Only in Such Days .. يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط

Only in such days, People actually smile at each other

Only in such days, you see people in BMWs smiling and cheering with people in 128 cars without under grading them.

Only in such days, you feel happy with the blocked streets and actually want to be stuck in them... they are more fun!

Only in such days, The Arab nation congratulates each other on something putting any political problem aside.

Only in such days, People are allowed to be creative without being laughed at

Only in such days, People go wild in the streets without being arrested

Only in such days, you see peoples cars being hit by the hands of others in the streets and car owners just smile back

Only in such days, you see people driving crazy with no one single fight

Only in such days, Egyptian flags market makes more money that supermarkets

Only in such days, Boys flirt with girls and girls flirt back and it’s ok

Only in such days, Girls are allowed to sing and dance in the streets and not be criticized

Only in such days, Families go out and enjoy real laughter and fun together

Only in such days, People dance and sing side by side without asking “Are you a Muslim or Christian?”

Only in such days, People are not in the mood to criticized their own government

Only in such days, everyone takes photo and video shots without being asked “who you are, what are you doing, do u have a permission?”

Only in such days, Police officers are not in every corner waiting to receive their bribes

Only in such days, 9 O’clock news doesn’t start with “President Hussney Mubarak Visits his ...Counterpart to discuss issues in the region”...yet it starts wish “Egyptian National Team makes it to the Finals”

Only in such days, people don’t become angry if the president’s security parade has closed all streets from and to his house. Come on, He is going to the airport to welcome the winning team!

Only in such days, parents accept the excuse of “sorry for being late, it was really crowded out there”

Only in such days, Egyptians bodies shiver to national songs

Only in such days, you feel the power of social solidarity!!

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الناس بتضحك في وش بعض

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، تلاقي الناس اللي في عربيات بي إم دبليو بتبتسم وتشجع مع الناس اللي في عربية مية ثمانية وعشرين من غير ما يبصولهم من فوق لتحت

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الناس مش بتبقى متضايقة من الشوارع الزحمة، ده بالعكس الناس بتبقى عايزة تتزنق في الشوارع الزحمة علشان الهلس كله فيها

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الشعب العربي بيهنئ بعض على حاجة من غير ما يفكير في أي مشاكل سياسية

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، مسموح للناس تطلع أفكارها الإبداعية من غير ما حد يتًريق عليها

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الناس تتجنن في الشارع من غير ما يتقبض عليها

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، تلاقي الناس في الشارع بتخبط على عربيات الناس وهم سايقينها ورغم كده تلاقوا اللي سايقين العربيات بيضحكوا ومبسوطين

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، تلاقي الناس سايقة بغباء وإندفاع من غير ما يحصل خناقة واحدة

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، ربح بيع الأعلام المصرية أعلى من ربح السوبر ماركت

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، الولاد بتعاكس البنات والبنات بترد على المعاكسة

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن البنات تغني وترقص في الشارع ومايكنش ده حرام أو عيب أو يتقال بنات صايعة

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن العائلات بتضحك وتفرح مع بعض بجد

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إنك تلاقي الناس بترقص جمب بعض من غير ما حد يسأل التاني "إنت مسلم واللامسيحي"؟

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الناس مش بيبقى ليها نفس تشتم او تسب في الحكومة

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الناس تمشي تصور فوتو او فيديو من غير ما حد ييجي يغلس "إنت مين؟ بتعمل إيه؟ معاك تصريح؟

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إنت ماتلاقيش عسكري أو أمين شرطة واقف يتلكك للناس علشان ياخد رشوته

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن نشرة أخبار الساعة التاسعة لا تبدأ ب "يزور الرئيس مبارك نظيره .. لبحث الأوضاع في المنظقة" بتبدأ بحاجة مختلفة "المنتخب المصري يصل لنهائي كأس افريقيا

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الناس مش بتتعصب إن موكب الريس قافل الشوارع علشان سيادته بياعمل زياره. أصله رايح يستقبل المنتخب في المطار

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الأهل بيقتنعوا بعذر "معلش إتأخرت، أصل الشوارع كانت زحمة قوي

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن جسم المصري يقشعر لما يسمع أغنية وطنية

يحدث في مثل هذا اليوم فقط، إن الواحد بيحس بقوة الوحدة الوطنية

“Subscribe for Fasting Ramadan this Year and Get Free Fasting Next Year”

Being a Muslim, One of the first things parents teach their children about religious practice is fasting. And when asked why, they say: “Because God asked us to do so”

When growing up, you start realizing it’s not just about “Because GOD asked us to do so”, it’s because Ramadan is supposed to be a period of fasting, reflection, devotion, generosity and sacrifice.

But now, I find myself questioning that assessment!!

In recent years, there seems to be an increased media emphasis on Ramadan sales, Ramadan TV programming, and Ramadan travel. It seems to have become a month of consumption rather than a month of sacrifice.

