you only get what you give

i know i said i don't think about what im going to post, not true this time. this morning i knew exactly what i wanted to write about.

i've had a VERY rough day, the kind of day when i just wanna curl up in my room and cry or something while the rest of the world goes to hell. It's not even half over yet, two more dreaded happenings yet to take place between now and when i crash at 2am.

Anyway, i learned about people today. I learned that there are different types of people in this world, in our everyday lives. Here are some

1. Organized and disorganized

Some people know exactly what they want and what they need to do to get it. Others have an idea of what they want but have no idea how to make it happen

2. Flexible and inflexible

Self explanatory. My experience has been that flexible people just adapt.. they just do it. Inflexible people you want to punch in the nose and make them black out

3. Giving and Taking

Some are balanced, they give and they take, some love to give, some take take take until they slowly take your sanity away

4. Leaders and followers

Leaders DO stuff. followers do what they're told, most of the time messing it up or going back to the leader until the leader does it themselves.

5. Cheerful and sad

We all meet rays of sunshine that just brighten up our day. Seriously a simple smile and a "yes sure, i don't mind" made my day today. Sad people are pathetic and they will always, always find something wrong with a rainbow.

6. ambitious and getters-by

Some people you know are going to shine one day and others you hope just die healthy at least.

7. LAST... All the above can be divided into two broader categories:

People who make life easy and people who insist on making it hard

Life isn't hard. Everything is, maybe not possible but, can be solved. Nothing means the end of the world except when it really is the end of the world.

I let my mean side get the best of me today. I made someone cry and im feeling guilty for NOT feeling guilty. But wouldn't you agree that those of insist on making life harder only deserve the same in return?

big deal to you small deal to me

I had always thought it was sad for someone to have so-called thick skin. I felt that one had to have gone through a whole lot of crap for their skin to thicken. Getting there would be hard, so it's sad when one is there. Get what i mean? In other words, i thought its sad for someone to have to endure so much that the become more immune to hardship.

Given the past few months, it might not be so sad after all. I've had my share of crap and mishaps in 2009, so my own skin has thickened. And you know what? It's a good thing.. i really mean it it's a really good thing to have thick skin. It's not sad, it only means you can endure more.

Like this morning i was talking to my best friend telling her about something horrible that happened, she was frantic on the phone and couldn't imagine it. I, on the other hand, remained calm and i still am. What seemed so horrible to her wasn't at the same degree of 'horribleness' to me. I think that's because i've been through so much of it I'm developing immunity. And don't let your imagination anyway, it was nothing glamorous, just some family health issues.

My aunt, who i am named after and adore, is a Prof of Psychology as well as a practicing Psychiatrist. Meaning to me, she's free mental help. We were talking a few weeks ago and she explained something very intriguing. She said that since people are made up differently, we can each endure to certain limits. And given our level of endurance, we can only respond in certain ways. Like some people back off when there's a problem, others attack it headfirst. We be ostriches and we be lions. Our reactions reflect our mental and emotional make up.

My brother summed it up, he said, "we are only a reflection of what happens to us."

If you really think about this, I'm saying that the thicker our skin is, the thicker it becomes. The more you go through, the more you can go through, so the more you DO go through.

There is a downside though. We then may come off as harsh and insensitive. But it's really nothing to do with insensitivity. It's more of 'big deal to you small deal to me.'

twilight insight

i just finished watching Twilight. Again.

So horribly pathetic but i love it, i would have loved it as a 16 year old and i still love it in all of my 24 years sitting here waiting to fall asleep and get up for work tomorrow.

But for the past two hours i didn't think about any of that. I thought about Edward and Bella and how perfect they are. This fits my every weird definition of perfect: he's a vampire, she's a freak, but what they have together is perfect. Edward is everything that our average male [insert appropriate adjective here (i won't, in respect to clean language)] is not. He knows what he wants, he is not scared to pursue it. He doesn't change his mind. He's not scared. He's impressive. He's bold. He doesn't make room for Bella to question him or anything about him. He is dependable. He comes through, which is more than i can say about anyone i've ever met or even heard about.

