These are few of my "tagged" things *

Tayb, Thanks Gjoe for the tag.. though its been long I haven't replied any tags.. bas its good to have one every once in a while.. especially to show a life "signal" to whoever following this blog ;)


Favorite color: Baby blue, baby purple and baby pink
Favorite perfume (guys): e7m, I don't know
Favorite perfume (girls): two e7m-s and a half.. I don't know!
Favorite pj brand: I'll know, once you tell me what PJ :S
Favorite clothes brand in general: going local?.. Rojada :D
Favorite person in the entire world: My fiance, brother, Bavalova and my mother (in no order)
Favorite country: Egypt.. of course!
Favorite car: Beatles :D and 128
Favorite sport: walking
Favorite sport player: mm.. shall I say e7m too?
Favorite spot in the World: A desert between high mountains and sea
Favorite animal: Horses
Favorite movie: Esha3et hob and You've got mail :D
Favorite singer: mm.. Alot bsara7a.. lets say Abdel Wahab, Thoma, Omaima, Marcel khalifa, Asmahaan, Mohamed Mounir, Ali El Haggar, Hanan Mady.. ABBA, Josh Groban, Michael Bubble, Air Supply, Charles Aznavour, Jose Feliciano.. ah.. enough!
Favorite day in the week: Tuesday
Favorite time of the day: At sunset and very late at night
Favorite holiday season: any agaza, as long as its agaza
Favorite number: 3
Favorite food: Beeb Beeb molo5ya! wara2 3enab?.. yum yummy.. fatta?
Favorite chocolate: Dark chocolate or chocolate with fruits
Favorite cartoon: Anastasia and Finding Nemo (3ashan gjoe matz3alsh :D )
Favorite blogger: yaaah keteeeeer... everybody on my Fl-Alb ;)
Favorite Flavor Ice Cream: Mango or Mystic with Pistachio
Favorite Mobile Brand: Sony Ericsson all the way
Favorite name: lasto adri :P
Favorite hobby: Reading, writing, following latest on social networking revolution.. as well listing to radio and nagging my brother..
Favorite room in my house: I used to like odet el sofra fi betna el adeem.. mm.. I hate our current house
Favorite Fruit: Mango tb3an
Favorite flower: Purple or rosy tulips..
Favorite Quran Reciter: El Menshawy
Favorite Ayah: Ayet el Korsy
Favorite Website: :D ah! I can't live without My Reader, Gmail, Twitter.. my blogs.. and.. you can actually sum it up into 1 phrase "the entire web pages"

I Tag: Zeinobia, Tarek, Deee, Juka, Nerro, Nisso, AD Sabry, layal, Nousha, Enadaha, Noon, Hagar and Cesario.


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PS: The title is from the song: "These are few of my favorite things"

God bless all the martyrs

Sameh Habeeb
Gaza City, Gaza Strip, Palestine
I am Sameh A. Habeeb. I'm a Palestinian born and raised in Gaza. I'm 23 years old. I have a bachelor degree in English Language and Literature. I have worked in several different fields’ pre and post of my university studies for almost 5 years. I have worked as volunteer in civil societies where I practiced tasks to help people and educate children. I worked as News Producer and a Journalist at the Ramattan News Agency which is Regional Media facility based in Gaza and the Middle East.

I’ve read the above words on Sameh’s blog, while wondering.. He hasn’t blogged since 2 days.. where is he now? Is he alive? Or is it electricity outage that stopped him from accessing the internet? Or did Israeli’s manage to stop all forms of communication? Is he dead? Or flit somewhere to escape the bombs? Is it cold where he is? How can he bear the bombs all night? Can they sleep? Can they eat, drink or breathe?
He’s 23.. as old as I am.. with a bachelor degree.. as my studies degree.. he’s a news reporter.. as my dream..
I’m here typing my words of disbelief and pain, and he –God knows where.
I am sitting in my room eating a luxurious chocolate.. listening to music and pressing letters forming words.. my family sleeping in the other room.. the kitchen is 1 meter away.. and.. alone..

Sameh might not be the only one who disappeared under such conditions.. but above all I’m sure.. with all the prayers world wide.. He must not alone..

Enough is Enough

If Arabs are willing to win the case.. then KNOW YOUR ENEMY first!
Read Israeli's blogs and know their lies.. it isn't a hard equation after all..

Peaceful life..

For a disguised reason -I'm sure I don't know-, I decided all of a sudden to quit internet. I took the cable cut as an excuse and a start.
Well, life doesn't look darker without my Laptop buttons, and not that dull without chatting or empty without Greader. In fact, my inner chatting suddenly increased.
I have time to read and watch TV. And above all.. I have few extra TIME..

Amazingly, I don't feel bad! no not at all. I feel much better... as if finally sober from an addiction..

On reading and writing

I’ve been trying to write a short story since a month but, still I can’t. I already have the idea in mind, but words fail me, or I fail words, I am not sure as I talk.
I’ve read a lot, at least enough to judge good or bad books. However I don’t trust my own writings. I’ve seen those writers who wrote nothing, yet, their works are highly acknowledged worldwide; and I don’t wish to join their queue.
I’m not fond of modern Arabic literature. It’s so boring. People are willing to innovate so they went off the shore to shallow extremes. Am not fond of old literature too. I feel it more like dreams and dreams. And I’m bound to reality.
Good literature doesn’t have a time. Good is good, no matter what’s the time.

I want to write good books, but afraid. There are many good books left on shelves that I haven’t read yet. And I reckon, I should mix with people, different mentalities, different places and times.
If I need to be a writer I should confront myself now and for all..
Am I up to it?

