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Archive for June 2006
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In عربي on June 30, 2006 at 1:02 pmDonate your car
In Life on June 28, 2006 at 8:27 amThey really do that in some countries, where they have a lot of car plants and where most people can actually afford gas.
If any of you would like to donate a car, old or new (it does not make a difference), please drop me a line. I know people who desperately need cars and I am positive this mighty good deed will book you a front seat in heaven. Guaranteed.
I retain the exclusive right to take my pick of donated cars for my personal use. If you have a problem with that, contact my lawyer.
In the meantime, take a look at my wish list which was just recently put up after I succumbed to the temptation (and gave in to friendly nagging) of having one for the grand public. This list is under The Box category in the babylonian sidebar.
May I also remind you that my birthday is on August 13th?
Waffles for the Arabic-speaking creature
In Opinion on June 25, 2006 at 6:35 pmThe hunt for waffles has been on for around a year now. I tried Cozmo, C-Town and Safeway to no avail so far and I am growing very distressed. I would like to share this little incident that I lived yesterday whilst trying to find out if the people at mighty Cozmo had the goods.
I went down to the grocery department and, yes, I enjoyed the nice spacious areas between the lines and what not. A lot of foreign people as usual, but that’s to be expected. I headed to the frozen foods and took a stroll by the cold containers: pizza, kobbeh, burgers, half-fried chips, strawberries, peas, puff pastry, all sorts of very cold things but no waffles.
After, what, 15 minutes of carefully checking if the frozen foods section can satisfy me, I decided to head to the bakery to ask the employee who works over there whether or not waffles exist in this Cozmo. I got there and there was an African couple talking and ordering some bread so I waited.
I waited. The couple were done but I still waited although the man clearly saw I wanted to ask/order something but he did not even look at me. At this point I realized I may be just a tad too short for his eyesight level (he’s exactly as short as I am, no excuse) so I stood on my tippy toes and asked another man standing behind him ” Excuse me, do you sell waffles here?” – The other man told me to ask the first guy, the one who did not see me.
So then I got really bored of standing there and being ignored and I jumped in and asked Mr.superbaker. If I wasn’t mistaken at reading his face and body language, he did not like it that I talked to him in the presence of that couple (who were talking to each other at that moment). But at any rate, he asked me what waffles were and I explained. He was really, really upset that I was talking to him! I am not sure why, I can be pleasant when I talk to strangers.
“La2, mafi” – without even looking at me and sort of shaking his head to say “Off you go!”.
Now I realize it is hard to understand why I am very upset at this Cozmo’s employee, you weren’t there to see how different he treated the African couple. Is it because I asked him in Arabic that I received this second-class treatment? Should I have asked him in one other language, after changing into some comfortable I’m-an-angry-teenager pants and looking “foreign”?
This sort of mentality that insists on treating Arabs and the Arab culture as inferior to anything Western/foreign, no matter what, will keep on holding us back- and to see this behaviour coming from one of your own is what’s most painful about it.
Graduation day
In Personal on June 22, 2006 at 9:56 pmSo today was my official graduation day. I was done with school in January but university policy has it that the ceremony is held in June. On Monday, June 19th, we (students of the faculty of Arts and the faculty of Law) had to go for the graduation rehearsal.
Needless to say, everything started late on Monday. We got there at 8:30 AM and had to stand with the masses to get a card with the seating number and such and that took around two hours. The rehearsal itself started at 11:00 AM and ended at 1:30 PM which translates to : Burn baby, burn.
Those are some pictures from Monday:
Today was fun although I totally hated Ziad Marzouqa for not coming (he was fun at the rehearsal but he skipped today and I had to small talk with someone I don’t exactly like), but the guy is ill so I’ll forgive him in some other life.
My mother, father and sister attended the ceremony and it was nice to see them seated perfectly in front of me as I had instructed them. So many other students were clueless as to where their families were, but I knew exactly where mine was and what they were doing: they were right there for me to watch the whole time.
