Yep, that's me!
I mess up so often, if there was ever a prize for dorkiness, it would be me!
I just emailed 400 people with an announcement, that had the first name of a top manager, and the last name of another top manager merged together in one name!
Though recalling the email was not 100% effective, but thank god for outlook
Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
My own version of Sidi bou Said
When i got home from Tunisia and while flipping in my mom's old photo album and saw her pictures there, 30 years ago when she was just about my age.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
a flame that is dying out
The parliamentary Elections have been ongoing for a while now, and i keep distancing myself from it further and further.
I buy various newspapers in hopes of keeping me up to date, but i end up throwing them away, and take comfort in my fictitious Novel(Codex by lev grossman).
Whenever i am faced with it on blogs and on TV, i keep reminding myself to apply for those Green Card ads in the newspaper,just in case.
I have hear that christians here in egypt go to the US embassy and claim that they are being discriminated against here, to get religious assylum and move to the States.
If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over, that will be their way out.
I wonder what will be ours!
I buy various newspapers in hopes of keeping me up to date, but i end up throwing them away, and take comfort in my fictitious Novel(Codex by lev grossman).
Whenever i am faced with it on blogs and on TV, i keep reminding myself to apply for those Green Card ads in the newspaper,just in case.
I have hear that christians here in egypt go to the US embassy and claim that they are being discriminated against here, to get religious assylum and move to the States.
If the Muslim Brotherhood takes over, that will be their way out.
I wonder what will be ours!
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
3 days, 3 nights
in tunis...
So work sent me on a three day assignment in Tunisia - following "Glamour's" advice in their last US issue, i shall not blog about my work.
What i will say though is that they put me in a sweet hotel, but VERY far away from anything even the airport!
So here's what i know now
1) Tuna in French is called "thon" - and boy you see that everywhere here, on pizzas, sandwiches, pasta you name it
2) the 7th of november is a REALLY important date for tunisians
3) The taxi's are nice - but expensive!
4) i have been ripped off in the market - but i guess there is some sort of justice in that since people get ripped off all the time in Egypt
5) Sidi bou seid is Beautiful !! simply divine!
6) Barsha - means a lot in tunisian Arabic
7) 5 minutes = drj in tunisian Arabic
8) my leabanese arabic is better than my tunisian arabic - if you know how good/bad (depending how you look at it) my lebanese arabic is like, you would understand what i mean, if not check with my roomie she can explain
9) Tunisians greet you with Maa'Sleme - which means bye in Egyptian arabic, so you can understand my level of disorientation
10) I understood a third of what has been said to me, simply because that third was in French!
Great three days!!
So work sent me on a three day assignment in Tunisia - following "Glamour's" advice in their last US issue, i shall not blog about my work.
What i will say though is that they put me in a sweet hotel, but VERY far away from anything even the airport!
So here's what i know now
1) Tuna in French is called "thon" - and boy you see that everywhere here, on pizzas, sandwiches, pasta you name it
2) the 7th of november is a REALLY important date for tunisians
3) The taxi's are nice - but expensive!
4) i have been ripped off in the market - but i guess there is some sort of justice in that since people get ripped off all the time in Egypt
5) Sidi bou seid is Beautiful !! simply divine!
6) Barsha - means a lot in tunisian Arabic
7) 5 minutes = drj in tunisian Arabic
8) my leabanese arabic is better than my tunisian arabic - if you know how good/bad (depending how you look at it) my lebanese arabic is like, you would understand what i mean, if not check with my roomie she can explain
9) Tunisians greet you with Maa'Sleme - which means bye in Egyptian arabic, so you can understand my level of disorientation
10) I understood a third of what has been said to me, simply because that third was in French!
Great three days!!
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
ramz el Shisha! (symbol - Shisha)
For all of you non-Egyptians, in Egypt every parliamentary candidate has a symbol so that the 50% of the Egyptian population that cannot read or write can recognize him/her.
Once again I will not be able to vote - Elections in my home town (Alexandria) are on Sunday, and on Sunday I am leaving to Tunisia insha'allah.
My disappointment is not that great - nothing can be done now. Another elections pre-determined.