Bella is stable. She doesn't change her mind either. She doesn't look for bigger or better. They are satisfied with what they have and what they are and are willing to put at least minimal effort in to perfect it. They connect, and by connect here i don't mean click but they actually connect. I believe in those connections i don't believe in clicks. Clicks are short term.

Edward waited for Bella for so many years. SO many. But he know what he wanted and he didn't settle for anything else. He knew she would come. I find that amazing.

The soundtrack is pretty awesome too.

I believe in bullshit

Yes, i mean exactly what i say in the title. I know and you might know that i am an easily excitable, happy-go-lucky optimist (most of the time). I respond to the most subtle of 'happy' stimuli. I believe in pep talks. I live on deep and uplifting lyrics. I read a street sign and take it as a life motto.

It's a load of bullshit but it drives me like nothing else.

Earlier today i was messaging a friend, a fellow lyrics junkie and he said "words are all we have" NOT TRUE! i'll give you now the same reply i gave then: words are great but they are never, ever all we have. We're young and energetic, and those on their own should mean the world. But we're also blessed in every way we're relatively pretty, relatively wealthy, and definitely lucky. We're smart too. Our cup is ALWAYS half full, or as i say, it's three quarters full.

For the sake of the cliche, Sean Combs was right on with "Life without passion is unforgivable."

I say life without passion for life is unforgivable.

If you don't like that, i'll give you another one, "I'm so fabulous i piss glitter." We should all strive to piss glitter, it's a better life, trust me i know.

Open up to the signs people.

I know some of you reading this (and i know exactly who) is thinking that i live in a bubble and that i've never been through any real hardship to burst that bubble. You are a hundred percent right. I am unspoiled. And it's beautiful. And i bet you, too, are unspoiled. Like seriously, what's the worst we've ever faced? Death? It's inevitable. God created us with the ability to forget and move on. And that's exactly what we should do every time. That way, life continues to be beautifully promising.

flipping it

I'm a friendly person i like to think. But when it comes to guy friends i have only like 5 or 6 close ones. I only swear in front of two of them. One has been a friend since the second grade, the other since tenth grade, but is like a brother and a sister and a pet all in one.

When i say swearing here i mean swearing in Arabic. In other words, swearing that sounds like swearing and not the stuff we hear in movies.

Anyway, last night a bunch of us were out and one of the ones-we-don't-swear-in-front-of said something to me i didnt like so i gave him the finger.

He was shocked. Like REALLY shocked. He froze and his mouth opened and he was all like, "you? this is coming from YOU?"

there was no harm in it he was joking i wasn't really pissed off and i was joking and he wasn't really pissed off (i think), but the happening inspired this post.

It's not like my friends and i swear all the time but we, or speaking for myself i will say i, occasionally use the offensive word or phrase that fit a situation more that a clean version of the same meaning. i would love to give an example but i don't think it's appropriate to publish. for one, i don't know who reads this and i am clearly pragmatic when it comes to what language to use with whom. also, arabic swear words definitely come off as more offensive than the english counterparts.

i occasionally use a swear word or two not because i don't have a decent upbringing but just because i think sometimes its okay to swear, feel free to judge. as Fall Out Boy puts it, "I don't care what you think as long as it's about me."

want to fly but can't even write

i feel like i have a lot to say but i can't find the words. i miss posting here, it's been almost a week.

today i learned to appreciate my comfort zone. driving back to Cairo from Gouna, as soon as i got on the ring road i felt safer. Cairo IS my comfort zone, heliopolis is home, and home bears all the familiarity of my messy room.

A few hours later i went out with friends, who i then figured are, too, my comfort. Maybe we were missing 3 or 4 people but i appreciated that everyone in tonight's crowd i felt safe around. It's so funny how with someone people we can just let go and be ourselves in all our charm and foolishness alike. But then with others i am forced to set up barriers of cement walls.

