Citystars vs Airport

The Cairo International Airport does not have dogs sniffing your bags - no dogs for security - none i have seen anyway.

Citystars - a large shopping mall - and nile city - a cinema theatre and office building - and the Semiramis Intercontinental have dogs searching you when you get it.

I hate going home!

I officially hate it. I go home every time and it all fits in prefectly!
My dad nagging me to come see him all the time, my mom being very affectionate and sweet as always, my grandma bitter as ever and still smoking like a chimney, my sister bitching and bossing all the time, and my bro who is so chilled and spaced out in his own little world of computer downloads and playstation 2 and my other brother with his 5 lunches, 4 dinners and 3 showers per day as an attempt to evade studying.
I normally like cairo, like my house, don't mind the 6 flights of stairs (lately), have fun here.
I stay in cairo for a while and then i don't want to go to Alex, the minute i go to alex i end up not wanting to leave.
So now i am back in Cairo and all i wana do is go back to Alex,,talk about withdrawal syndrome

My Bowling break through!

2 nights ago i rellied up the troops and ventured out on a night of bowling.
My first game i got a lame 55 - ranking last - nothing out of the ordinary!
So my second game i paired out with small-town-american Nirsin who is known to be good at bowling.
And while Nisrin brought out the best in me - 3 strikes and a spare - i brought out the worst in her - the only game with not even one spare!
This is why the Khattab house - May and her american cousin - beat us by a 9 point difference.
That does not by any chance undermine my achievement.
For the FIRST time ever i do not rank last, and i get a score of 107!! Wohoow! an 8 point difference from the top score of the game!

O plumber, where art thou!

3 days, 10 calls and 5 different appointments and still no plumber... and the situation is getting worse by each minute,, well by each "usage" is more accurate.
While in the civilized places the phrase goes "the customer is always right" in Egypt we have the not-so-equivalent " the customer is wrong,,fucking wrong".

You call Mr Plumber and be abso-friggin-lutly friendly and ask him to go through the immense trouble of visiting you in your house to do his job and get paid for it. ahh and what a thing to ask, it's like asking him to donate his kidney without any anesthesia.
So he gives you the proverbial, i will pass by when i finish my work,,,uhm isn't going to people's houses and fixing their plumbing your job aslan?!! so why is it that my request for his plumbing services not considered as "work"?!
Result - Day number 3: toilet is leaking all sorts of things and Mr. plumber still has work!
3 days of no plans, no gym, no going out, of staying home, baking a pie and making the most delicious pasta sauce ever (which sounds so insultingly housewifie) and watching "married with children" "The nanny" and "Paris and Nikky's E! true Hollywood story" (2 hours of the Hiltons is just too much!) and still NO FRIGGIN PLUMBER!

While i am hopeful that day 3 will be the promised day - i am also thankful for limewire and grey's anatomy which should be entertaining my day 4 god forbid

Jackie?!

On thursday i went to the National Bank of Egypt to get my credit card (they don't send it for you) - i picked up the envelope, and forgot to get the PIN number (apparently they don't send that one either)
The envelope was addressed to Jacklin Abd El Salaam Mohamed.
Needless to say, that's not exactly my name :)

exhausted!

I haven't had a day off in ages, and it's finally catching up to me...last weekend i spent my only day off - friday - sick of "Chili's of Death" and cleaning my own puke. I guess i really need to give a big shout out to thank nisrin for the hand in that cleaning - I hope i never have to do it for you (for your sake, and mine), but i will do it anywayz!

My new year's plans are crap! I am honestly too scared to go to dahab - so i think i will not go....and bayfest is fucking expensive. Maybe I should opt for a quiet new year's?

I am making my new years resolutions and i have a brand new entry:
Go to America!
Yes i want to go on holiday for 10 days to New York - that's it! I am doing it! So i am saving up - and i will stop my mad shopping spree that's been going on for 3 months! (damn you sweden for your good shopping)

One day left for my long weekend.........yawn

LinkdotNet is the worst internet service provider (ISP) in Egypt

Yes! it's official, Not only is their internet really slow, their fees too overpriced for the shit they provide, they also have the worst cusotmer service in the world!
If i ever see the general manager of Linkdotnet i will spit on his face for doing such a lame-ass job!
Die Mother-F***er Die!!

Any idea how i can make this post be the first search item found on google?!
I really want to screw their asses right now!

you live you learn

my work colleague with me in sweden keeps going on about how much he misses his 4-month old daughter, and how it's the first time he's been away from her and how he really wants to go back to see her and how he dreamed of her last night and how he's waited so long to have a daughter and he doesn't want to leave her.
It's really cute...

It's funny, i never really thought fathers miss their kids. I mean sure it's nice to have 'em around, when they're being nice and cute and not annoying, but to go as far as miss them?

He's no Roger Moore

but the new james bond sure is good.

and in light of that i am planning a poker night......

A very late thanksgiving

Living with an american has finally paid off. This year Nisrin, motivated by nora and naynay, decided to cook a turkey for thanksgiving. We made it 2 days late, and due to some cooking drama had it 6 hours late, at 11:30 pm to be specific.
Our little "family" gathered up to eat, Me, nora, naynay, sarah (nisrin's friend), Purvi, Shahira (nora's friend). Mai was also part of the gang, but couldn't stay out that long - we saved her a share.

Nisrin cooked the Turkey Sahira and I carved

Sarah made the gravy

Naynay made the sweet potatoesNora made mashed potatoes and corn on the cobpurvi wanted to guarantee some veggie friendly food - she made pastaI had the most difficult task of getting the drinks

And at the end of this fabulous group effort we got around nora's dining table and had a mouth watering meal

followed by a nice cuppa tea and star shaped chocolate cake

How we made it up my six flights of stairs after this big meal is a wonder!

It was a lovely day of cooking, playing sharades, chatting, gossiping and of course eating.
At the end of it i gave thanks for having such wonderful friends, I know i do not say it enough, but it's true.

Arrived

Yes, i am in Sweden - finally.
It's more beautiful than i last left it :)

it had to happen i guess

I am stuck in vienna, missed my connection flight - for more than one reason all of which are my fault.
I hope one day i can laugh about this, right now i couldn't be further from laughter.