In light of this, I was having a conversation with my driver today, he asked me what I would vote. And I bravely responded, well anything but NDP or Islamic. And the discussion began, why not Islamists!
I wonder what he thinks of me after this discussion, he will probably stop playing his koraan tapes whenever i am in the car!
I was reading the blog of Kareem Amer who was arrested for his writings about the recent incident in Alexandria. He wrote about how those Muslims do not tolerate the different and have high double standards.
My conversation today showed exactly that. I asked my driver, "If we allow the Islamists to have their "Islamist Party" then we should allow Christians to have a "Christian Party" right?"
His reply was "you cannot equate the Muslim religion with the Christian Religion"
The religions are different but the people that practice them must have the same rights, those double standards in the Egyptian Society are ridiculous!
There are double standards everywhere!
Equality and acceptance are just not in the Dictionary!
and tolerance (which is the minimum you can expect from anyone) is a rare thing.
And you wonder why people fear Muslims!
Once again I will not be able to vote - Elections in my home town (Alexandria) are on Sunday, and on Sunday I am leaving to Tunisia insha'allah.
My disappointment is not that great - nothing can be done now. Another elections pre-determined.
In light of this, I was having a conversation with my driver today, he asked me what I would vote. And I bravely responded, well anything but NDP or Islamic. And the discussion began, why not Islamists!
I wonder what he thinks of me after this discussion, he will probably stop playing his koraan tapes whenever i am in the car!
I was reading the blog of Kareem Amer who was arrested for his writings about the recent incident in Alexandria. He wrote about how those Muslims do not tolerate the different and have high double standards.
My conversation today showed exactly that. I asked my driver, "If we allow the Islamists to have their "Islamist Party" then we should allow Christians to have a "Christian Party" right?"
His reply was "you cannot equate the Muslim religion with the Christian Religion"
The religions are different but the people that practice them must have the same rights, those double standards in the Egyptian Society are ridiculous!
There are double standards everywhere!
Equality and acceptance are just not in the Dictionary!
and tolerance (which is the minimum you can expect from anyone) is a rare thing.
And you wonder why people fear Muslims!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Rice Fiasco Part II
I am getting sick of this,
my second attempt at rice - this time it IS chewable, just a little too much!
and i have to eat it for 2 days!
and while i was drowned in my disapointment - nisrin was very amused!
my second attempt at rice - this time it IS chewable, just a little too much!
and i have to eat it for 2 days!
and while i was drowned in my disapointment - nisrin was very amused!
Monday, October 24, 2005
15 hours of sleep later...
Our National Conference for 2005 is officially over!
Today there were no roll calls in the morning, just the school a block away singing the National Anthem.
I would have loved to post up the logo of NLDS 2005, but I fear being sued for plagiarism.
Now life gets more organized, and more work is done!
The next few months are going to be awesome!
I am looking forward to my company visits lined up - and my LC growing and kicking ass!
And I am looking forward to my long weekend at the beach - in 2 mere weeks!
Today there were no roll calls in the morning, just the school a block away singing the National Anthem.
I would have loved to post up the logo of NLDS 2005, but I fear being sued for plagiarism.
Now life gets more organized, and more work is done!
The next few months are going to be awesome!
I am looking forward to my company visits lined up - and my LC growing and kicking ass!
And I am looking forward to my long weekend at the beach - in 2 mere weeks!
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
I am on the IC Master Output :)
AIESEC 2010 session was one of the best and most inspiring sessions i have ever attended (thanks to mike from AI)
We had clay so i played around with it while i was deep in thought about all the life changing stories i just heard, and this is what i came up with!
I had it on my computer for ages, and just as i am reading the IC master output i found it there.
I know it's stupid, but i like it :D
Monday, October 17, 2005
Injustice!
On Friday we had an Iftar with work, I was planning to go, but due to an unfortunate event I needed to be in Alex for the weekend.
I don't know those people from work that well, anywayz - so i went home for a nice meal with my mommy :)
Apparently they had a raffle, and they drew my name out - and I won a DVD player!
Yaay first time for me to win anything!
Well tecnincally i won!