I am sorry i wish i had something more interesting to post. I DO have stuff to say but i can't find the words. not tonight.

i'll leave u with lyrics to appreciate, like i always do when i fail to write. I'll let someone else do the talking for me.

Just one thing though, when you listen to the song below notice the line "and when the kids are old enough we'll teach them to fly, you and me together we can do anything." it's perfect. that's what i want to write about, about how i want to believe i can do anything even teach someone how to fly.

day's happenings

End of Ramadan. I'm not too proud of myself at the end of this month. I was just tooo tired most of the time to perform religiously. it's not like i didnt do anything, i did of course, but maybe less than past years. I've always been a firm believer in relationships with God being one-on-One, in other words i don't have to prove myself to anyone, only to Him. And for that reason, i won't be telling you why or why not i approve of myself this Ramadan. Let's hope next year will be better.

And im like that: i know what's coming is better. That is faith.

I got a kick ass pair of shades today! love them, really love them. love them so much it's sick. Eurekaisms helped pick out. Eurekaisms, i realized today, is highly connected with salespeople all over. Today bringing her along got 20% off. i like taking Eurekaisms places; gets me great discounts, we got similar music taste (probably developed over so many car rides), her dad is gorgeous, we bitch freely, we can talk about tv for hours, and so on and so forth.

I had to take Basbousa to the vet; that's where she camps when im away. She screamed like hell. She hates it there but the doctor tells me it's only when im leaving that she acts up. Afterwards she's fine supposedly. The vet had so many other pets staying over while the owners are away for Eid. Mostly dogs though and i hate the dogs he has. One of them in particular. We didn't get along well in the 10 mins i was sitting on the steps right next to his cage. The idiot kept staring at me and barking in deafening monotony. at one point i actually looked at him and said, "I hate you, i fuckin hate you." I think that upset him even more. I think i hated him so much because he reminded me of my best friend's dog who i used to hate too (not anymore, chill if you're reading this).

It's obvious i don't have much to say tonight so i'll put you out of your misery. Im going to Gouna tomorrow insha2Allah. Maybe i'll be more interesting afterwards.

the smallest of miracles

last night could've been Lailet el Qadr, im pretty sure it was.

Here's what happened:

I came home from work and couldn't find my cat, Basbousa. She's a little energetic messer around so i wasn't worried. She does this thing where she disappears for hours then sneakily appears by my side. Anyway i didnt give it much thought in confidence that she would turn up. I went to sleep and woke up right before fitar. She still hadn't turned up.

She likes to do this thing where she climbs up our building stairs at meows at random doors. So by now she's become pretty popular in the building and people just bring her back or call us when she's at their door. She wasn't at anyone's door this time though.

My mom and i started theorizing. She was sick. We thought she probably just strayed off and died somewhere. That was when i started crying. i seriously cried because i wanted my cat i wanted to 'tuck her in' like i do every night and i didnt have her and i didn't know where she was. I was upset for letting myself become emotionally attached to a pet and that pet wasn't there anymore.

I was praying then. i prayed for everything and i talked to God. In my prayers i told Him that this was the smallest of requests, and there are other things i should be praying for, but i wanted my cat back.

You see, Basbousa isn't just my pet. I used to hate people that humanize their pets. But Basbousa was my friend. I had her when she was still a little newborn and i watched and helped her grow. Babsousa came to me at a very emotional time in my life and i learned to cling on to her because she was true. She loved me and she showed her love day after day. She was my escape. Friends call me crazy sometimes but i talk to her and i confide in her. It's so easy to love something that you know will not judge and will just love you back and will expect and demand nothing more than food, shelter, and some petting.

I prayed to find her

I prayed for everything else too. I kept praying and then i fell asleep. i was awoken half an hour later with my mom calling me telling me to check a storage closet in a corner of her balcony. I got up went to check and Basbousa was there.

Some of you might think of this as a lousy bedtime story, others as just a lousy story. but to me it's so much more. to me this is about God and how beautiful He is.