I don’t want to be a person running after his mirage. There is an abrupt of words recently; but who will live and who will be soon forgotten. I don’t want to be forgotten. I don’t want to fill white pages with dotted black shapes. I want to write, be heard and I want to have faith in me.

On Chatting

I hate the smilie ==> :)

Its either cynical, pathetic or asking people to shut up.

Sometimes..

The past few days weren't my favorite. Tomorrow is not my favorite too.
Wished from the deep of my heart to slap life hardly at the face. So ugly to show a smiling face, and in a flip of a second -without giving a damn notice- turns its back.. Like -may be- stabbing in cold blood?

Yesterday night I felt I'm so alone. How I hate this feeling more than anything else, but thats how it goes.. From bad to worst sometimes...

Egypt and Chinese noodles*

I was making a dish of Noodles today, when I wondered for a second about the Chinese cultural invasion to our country. You can hardly find something that doesn’t have a Chinese equivalent in the market. And usually customers like to buy these, not only because of its cheap price, but also due to the different varieties offered. Nevertheless, the cultural invasion is not only to devices, plastics or things, but also to our Egyptian food trends. Chinese cuisine, Chinese beans, as well as Chinese seeds for agricultural usage.

Since many years ago, Far Eastern culture, Chinese, Korean or Japanese, has clearly invaded other countries like United States of America; and may be now, as I talk, I remember the first time I realized this fact when I heard a line from the song “The day before you came” sung by ABBA, where they said:

Must have opened my front door at eight o’clock or so
And stopped along the way to buy some Chinese food to go
I’m sure I had my dinner watching something on TV
There’s not, I think, a single episode of Dallas that I didn’t see

And ABBA are a Swedish musical band!.

On a different note, Indomie instant noodles, for example, has became a hitting brand in Egypt for the last couple of years; the matter that pushed few Egyptian Pasta factories to decide to compete in the market by producing Egyptianized noodles, like Regina and others. However, I think it’s a hard competition because just like Pepsi in our culture for soda drinks, or Chipsy for potato chips, Noodles are called Indomie.

I remember a decade ago, it was everybody’s talk about American fast food. Yum! brands and other franchised chain restaurants like KFC, Pizza hut, McDonalds, Hardee’s and Chili’s, were topping all restaurants charts. However, since a couple of years ago, it was everybody’s talk in town about the Japanese Sushi and raw fish dishes. Today, if you visited the biggest Egyptian mall, City Stars, you will find 2 Chinese restaurants standing side by side in the main food court (Panda house and Asian corner), while Wagamama is up stairs in another floor.

In reply to my previous wonders I asked few friends about their opinion concerning instant Noodles or Chinese food..

Dina, a 22 year old friend who started her talk as she Loves it a LOT [geddan] then she added:

First of all I’m a pasta fan and soup fan, and its pasts in Soup. It’s very easy to make and not so high in calories. It tastes good, but it’s addictive.

Tarek also confirmed:

Because it is east to be prepared, and not as light as soup

Eman noted:

Simply it’s cheap!

While Serage, a Libyan friend who lived in different Arab and European cities, as well as Egyptian friend Ghafari said they like it for the many flavors enclosed.

Mohamed also noted:

Ya3ny shaghal [it’s OK]. I used to like the song in Sesame Street: Noodles, I like Noodles, I like I like I like I like I like Noodles.
It is easy, not very tasty, but anyone can do it.

On the other hand, Memo mentioned:

I’ve never tried it in the first place. I don’t eat stuff I don’t know what they are. I’ve seen it, but never knew they are called noodles, and never tried it before.

Noha also told me:

Nah! I don’t like it. It has no vitamins!

Myself, I’ve tried Chinese many times. I liked very few dishes but hated the rest. I’m still not that familiar with sweet and sour taste. But apart from that, stays the question.. till when the Chinese culture will invade our tiny details of life?

Between yes and no, and between strong rumors that noodle’s flavors are not healthy and may lead to cancer; in a cold lonely lazy night.. Noodles is yet the best answer for a quick dinner.

China really found its way among us.

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* You can check BBC for Story of Noodles' origin.

A victory dance

I feel extremely happy tonight because of my new blog design. Aah!.. I wished to do so since a year may be.. but always and always either busy or didn’t find a good css to work on..
However, I took Friday till Monday off, and so I insisted to do it.. Enough being as lazy as I am!

It took me 2 whole days sitting in front of the laptop day by night!
Haven’t dealt with new blogger before.. and it was like a disaster to figure out what is doing who!
Till I did it today! (Dancing the victory dance)..

There are missing items still.. and few things I failed to add.. but anyways.. its better than never for the time being.

Butterfly effect!

Few weeks ago, I suggested delivery from a certain Fast food restaurant in Cairo. I ate from there a couple of times and found it tastes good.
My colleagues in the office tried it and they liked the sandwiches too.

Today I was passing by the kitchen and found other people in the company eating from the same restaurant.

Strange how butterfly effect can do!

In the mood for Alanis Morissette

Like anyone would be
I am flattered by your fascination with me
Like any hot-blooded woman
I have simply wanted an object to crave
But you, you're not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight

Must be strangely exciting
To watch the stoic squirm
Must be somewhat heartening
To watch shepherd need shepherd
But you you're not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight

Like any uncharted territory
I must seem greatly intriguing
You speak of my love like
You have experienced love like mine before
But this is not allowed
You're uninvited
An unfortunate slight

I don't think you unworthy
I need a moment to deliberate

Alanis Morissette -- Uninvited