I have a date with a giant toblerone

Weekend in Amsterdam!

So THAT's what they mean by autumn!
Yup i finally got to see that season for real - the yellow, brown and red leaves - and of course the cold!
I had me some fun Amsterdam time with the help of the greatest hosts ever! arthur, Aly and Lieke (who despite not having a blog, is still cool!) were awesome! It was great catching up.

Spend some good reflection time at the Anne Frank's House, and some not-so-fun time at the Hash Museum (it sucked ass)

What struck me most in the Netherlands was their railways - i had to travel a bit for work - and it's friggin' awesome! So reliable, well developed, and connects every town! WOW!
KLM was also a pleasent surpirse - nice food, and awesome entertainment!

Enywayz - next step Boras, Sweden - get ready for some serious ass freezing next week!

Stay tuned for my next post about my tantrum with the egyptian airport authority - i think we should give se3idi's a break and use them for all our jokes!

A hollywood movie about Egyptian Police brutality!

Well we had to see it coming people!
Rendition
Looks like it's gona be big - Reese Witherspoon - an Oscar Winner and Jake Gyllenhaal - an Oscar nominee!

Plot goes as follows:
"Witherspoon will star with Jake Gyllenhaal in Hood’s next film, Rendition, written by Kelly Sane. The plot finds a CIA analyst (Gyllenhaal) whose world starts spinning out of control when he witnesses the brutal interrogation of an Egyptian-American by the Egyptian secret police. Soon, he’s on the run for his life, and must in turn help the tortured man’s pregnant American wife Isabella El-Ibrahim (Witherspoon)."

Funny thing - the movie, which takes place in Egypt is shot in Morocco and South Africa.
It's quite a trend to have movies whose plots take place in Egypt being shot in Morocco. (English Patient, Mummy Returns)

...

did i mention i have a really cool boss?

little victories!

So i went to the gym - a salsa-style work out.

1) i found 40 pounds in my gym pants pockets! YAY!
2) I had my first gay-salsa-instructor experience - it was hillarous, i do not think i will miss this class, like ever!! I had to stop myself from giggling at every one of his moves and words.
I now understand why my guy-friends never wanted to learn latin dance :P
3) Sex and the City re-runs are BACK!! The early pre-plastic-surgery episodes when they were all still relatively ugly.

..okay my last point was not related..but it's still a victory

Next Stop: Amsterdam

Just when i thought November will be spent purely Egyo-style, my inbox thinks differently.
Next stop: Amsterdam! It's exciting,,, everyone i have met who has been there, loves it.
So i am getting ready to party-- Netherlands style!! only 10 days to go!

Dismissive attitude

Though my dismissive attitude has gotten me into many arguments and discussions and attacks from bloggers, friends and family - it is my security mechanism for living in Egypt.

You generalize and dismiss - very simple

1) Government and politicians: thieves with no integrity
2) Egyptian lower class men: sexually frustrated pigs
3) Egyptian upper class men: sexually frustrated schovenists
4) Egyptian lower class girls/women: mean bitches who think that all upper class girls/women are promiscuous
5) Egyptian lower class veiled girls/women: veiled bitches who think they are so righteous and uncovered girls are the sinners of death and are inferior to them
6) Egyptian upper class girls/women: stuck up and arrogant and fake
7) Egyptian upper class veiled girls: brain-washed and trying to brain-wash you!
8) Forgeiners living in Egypt: the typical expat attitude - this place is a shit hole, and i am so much better than you
9) Egyptian bloggers: poor them! an ant that is trying to single-handedly kill an elephant
10) Police: un-educated stupid useless suckers , i will take the law into my own hands, thank you very much! (bring on the pepperspray)
11) Religious People: People who over-advertedly advertise their religion - therefore are fake and all about appearances
12) Religious figures: they are politicians

The list is endless.

While this maybe heartless, cruel and politically incorrect, it's the only way i have remained sane over the past few years. And i think most of the people i know are like that - just a little less vocal about it.
Putting all those people at a level below you makes their acts excusable - if you think we are all the same you will constantly be disappointed because people do not have similar values and the society is almost lawless, i.e. there's no agreed upon code of conduct in the country. What is acceptable? What isn't? different answer in every class and every gender.

But truth be told - one gets surprised in many instances. I always remember to give some people a small chance, they sometimes surprise you.

One thing you probably didn't know about me - i used to be quite socialist, part of me still is - but being elitist reduces much of your frustrations when living in Egypt.

This post is inspired by the latest events in Cairo - thus the anger and bitterness level are higher than normal.

The place of all envy and evil!

The gym!!

If God wants hell to be horrible - he should make it a Gym!
It's where all the skinny girls parade their hot bodies yet complain in front of fat people about how much weight they've gained. It's a place where your old high-school clique comes back to life, with the athletic ones doing their work in the front and kiss the trainer's ass making all the loosers jealous, and the loosers are in the back struggling with those damn push ups loathing the fact that they have bad genes.

.....and as of next saturday i will be the proud owner of a one month gym membership.

blast from the past

Last night i went out with a few people from the LC in Alex, it was nice to remember the good old times. I am really proud of them this year, they are doing well - best LC in NLDS an all ;)

It reminded me of the days when we were all having the time of our lives, the time when AIESEC was so much fun and friends and hard work. The great times we often forget.
We are all going out again tonight which i am looking forward to.

So here's to my gang, my peeps and most of all my friends!

The Menu

Sweet corn Salad
Molokheya
Tomato Sauce
Rice
Chicken with Soy Sauce
Minty Feta Cheese Pie (yum!)

housewives aren't that free

I have always wondered what housewives do all day at home - don't they get bored?!
But i have recently discovered that over the course of the last year of living on my own i never have a boring minute at home. There's always something to do, enough things to fill my free time outside work. There's always something to clean, something to re-arrange, something to re-do. Now add a husband and a coupla kids - and i don't know how they manage!

