Democracy or conspiracy?

So Egypt is now going to have an Election like all civiliezed and some of the uncivilized countries of the world.
A step forward? yep it is.
But important questions do arrise:

1) how will the constitution be ammended? the wording of the amendment is as important as the decision its self.
2) why did this decision come in February after voting card are no longer being issued? this knowing that supporters are usually the ones who do vote!
3)why did this decision come so close to the elections? this leaves little time for candidates to announce themselves, prepare themselves and for parties to develop their leadership. it also leaves little time for us to make sure the wording of the amendment is correct. We may want to add more to it, like women being allowed to be president, or that the president can only be president for two terms, or to cut the term to 5 or 4 years instead of 6.

All too suspicious.

Is this a way to get Mubarak Re-elected and leaving America with no excuse to hassle Egypt about it?
Is it a way to get Jimmy ( Gamal Mubarak - Hosni Mubarak's son) to be president without upsetting the masses and America?
Or has Mubarak decided to call it quits and leave with the remainig dignity he has left?

Despite of all those concerns this is still a ray of light in a long dark tunnel.
Maybe in 20 Years they will let women run?
Maybe in 30 years we'd have the first female candidate.

What i do know though is that now and more than ever, i do want to eventually stay in Egypt and fight for what i believe in.
Kenny thinks me and him had a role in this decision, we opposed, we talked to people, we convinced people. We may have not worn t-shirts saying "Kefaya" ( Enough is Enough) like others have done, but he thinks we had a share.

my song

contrary to common belief my song is not independent woman it is:

that I would be good even if i did nothing
that I would be good even if i got the thumbs down
that I would be good if I got and stayed sick
that I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

that i would be fine even even if I went bankrupt
that i would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
that i would be great if I was no longer queen
that i would be grand if i was not all knowing

that i would be loved even when i numb myself
that i would be good even when i am overwhelmed
that i would be loved even when i was fuming
that i would be good even if i was clingy

that i would be good even if i lost sanity
that i would be good
whether with or without you

i think this should be everyone's song

The greatest inventions

Before i start, the best thing ever is a warm sunny morning - Ever since the weather got better here, i cannot stop smiling.
Now there are great inventions in the world today that also make me really happy :)

Blogging for one, it is such a cool thing - ever since i joined aiesec.ws and then nomadlife.org i can keep up with people all over the world, know their updates, read their funny stories and have great discussions - and though i have only heard of you from kenny our salaam trainee and my VPER and of course through nomadlife - thank you Dody :)

DSL - is such an amazing invention , i am online 24/7. and it's so freakingly fast!!

Torrents - i now can download all the movies and shows i want all the time with amazing quality.
Websites like www.torrentspy.com and www.torrentsearch.com are the coolest Ever!

MBC - the Middle Eastern Broadcasting Channel - is now a Network! With Channel 2 showing as i speak the coolest movies, and Channel 4 - great soaps and shows - a blast for me being a BIG couch Potato

Nokia - I just fell in love with a phone i saw on display. I have my heart set on it. It is the Nokia 2650 . It is white and so feminine and smooth. Even though i love the phone - my mom likes it too, so yay, i found a present for her for Mother's Day :D

MP3 Players - i can listen to my music EVERYWHERE!!

How cool is technology?

another one of my AIESEC related posts

I noticed that before i had NO posts whatsoever related to AIESEC, and in this past month i have had quite a few.
And this is a sweet addition.
I cannot remember ever being so excited about someone else going to a conference!
Tamer - inshaalaah - is going to IPM - yaaay. I felt soo bad for him when he thought he was not going, coz i can imagine the feeling.
Becoming MCP after all the hard work and sleepless nights, and not getting to do one of the most exciting things in the role, going to IPM - not a vey nice feeling.
And now that he is on his way to the Airport now, i am so excited for him. I can see him coming back with an amazing spirit!

When i became LCP i was very excited and happy with my LC, i loved being around them, loved being at the center, and the fact that i am the boss :)

As my term is entering its final quarter, i no longer feel the need to be at he center all the time.

