite anyone I promise.

Made with real fruit (not)

2006-04-25T23:53:00.000+03:00

A few nights ago, I dreamt I was eating Pop Tarts. Pop Tarts! I haven't had Pop Tarts since the 4th grade.

Naturally, I woke up with an extreme craving for them, and after a trip to Cozmos, I was standing in the kitchen microwaving the iced and sprinkled delicious-looking slices of pastry, stuffed with "natural" strawberry, remembering a day when I was a child sitting around the kitchen table waiting for my Pop Tart to be served. Ahh... for that precise instant, I could almost remember the sweetness of the icing (I love icing) and the juiciness of the fill.

Of course, the deliciousness of Pop Tarts turned out to be nothing more than a figment of an overfertile imagination. Or maybe Pop Tarts don't taste the same anymore. Or maybe I'm too old for Pop Tarts. I really don't know.

What I do know though is that they were way-too-sweet, artificially flavored to the degree that it feels like you are eating chemicals, and quite dry.

What a disappointment.

I also tried my very first Caesar salad for lunch this evening. I know, I know, Caesar salads are all over the fricking place, including refrigerated salad meals in CTown, McDonalds and salad bars in every other restaurant in the Amman. But you see, Caesar Salads usually have little cubes of chicken over them and since I'm not willing to eat anything that had contact with chicken, I've never had a Caesar salad. Today, my mother decided to make me a Caesar salad minus the chicken, and it was actually good! Much better than the Pop Tarts.

I feel like eating kubeh nayeh (raw ground beef paste mixed with cracked wheat, eaten with garlic, yum yum).

Oh, yeah, did I ever mention that I love soda?

NO!

2006-04-24T23:29:00.000+03:00

Ok. Seriously. I can't take it anymore.