It's good to be home back in good ol' Cairo for some time now - no travel plans - just home sweet home. This week is my fall cleaning week - i am trying to figure out what i have not thought about cleaning before and am doing it.
I am also brainstorming menu items for Thursday - i am planning to have some people over for fetar - but i still have to invite them :P

Am thinking, stuffed vine leaves and lasagna. But i have no clue how to make lasagna!

Live from Sudan

I am in the Sudanese capital Khartoum. It's really interesting and more african than i imagined - should go out and explore with Thea tonight.

But here's why i wana go home so bad:
1) I am a stupid-ass who did not take her vaccinations - so i am scared shitless now
2) I want to drive my new car
3) Being back home means that ramadan will be over sooner
4) I can be as lazy as i want at home and not move from the couch
5) Airline food sucks ass
6) I have only a few weeks to say farewell to all the good fatty food - so i would rather be spending them in a place with good fatty food like Egypt.

Today i rejoice!

After reading megan's post about sexual harrassment, i was really frustrated. I do not get harrassed a lot lately - probably because i avoid the streets as much as possible and because i try to cover-up as much as possible, and basically i just ain't that hot.
Not get harassed a lot means it's down to twice a day - mind you

Megan is absolutely right - men in this country are more pigs that anywhere else. But it happens to ALL girls, not just foreign girls.
So Megan if it were up to me i would make the punishment for sexual harassment chopping off something that men hold very dearly.

However, i think my days of sexual harrassment are over! Which is why i rejoice!

As of yesterday i am the proud owner of a brand new minty green Fiat!

I hope my new best friend will help me limit those horrible harassments down to 2/week!!
Am i beeing too optimistic?

Roman Ramadan

I am spending the first 4 days of Ramadan in the beautiful city of rome.
Coming back to rome was geat - i knew what to expect and i do not have to rush to see everything so i am enjoyng it much more. And work is fun, catching up with really cool and interesting people and having great conversations over delicious dinners!
Today it's raining, and it's kinda cool i finally can use my raincoat and umbrella for the first time since i bought them last summer.

Btw i think foreigners are making too big a fuss about fasting - it ain't that hard, and you can have a nice and productive day without food and water.

My hotel room is microscopically small, i laughed once i stepped in, but it sure beats the yuckie youth hostel they have here in rome.

And EgyptAir kicks Alitalia's ass big time! except for the looks factor :P

Today is the worst day of the year!

Yes,,, it is the day when winter time begins!
We do get an extra hour of sleep - which is so stupid, coz tomorrow is weekend anyway so you could sleep as much as you like. It would be a plus if it was an extra hour of sleep on a working day!
It gets dark early, cold early, they streets are lonlier at night (which is kinda of a plus in a city like cairo).
From now and until the 26th of April i will walk out of my office into increasing darkness day after day after a whole day under artificial lights.
I remember how i felt last April when the day was longer - it was nature's gift to me on my birthday.

Winter has begun.... and it's depressing :(

217 days left

I have covered 4% of the countries of the world - 96% to go

www.world66.com
by next month i will add sudan and libya too :)

Beautiful Stockholm

For a very long time Sweden for me was just plain geography - i know the capital and where it is, just in case i enter "Who wants to be a Millionaire"
This visit to stockholm i decided to spend my friday in Stockholm instead of Cairo - and it was a great call.
The sun was shining so the weather was "beautiful" by Scandinavian standrads (which means a frozen nose, fingers, toes and ass by my sub-tropical standards)
I went on a boat tour to do some sightseeing, and the view was breathtaking - first of all the buildings are all old and massive and look so charming and it's soooooooooo green like nothing i have ever seen before. I also saw the house of one of the ABBA group members =)

Then i went to the Royal Palace to check out the crown jewels of course - it was really nice, but i have to say that the crown jewels of England are way better!
But i find it even more fascinating that in Sweden even though the King has a son, he will pass down the throne to his eldest who happens to be a girl!

And then i went on a mad shopping spree and i FINALLY saw the da vinci code movie. I can't remember the book that much, but i think it's a little different than the movie.
The book was good - not awesome, just good - but the movie was quite average.

After seeing the film i think i support the Egyptian government to sensor the movie. It's not for the christians - i know that most of them will dismiss the film as just a story and as BS coz they have faith. The thing is that some of the extreme muslims will just use it as proof for their theory that the chirsitanity that exists this day is not the right christianity and will thus be more encouraged to think of and possibly even treat christians as non-believers.
And that will add to tensions especially when you have such great egyptian youth whose balls are bigger than their brains
So i think this is one of the few times where i will agree with cencorship and with the Egyptian government - Saggel ya tareekh!

AAAArgh

I shall never buy an electronic equipment again without a guy. Damn you Sony!

the hunt is over

i give up.... i am staying where i am but i will reserve the right to complain as much as i want

Bye-bye Cocco

This is an authentic picture of Nisrin chasing Cocco the Geco out of our house.
The chase was not fruitful untill i joined Nisrin's line of offence to kick Cocco out!
It was a combined group effort, me, nisrin, cocco and the blue stick!

Appartment Hunting

The one thing worse than appartment hunting is appartment hunting while pmsing, it makes finding a house emotional rather than basic finances.

So when the broker tells you he's shown the place to someone else, you are hurt. And when that other person takes it - it's like he's cheating on you!
Now you can't dump the broker - well you need him so you continue to play the role of the loyal customer while secretly calling any other broker you can get your hand on to start developing a back-up.
But you have to keep that relationship a secret - coz if one the brokers find out that you are cheating on him, he'll dump your ass.
And then your ass will have no bed to rest on at night.

Drama,Drama,Drama

Grrr.........

Right now i am at my desk and my blood is boiling.
Two weeks ago Nisrin couldn't get into our house because the key wasn't working. I was on vacation. So we got the locks changed.
Today as i am leaving the house i shut the door after me and i have this weird feeling that it didn't shut properly. I push the door - it goes wide open. I try shutting it harder - and i can still push it open.
So i look at the lock and the mother-fucking-bastard key guy put in the lock in a way that it doesn't close properly. You would think it's shut - but it really isn't! Anyone can push it open.
Which means either he did a shit job - or he's planning on robbing us!

I am MEGA pissed - and i will go and show that man who his daddy is!
I hate the fact that because you are a girl - it's okay to rip you off! It's happened too many times - and I am drawing the line.