My sister did an excellent job at taking nice pictures and capturing video and she even got me some balloons! I tried to have the university photographer guy take as many pictures as possible of me and my friends, tomorrow at 8:00 AM I will camp in front of the main gate of the University of Jordan to hunt for my pictures. Pray for me.
This entry comes your way because A- Amino let the cat out of the bag (thanks, you’re so nice 3an jad) and B- Qwaider asked why I haven’t mentioned anything about the whole deal, and C – sharing is caring. So there, hope you will enjoy the following shots:
Salon: Define democracy
In Salon on June 21, 2006 at 8:27 amWhat is democracy and does it extend beyond theory? What do you think?
For each ecstatic instant by Emily Dickinson
In Literature on June 20, 2006 at 8:07 amFor each ecstatic instant
We must an anguish pay
In keen and quivering ratio
To the ecstasy.For each beloved hour
Sharp pittances of years,
Bitter contested farthings
And coffers heaped with tears.
Adiga music
In Love on June 18, 2006 at 1:05 amAmazing tunes and beautiful dancing – that’s what Adiga music is. It is by far my favorite type of audio, alongside bellydance music.
I remember when I was just a child my mother and my aunt (her sister) would arrange for us to go watch live performances at Jeel club in Amman. Those were one of the best times of my life, I loved the theatrical nature of the stories of each dance and the music was divine.
The reason why I am writing this is that I have been listening to Qafa music over and over again for the past couple of hours and it’s magical the way this music gives me energy. It makes me want to do something, what, I do not know.
I love clapping to Adiga music, I love tapping my feet (because I cannot dance) as I sit mesmerized looking at the Pshinawa (occordion player), and I dissolve in it like nothing else. The exciting cries of Adiga men beside the Jagg (dancing area) drive my adrenaline levels up,up,up.
My heart is beating so fast. It has been some time since I’ve last been to a live performance or a fantazeyyeh. If you’re going to one, take me with you! I should be able to treat this subject with more detail and I might even try uploading a music sample but in the meantime you can check Zaid’s great blog on Circassians.
Back to my passion. Heart is beating so fast!
Flying Toys
In T Play Box on June 17, 2006 at 11:07 amI’ve been following a great site called Flying Cat, and the people behind it are excessively creative. They design amd manufacture funky unmatched toys. I waited for the site to be launched for a long, long time and if anything, that’s an indication of how toy-twisted I could be. Maybe I should consider a career in the toy world.
Now I’d do anything for a Winkus Cardy.”A Winkus is a Sloth Monkle which was thought extinct for many years until recent spottings in the eastern regions of the UK.“
Which one would you go for?
- Bunniguru
- Opera Dude
- Cosmouse
- Rock Boy
- Fortune Pork
- Zeebzeebs
-Mini Treehouse V2
-Who’s Next Girl
- Winkus Cardy
- Alan
- One Horned Beast
Make sure you check them out before you answer, just a tip.
Big decisions, small decisions
In Personal on June 16, 2006 at 6:04 pmThere really is no way around it. Some times you just have to choose something and let something else go. It’s precisely like Pirandello said “Ogni scelta è una morte” – Each choice is a death,and very much unlike Queen’s “I want it all and I want it now”. It just doesn’t function like that, Queen.
Lately I had to make a decision that should alter my priorities and my lifestyle for some time but before I finally made up my mind about it I just wandered for two hours, not doing anything, just walking, thinking (while trying desperately not to) and hoping some miracle would deliver me. Divine intervention, that’s what I needed to have someone right then and there making my mind up for me.
But providence did not reveal itself to me at that time, and there came no man with a long white beard to tell me “This choice is better than the other, O Tololy. Go for it”.
It was a living nightmare, nowhere as romantic and polished as I make it sound now. I sat on benches, got up, walked a bit, and sat down again. I closed my eyes, opened them, held my head in my hands, stretched back and forth, walked again, shuffled my papers, wrote things down in a notebook, put pros and cons and tried to balance matters out. By the end of that I was mentally drained, physically tired and the sun did not help.