This is particularly apparent on the Arabic satellite channels, which offer special Ramadan programming. In past years, these shows largely consisted of historical dramas, documentaries, and talk shows. Last year I remember watching a daily program where a young man traveled the Arab world and pointed out vices -- prejudice, dishonesty, even littering -- and encouraged people to change bad habits.

This year, however, the programming seems largely focused on soap operas and commercials. One program I watched yesterday had over 12 minutes (!) of commercials in a half-hour show: for such items as Food, soda pop, tea, jewelry, clothing, and mobile phone service.

Letting alone the fact that a huge media production company launches a TV channel broadcasting in Ramadan only!!!!!

Having discussed this with a friend who worked for three years in Afghanistan, one year in Sudan, and another year in Kuwait she said: “I have never seen anybody anywhere else in the world celebrating Ramadan as a festival other that the Arab world”

Ramadan has now become a massive marketing event where companies can advertise their products as a must have for Ramadan time. And it seems as thought the interest surrounding Ramadan has now shifted from what the holiness month is meant to represent and has now become marketing and product focused event where consumer goods are in incredibly high demand and companies will try anything to make a profit during this month.

This is also reflected on the social level, where Ramadan’s mains focus becomes on invitations over breakfast time, who did the biggest and better food preparation among family and friends, which tent is the hot spot for smoking Shisha and enjoying oriental music, And Sohoor (last meal before start fasting the next day) gatherings as well.

Mind you the sleeping late, waking up early for work, working in a complete out of focus mood for three to four hours, going back home and sleep until breakfast time!!!

But wait a minutes, isn’t this also the case with Christmas time? Isn’t Christmas time supposed to be a Holy season celebrating the birth of the Christ?!

Yet Christmas time is more about Christmas Trees, Christmas Gifts, Christmas Cookies and of course the man we love the most 'Father Christmas' (or 'Santa Claus').

It seems that somewhere along the way these Holydays has been lost and replaced by the celebrations and materialistic attitudes that are of more concern to us than the holiness surrounding it.

Well, I don’t know about Christmas, but for Ramadan, I think in a couple of years commercials would launch a campaign for: “Subscribe for fasting Ramadan this year and get free fasting next year”

My Only Sin Was Being the Grandson of the President

"A marble tomb where a fortunate was berried, a hall in the ground where a homeless was berried. I passed by them both and I wondered!! They both share the same moldiness!!" Salah Jahin


Those words were quoted by some people not after the death of a "Spy Agent" against Egypt during times of war nor an "Allie with Israel" against the Arab world. Those words were quoted after the death of a 12 year old boy named Mohamed Alaa Mubarak who passed away on the 18th of May 2009.

His only sin was being the grandson of President Mohamed Hosney Mubarak. The president of Egypt!

I know that there are other hundreds of Egyptian children dying every day out of hunger, disease and violence. And I wish Egypt would feel the same sorrow for each and every child that passed away from this life because s/he was deprived from their rights in the same way they felt for Mohamed Alaa Mubarak. Yet this gives the rights to no one to be Happy for his death in revenge of his family or the ruling system.


"Lets not forget that there is a mother and a father who lost their child, a grandmother and a grandfather who lost their grandson"

Some people hoped it'd be a lesson for his family to start realizing their mistakes, others hoped for the other brother of Mohamed to pass away as well for a bigger punishment, and others denounced how the media reacted to his death as they aired Qouran and religious music all day long.

"Lets not forget that there is a mother and a father who lost their child, a grandmother and a grandfather who lost their grandson"

Maybe the media over did it. Maybe it should have just announced the death statement and the funeral. But I doubt they were requested to do so!! And I doubt the family worried about anything other than the lose of their little angle.


"Lets not forget that there is a mother and a father who lost their child, a grandmother and a grandfather who lost their grandson"

I don't know if it was me or if it's true that the streets of Cairo were sad yesterday. But what I know for sure is that I felt disgusted by the people who were cursing and attacking the government and the child's family in times of the death of a 12 year old boy.

"Lets not forget that there is a mother and a father who lost their child, a grandmother and a grandfather who lost their grandson"

"May the little soul of the angle Mohamed Alaa Mubarak rest in peace"

"Violence Is The Weapon Of The Coward"

"Violence is the weapon of the coward", said the Mahatma Ghandi. "Violence is the weapon of the ignorant and the morally weak, my experience teaches me. The ignorant cannot think rationally; he acts impulsively. The morally weak cannot command respect and honour; he wrenches it pathetically"

Yes, there are a lot of problems in the world because of the various political games played by crooked people. But violence is not the solution to them. Violence is another problem. Solutions have to be morally good and intellectually convincing.

If you meet immorality with immorality, you will beget a world that is darker than the one you have. If you meet stupidity with stupidity, you will beget a world that is blinder than the one you have.

How many people are moral? You ask. How many people are intelligent? You ask. The answer is obvious. Very few.