Maybe i should go to the police station and report him.

I will go take my anger out on a nice big burger!

Who's that girl?!

I also got to catch up with Nora - it feels like she's never left !

One of the best ways to tell who's a true friend is when you pick up just where you left off no matter how long it's been
Therefore i have put this picture especially, since we both look great in it!

Chillin' in Alex for two weeks!

While chillin in Alex being an absolute bum i got the chance to see my newest visitors to Egypt.
Two of my favorite people on earth.

Kait, it's awesome having you here, and i cannot wait till you move here so we can have a BLAST

and Amy, the coolest girl in both Egypt and Q8, and the best firend anyone could hope for!

I love you girls!

it finally makes sense!

I cannot upload any pics on this blog - annoying!

So another topic for now.
I read dody's blog enty about a ruling in Malasia about the Muslim who wanted to convert.

A government's job is to guarantee the well-being of its citizens on earth, not in heaven. They should work on making people live well, not ensure they go to heaven!

So maybe the problem is that in countries that are predominantly Muslim the government just has a different Job Description!
That explains a lot of actions that governments take.

Madonna takes it a step too far

This is a step too far!
feels like a deperate cry for more attention and controversy - have people lost respect to all what is sacred?!



Whatever kaballah she believes in shouldn't allow her to do this, and if it does - then it ain't such a good thing!


I hate how it's become cool to disrespect religions and take believers lightly - and all those new hip "religions"?!

I sometimes feel that the world has lost sight of what really matters and why we are here on earth!

On Vacation!

The longest vacation i have taken for a while; 16 days!
I am in a place with AirCon, better weather, good home-cooked food, my own car, someone that does my laundry, someone that cleans my dishes, and someone that makes sure the house is clean.
It's home :)

Wana visit?


Note to self: keep resiting checking work mail!

competition?

"who can diss egypt more"
Apparently there's a competition between nevernever and etravels on nomadlife


you ask me why i hate trainees?

Aiden proposed to Carrie yesterday!
She said yes - after he got the right ring.

Since i am such a wuss when it comes to making life changing decisions i have to work on my
"uhm, yes! No, maybe,,i dunno - you think?" reply. luckily i do not have to worry about that any time soon!

For now, i will enjoy the double-bill of Sex and the City re-runs at 1 am!
It is so worth sleep-deprivation

my favorite drug

Once a month i am reminded how much i love ketofan!

It's a known fact that any girl will have ketofan in her bag along with the essential 3 (keys,wallet and mobile)

Isn't this hillarious!

"Bush: What about Kofi Annan? I don't like the sequence of it. His attitude is basically cease-fire and everything else happens.

Blair: I think the thing that is really difficult is you can't stop this unless you get this international presence agreed.

Bush: She's going. I think Condi's (U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice) going to go pretty soon.

Blair: Well that's all that matters. If you see, it will take some time to get out of there. But at least it gives people....

Bush: It's a process I agree. I told her your offer too.

Blair: Well it's only or if she's gonna or if she needs the ground prepared as it were. See, if she goes out she's got to succeed as it were, where as I can just go out and talk.

Bush: See the irony is what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over.

Blair: Cause I think this is all part of the same thing. What does he think? He thinks if Lebanon turns out fine, if he gets a solution in Israel and Palestine, Iraq goes in the right way, he's done it. That's what this whole things about. It's the same with Iran.

Bush: I feel like telling Kofi to get on the phone with Assad and make something happen. We're not blaming Israel and we're not blaming the Lebanese government"

"I think Condi's going to go" - (insert sarcasm here) Nice to know Mr President is aware of what Condi's up to!

Signs doesn't come bigger than this

Well i got my sign - as much as it hurt my pride - i am happy i got it. It's a little late, but not too late.
I find it incomprehendable that my proactivity and willingness to learn is held against me! I guess i am in the wrong place.
With a very hurt ego, and a kick in my butt for not listening to my instincts i resort to my everything-is-gona-be-alright combo of "friends" and "my big fat greek wedding" and i will try to call it a night early.
Tomorrow things won't look any better but it's one step closer to whatever it is out there.

I can't believe in only 9.....

Egyptians are cheap

What's happening between Hizbullah and Israel is shameful and wrong! Innocent people die and suffer is never right.

But i must say, i find it impressive the lengths that Israel goes to to protect and defend its citizens. To go as far as wage a war over two soldiers - though really out of proportions - shows a county that really values its citizens.
It makes me understand why so many stan firm behind their country.

A while back 2 Egyptian soldiers were killed by Palestinians trying to sneek into our country. The next day Mubarak was expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

Don't get me wrong i am not advocating going to war or bombing anyone, it just makes the Egyptian people feel so cheap compared to the Israeli ones

WTF !?!?!

Zidane Head-butt

THIS is the best player of the world cup?!
Some role model huh
FIFA has gone MAD!

Heart-broken!

Yesterday Germany played its last game in the world cup and this picture describes how i felt (minus the cute guy hugging me - goddamnit)

Though i have been to germany and spent the worst time of my life there and though i suck at german in an embarrasing way and though germans are not exactly my cuppa tea, my 14 years of German education did teach me one thing: Egypt's number One, Germany is number Two, everyone else is number 3!
I find that extremely strange since i spent my school years hating everything about the German School, but 6 years from my graduation i can't help but be heart broken that Germany lost, and proud of them for hosting such an amazing world cup!
The thing is, it's not just about football!

I did some investigation and i found out that the Alumni of the German School go in two ways:
- They want nothing to do with Germany
- They feel some tiny loyalty towards it
There is no relation to their attitude or grades during school times.
There is also no clear relation to the number of times they have visited Germany

I am going to get to the bottom of this!

P.S. i removed this last sentence coz i realized i really don't give a damn :)

Funny!

Your results:
You are Supergirl

Supergirl 77% Superman 75% Spider-Man 60% Green Lantern 60% Catwoman 45% The Flash 40% Wonder Woman 32% Robin 32% Batman 25% Hulk 25% Iron Man 25%

Lean, muscular and feminine. Honest and a defender of the innocent.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero am I?" quiz...