Because I was not there, they drew another name out - and that person got my DVD player!
GRR!
Could I be more unlucky?!
My consolation is that the girl who got it, is the really nice secretary - who is superduper friendly and nice to me.
I don't know those people from work that well, anywayz - so i went home for a nice meal with my mommy :)
Apparently they had a raffle, and they drew my name out - and I won a DVD player!
Yaay first time for me to win anything!
Well tecnincally i won!
Because I was not there, they drew another name out - and that person got my DVD player!
GRR!
Could I be more unlucky?!
My consolation is that the girl who got it, is the really nice secretary - who is superduper friendly and nice to me.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Are we free or are they just plain ignorant!
At work I have a lot of free time, so I have been checking many random blogs especially those for Egyptians.
I am yet to come across a pro-mubarak blog - but I guess people who have access to internet and would blog are the type of people with a better worldview and education - so they know better than to be pro-mubarak (I hope!)
The interesting thing is that so many anti-government blogs are out there, and no one controls them. There are news about people all around the world being arested for things they say on their blogs, but in Egypt? no one knows about it except the bloggers.
This makes me wonder - is it not controlled because the government does not know it exists? or because we are actually free to say what we want?
On a different note: If you want to get a Nobel Prize, be born in Egypt, just don't live there!
I am yet to come across a pro-mubarak blog - but I guess people who have access to internet and would blog are the type of people with a better worldview and education - so they know better than to be pro-mubarak (I hope!)
The interesting thing is that so many anti-government blogs are out there, and no one controls them. There are news about people all around the world being arested for things they say on their blogs, but in Egypt? no one knows about it except the bloggers.
This makes me wonder - is it not controlled because the government does not know it exists? or because we are actually free to say what we want?
On a different note: If you want to get a Nobel Prize, be born in Egypt, just don't live there!
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
How to make the world's worst pot of rice!
Following up on trent's post "Zen and the Art of Steaming Rice", and my latest cooking lesson, here is how to make the world's worst pot of rice:
Get rice out of bag - wash rice thoroughly (it's the worst one not the dirtiest one) until the water is clear and transparent
then put rice in pot
forget to put butter
put water - don't boil it, coz you just don't know that you should boil it before hand
water should cover up the rice by 1.5 to 2 centimeters - you have to get one thing right huh?!
remember butter and just add it in there
turn stove on
leave till the water is no longer there - I have no idea what happens to it
then put it on low temperature, and cover it and leave it for 10 minutes!
Result? The world's least edible rice!
now try that for ifar when you have been fasting for 12 hours, you will love it anywayz
keep in mind - Pizza hut's number is 19000
Get rice out of bag - wash rice thoroughly (it's the worst one not the dirtiest one) until the water is clear and transparent
then put rice in pot
forget to put butter
put water - don't boil it, coz you just don't know that you should boil it before hand
water should cover up the rice by 1.5 to 2 centimeters - you have to get one thing right huh?!
remember butter and just add it in there
turn stove on
leave till the water is no longer there - I have no idea what happens to it
then put it on low temperature, and cover it and leave it for 10 minutes!
Result? The world's least edible rice!
now try that for ifar when you have been fasting for 12 hours, you will love it anywayz
keep in mind - Pizza hut's number is 19000
Sunday, October 09, 2005
What i want, but can't afford
I was arguing with my sister the other day, i think i am not a big spender - yes nisrin!! i'm NOT - and i could live happily with just a little more money. She thinks i will always want more.
So i am going to document what i want but can't afford now, and once i get all of them i will prove to her that i do not need anything else:
1) a laptop (with a working screen)
2) a small i-pod, or another creative mp3 but with 1 GB memory
3) 2500 L.E.
4) an external hard disk
5) a new 14'' TV
6) Channel 4
see that's not too much!
the amount i spend on that is how much bill gates spends on a breakfast out!
So i am going to document what i want but can't afford now, and once i get all of them i will prove to her that i do not need anything else:
1) a laptop (with a working screen)
2) a small i-pod, or another creative mp3 but with 1 GB memory
3) 2500 L.E.
