28 October, 2007

Some photos of Amman Downtown


























26 October, 2007

Should we rebel against traditions

most of the time it is controversial how we see traditions, if any Jordanian begin to think of getting married he/she will be faced by a repeated word "traditions" from many people around them, like 'its against traditions' or 'we should do that since its part of traditions', sometimes is not just a country traditions, but family traditions, I have heard many parents say they are used to get their daughters' married for JODs10,000 or 5000 etc, when I ask them what if the guy is a good man, they say they can't get their daughter married for nothing, I ask again what if you get her married to one rich and you had the biggest party, and one day he become poor, they say its different, how the hell its different, are they really selling their daughters, or getting them married, of course I'm not saying they don't have a party, but at least stop asking for impossible, try to understand the situation.

To be honest I have not experienced this before, but it really bothers me, to fall in love with a woman, then I propose and her parents tell me their requirements and I can't afford it, it really does.


So you assume I'm talking about getting married in Jordan? But really I'm not talking specifically about it, I use it as an example for talking about rotten traditions, I have just finished watching a movie and it was about how hard be without a partner and the problems that exist when some people are deprived from the chance of getting married, having a boyfriend/ girlfriend (partner), they are in pain or hurt, not because they are only deprived of sex, but also because they need to be loved by someone and love someone, its human nature to live that experience.

When it comes to the Arab world in general, you find many who suffer silently, and there are many who break the rules and live their own way, ignoring accusations of immorality from others, so I thought of studying this, and try to analyze it, and I found that traditions play a major role in all this, but when I thought more, I discovered that in addition to traditions there is the rotten way of thinking our people still have, let away if there is a way of thinking the first place, as people just follow rules blindly, and don't think at all, when they cause others pain without knowing, like parents when they refuse getting their daughter married for a good guy because he can't satisfy their requirements, because they will be ashamed when they don't have a big wedding party their family will talk about forever.


Is it really traditions that cause many problems in our society, or our way of thinking is behind all that? If we don't do any thing to correct that, we will all lose, and suffer, parents, their daughters, sons, and the community as a whole, the sad thing about this post is that it will not change anything, many people wrote about it, but nothing changed.


So can we rebel against some traditions, or let's rebel against the way most people here think, let's do something.

22 October, 2007

First time I cook, awasome

I: I like cooking, allow me to cook please.

Mom: yeah, sure, why not, but better to taste first.

I: but I want to cook.

Mom: good tasters, better cooks.

That’s how I fell in love with my mom food at first taste, I always helped mom with cooking, I mean tasting, but it took me too long to begin learning cooking, almost two decades to know why my mom didn't want me to cook, she always had that expression on her face, and asking me "do you want to cook and let your wife rest?" thought it was a simple joke, anyway, may be I was convinced with that too.

But guess what, I really like cooking, but that doesn't mean you tell my future wife that I have passion for cooking, if she happened to know you one day.

Whatever, at last I did it, it’s a jump start cooking, took me two days preparing, and seems I managed to convince my mom to leave alone and try something, so I did cook "Fatteh" or what call "chick beans Fatteh" which I don't know how to translate, so I thought it would be better if I have some pictures of that delicious food.

But if someone asks why I'm writing about it, actually it’s a personal reason, rather anything else, its all about how I wanted all my life to cook, where my mom in away kept me out of it, and where I was always tried to do, after 20 years I finally get ready, and cook something, and for the first time, I feel I did something, some may say its silly, to me its not, Proactivity is more than just writing, saying , its more about doing, whatever its, do it, do it.

I learned a new lesson, its not enough to want to do, it is more to do what u want, and it took me many years to realize that.









16 October, 2007

Palestinian Mother sees her daughter after 15 years

I always write about inspiring stories, today, a friend of mine sent me an email, I couldn't hold myself from crying.

His email is about a famous female poet, who always recited her poetry on Arabic Satellite Channels, in Sabra and Shatila massacre, 16 of September 1982, she lost 54 of her family, while she was in a visit to Tal Al-Zaatr refugees camp, when she visited Shatila camp she didn't find anyone of her family, but she didn't know that one of her neighbors rescued her 8 years old daughter.

in the second Intifada, her neighbor saw her while she was on TV reading some of her poems, and recognized her.

read the article here, and watch the meeting between mother poet and her daughter here, if you don't understand Arabic, its ok, because you don't need translation, just watch.







12 October, 2007

Paul Pots, Sales man sings Opera (inspiring)

Do you have a dream? Do you think you are talented? People didn't believe you, right? A friend told me to watch this inspiring video on YouTube.

Don't give up your dreams, because when you do, it is the end.

click here to watch and get inspired, or click embedded YouTube below.






10 October, 2007

Iftar with little angels

Few fellow bloggers could make it to the Iftar with little orphan children, yesterday, arranged by Sunnaa Al Hayat (Life Makers, Al Zarqa University branch), Mazen (Sanitary Measures), Shaden (The Sugar Cubes), Jad (Jad's Thoughts), Husam (7usam), Tareq (Bryce lover), Ibrahim (Opairah's blog), 7ala (رؤى), and others I don't remember their names now, had the chance the participate in this event, and I don't want to forget that 7ala was behind reminding and insisting on us to attend as a way to participate in charitable events, and to meet up with fellow bloggers, it was so long now since our last Jordanian Bloggers meet up.

It was segregated, so bloggers was engaged in single gender conversations, ironically, except that, the event went on ok, after we finished Iftar, we prayed together, and at last they played music, the music was somehow strange, it was dancing music, I felt that I wanted to dance, actually I didn't understand that double-standards thing, some things are allowed, others things are not, in a way it was superficial, but deep we can see the good part of that huge effort, the organizers tried their best to do what they think will help in a way or another to make Jordan a better place, at the same time we still have the right to disagree with them, although they were nice people, supportive and encouraging.

some photos :
















06 October, 2007

Pay it forward, and be true

Have you ever watched a movie, and felt you were flying after you finished watching, today; I watched another movie that made me fly and filled with happiness, really one.

Titled "Pay it forward" it's about a very simple idea "paying forward", but hard one too, what if we instead of paying back to whom do us favors, pay it forward to three people, we choose and who need it, and ask them to do the same, it will be exponential, one will help three, and three will help nine and so on, can you imagine that after two cycles there would be nine who benefit from that process.

You might think what a silly idea this is!! But believe me its not that easy, idealistically it is possible, but realistically it is hard and need deep faith in human positive power.

I don't want to talk about this idea too much, it won't help, and I'd rather recommend you watch the movie, and pay it forward to three others, let the wheel move.


Enjoy watching and paying forward

03 October, 2007

Little Man (boy)

It is not an easy thing to be a female in this community, from time to time something happens that reminds us of that harsh reality.

Today, on the way to work, I happened to hear a conversation between two little school kids, a girl and her brother, he looked younger than her, but clearly shorter, where he was like an elf standing next to a giant.

He was dragging his feet slowly, with that sleepy look on his face, while she was energetic and walking fast, suddenly she looked back and yelled at him, to walk faster, she was trying to convince him that school is far away, and if they kept walking in that pace, they wouldn't make it to school on time.

He looked at her angrily like a volcano; he seemed to me as a little man that moment, something got him mad, and said "Sh** on you!" literally translated from Arabic, apparently he remembered his father or mother instructions not to let his sister yell at him, because he is a man, and men is not to be yelled at from women, it’s the way around, this is what he learned, actually, he didn't say that, but I thought it might be the case, from experience in this part of the world.

The girl dropped her head, and followed her stupid lazy brother, but now looked like a man, with that smile on his face.