Cairo-Rome-Milan-Stockholm-Milan-Cairo

This is my itinerary for the past week.
I am now in Milan (second time)
Loadz of flying huh?

Stories to come later!

Note to self: never NEVER fly Alitalia again!

Simple guide for learning Italian

Step 1: Learn French
Step 2: Identify french word you want to say
Step 3: give word some italian feel in pronunciation
Step 4: say word
Step 5: accept some minor pronunciation modification from people

Or you can go for the easier option which is sticking a post-it on your forehead saying
"STUPID TOURIST"

I've been dissed, and dismissed!

I received a call yesterday from a friend who was browsing the web, and found this blog which has devoted an entire blog entry and some comments to diss me.
What's sad is that they did not just diss my views, they took it a little personal.
What's even sadder is the inappropriate use of the arabic language to describe me and my views.
Though i expect people not to agree with me - and it doesn't bother me - it was a different thing being dissed and dismissed by a group of my peers!
So i have decided to write an email to the bloggers, even though they are quite busy since one of them is being jailed for expressing his views ( aren't we proud of our dear egyptian governtment!)

And here goes:

"Dear Manal and Alaa,

A friend of mine was browsing the web and saw this post - where you have commented on a blog entry of mine.

I have checked your blog sometimes, and i recognized you as passionate egyptians who want to be agents of change to bring our egyptian community forward. Though i may not always agree with your views, that doesn't undermine you or your views whatsoever. You, however, did not give me that same right that i gave you.
I was deeply offended by your blog entry - not by your opinions in what i say, which are completely valid and i would gladly discuss in an organized civilized discussion.I realize that what i believe in is sometimes outside of the ordinary, and sometimes elitist due to my upbringing - however i am willing to discuss things and to be convinced with otherwise.

I was deeply offended by:

1) The way you manifested your objection to what i have said especially by your use of swear words. Throughout your lives as political activist you will face many people who you will disagree with, and swearing at them does not make you look good. It is not the way forward, it's the way backward. In the future, if you disagree with me please refrain from swearing at me and let's discuss it like civilized adults

2) You linked my views to the organization i work for. I am not who i work for - i am an individual person working for an organization i am passionate about. My views do not reflect AIESEC's views what-so-ever. AIESEC is a great organization that does not discriminate against race, religion ethnicity or social class. It develops leaders who are global citizens and who support cultural dialogue and live and interact with diverse people.If i work for Coka-Cola, would you say that my views represent what coka-cola believes in? I think not. The same should go for AIESEC or any other organization i am or will working for.

3) You made false assumptions. FYI i am not an AUCian and i am not some rich spoiled girl. I studied at the University of Alexandria in the Faculty of arts, and at the Arab Academy for Science and Technology. And i was in this private university on Scholarship. If you had bothered to talk to me about my views you would have found out that i have had nothing handed to me on a silver plate, and i worked really hard for everything i wanted, and i do not usually get what i want.
And at 23, i am completely independent from my family and anyone else and making it through life alone with no financial help from anyone whatsoever, which i am positive not many people - including yourselves - could say.And i know many AUCians - and the stereotype you have of them, and that i once had, is completely untrue.

I would love to discuss my views with you and have an open conversation about this that would leave us both enlightened and with more knowledge.
However your improper use of language leaves me worried since i cannot compete. My values and principles would prohibit me from matching up to that language

Good Luck with your current challenges.

This email will be published on my blog superluli.nomadlife.org "

Blocked

I haven't been blogging for over a week.
I am out of things to say.
Made some life decision, and i am learning to come to terms with them

Till something interesting happens - looks like this blog's gona get even more boring than it already is!

A productive and creative day for luli!

Yesterday was a great day for productivity and creativity.
I started my day at work - and i spent it adding some art and new ideas to the boring thing i do!
I also got a new RAM, which was a motivating factor.
Around noon i started thinking what i would do tonight - and all i wanted to do was cuddle up on the couch and watch a good show. I remembered my TV sucks, and my computer is super slow so i cannot watch anything on either of them.
So i got Showtime! I made the quickest purchase ever called the agent asked for info, then called 3 minutes after saying "come install today" - Fast Forward 10 pm, i am watching Desperate Housewives!
And while some roommates like to grow plants, others grow weed - my roommate has a new found interest in growing fungus on our plates and attracting ants to our sink.
So my clean-freak genes kicked in - and now our kitchen is fungus free (well almost - i still gotta inspect the fridge) and it smells like dettol - my favorite perfume!

Our house this past week has had a few frequent visitors - Geckos - which i gladly blamed my roommate’s smoking habits for. But apparently i was wrong (yes! let this be carved in the books of history that I was wrong- it only happens a few times) . Our frequent visitors come from the AirCon hole we have in the living room, not from the window left open while Nisrin develops lung cancer on the balcony!
So after 30 minutes of chasing the gecko out of the house and taping 6 A4 papers together - the hole in the wall is now sealed with paper and scotch tape! I hope our visitors get the message!

With good ol' Domino's and a can of pepsi - i put an end to that productive day, where for once i only got one nasty comment about my weight! ONLY one!! Hurraaay! oh wait, they were two!
.....crap

I do, I do, I really do

After having left London 2 days ago, this is what i come to find!

You Belong in London

A little old fashioned, and a little modern. A little traditional, and a little bit punk rock.A unique woman like you needs a city that offers everything.No wonder you and London will get along so well.

What City Do You Belong In?