I always thought it would be soooo hard not to be LCP anymore, going from the person people run to all the time whenever they have something and ask for advice , and the person people listen to and think greatly of to being just another someone,
but it feels so natural and great to gradually let other people show what they can do. I have already started focusing on the behind the scene stuff like BOA and all other sutff, and giving up other upfront stuff like holding LC meetings and so on for other EBs.

The fact that i have amazing potential successors makes me soo happy and makes this process of phasing out so smooth and fun.

I can't wait for those 3 months to whitness more action in Alex, and to see the new Leadership in our LC.
I can't wait to have an Alex delegation in NPM that is more that 3 people :P

and I can't wait to start my life in Cairo, with what i think will be the best team ever.
I can' wait to start working, and signing up for Yoga classes in this beautiful Gym in Maadi, Painting my flat baby blue, cooking, enjoying Fine Art and Music at the Opera House and all those other stuff that would probably take up an entire page.

To New Beginnings and Happy Successful Endings! :)

why oh why

I have been following the news in Lebanon, and i found out that they have asked Hariri's Son to step in in his father's political role.

Why? Why? Why?

Hariri, Hariri Junior
El Assad, El Assad Junior
and soon
Mubarak and Mubarak Junior


Do "Arab" Countries really believe in Monarcy that much?!

Arabs have a High Uncertainty Avoidance Index : 68
We hate change, and resent it more that necessary - i think.
Maybe people find it more comfortable to have the same name, as it implies less change.

A Love - Hate relationship!

paddy, a friend of mine , is a bit confuzed.
Do i love Egypt and want to live in it for the rest of my life?
Do i hate Egypt and want to get out of it?

Well paddy it is both. I rebell about what happens here because i want to change it. and the only way to start a change is to admit that it is needed.
Discussing it with people is the way to find ways and develop ideas on what needs to be changed and how. It not a way to complain about it.

So i would like to go abroad to experience stuff, but all the roads i will take will bring me back to Egypt, where i am REALLY needed and where i want to be!

For those who do not know i live in the beautiful city of Alexandria, where the sun shines almost 10 months of the Year, where i can smell the sea from my window and where i can enjoy the lazy afternoons with friends, family and loved ones.
It is also a city built by Alexander the Great.
If there is actually reincarnation - i would like to believe that I was Alexander the Great in a previous life.
and if i ever get a son i will call him Alex :D
Hi i am Alex from Alex! - (i will make sure my medical insurance covers schrinks)

One of the things why i am so proud of Egypt right now, is the increased awareness and interest in Democracy. More and more people are growing interest and are discussing this fact here in Egypt.

Finally

1) My condolences to all the Leabanese for what has happened to Rafik El Hariri.

2) Congrats Iraq for their Elections, i hope we see an elected president up n running by the end of the year

3) Poo and I had a lovely time last night, we had Breakfast together ( if you know what i mean ;) hahaha ( man she'll kill me if she reads this)

I have a date for Valentines!

Okay so its Valentine's day!
and in Egypt this is a HUGE thing! probably coz of the sexual frustration that is EVERYWHERE
hahaha

Sofar i have helped two couples picking out presents and planning their Night out, i have seen Red everywhere, love bugs and glitter all over.

AND I AM FINE!!
I do not wana watch romantic movies, and i do not wish i had someone!
i am completely OKAY!

plus i have a DATE with Poonam, a really good friend of mine! we will celebrate single life together!!

YAAY!!

:D:D:D

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

I actually did learn something from the MCP elections.
Jen keeps her promises
and she ROCKS!!

a big hug and kiss out to jen on valentines day ;)

too much time on ma hands

Yesterday i spoke with Assem ( Egypt/Canada) who kindof pointed out that i have way to much time on my hands.
Today i have checked Weblogs that belong to people i do not even know! some people of Jen's list.
So i kindof get the point Assem!
As i was checking those Blogs i Checked Assem's and Jill ( a girl from the US whom i met briefly in IC). Like me they ran for MCP and did not get it.
They all went on about how much they have learned yada yada yada, so i thought, what have i learned?
Nothing! (except that tamer is a great AIESECer and a great guy, which i already knew!!)
I gave a speech like any other Speech, i answered Questions, meh i would rate my perfromance at an even 6 out of 10.
I have given myself 8/10 before, but like once or twice.
Maybe that is why i have not learned?! I didn't exactly try that hard, the result was known from the beginning. Is that why?
Another thing is maybe our MC Elections? It's easier that EB selection!
7 minute speech?! when i ran for LCP i had 10 minutes.
1 hour of Q&A?!! again LC VPs Q&A is 1 hour!
It was basically 3 hours, and you're done! Not Nerve Racking, no butterflies, Nothing!
Change is needed.