This? Or that? But maybe this is better. No it’s not. But it could be, right? And that other thing is good too. What do I choose? Why is this so hard?
Character and the repercussions of having it
In Opinion on June 15, 2006 at 9:11 amDon’t be disillusioned having a character could earn you a number of enemies.
It’s odd when you think of it actually, why would anyone be threatened by your character? Is it because you will not let them boss you around, therefore you will be minimizing their “power”? Or is it an indication of something else? Is society ill?
I am positive a lot of people have faced situations where a person, or a group of people, has deliberately tried to put them down. For a number of motives or reasons, mostly obscure, the general public (uppity term?) tend to desire to pull one down at every corner of his or her advancement.
It’s a fascinating phenomenon. The human race has advanced in certain ways but has also kept some very eerie habits of advancement. Think of it this way: A good employee is threatened by colleagues’ jealousy and/or envy and is hammered whenever the chance arises. It should be more ethical to try to surpass that person in the field of his work to reach the same results of stabbing him in the back, but it rarely happens. It’s his character that is threatening, not the job he gets done. This jeopardizes his opponents’ character influence in the work space and is exactly why this person should be, at the very least, tamed.
Is being unethical necessary for personal gain? And, more importantly, is having a character a threat to others?
What time of day am I?
In Bits & pieces on June 14, 2006 at 1:39 pmAttention first-timers in The Box, this is not what I usually blog about. For a profound overview of my general blogging subjects and habits, refer to The Topics. Thank you.
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You Are Midnight |
 You are more than a little eccentric, and you’re apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you’re a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence – you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn’t mean you’re a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends. |
Dandy
In Personal on June 12, 2006 at 11:46 amThree little yellow-and-orange fat cats and one blue elephant greet me each morning when I come to the office. I tell you the truth, they are my “support squad” and I don’t know what I could have done without them.
Then there’s my monitor, he’s taken to blinking lately. He’s always adorned with multitudes of small sticky notes and just recently I added two yellow face stickers to him: one is wearing shades and smiling and the other is somewhat upset.
She said she was troubled when she logged on in the morning and found no entries. It made me smile.
Just showin’ some love: Forza Italia
In Life on June 11, 2006 at 8:37 amI’m not a fanatic but Forza Italia! Forza azzurri!
Plus, seriously, why do people get aggressive with other people when they find out those others cheer a team they don’t exactly dig? There’s enough room for everyone to live the game, I-can-diss-you attitudes aside. Please.
World Cup fever hits home
In Bits & pieces on June 10, 2006 at 12:26 pmWorld Cup fever is sweeping the globe; everyone seems to be talking about it, buying the flags or T-shirts of their favorite teams and engaging in word wars with friends about whos who.
Germany will be hosting the 2006 World Cup and the country has enforced strict security measures over stadiums and other important portal to ensure fans and teams can have a safe environment to enjoy their favorite game, and there will be a lot of them. Compare that to this: one-in-eight of all Britons are planning to book a holiday to escape the fever thats rushing everyone around, women mostly will want to fled homes infested with men hungry for football.
Then, of course, there are the Samba kings of Brazil. Roads, buildings, shop windows, and even beaches have all been decked out in the national colors that will set pulses racing in stadiums across Germany starting from Friday.
Also the Chinese are thinking of the cash they can reap out of this: Information from China Central Television says a leading Chinese electronic enterprise has even spent tens of millions of yuan for a three-minute commercial during match breaks. Businesses are not only trying to catch soccer fans attention, but more importantly, get into their pockets. Because of the enthusiasm, or some would say, hysteria for the event, no one is ever rational when it comes to buying a World Cup T-shirt or a mascot.
In the Arab world, many will not get to watch this event theyve been anticipating impatiently for the past four years because giant media portal ART has bought the exclusive broadcast rights. But not to despair, when there is a will there is a way.
In Jordan, his majesty King Abdullah II donated 23 giant screens to play the games live in remote and less privileged cities in the country. Cafés and restaurants purchased similar screens and started listing their special services to attract football aficionados. The Egyptians did not miss out on this one as the National Sports Council allocated 50,000 LE to purchase and distribute screens in various squares in Egyptian municipalities.