It's not going downhill yet

Yesterday i turned 23! I am gettin' old, but am not 30 yet!
I spent the last weekend at my Last AIESEC conference. Turning 23 marked the last day of my last conference - says something huh?
Well i cannot remember the last time i had such a great time at a National Conference since this one.
It was awesome - i was not busy running the conference or making sure my VPs were awake and attending and keeping an eye on my newies misbehaving.
I slept till late - swam in the pool, stayed up all night lighting papers who were jammed in people's toes - it's called rocketing someone - sang at the top of my voice, and sat on the swings.
I had time to chat with some of the members, and i finally know most of their names.
and on midnight on Friday everyone sang happy birthday to me and to 2 other dudes whose birthday it was on a nice cake - and martha made me give a speech. I am yet to master those impromptu speeches.
Then we spent the next couple of hours singing every song we could remember and eating big bags of chips.
The hour after that, we started pushing everyone in the dirty pool! the pool was jammed with 200 people the day before, so it was filthy - everyone was thrown in the pool, except for me and tamer of course, members were too scared of us :)
I would have jumped myself if it wasn't for the water.
Then i stayed up all night with May, an LCP Elect, who rocks - and will be MCP one day. We watched the sun set and talked all night.
At 8:30 i had breakfast, then spoke at the Prep Seminar, slept for a little then wrote some sugar cubes and headed home.
After 3 hours of playing charades with the members of AIESEC Alex, who kick ass by the way, i arrived home at mid-night, to put an end to my 23rd year of existence and to metaphorically turn the page of my AIESEC career.

Still got two months - and i am gonna make ‘em great ones!
As for turning 23, well, i still got a few years before i absolutely need to grow up.

I joined the club!

If you can beat em, join em
My newest gadget

Yes it's fuschia - matches my house and my wardrobe!

Moving On

So i guess it's time for me to move on to the next stage of my AIESEC Experience.
Over 6 months ago i was wondering how people deal with the fact that they are not part of AIESEC anymore.
To be honest, it seems easier that it sounds.

So now i guess i really need to fix my plumbing!

in or out?!!

Am I in or am I out?!

That is the question!

Enough is Enough!

I am sick and tired of defending my faith!
It shouldn't be that hard!
It should make my life easier, not turn my brain into an automatic defense program.
It should make people better, not turn them against each other.

I am calling it quits! I am detaching myself of the masses who currently follow this faith.

Now i just need to develop a name for the faith i DO believe in, since the original one is already taken, creates negative associations and is somewhat misleading now.

So close!

So on my way from Purvi's house in North London to Heathrow Airport, i had a bigass feeling that i would miss the plane.
Arriving to the airport 1 hour and 15 mins before my flight i was breathless.
I arrived at the check-in desk and i was not too late - thank god.

The plane seemed to have been overbooked - so they were looking for volunteers to take the next flight, same time next day, and those would get accomodation and food plus either a voucher for 575 Sterling pounds or receive 420 Sterling pounds cash ( that is 4200 Egyptian Pounds). So i was more than willing to volunteer!
While waiting to see what happens for 35 long minutes i kept thinking what i would buy with that amount of money.

After those lovely 35 minutes they did manage to find a place for me on the plane.
It was such a bummer!!
At least it was business class :S

London - bay-bee

I am HERE!!

I am busy at work, attending meetings with all the BIG HR dudes of Ericsson - very informative.

It's interesting how AIESEC prepares you for that stuff!

I am here till monday - which is awesome.

Work finishes tomorrow at 4 then it's non stop FUN !

ahh Egyptian Traffic!

The beauty of Egyptian Traffic is that you can easily say
"Today i got hit by a car"

Well that's my story. Hailing a cab and ther goes this perfect gentleman (note the sarcasm) and hits me in the side. It was some feeling having his mirror dive into my ribs.

So far i am fine - we'll see in the morning how bad the damage is - but no broken parts - this ship is still sailing!
The funny thing is that he wanted me to fix his car

I am contemplating faking a disability in my right arm and suing!

Woha! slow down

After a few slow relaxing couple of weeks where the highlight of my day is the dinner with Dody and Ziad and Carlos the gear shifts fast.
Next week, Tom arrives, Jen arrives, I go to visit this howebagger in london, attend my UK Ceeder/roomie/good friend's wedding (no, not her, the other one) and i have a big deadline.

It's 12:56 and i have finished my work for the day.

Time for shower?

the monthly "statement"

After 4 years of studying business, you'd think i would understand a bank statement!

Well i don't! every time i open the HSBC envelope - i am reminded about how it feels to read a chinese newspaper!

Mother's Day :)

God could not be everywhere and therefore He made mothers

The best thing after a stressful day of partnership negotiations, and funny rumors all the way from the AI office, is a night at the opera listening to some good looking austrian men, with really shiny shoes playing symphonies and arias by W. A. Mozart.

The added bonus of teasing the only american in the opera house about what W. A. stands for, was also nice!

JINXED!

Okay i finallyhave to admit that i am jinxed when it comes to computers.
When my first laptop got smashed in a car accident and left without a screen, i thought it was bad luck - it turned out to be a series of endless incidents!
So i worked with an external monitor, untill one day i found a screen i could afford.
Then the computer started to get busted, it wouldn't open, and after too many attempts i couldnt fix it.
So i took the hard drive out, and gave up.
Then i got my sister's old laptop, and she bought a new one, less than a month since i have had it and the windows crash! so i go to have it formatted, and the hard drive is busted, and needs replacement. So i give the guy my hard drive from the old computer, and that doesn't work coz one of those tiny metal pointy thingies is broken, and apparently that's important.
So i gotta buy a new harddrive! Of course my financial status does not allow that.

Then nisrin, FINALLY , decides to pick up her AIESEC US laptop from Toshiba, and gives me AIESEC Egypt's laptop. And as soon as she gives it to me the screen starts going banana and disconnects every 5 minutes.

Is it me?! or do computers not like me?!

I know purvi, you will hate me for this, but I thought Mr. and Mrs. Smith was cute!
How at the end they stayed together, and started sharing everything - it was kinda endearing!

I am reading the book now - giving it a second chance.

Been busy - too many funerals man!And funerals mean seeing that side of the family that enjoys pestering one another, it's funny until they turn against you!

And that's when i decided to stop reading

So the book i got seemed good, pulizer prize winner, not so expensive and had an intriguing opening line.

When the grandmother of the heroine/hero (it could be either, she/he/it is confused) marries her brother, that's when i decided to stop reading.

Now homosexuality and other gender issues, i have learned to tolerate - but i draw the line at incest!!

So now i am shopping for a new book! A book that doesn't challenge my worldview THAT much!

I am having the worst day!

So far i have had my finger on one hand jammed between two doors, I have had my other finger stung by boiling water, i have been told that my Laptop's hard drive will not work again.