4) an external hard disk
5) a new 14'' TV
6) Channel 4
see that's not too much!
the amount i spend on that is how much bill gates spends on a breakfast out!
Friday, October 07, 2005
The palestinian Dilemma
So here in Egypt people march down the road, and protest against what is happening in Palestine, the go on a massive funeral for yasser Arafat and shed a considerable amount of tears when he dies.
You sit those people down for a cup of tea and a conversation and ask them what they think about yasser Arafat, and they start going on about how he's a thief and how he's to blame for most of the suffering that the Palestinian go through. They don't think very highly of him
Same goes to the Palestinian population. Egypt has Palestinians living here in Egypt, quite a lot I may say.
However Egypt has a wall between its boarders with Palestine, and if your mother is Egyptian and your father is Palestinian, getting the Egyptian passport is as easy as getting to mars.
Most young kids at Uni want to go and "fight" in Palestine and want to sacrifice their lives for it. But when a Palestinian is interested in their sister, they politely decline - the reasoning "he's Palestinian".
At university Palestinians have their own clubs and socialize very little with the rest of the Egyptians - and I have experienced that first hand in both a private and a public university.
Every person you talk to has a negative experience with a Palestinian.
I have often tried to understand why this big discrepancy - and the reply is usually the famous Arabic quote
"Me and my brother against my cousin,
Me and my cousin against the stranger"
As for what I think, well since i do not belive in this whole arab "unity" thing, so palestinians for me are just like guatemalans. If religion and language unite us, then they can divide us - and that is not right.
You sit those people down for a cup of tea and a conversation and ask them what they think about yasser Arafat, and they start going on about how he's a thief and how he's to blame for most of the suffering that the Palestinian go through. They don't think very highly of him
Same goes to the Palestinian population. Egypt has Palestinians living here in Egypt, quite a lot I may say.
However Egypt has a wall between its boarders with Palestine, and if your mother is Egyptian and your father is Palestinian, getting the Egyptian passport is as easy as getting to mars.
Most young kids at Uni want to go and "fight" in Palestine and want to sacrifice their lives for it. But when a Palestinian is interested in their sister, they politely decline - the reasoning "he's Palestinian".
At university Palestinians have their own clubs and socialize very little with the rest of the Egyptians - and I have experienced that first hand in both a private and a public university.
Every person you talk to has a negative experience with a Palestinian.
I have often tried to understand why this big discrepancy - and the reply is usually the famous Arabic quote
"Me and my brother against my cousin,
Me and my cousin against the stranger"
As for what I think, well since i do not belive in this whole arab "unity" thing, so palestinians for me are just like guatemalans. If religion and language unite us, then they can divide us - and that is not right.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
ahhh Ramadan!
The hardest thing about Ramadan is not the fact that you cannot eat or drink during the day. That is a piece of cake!
The hardest thing is to stop swearing!
I woke up in the morning looked at my alarm clock and thought "A7a, it's 7 am" , then i remembered it's Ramadan, and you shouldn't swear, so i though "fuck luly, you shouldn't swear"
then i realized that i just swore again and thought "Oh Shit".
I decided to get up and go to the bathroom and STOP thinking!
The hardest thing is to stop swearing!
I woke up in the morning looked at my alarm clock and thought "A7a, it's 7 am" , then i remembered it's Ramadan, and you shouldn't swear, so i though "fuck luly, you shouldn't swear"
then i realized that i just swore again and thought "Oh Shit".
I decided to get up and go to the bathroom and STOP thinking!
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Mastering Inefficiency
When you have to work for 8 hours with tasks that could be done in maximum 4 hours (on a good day) you need to learn how to be inefficient.
It is the higher "authority" that dictates these longer than necessary hours, and being a slave to the wage, you gotta do what big brother wants you to do.
So the first while, you finish your work in 4 hours, then spend the rest of the time bored to tears, bumming around or checking random blogs of people who you don't even know.
Then you learn to master inefficiency.
You can actually do the work in the 8 hours, by doing one zillion things at a time. So you are constantly working, but at the same time blogging, checking your email, chatting with colleagues etc.