He answers the smallest of our prayers. He makes sure all of our requests how small or major are accounted for. He comforts us by leading us to what we find comfort in. He is there for us and we can always, always, always count on Him. And that is a miracle all in itself: He comes through every time.

mild confessions

I created this blog for several reasons. among them, because i need somewhere to write and maybe every once in a while get feedback. another, because a friend encouraged me to. a third, because i like to share my thoughts no matter how useless they might seem to others.

the third reason is what i want to write about tonight. sharing.

a good friend, fellow blogger, and constant source of inspiration brought a question to my attention: how much sharing is not too much sharing?

just so you know, nothing i write on here is pre-planned. i open up the site, i choose "new post" and i start to write what's on my mind. i don't make notes i don't keep track of topics. sometimes i want to open up a blank page and pour my heart out.

It might make this blog more interesting. i definitely know there's more to me than what goes on here. but to what extent is it okay to 'publish' exactly what I'm thinking, what I've been through, what I'm going through, what I'm scared of, what and who I'm hurt by, how vulnerable i can be, how cruel i can be?

for instance, last week someone told me i was heartless. they were serious. i won't say who and i won't say why they said it. a few days later, someone else told me i was 'gabara' and they too were serious. both people are very close to me they've known me since i was a baby and they know me inside out.

a few weeks before that someone also very close to me listened and comforted as i cried my eyes out. i spoke and i cried until i had a headache and my hands were shaking. doesn't make me very heartless does it?

most everyone else does not know either of those sides of me. how okay would it be to bring it out? through this blog?

i let people take me for granted and willingly accept them under my good graces. i take others for granted and demand to be in their good grace. i am mean to some and angelic to others. but do you really know all that? would you believe it if you haven't experienced it?

I could write stories and stories with myself as the star. and they wouldn't be boring too, i know. but how do i do that? how do i do that without revealing my soul to you?

i want to tell it all. i want to tell it because my readers, if i have any other than the few loyal friends and followers, are anonymous. I'm not Christian but it would be like going to confession. I like that because it's like talking to someone you don't know and can't see but you know they're listening.

I want to tell you about what some people have done to me and what i've done to them. i want to tell you what i think of this country. i want to describe the perfect life as i see it. i want to tell you what i think about marriage and commitment. i want to describe the perfect man. i want to tell you about what i think of friendship. i want to tell you what i think of brotherhood (yes I'm a girl but its still called brotherhood). i want to tell you about my parents. i want to tell you everything as it is.

i don't want to censor anymore.

but i am sorry, for now i will keep on censoring. but i promise and swear everything i write here is true. it might not be complete but it's true.

Born Slippy (aren't we all?)

Sorry i really don't have much to say

"Let your feelings slip boy but never your mask boy"

weighing the pros and cons

Here's the thing, I've started work on my master's degree. I was originally aiming for an MBA. due to circumstances, mostly my own mathematical stupidity, I did not score well on the MBA program admission exam (a.k.a. sucky gmat). So I enrolled in another program, a Master's in Public Policy and Administration (management and policy making for institutions, rather than corporations).

I love the program and envision a very bright future for it. Face it, everyone has an MBA. It's getting to be less and less of an added value. I don't want to blend in to the faces without names. On the other hand, the MPPA is still a fresh product. Its market is not yet saturated. Much demand remains for little supply.

Again, I try not to bore you with insignificant details, but I do have to blurt a few things out.

Passing on an MBA means avoiding accounting and finance classes that I 1. am too numerically challenged to take anyway and 2. hate

BUT, in an MPPA SORT OF.. JUST SORT OF feels like an MBA with dyslexia.

I really don't know what to do. I'll start by re-taking the gmat. Thanks for listening

reaching 24 materialistic-ly

so... i wanted to blog about my birthday, and my initial attempt was to write about how it feels turning 24 and all. But it doesn't feel anything. I feel 23, if not younger.

So i'll write about my actually birthday. Had a GREAT one this year, wasn't expecting it. Family fitar went smoother than anticipated (have the time spent trying to set up my new toy, listed below). Friends' sohour was great. I had wanted a cozier birthday setting but it turned out just perfect.