And it is only 10:22

I guess my resolution to be positive every day is failing miserably.

Can't wait for this day to end

AIESEC Egypt - in Al Ahram!

Yup! My work, my effort and my 7ar2et damm!
It's in the PAPERS!!
Al-Ahram, which is the number 1 newspaper in egypt, has published an article about the Contest that AIESEC and SIEMENS Egypt did together.
It was on the 26th of February, on Page 22!

My Enemy!

Well now that we've established that Israeli's are not my enemy
THIS is who i call my enemy!


Last week i got the pleasure of having one of them
take a stroll on my foot becuase SOMEONE forgot
to put the lid on the drain!

My screams almost gave my mom a heart attack

I will give a Million Dollars to whoever completely causes them to get extinct!

(it is because of 3 of those, that tom got the privilege of seeing me in a relativeley small towel)

no to stress

My life's pretty boring right now.
This past two weeks i have put all my energy to de-stress and be relaxed.
And i think i have no need to stress - i work 3 days a week, the rest of the time i do AIESEC, where i do not have to get up early or work really late.
So i decided to say No to stress.

Now i think i am quite relaxed - i might actually enjoy myself Cairo!

So what is my plan? I am gona do something i like!
1) I am gona sign up for dance classes.
I was gona sign up for the gym - but i hate that, it could wait, i still have some time before i hit the 200 pounds mark! haha

2) I am gona go to Dream park - yes i want to go on the roller coaster, and i will do it!

3) gona go to the Arcade! play some air hockey and kill some cockaroaches and maybe fall on my ass again while bowling! but i need a partner in crime - wana join?

i also wana join a choire - but that'll have to wait for next time

i am planning the up coming vacation from the 20nd till the 25th of April - do i want a nice chilled tanning session at basata with my sis? or a big party thing in Hurghada? (i do not DO sharm anymore, the water's too poluted now)

that damn chill

so i came accross this blog of an Israeli - i am assuming it's a girl, i do not know why.
and read this post
www.israellycool.com/blog/ModerateArabsandMuslims

I have always been a firm believer that Israel is not an enemy, and that you cannot hate someone just coz they are israeli. I am all for peaceful relations, and active peace between Egypt and Israel.

But this blog let me see the other side, especially that sentence "it doesn't change my opinion that Egypt is no friend of ours"
I realized - well if most of the Egyptian population hated Israel so much, and would do horrific acts of brutality if they come across an Israeli, then this must be reciprocal.
Israeli's would feel pretty much the same towards us.

The idea that someone hates me so much - without even knowing me, sent a chill through my body!

It's scary

(I still stand behind my opinion, that Israel is no enemy of mine)

the demographic of the progressive Egyptians

Recently I have been checking loads of blogs, mainly of Egyptians.
When I read some of them I feel elated! It is great to have Egyptians that think and even better when they think like me - haha!

Okay seriously, it's a sad truth that the amount of Egyptians that actually use this brain that they possess to make sense of what happens around them and try to learn more and develop analyses for what happens.
I would like to believe I am one of those, despite of my few readings in the issues I care about - my concentration span is really limited, watching a whole movie is an effort.(yes mom, I am working on it wallahee)

So some blogs that have blown me away are Freedom For Egyptians, Egyptian Sand monkey, Manal and Alaa, Snefru and that is only to name a few.
So my quest is to find out, who exactly are those people - their identities are not shown - well with their views it is understandable.
What are the demographic of the Egyptians that give me some hope?

First of all, they blog A LOT! and have good language skills - Arabic or English - which leads me to believe they may be journalists who use blogs as a futile attempt to satisfy their need for Freedom of Speech.

Second of all, quite a number of them write English is really well, and they have a lot of references to the US, and its culture. Which leads me to believe they have lived or experienced the US culture.
This is a good and bad thing - it's awesome that those people chose to direct their energy towards their country and towards making themselves heard. But it's bad since it means that the Egyptian system of education and the Egyptian upbringing does not nurture those minds.
I guess I would be the exception here :)

Third of all, this has been a debate between me and roomie, fellow blogger and fellow AIESECer Nisrin, their age.
They kefaya movement has been driven by people who are in their 40ies on average. Look at them, they are OLD!! Opposition and demonstrators when it comes to Egyptian issues are also in their 40ies on average. Young demonstrators of the AUC, Cairo University and my all time favorite Alexandria University ( Yay for the Faculty of NO Arts) demonstrate about evil United States, poor Iraq and the innocent Palestinians (please note sarcastic tone), but they rarely demonstrate about their own country.
The necessity and rationale and effectiveness of demonstrations are not in question here, but it merely demonstrates the areas of passion for the people.

So Nisrin thinks that those bloggers must be in their mid thirties, to forties to fifties. Professors, or Journalists, or better Journalism Professors.

Though it does make sense - but I am hoping that they are not that old and they are in their early twenties like me, University Students and Fresh graduates who want to change things. Or should I loose complete hope in the youth of today.
I blogged last year about Egyptian Youth in my eyes - University of Doom and Gloom

Wondering how to end this post…

Mixed Feelings

1) poo was here :) , then she left :( - I offered her 100 dollars to stay and nassef offered her another 100 dollars but she still left!
2) Friends is doing more episodes - WTF?! We liked them, but move on bee-bolz!
3) We won the friggin Africa cup - in your face Tunisia and Morocco!!
4) Egyptian Sandmonkey's blog is cool! It will keep me entertained at work
5) More anger around the cartoons - again WTF?! More about this later
6) AIESEC Egypt has an MCP - Congrats Samy, I hope you induce a cultural change in this organization towards excellence and value-orientation. God knows i tried!
7) 1000 people are dead - it's like Titanic, without the love story
8) My 23rd valentine's day is here - and since I do not like change, it will be spent like every other 22 Valentine day


So about the cartoons:

In AIESEC you get taught the basics of cultural sensitivity. Meaning when you travel to another country you need to sensitive of its culture.
Does that mean that when you are in your country you only need to be sensitive to your own culture and not to anyone else’s?
Forget what we should do, what does actually happen?
Are we as Egyptians culturally sensitive and aware as not to offend any belief or culture outside of our own?
Don't we make fun of Indians, and their religious practices?
Don't we think it's gross for the French to eat frog's legs?
Don't we make fun of re-incarnation?
Don't we call Africans "3abeed"? (Arabic for slaves)
if we give ourselves the right to be insensitive to other cultures outside of our own, then we need to give others the same right.
If a Danish newspaper decides to be culturally insensitive to those living outside its boarders, then why are they wrong? Noting that Muslim Danes support the Freedom of speech they have, so they have not been offended.