Even though it's the same thing - but it gives you the fake feeling that you are at work 8 hours a day because you need to and not because big brother wants you to.
It is the higher "authority" that dictates these longer than necessary hours, and being a slave to the wage, you gotta do what big brother wants you to do.
So the first while, you finish your work in 4 hours, then spend the rest of the time bored to tears, bumming around or checking random blogs of people who you don't even know.
Then you learn to master inefficiency.
You can actually do the work in the 8 hours, by doing one zillion things at a time. So you are constantly working, but at the same time blogging, checking your email, chatting with colleagues etc.
Even though it's the same thing - but it gives you the fake feeling that you are at work 8 hours a day because you need to and not because big brother wants you to.
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
i want a maid :'(
Today, after 2 painkillers i was able to move.
dusting, cleaning, mopping ain't a picknick.
I wonder how our maid at home is so big, she should be a supermodel by now.
My mom disagrees with getting a maid and thinks that cleaning after myself will be a good discipline.
My strategy is next time i will fake an injury in my back, and call her crying.
If that doesn't work, then my starategy is what mommy doesn't know, won't hurt her.
As for nisrin, i will revert to the great tool of brainwashing, and nagging and pestering!
and if it doesn't work, i will get the maid to come for the two weeks i have to clean in, and nisrin can do the other two weeks :P
You can tell i have spent a great deal of time contemplating tbout this, that should give you an idea about how i feel :)
dusting, cleaning, mopping ain't a picknick.
I wonder how our maid at home is so big, she should be a supermodel by now.
My mom disagrees with getting a maid and thinks that cleaning after myself will be a good discipline.
My strategy is next time i will fake an injury in my back, and call her crying.
If that doesn't work, then my starategy is what mommy doesn't know, won't hurt her.
As for nisrin, i will revert to the great tool of brainwashing, and nagging and pestering!
and if it doesn't work, i will get the maid to come for the two weeks i have to clean in, and nisrin can do the other two weeks :P
You can tell i have spent a great deal of time contemplating tbout this, that should give you an idea about how i feel :)
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Bye Bye German
Today I worte an email to my favorite german teacher, in german.
I just butchered the german language and scarred it so bad that it will eternally suffer.
Damn that american University system - hehe
on a different note, today is cleaning day!
Part of being an independent person is cleaning after yourself (and sometimes your roommate)
Let's see how that goes
Something new every day huh?!
I just butchered the german language and scarred it so bad that it will eternally suffer.
Damn that american University system - hehe
on a different note, today is cleaning day!
Part of being an independent person is cleaning after yourself (and sometimes your roommate)
Let's see how that goes
Something new every day huh?!
You know you've become too lazy when...
You go check out the gym
and wish they had escalators instead of stairs!
and wish they had escalators instead of stairs!
Monday, September 26, 2005
A new Race in town
With the Race for becoming President of Egypt over, a new race is in town.
The Race for the biggest presidential ball-sucker in Egypt.
And it's a tough one. Hundreds of prominent individuals are trying to guarantee their place, hanging big-ass signs and billboards costing thousands of Egyptian Pounds.
According to those business men's common sense, it is better to invest thousands of pounds in ball-sucking than donate them to the poor, or start a small project to help underprivileged families, or provide a few jobs for that endless supply of unemployment.
And the race is ongoing, so far the candidate that is ahead in my humble opinion, has a BIG giant billboard with fireworks and says "Mabrouk Mubarak" which was hung only few days after Mubarak's re-election. I guess it helped to know the results before hand huh?
The Race for the biggest presidential ball-sucker in Egypt.
And it's a tough one. Hundreds of prominent individuals are trying to guarantee their place, hanging big-ass signs and billboards costing thousands of Egyptian Pounds.
According to those business men's common sense, it is better to invest thousands of pounds in ball-sucking than donate them to the poor, or start a small project to help underprivileged families, or provide a few jobs for that endless supply of unemployment.
And the race is ongoing, so far the candidate that is ahead in my humble opinion, has a BIG giant billboard with fireworks and says "Mabrouk Mubarak" which was hung only few days after Mubarak's re-election. I guess it helped to know the results before hand huh?
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