As for me having waaaay too much time on my hand, it is so true. My Vacation has been a complete and utter Failure.

Number of Visits to the Gym?! ZERO
Number of Calories Eaten in one day? 3000?!! maybe more
Number of hours Slept in one day? 12
Visits to National Democratic Party? None
Articles written for magazines? None

Number of Movies seen? 10
Number of friends episodes seen? 40

Team day for EBs? Not Done
TL preparation? Not Done


I can find excuses for the last two things only!

Signs of Depression? Signs of Boredom? Signs of Irresponsibility?

Proud to be Egyptian?

A propos Soad's Comment and Nisrin's Post:
I think most Arabs went through what nisrin went through, not wanting to linked to Arabs.
Personally if i got to pick where i was from, it would most definetly be Egypt!
I am proud of all the blood I have, to be linked with the Prophet is an Honor, as well as being linked to the Ancient Egyptians and Mohamed Aly - one of the Best Leaders Egypt has ever had and many more.
See it's not the origin or blood we are ashamed of, its what the Arab world is coming to these days. After Pioneering in Everything, it is now in its darkest phases of ignorance corruption and retardation.
This being quite natural, is something we the so-called "Arab Countries" need to feel ashamed of, and that should refect on our behaviour so we can work on improving our status quo.
And like it or not, we are linked together -at least by the world community, so if Egypt advances on its own, it will be better off but the "Arab world" will still be in need.

And this leaves me with words from the AIESEC Power of One Presentation:

If it's not us, then who?
If it's not now, then when?

What are Egyptians?

Responding to Nisrin's Post,

she said: "I have one question for all the Egyptians out there. If you take away everything Arab. If you take way Arabic and Arab culture from Egypt, what would you have left? The memory of an Ancient Egypt. Your history maybe of Ancient Egypt but your present is a part of the Arab World. "

so if we do remove all Islamic and Arab infulence, what will we be?!
what is left from our culture?!

Now honestly all arab countries share ONLY two things, Language, and Religion.
i think each country has its own unique culture, and it is a product of a lot of cultures mixed together.
Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria have their unique culture, parts of it maybe due to Arab influence, part french, part mediterranean and part african.
same applies to all other countries.

I am not against having a culture that could have an Arab part in it, but i am against being forced to be linked with other countries just coz they happen to also have a bit of an Arab culture too.

Put a kuwaiti or a person from Qatar next to a Leabnese or an Egyptian or a Moroccan, and they will not seem so similar afterall.

Now Nisrin said: "I have yet to meet an Egyptian who has convinced me they are not Arab. If you (you must be an Egyptian) can convince me you are not Arab, I will fly to Egypt tomorrow and cook you and whoever else you want to invite the most lavish Lebanese dinner ever known to man. "

Sadly i do not think i qualify for your lavish dinner. But i Do prove my theory.
My Ancestors came to Egypt with Mohamed Ali probably. This is from both sides - mom and dad.
Those acestors mixed with people here in Egypt. those people can be traced back to the Prophet - also on both sides.
So i as a person have both origins in me, and i presume those ancestors must have mixed with the decendants of the Ancient Egyptians.
Judging by my looks and the looks of my family, some meditteranean blood must be there as well( uhh nisrin by those looks i do not mean my bro's looks , when u come i will show you the rest of the family who look nothing like my bro)

I am therefore Egyptian! a Shaker Salad, peoples all mixed up together!
So it's unfair to say i am Arab, coz that is only a small part, not the whole.
and that in itsself is unique!


