Religious Leaders Call for Interfaith Fast

As per the website ; religious leaders in the United States called for an interfaith fast to end the War in Iraq.

“We call on all Americans to join in fasting from dawn to dusk on Monday, October 8, to call for an end to the Iraq War. On this day, people of faith in local communities across our nation will act as catalysts to transform the meaning of the day from one of conquest to community and from violence to reverence.Just as Isaiah called the People Israel to hear the Yom Kippur fast as God’s call to feed the hungry, just as Jesus fasted in the wilderness, just as Christians through Lenten fasting and Muslims through Ramadan fasting have focused on spiritual transformation, just as Mohandas Gandhi, Cesar Chavez and others drew on fasting to change the course of history, so we call on all our communities of faith to draw now on fasting as a path toward inner spiritual transformation and outward social transformation.Ending this war can become the first step toward a policy that embodies a deeper, broader sense of generosity and community at home and in the world”

My before_I_die list

1-     Build a family

2-     Ride a bike

3-     Buy 3arooset Mouled “never had one”

4-     Perform Hajj

5-     Write a book; one that depicts different women from my family throughout different eras  from the 30s till now,

6-     At the age of 35 if I wasn’t married or dead, I would raise and support and orphan

7-     Find my peace

8-     Start a book club for kids

9-     Fly across Egypt in a  hot-air balloon

10- Meet Safinaz Kazem, Maya Angelou, or 3afreet Louisa May Alcott

11- Sleep (as in deep sleep)  in a hammock

12- Eat proper frito misto in Venice

13- Dance in a boat under moonlight

14- Read the Mathnawi in Arabic

15- See the northern lights

16- Learn to cook delicious food like my mom and grandma

17- Swim with baby dolphins

Will probably update this list every now and then 😀

Ramadan Observations

– The “cultural” meal is quite heavy this year, isn’t it!!  I am not against it, however, I think it is too much for only one month, provided that away from Ramadan you would hanker any of those good events!!! I guess am a tad prejudiced against the long anticipated stuffed agenda.

– Note: I am not trying to be judgmental or anything but I noticed eno people are celebrating ramadan in a peculiar way!!

– Happens daily probably 5 minutes before iftar: it is quite common delwa2ti to see people stepping out of their cars with colemans, dates, cans, sweets, etc  to distribute them to passerbys. Ramadan KAREEM 😀

A piece of my mind

– A few days ago I was checking my notifications on the infamous Face Book and I found that Nag tagged me as someone who would most likely be able to love as if she’s never been hurt before.  That being said, I wondered!! (not  that am taking it seriously awi, however, people really have the impression that I can effortlessly budge from one relation to another)  

But for me it is quite different, I just dig deep and find my dark box of secrets, we all have our boxes, no?

In case you do not have one or never heard of, It is a hypothetical box where I tend to burry all my bitter experiences, sore memories, awkward moments, tears, infinite number of hate emails and SMSes, etc.  I tend to keep the good moments alive, I don’t burry them, I keep them around me..close to both my heart and mind.  And I  just MOVE ON.

 

– I have been through many relations…and when I say relations, I do mean every single one, even the ones I had to go through without the blessings of the other party.  However, the question here is; have I ever (truly) loved someone?  To be perfectly honest, there is only one I know of (someone who wasn’t much of a morning person, it took him an hour to become himself’) but anywayz, he is that one that I went on without his blessings, I broke up with him although we were never together, and all I wanted to do is hold a grudge. Couldn’t though.  Now after 2 years I can claim we are friends, we’re not good friends but we’re friends… friendly… Friendish!!!

 

  * Swans look prettier in cartoons, they are a tad freaky in reality

 

– Lately engaging myself in discussions became more of a burden.  People are becoming more intolerant and less receptive of  the other opinions. 

Whenever I start a conversation among any group of  people about a movie, incident, play, book, or a song, etc. the first thing you know it is a heated debate not a friendly discussion. However, debates have rules and all, but this kind of conversations usually get personal.  For a reason people tend to be rude and obscene to prove effective enthusiasm.  In any conversation  there always have to be affirmatives and negatives, that’s expected, but what I observe in such conversation is the lack of respect and understanding of the opposing opinion. I for one in favor of  any idea…which doesn’t mean that I would agree with it, but I respect it, I don’t ridicule it as I truly believe that  behind every single thought, idea, or opinion there is a very complicated process, and the outcome of this process differs according to the multiple and diverse ways of thinking.

 “There are many ways to categorize human beings,” she said.  “I separate them into those who become wrinkled up and those who wrinkle down, and I want to belong to the first group.  When I am old I want my face not to be sad.  I want to have laugh lines and take them with me to the other world. Because who knows what we’ll have to face there?” 
                                                                      From ”  from Women with Big Eyes by Angeles Mastretta

I go and you have a sun kissed day 😀

p.s: I love when someone tells me have a sun-kissed day or morning, the mental image of being kissed by the sun-metaphorically not literally- makes me meza2tata..quite fascinating (me thinks)! 😀

Book Recommendation fel saree3

I so highly, exteremly, obdurately recommend Sara Gruen’s page-turner “Water for Elephants”.  Here is an excerpt.

Urgent: Volunteers needed for the Egyptian Food Bank

Volunteers are desperately needed for packaging in the Egyptian food bank.. please come and join. The packaging is being done at Olympic Group Warehouse right beside Olympic Group (Nasr City).

Their target for this year is 60,000 bags, and up till now only 8,000 bags have been packed. Bags contain food stuff such as rice, macaroni, beans, lentils, sugar, salt, tea, Dates, karkadeh and 2amar eldin.  They are available from 9 am, till “they drop” as per the coordinator I talked to.