Anyway, i won't describe everything that took place because that will be boring and im hoping people still read this.

Here's what i got for my birthday (a bit of show off, bear with me), in order of appearance:

1. My fabulous Macbook (got it last June but still for bday)

2. the coolest portable ipod speakers, smaller than a tennis ball

3. cutest charm bracelet; never taking it off :) the timing i got it symbolizes the start of a happy new year

4. an new LCD tv (LG- life's good!) how ironic...

5. a Wii Fit!!!

6. awesome Satellite earrings; new collection, handpicked

7. Me-style earrings and scarf. very much me-style

8. new sunglasses! yet to be picked.. can't wait to grab some Barton Perreiras or Tom Fords!

9. two new reads from an intellectual friend, in attempt to feed my own intellectual ego

... and still on the way

10. a new carpet for my room in attempt to make it seem not-so-lived-in-and-ugly

11. a new Blackberry! mine's been dying for six months. this particular bday present only awaits my communist mind to decide i want to make someone spend so much on a phone i already have. See? I'm thoughtful!

All in all i had a fantastic birthday, I'm not bitter over 24 anymore.

I'm blessed with a young spirit and that's always what's going to count.

dependency

Dependency is a little messer. We all hate it. And if you don't you should.

Here's where this is coming from: i've been thinking how we depend on little things that mess up our days when deprived of. Best example on my mind is morning coffee. Why do we teach our bodies to expect a dose of caffeine first thing in the morning? It's satisfying on most days but not on days, for example, when fasting. Or when sleeping elsewhere and your kind of coffee/milk/sugar isn't available. It is only then we realize we depend on it.

Coffee is a mild example, it gets bigger. The worst symptoms of deprivation peak at a migraine or such. But then there are other kinds of dependency that are much worse.

For example, i depend on constant contact with my girls. When i or any other one of them is away we become seriously dysfunctional. We're on the phone three or four times a day, messaging 24/7 (literally) and have a say in each little happening in the others' lives. When that is taken away it's everything more than irritating.

We depend on money. We depend on having enough of it to spend on everything from 20Le lattes to expensive clothes to generous tips. What if we didn't have excess anymore? Im not talking about hitting poverty here, no, elhamdolelah for everything we've got and that we don't take it for granted, not for one minute. But we do depend of having extra cash. I worry when i leave home without it and run to the nearest ATM. we even depend on the ATMs.

We depend on phone communication around the clock. SO WHAT if the radio signal on my cell turns off for a few minutes in the middle of the day? But when that actually happens i fret over it turning it back on in fear of something terrible happening while my phone is temporarily dead. Or, God forbid, i forget to charge it and have to leave home with the threatening little light flashing my safety away.

We depend on family. Daddy is who i run to, whether or not need to be running in the first place. Big brother is who i depend on. Big sister is my lifelong partner. Mami is my baby. I depend on having each one of them fulfill one or two needs of mine.

Wouldn't it be awesome if we didn't depend on anything?! It'd be the end of deprivation. I'd like that.

Take me to the Khan

Every year for the past four years my Canadians (those i work with) ask me to take them to Khan El Khalili during Ramadan. It's always great and we have a really good time. This year we're going tomorrow. Im looking forward to being at the Khan. Im not looking forward to the Canadians being there though. Not during Ramadan not on a Thursday night.

You see, Khan el Khalili is already overcrowded every night. Thursdays in Ramadan are overwhelming; maybe not to me and you but to a 20-something North American who has barely been in Cairo for two months, it is. It's great that the tourists are amazed at how vendors can speak four languages fluently, and that they know that Germans like scarves and Brits like jewelry. It's also great that they stare at and admire the architecture. It's even more great that they go home with goodies and treasures from the market.

But there are things that are no so great.

Like when they start complaining the the crowds are too condensed. When they sit down at Fishawi and won't touch the relatively filthy cup with their drink. When they get irritated by the pedestrians bumping into their seats. The worst part is when they start getting the panicky i-wanna-go-home-to-maadi-where-its-not-chaotic look on their faces.