Another case of Arab double standards i guess!

I am happy that the African Cup took the entire spotlight away from all the events of the world; at least Egyptians haven't done anything stupid about these cartoons.
But it also meant people forgot about those 1000 people dead in the bottom of the sea - no help is being sought for those victimized families or survivors.

My 5 cents to whatever's been goin on

So i saw the cartoons, and yes i was offended. Uhmm but it is just a catroon at the end of the day. many movies, cartoons, and people offend god, mohamed, jesus, moses - makes me upset, disgracing holy figures offends me because i believe in them.
if someone offends budda, or an indian goddess i would not give a damn, i do not believe in them anyway, so why should i care.and i am being honest here - that's how i would feel.
so i am sure this reporter thought the same - i do not believe in them, so why should i care.
tayeb, he can say whatever he wants, doesn't mean it is true, doesn't mean i have to believe it.
so if you haven't noticed yet - it is JUST A CARTOON for heaven's sake, stop fussing, there are more important things in the world that needs our attention, and for this poor editor or cartoonist, i am pretty sure god can defend his name and his prophets in the right time - don't think he needs us to do that for him.

I am more concerned with the 1000 people that died on the ferry. makes me wonder what is worse: dying for a cause, dying for hate, dying for love or for just plain stupidity!!!
I am pissed!!

and one last thing - GOOD LUCK to Egypt in the semi-finals!!!!

The longest ride

Yesterday, we had the longest ride driving back from our National Conference.
Though it should have taken us an hour to get to Cairo, it took much longer, and felt longer than the drive from Alex to Sharm el sheikh.

The second bus carrying half of AIESEC Egypt, had a huge accident on the way, where the bus ran into a truck, that suddenly slowed down.
While everyone was fine, just some minor injuries, it was torture for us to have a phone call from girls crying histerically, and having to wait to find out how bad it was.

They were trapped in the bus for a few minutes since the front of the bus was very damaged and the door could not be opened, until the boys broke the windows and jumped out.
Their first instinct was to run after the truck driver and kick his ass - but the driver ran for his life, and they did not catch him - thank god for that, he would not have survived.

With a few injured people and a few girls in shock, we headed back to cairo after hours of trying to arrange everything.
The "men" assumed control of course and tried to manage the crisis - which of course could have been done more effectively, had the MC been in charge of the situation.
But the long night ended well, when we returned safely, to Cairo.

An unforgettable experience - a horrible night, with a good ending.

But i guess "Ende gut, alles gut!"

words that make me snap!

Working in a company with mainly engineers, you have to deal with the fact that they think anyone who is not an engineer is a secretary, assistant or administration!

So on my list of words you would call me that make me snap, the new entries are
Office Manager
Secretary
Assistant
Admin

in addidtion to the old entries such as
Madam
and Lady

2 Bachelor degrees, one honors and 4 Leadership positions, to be called and treated as a scretary - makes me wonder why did i go through that much trouble!

Roomie Number Two

My newly acquired Roommate - and bedmate for that matter - is awesome.
She makes my bed everyday, and she doesn't realize I never do it myself - but no reason for her to find that out.

Now all she needs to do is to make me a home cooked meal by the time I come home from work - and I will keep her for life.

My Jencp!

AIESEC Egypt Rocks DA HOUSE!

This year we have THREE MCP applicants
and sofar EIGHT Egyptian MCEB Applicants (and expecting one more Egyptian)

I am impressed - after years of having 2 or 3 applicants for MC now we are up to ELEVEN

Hooraaay for AIESEC Egypt

Good luck to you guys

Algeria, Algerio, Algeriee

My AI and Internship plans are on hold -
Expanding into Algeria
Should I?
Can't stop thinking about it

time flows by

The babysitter's club
Beverly Hills 90210
Dawson's Creek
Party of Five
Saved by the Bell

As a girl who probably had a TV inserted with her in her mom's womb, and the holder of the lifetime couch potato award, these shows were a big part of my childhood, and teenage years.

Yesterday MBC2 aired the baby sitter's club, and oh my god! they were so tiny.
I remember seeing it and reading about the movie, and all the goodies and thinking i wana do that when i "grow up"

And dreaming of great nights like the ones in "she's all that" and cute scenes from Pacey and Joey on Dawson's Creed?? that's like junior high! I still thought it would happen, untill i saw the movie and realized - my baby brother is their age now.

So this week is all about realizing that having a baby sitter's club, ain't gona happen, and i will never have a real prom, and i will not have two gorgeous guys (well P definetly is, D? no not really gorgeous at all!) who will go into a fist fight, and argue about who gets to go to the prom with me and i will probably not be homecoming queen in this life.

I will leave getting over the "college life" dream (the parties, the drinks, the dorms and the experimenting etc) to next year - afterall it took me 4 years to get over junior highschool stories!

I guess i should stop reading Sweet Valley High too huh? maybe switch to sweet valley univeristy?! haha

when exactly was it when we grew up?

goin home!!

Yup Yup Yup

Tomorrow my vacation starts! and goes on for 9 whole days.
So i will pack my bags and head home for Eid.
I have not been home in 3 weeks now, and i have not been home for that long since June.
It will be nice to have someone else do the cleaning and the dishes and the cooking.
I hope i could survive the entire 9 days!

it will be nice to sleep in every day though - :)

For the first time..

Yes! I finally did it!!
My first pot of Rice - i can do anything now. ( and it was gooood)










And for the first time in a long time i went to the Pyramids - and rode a camel!





Lara and Rema, my friends visiting from England - We had a BLAST!









(Me, Lara and Rema on Camels)















(Me! sweet huh?)