Here's another controversial question.

Are Egyptians Semits or are only israelis and Jews Semites?
So if the US passes a law condemning hatred to Semites, then it should be directed to Arabs as well huh?

Egyptians are NOT Arabs!

just an explanation!
Egyptians are NOT Arabs!
that is why i refer to Arabs as "they"
I believe Egyptians have their own unique name, which is Egyptian.
A mixture of Ancient Egyptians, Turks, Eastern Europeans(places that used to be with the ottoman empire) , a little bit Italian, Greek and Arab Peoples.

Our loyalty is to Egypt, then to the entire World!

maybe i am wrong, but i just don't think we are Arabs!
maybe it's just coz i don't like people from the Arab Peninsula and i do not want to be associated with them?
do you think so?
comment and let me know!

Peace?

you really think there can be peace now?

i doubt that will last:

from BBC:

"I am an Israeli and you would call me a hardliner because I believe in the inalienable right of Jews to the whole of the biblical holy land. However, if the Palestinians demonstrate their aim is for an independent democratic Arab state living side by side with a secure Jewish state then even I, albeit with a heavy heart, am prepared to trade land for peace. However the Palestinians have to demonstrate that this is their aim and gain the trust of me and people like me who have witnessed nearly 60 years of bloodshed. This must include the dismantling of groups such as Hamas."
Norman, Jerusalem, Israel

Okay I am someone who is very skeptical of the "palestinian cause", who thinks palestine is to blame for a lot of what they are in right now, and who thinks palestinian goverment cannot control all its people. Some would call me pro-israel (which i am not) or a traitor ( which i am not).

But THAT really got my blood boiling!

Now Arabs and Palestinians on the other hand think Israelis have no right to be in this area and they are "invadors" who came in and took their land.

When Nasser said in one of his speeches that we will keep pushing them untill they sink in the mediterranean, i am sure THAT got Israeli blood boiling too!

Looking back on history one can say that both Arabs and Jews have equal right to be in this territory.
is there anything wrong with them calling it "our" land?

Once both parties acknowledge that, that is when actual peace can happen.

For now let's just call it a ceasefire! and i dont think it will last for that long!

the best trainee ever?

AIESEC Alex has the best trainee ever.
i must admit i would rate our quality at a good 6/10 - coz our Traineeships are all english teaching and it's a hassle!
but still we managed to get the best trainee ever!
Purvi, was a member of AIESEC Uk, and was, according to her, not the most eager member ever.
yet she's so nice, so sweet, understanding and such a great person!
i just love her!
she just proves that you do not have to be an MCP or an LCP to be a great AIESECer and a great change Agent.
Her Luck landed her in a Traineeship, where they are not operating well enough to pay her, so we are finding her a new traineeship - a month now with nothing to do and she's still the most polite and sweet trainee ever!
one of the things i love about trainees is when they like your country! it just makes me feel happy. and trust me that does not happen a lot here in egypt!
it makes you like them even more.
Purvi is also the only trainee i have ever had to kiss (and no not on the cheek!!)

this goes out to you purvi! the best trainee anyone can hope for.
i consider myself lucky to have met someone like you.

P.S. kait and holly you ROCK

oh and trent even though you are not from my LC but you kick ass too (and no tom, this has nothing to do with how hot i think he is ) hahaha

future anxiety?

I may not be MCP of Egypt but thanks to insight i am still MCP of Colombia!
don't you just love that system, soo many fuck ups! probably hit the guiness book of records.

Moving on, i half-heartedly stepped down as VP thus having to endure yet another year of life in my beloved country Egypt, and post-poning my plans to conquer the Earth one year.

So what's next? where will i live in Cairo? another thing needs to be planned.
I am more relieved now that i know what's happening next year, though it's the 3rd best thing but at least i know!

for now i am excited about how to decorate my new FLAT in cairo!!
so color suggestions?!

BABY PINK!! yaaay
Purple?? naaah
BABY Blue?!! momkin!!

how about green and yellow? too garden-y?
i am open to suggestions.

i know how it's gona smell though! it's going to be apple cinnamon!!

well ta ta for now