I am not blaming them or any other foreigners for slightly disliking it. It just saddens me that they do.

I know, Khan el Khalili can be rough on a Canadian (Canada Dry as the khan locals like to call them), but i can't help but to be a little bit ashamed thus frustrated. Khan el Khalili is a vital part of the Cairo tour. It is a significant heartbeat of this gorgeous town. How can anyone be even slightly bothered by it? It may be slightly overboard in its representation of Egyptian culture but it is in every way Egyptian. It carries the scents of Egypt, the warmth (or what's left of it) of Egyptians, the commonality of poverty, and most of all, the embrace of visitors and the showing off of everything we are.

Im still looking forward but this time i hope to become oblivious to the panic attacks.

Mobinil is home

For some this topic I'm about to blabber on might seem insignificant, but it really is a big deal when you think about it.

For a few months i've been contemplating changing my cellular network. I want to make the bold move from Mobinil to Vodafone. We know they're pretty much the same. Vodafone might provide better blackberry service and definitely has more friendly/helpful customer service, but other than that they're six of one thing and half a dozen of another.

The thing is, i need a new phone and Vodafone will 1. give it to me for free and 2. give me better service and 3. provide better support

But its not easy to break away from Mobinil. In fact its very difficult.

See, to me, Mobinil is way more than a sucky cellular network service provider. Mobinil is Egyptian. It was started by an Egyptian. It was the first cellular network in Egypt. Back in the day it displayed 602 01 on our phones. A good while after Mobinil was launched Vodafone was launched. Of course it was then called Click before it evolved. I've had my same number for almost 12 years. i've grown to cherish the "012" that has now been replaced by o18's 019's 017's and so on and so forth.

Mobinil gives me a sense of belonging. It's a part of Egypt. I believe them when they say they have the widest coverage. Not like im going to go trekking in the western desert or anything but its still reassuring that they cover the area.

Mobinil is personal. We share a history. My number isn't just a series of numbers that connect phones, it describes me. I never thought i'd send out one of those annoying messages, "Hi this is my new number. Mona" I still dont intend to. Moving to a new number would mean loss of identity. I probably wouldn't even memorize it. I'd just be another name in another phonebook.

I am proud of Mobinil when they come up with a creative ad campaign. Im proud to belong to it it. I diss their service but im slightly offended when someone else does, especially if its a Vodafoner.

I can even compare Mobinil to Cairo: I love it but i don't like it. Mobinil may suck but it's home.

teacher perfect

Classes for my Master's program started yesterday. Being the nerd i am i love the first day of school. There is a subtle thrill in meeting new people who are on the first day strangers, but whose faces become the familiar setting of the classroom. Looking at the instructor and listening to her i was trying to figure her out; trying to imagine what kind of semester it'll be in her class.

And i say her class because during the two and a half hours of each week we're gathered in there, we really are hers. The instructor embraces the session, and what it will become is purely based on how the instructor shapes it.

Staring at her i realized i was really listening to every single word she was saying and taking it all in. This isn't because i am a good student, it's because she was a good instructor.

I didn't care that she was standing up there in ugly shoes, a skirt that was two sizes too big and raised to her throat, and ugly colored blazer and matching turban, or that she had a memory stick and an ID card hanging from her neck. She was ugly but what she did was beautiful. She addressed each and every one of us looking us and the eye and remembering the least significant things we said. She had our attention she made me want to make her talk more.

And right then and there i realized this was the kind of teacher i wanted to be. I don't want to be the head of blah blah and blah. i want to influence people. i want them to listen to what i say and use it and benefit from it. I want to shape young minds; to have them base their actions on something i said in class so many years ago. I want to teach generations; to teach the son or niece of someone i taught before them. If i ever become the university instructor i hope to be, i want students to register for my classes because they know they will learn a thing or too. I promise i will apply everything life taught and continues to teach me.

sometimes

Sometimes i feel sorry for you

other times you make me sick

Sometimes im proud of you

other times i go crazy trying to figure out why you're wasting your life

Sometimes im understanding

other times i dont understand shit

Sometimes i wanna hug you and whisper it's okay

other times i wanna violently shake sense in your head

Sometimes you're the only one i want to hang out with

other times i can't stand answering your call

Sometimes i feel you understand me

other times i feel you met me yesterday

Sometimes i feel older

other times i feel much older

Sometimes im glad you're here

other times i cant wait till you go

Sometimes i think you're too soft

other times i think im too hard

Most of the time i know everything will be just fine

Feel good music

For lack of original ideas to post, here's a feel good song. More like feel GREAT song. enjoy!

