The Kids

Finally I have something to write about.

After talking about doing it for so long, I finally did some volunteer work with street children yesterday. As I was driving home last night I asked myself why I hadn’t been doing this my whole life. I could’ve been volunteering for the last ten years if I had really wanted to. But it occurred to me that I am probably of more use to them now than I ever would’ve been before.

Because now I am more tolerant, more patient, I have my own child, so I know what it is they need instinctively.

I am less idealistic, more practical and more in touch with reality, so I know what can be achieved and what cannot.

I am more willing to give, and less expectant. I am more aware of how the world works, so I can be of more use to them maybe through my work, maybe through just being there, who knows what will come?

It is very early days. I don’t even know if I will see any of those same kids again, but I hope I will. I hope they will come to recognize me, and know me as a friend.

Where do I start?
I was nervous, anxious. I was worried on our way to them in the ambulance equipped with doctor and social worker, hearing horror stories, wondering how they would react to me - another complete stranger trying to interfere in their lives.

We parked the van and they came running, all smiles and handshakes and high fives, and questions and energy.

Bareeza, he’s about 15 but he looks smaller. He can recite his ABCs, constantly wanting to play games, and constantly needs attention and physical contact.

Ramadan, barefoot, hasn’t been in school since the 2nd grade, and cleans cars for a living as do many of the others.

Hend, girl of around 15, harder and stronger than any man I’ve seen, yet really self conscious about her missing front tooth; she has a lovely face.

Asma’a, tiny little girl, who says she’s 12 but somehow I don’t believe her – showed me the proper way to say goodbye with her own special handshake. Bundle of energy.

Mohamed is 17, carries a little pink comb and tells a story of how he ran away from his town amid extremely violent clashes. Painted a picture in my mind of a village on fire, and then began to sing in a melodic voice. He is barely literate. He dreams of spending Ramadan with his parents and tells me how his dad only beats him if he doesn’t stick up for himself.

These are just a few of the kids I met yesterday. I wonder now how I can be of help to them. What can I learn or do to make things easier? Because really and truly, that’s probably the only impact I can make, I can’t take anything they’ve experienced away, I can only make it easier to take.

I know as a child sometimes you just need guidance, you need hope, you need someone to tell you everything is possible, that you are worth something; that life is there for the taking.

These kids just need to feel like they are still human beings with a chance of a satisfactory life. Promising them a good life maybe overly optimistic.

Where are you from?

I have a question for you, you the person reading my blog.

I am really intrigued to see that people from really cool places like mauritius, peru and croatia are visiting this blog, but nobody ever leaves a comment.

So just this once, leave a comment answering the question: where are you from?

On feeling thankful

I found this article on zenhabits about feeling thankful

I discovered a few things recently, one of the most important being that everything is a choice. I realised that i had spent most of my life thinking, about the past, the present, the future..analysing every little detail, until my mind became so cluttered that i could hardly see, appreciate or really feel anything around me. I thought this constant chatter in my head was me being intelligent :)

I want to focus on the good stuff, and i have a lot of things to be very grateful for.

I have a beautiful son
I have a home
I have friends and family
I have a job
I live in a country where i feel i belong
I am in good health
I have love
I have food, water and sleep
I have knowledge and peace

I am blessed :)

I tag anyone that reads this, especially Munqy, Fesh and Madwoman. List 10 things you are grateful for.

the bimbo post

Boredom sets in...

Bored of work, bored of facebook, bored of email, bored of news, bored of cairo, bored of people, bored of traffic, bored of sitting at a desk day in day out, bored of inactivity, bored of smoking all day at the office, bored of doing fuckall with my life, bored of not doing enough, bored of writing shitty corporate bollocks that means zilch, yes, the boredom which usually visits me at the one year mark has set in.

Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooored.

B
O R E D
R
E
D

The Surfer

He waits; that's what he does.
And I tell you what: tick followed tock followed tick followed tock followed tick...
Ahab says, 'I don't care who you are, here's to your dream.'
'Here's to you, Ahab'.
And the fat drummer hit the beat with all his heart.

Here's to waiting.

Thinking about favourites reminded me of this, the best ad EVER.

For more info on how it was made read this

For another amazing ad by the same director (Jonathan Glazer) watch this - if you recognise the music and happen to have it, please give it to me :) as i used to have it but lost it :(

The image used above is by Walter Crane

Arty Farty

As fickle as i am, i find it really, really hard to choose just one thing for each of these categories, but after a good talking to from Munqy, i have surrendered my will...

Favourite Author: Vladimir Nabokov

Favourite Book: Lolita

Favourite Artist: Diego Rivera

Favourite Artwork: El Vendedor de Alcatraces

Favourite Poet: Pablo Neruda

Favourite Poem: hmmmmm... don't have one, but this will do for now

Favourite Singer: Nina Simone

Favourite Song: Summertime

Favourite Actor: Marlon Brando

Favourite Director: Stanley Kubrick

Favourite Film: The Shining

I reserve the right to change my mind without the slightest bit of notice, and i tag that guy (the one who talks to his pigeon), if he's still alive.