In Lebanon, however, things might be just a tad easier for football fans. Negotiations between the major Lebanese cable companies and ART wrapped up recently under governmental support and landed the average Lebanese a deal to watch all games live for just 10 USD a month the amount already paid for cable subscription.
Most Tunisians will make sure they wont miss out on any of their national teams games, and many have saved up enough to travel to Germany to support their team up close and personal. Some Tunisian singers have gone so far as to record songs dedicated to boosting the morale of the Carthage Eagles.
Crazy traffic characterized the past few days wherever a satellite-specialty shop is located Libyans have gone mad trying to get the magical ART card that has doubled in value. In Syria I hear reports of relentless attempts to hack the system and gain access for free to watch the games live, but from what I hear, those attempts have not as yet proved successful. Money talks, you know.
This is a time of celebration, a time when you, the Ghanaian, the Japanese, and I ride the same wave.
I just got T-shirt no.5 of Azzurri’s captain Fabio Cannavaro and I am wearing it! It’s so pretty (Like signore Cannavaro himself) and I just love it. I also support Nihon (Japan), Ganbatte Kudasai!
Familiar features: I know your last name
In Jordan on June 9, 2006 at 1:25 pmFor one reason or the other, it seems that Jordanians are quite gifted at recognizing ones family just by looking one in the face, and studying ones features for a short while. This is not theoretical; it springs forth from personal experience.
Possibly, one of the reasons behind this unique talent these people enjoy is the size of their country. With a country as fittingly designed as Jordan is to hold its children close to heart, it is not at all uncommon to be approached by a stranger who knows your family name and, in most cases, a handsome number of your kinfolk.
Yet another reason behind the miraculous abilities of the people could be the highly social nature, good or bad, of their community. Now regarded as a setback for the growth and development of a more open society, there is no denying that the emphasis elaborated on social relationships helps the people trace each others lineage by a look.
Think of all the Jahas and wedding parties that involve large numbers of people from different families, those alone, if it is not audacious to claim, can put one together with hundreds of people. And since those social activities are never-ending; one learns of the distinctive characteristics each family carries.
Notwithstanding all that, it still is a mind-boggling phenomenon but such that makes you feel Jordan is really one big family turned into a country.
Catman/Mancat: Nice try
In Body Art on June 8, 2006 at 11:19 am
“If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve the man, but it would deteriorate the cat.” – Mark Twain
“My name is Dennis Avner and my Indian name is Stalking Cat AKA Cat, Tiger, Tiger man Cat man and others not known to me.
I am Huron and Lakota and in following a very old Huron Tradition I am transforming myself into my totem, a tiger.”
- Source
Wired and Weird
In Body Art on June 6, 2006 at 8:24 pmWe’ve been over ModPrims before, yet there always seems to be something new in the Body Modification world. Always something to push your mind further, showing you new ways to see the same old things, and introducing perfectly fresh perspectives to behold the “weird” among “us”.
Those are things your parents do not like – I’ll give you that. Most people think body modification is just ugly and unnecessary, and they may be right, but some others find it revolutionary and, if only for this gap, it’s worth investigating.
I will post a couple of passages from an article I’ve just been tipped about, “Among the Transhumanists: Cyborgs, self-mutilators, and the future of our race” by William Saletan.
“You’ve heard of a woman trapped in a man’s body? Imagine being a one-legged person trapped in a two-legged body, said the speakers.”
“Why do we shrug at botox, liposuction, and circumcision? Why do we think it’s no big deal if models, actors, and athletes have themselves cut open for professional advancement? Why did tattoos remain illegal in parts of the United States until three weeks ago? Why did we have “ugly laws” that ordered maimed people off the streets? Why did we operate on sexually ambiguous infants to “correct” their gender, often with disastrous results?”
Good questions, no? Read the whole article here and be amazed.