Beautiful, Brilliant, Confident: Mariam Fakhreldin

I've been watching that idiot, Tony Khalifa's, show. And i call him an idiot after days of holding it in, but he really is an idiot. Tonight his guest was Mariam Fakhreldin. Only one of the most beautiful women to ever grace a cinema or television screen. Really she is gorgeous. She also has a immense history in the industry. History that should earn her at least the respect of a trash television newbie like Tony Khalifa. Instead he was probing unprofessionally, not giving her time to answer, not listening to her answers, and being an overall jerk.

She was brilliant though. So gracefully embracing the beauty of old age. She talked about her upbringing in her home of a se3idi father and european mother; about the values she was brought up on, "man shab 3ala shay2 shaab 3aleih"

She talked about her four marriages and how each was a failure and how she forgave one husband for beating her and another for cheating on her.

She talked about her frustration over Faten Hamama being dubbed Sayedat el Shasha. Even though i love and respect Faten Hamama, Mariam Fakhreldin does have a point: it's not fair to the equally beautiful and talented women of her generation.

She radiates confidence. She knows exactly who she is and what she has done with her life and will not let that go unnoticed. She speaks boldly without fear of judgement or consequence. As a matter of fact, here are some of her words:

On an unnamed actress competing for the attention of Roshdy Abaza during filming, "heya fakra nafsa meen de wa7da 7omara"

On Faten Hamama, "heya ya3ni Faten Hamama de te2dar te3mel dor zay el ana 3amalto fe (insert movie name)"

On Sabah, "matkareneesh be Sabah, akhla2i mesh zay akhla2ha. de wa7da 3agezet wlessa 3ayza te3eesh shabba wtetgawez"

To Tony Khalifa when he asked one of his stupid questions, "fakar be mokhak shwaya"

As i listened to her i was thinking that this is a women who is so beautifully content with her accomplishments and her current state. She took what she wanted and gave what she wanted and she learned a whole lot on the way. This is an example of a personality shaped truly by reflection of life's happenings.

I fear growing old, i want to stall it for as long as possible. But after watching her and listening to her slightly airheaded wisdom, it might not be so bad. As long as we truly learn to learn from everything that happens to us now, we just might grow as beautifully as Mariam Fakhreldin.

Bouncebackability

I didn't invent the title, i came across it on a friend's FB status and i like it and intend to use it more often.

Bouncebackability. It's so descriptive

I think the luckiest people are those who have the ability to bounce back from any drawback. And now there's a word to describe their unique and irreplaceable quality. I believe myself to be one of those. And i am very grateful to once again be so lucky.

Any of us is vulnerable to daily hardships; from loss of a loved one to tax lawsuits to a cramped muscle to failure to find a good parking spot. Everyday we have to make the choice of whether to wallow over mishaps or simply bounce back to life. This bounce back is easier for some than others. But you know what? it's the best part of the whole ride. It's like making up after a fight. It is the positive turn of events, reassuring that things can only get better. Look at this this way, when you don't 'bounce back' you technically remain on the bottom. This bottom might be the bottom of your emotion wellbeing, the bottom of the workplace organizational chart, the bottom on the list of someones grace, and so on an so forth. Whatever it is we bounce back from, it means we're moving up/forward, which is a good thing. a great thing actually.

Im tired so im starting to not make any sense so i'll stop writing and hope you are still reading.

I'll leave you with another song though. I think i just might start inserting a theme song to every post, whaddya think?!