Milky Way Revamp

This image taken from the NASA website shows the latest version of what our galaxy looks like, new infrared images (800,000 to be exact) from the Spitzer telescope have made it possible to get a much more realistic view of where we live - some are of the opinion that this latest image has downgraded the galaxy somehow, but it still looks nice and spirally to me.

100 Live

despite mind numbing pollution and high levels of apathy, Cairo remains a hive of creativity

Tag Me Baby ;)

I have been tagged, here are my ten random things:

1. I have a recurring dream that a Tsunami is about to hit the city I live in and there is nowhere to run, each time I have the dream the location changes

2. I want to live by the sea, when I was younger my aspirations were to become a beach bum, the sea gives me peace

3. I have a hand fetish, no matter how attractive a guy might be, if his hands are ugly it’s out of the question

4. I swam with dolphins completely by accident, it freaked me out, but I petted that dolphins head like he was a cat, I came out of the sea all dizzy saying “that was better than sex!”

5. I never believed in father Xmas but I did believe in the tooth fairy, she left a fifty pence piece under my pillow for each tooth

6. I am haunted by the number 11 usually in the form of 11:11 and I prefer odd numbers and odd years, although I must say 2008 is looking good so far :) I totally believe in the mysticism of the numbers three and seven

7. I am torn between wanting to have lived in Egypt’s 1950’s and the USA’s late 60’s…revolution or flower power? Om Kulthoum or Jefferson Airplane? I just can’t decide

8. I smoke like a chimney and no I don’t want to give up

9. If you teach me something I don’t know, I will respect you forever, although I never felt the same reverence at school

10. I am completely and irreparably in love with this country, and living here has taught me patience, tolerance and generosity under any circumstances. I cannot imagine ever living anywhere else

if any of you ever read this i tag Jade, Anna, Perfect Fool and Amnesiac :)

i just have to add one more:

11. I give people electric shocks when i touch them.. i can no longer touch door handles or anything else which is made of metal...i just got a shock off an ipod and a plant, i am at my wits END.

Track Number 11

yes, i love track number 11

it's called Trunk

Save the Planet - A Rough Guide

I came across this article in Egypt Today and i think it's really the most read-worthy thing i've seen in a while, except maybe for the one about the scientist who cloned himself...

Anyway, here is the jist of the article..with some stuff thrown in by me.

In the year 2020, between 75 and 250 million people in Africa will face problems finding clean drinking water.

One person really can slow global warming.(Before you tut tut and turn your head away, yes this post is about ten years too late, but it's a well known fact that we here in the land of eighties fashion are at least a decade behind, so take that into your tut tutting calculations)


1. Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth. You can save 15 litres of water per minute. That’s 60 litres of water everyday, and 420 litres per week.

2. Change your light bulbs and use CFL bulbs, they use ¼ the electricity and last ten times longer, the energy saved will translate into lower carbon emissions produced by electrical-power generators running on fossil fuels. They also come in ‘warm light’, for a softer glow.

3. Pump up your tires, under-inflated tires are both dangerous and costly (tack on up to 20% extra on your fuel bill). Check the air level every 2 to 3 weeks with a pressure gauge.

4. When you can, drive between 65 and 95 kilos per hour. This will save 10-15% of fuel.

5. Buy appliances that carry the Energy Star, they slash your utility bill and reduce greenhouse emissions.

6. Give your old clothes to charity.

7. Plant a tree or three. One tree will absorb about one ton of carbon dioxide a year.

8. Support local produce. Yes, buy Egyptian bananas! (and 7arankash)

9. Keep it casual at work, reducing the need for AC and the energy used to power it. Japan cut an estimated 79,000 tons of CO2 in 2005 by loosening the collars of Japanese employees.

10. 75% of energy consumed at home is standby power. Get off your lazy ass and turn the telly/PC/DVD/Stereo off – manually!

11. Buy in bulk.

12. Carpool.

13. Always use dishwashers/washing machines on full loads, otherwise your wasting a lot of water.

14. Insulate your home, if you can, or go for double glazed windows.

15. Clean your AC filters, reducing energy consumption by 5% - better yet, use a fan instead. It works. Honest.

16. Offset your carbon emissions – a return flight for two between Cairo and London produces 2 tons of CO2. There are many, many websites that offer offsetting services - mostly through tree planting projects. Just Google Carbon Footprint, Carbon Offset etc.

17. Try DIY composting: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/h2composting

18. More you can do : http://www.nativeenergy.com/pages/more_you_can_do/18.php#12
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2006/04/25_ways_to_save.php

19. Buy her a potted plant instead of cut flowers – seriously.

20. Spread the word.

that's enough tree huggin' for now - i really fancy some 7arankash ... so if you know me, buy me some 7arankash, k?

the fentix cube, yay!

this guy is a genius, check out some of his other inventions here and see the cube in action here...

i want one!

Now this IS bloggable...

the evolution of man over the next 100,000 years




here


oh, and merry xmas :)

inspired by where the hell is matt...

although i doubt i'll be shaking my bootie anywhere in the direction of libya anytime soon, this list by the ny times of THE 53 places to visit (read shake your bootie) in 2008 aint that bad...if you ignore the fact that they mentioned liverpool...ahem


here

From Children's Books (of the Future)...