The Box nominated for toot’s best design
In Bits & pieces on June 5, 2006 at 4:46 pmIt’s a new dawn, it’s a new day – The Box was nominated to win one of three very hot prizes over at toot’s “Design Competition“! This is good news and, with your support, it could be even better. Please vote for this design before it’s too late, it loves you too!
What’s that? I think someone wants to have a word with you.
Hello everyone! I am Tololys Box and I want to take a moment of your time to introduce you to my funky little corners.
First things first, how many blogs out there have a red background and a yellow frontal design which, by the way, go perfectly well together?
Ever noticed my cute clean Babylonian sidebar? Everything is neatly tucked inside. You see, I dont like to confuse you with lots of text on the sides.
Go on, click on one item in the sidebar, what youll see is beautiful, orderly content, every time! Now go to The Links, hover over any of those links and watch the colors change from yellow to orange to scarlet. Isnt that pretty?
I guess what Im trying to say, and Im just a Box here, is that I would really appreciate it if you voted for me. You enjoy my design, show some love!
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In عربي on June 4, 2006 at 12:07 am?? ???? ???, ?? ???? ??? ? ????. ????? ??? ????? ?? ???? ???? ??? ???? ???? ? ??? ??????? ???? ???????? ?? ??? ????: ??? ? ????. ? ?? ?? ???? ????? ????? ?? ???? ???? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ??? , ?? ????? ??? ? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??? ? ????.
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Belief vs. Make-belief
In Life on June 2, 2006 at 12:28 pmTo understand the origin of evil, one must first go back to the beginning
Yes, indeed. You then question how the Raelians are silent, or shushed. This “movement” provides a fascinating study of human capabilities and imagination. Read more about it below and share your views with us if you will. I would also suggest googling Eric Von Daniken. Things to tickle your brain – that’s how I perceive them.
HUMAN SCIENTISTS FROM ANOTHER PLANET CREATED ALL LIFE ON EARTH USING DNA.
Traces of this epic masterpiece of creation can be found in all religious writings and traditions. It is to them that Moses, Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed referred. It is now time to welcome them.
On the 13th of December 1973, French journalist Rael was contacted by a visitor from another planet, and asked to establish an Embassy to welcome these people back to Earth.
The extra-terrestrial human being was a little over four feet tall, had long dark hair, almond shaped eyes, olive skin, and exuded harmony and humor. Rael recently described him by saying quite simply, “If he were to walk down a street in Japan, he would not even be noticed.” In other words, they look like us, and we look like them. In fact, we were created “in their image” as explained in the Bible.
He told Rael that:
“We were the ones who designed all life on earth”
“You mistook us for gods”
“We were at the origin of your main religions”
“Now that you are mature enough to understand this,we would like to enter official contact through an embassy”THE MESSAGES
The messages dictated to Rael explain that life on Earth is not the result of random evolution, nor the work of a supernatural ‘God’. It is a deliberate creation, using DNA, by a scientifically advanced people who made human beings literally “in their image” — what one can call “scientific creationism.” References to these scientists and their work, as well as to their symbol of infinity, can be found in the ancient texts of many cultures. For example, in Genesis, the Biblical account of Creation, the word “Elohim” has been mistranslated as the singular word “God”, but it is actually a plural word which means “those who came from the sky”, and the singular is “Eloha” (also known as “Allah”). Indigenous cultures all over the world remember these “gods” who came from the sky, including natives of Africa (Dogon, Twa, etc.), America, Asia, Australia, and Europe.
Leaving our humanity to progress by itself, the Elohim nevertheless maintained contact with us via prophets including Buddha, Moses, Mohammed, etc., all specially chosen and educated by them. The role of the prophets was to progressively educate humanity through the Messages they taught, each adapted to the culture and level of understanding at the time. They were also to leave traces of the Elohim so that we would be able to recognize them as our Creators and fellow human beings when we had advanced enough scientifically to understand them. Jesus, whose father was an Eloha, was given the task of spreading these messages throughout the world in preparation for this crucial time in which we are now privileged to live: the predicted Age Of Revelation.