We have achieved a lot of success at the technological front; there is so much progress and development in the sciences. But what have we achieved for the world peace?

OR,, must we ask ourselves, is the world peace an illusion?

Another head hangs lowly,

Child is slowly taken.

And the violence caused such silence,

Who are we mistaken?

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family. In your head, in your head they are fighting,

With their tanks and their bombs, And their bombs and their guns. In your head, in your head, they are crying...

Another mother's breakin',

Heart is taking over.

When the vi'lence causes silence,

We must be mistaken.

It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.

In your head, in your head they're still fighting,

With their tanks and their bombs, And their bombs and their guns. In your head, in your head, they are dying...

If I have one message to send GOD for the new year it'd be "Its Time To End The World"

HIV!! what? AIDS!! in Egypt?!! NO!! THIS IS A MUSLIM COUNTRY, NO AIDS IN EGYPT!!

There is a crisis going on in Egypt that many Egyptians are unaware of. There are thousands of Egyptians living with HIV/AIDS and they have no clue that they have the HIV virus . Many of the people in Egypt do not know how to treat people with AIDS and they do not know how to act towards AIDS patients.

The people in Egypt are very poorly educated on the subject pertaining to AIDS. The AIDS crisis is not an enormous problem let alone a major concern for the government of Egypt at this point in time. But the AIDS crisis is destined to gradually grow over the next few years if a number of things do not change.

For the people living in Egypt the greatest obstacle stopping AIDS prevention is the people’s general ignorance and extremely poor lack of knowledge pertaining to the subject. Although Egypt has a low incident rate at this moment, Egypt is a country at extremely high risk as a result of this ignorance.

HIV/AIDS in Egypt:

9,000: Estimated number of people living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2007

0.1%: Estimated percentage of adults (ages 15-49) living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2007

29%: Estimated percentage of HIV cases that occured among women (ages 15-49) by the end of 2007

1000: Estimated number of deaths due to AIDS during 2007
Source: UNAIDS 2008 Report on the Global AIDS Epidemic. July 2008.

Interesting Link:
http://hivandislam.blogspot.com/2008/02/egypt-stop-criminalizing-hiv-from-human.html

The Power Of Self Reflection..Its All About Letting Go Negative Energy

It started with counting down the stars of the pure sky while I was camping with some friends in the west desert and ended up with a self reflection that released my soul.

Why did I always believe that I was self-reflecting a lot? Why did I always believe that I was in a direct and honest communication with my self? Why did I always believe that I knew what it was all about? Why did I always believe that I had the answers for everything?

Wait a minute!! Isn’t self reflection the way to throw self-lies out and face the truth? Even if it’s painful? Even if it might need you to admit that you were wrong about so many things?
This is when I realized I was living a big lie believing that I have always been honest with my self and my thoughts while I just wasn’t.

We can fool ourselves for all sorts of reasons. Maybe for the sake of our ego. But mostly it’s because we are simply afraid. For sometimes we are afraid to hope, because hope raises our expectation, and expectation can lead to disappointment.

At this point we start manipulating our own reality. We can persuade, even deceive. We can make others view us in the way we wish to see our selves. We can hide our selfishness with charity, our fear with laughter and our hatred with fake smiles.

For many, sadly, this is not an issue, for the illusion of their lives becomes self-delusion. Just like the one who repeats a lie among people and among him self until he starts to believe it and live it
There are those who cannot see the stains on their souls. Some lack the capacity to look in the glass of introspection, perhaps, and others alter reality without and within.

Those who lack passion; hide from it. Afraid of seeing it become an instrument, a weapon, because otherwise we would be human. We know the full part and the empty part of the glass too well, yet we still cannot talk to our selves about that obvious stain.
Only there, in that place, is the road of redemption, for any of us. Only in facing honestly that image in the glass can we change the reality of who we are. Only in seeing the scars and the stains and the rot can we begin to heal.

*******
As we finally were able to have a fire place in the middle of the camp for some warmth, a discussion came up about how sometimes it takes hours to start a fire and I couldn’t help but stare at the fire and noticing it’s energy that is spreading within each and every member of the group sitting around it.

This fire could burn you if you sit closer to it, but when you keep enough distance it will just keep you warm.

Just like the negative energy you get everyday from different things and different people around you in everyday of your life. It could destroy you if you allow it to get into you, and it could help you if you choose it to.

As I began this energy healing therapy, I realized that denial has no place in self-reflection, and so it is up to a person to admit his errors, to embrace them and to move along in a more positive direction.

I choose to do so. I decided to release my self from all the negative energy I have had in me for such a long time and turn it into a positive one.
SIMPLY BY APPRECHIATING IT!!

Appreciating;
(D) For showing me that friends come and go, and it’s not always your fault.
(M) For showing me how horrible it is to be a selfish person
(O) For showing me that hurting someone’s soul is harder than hurting someone’s body
(M) For showing me how bad it is to be a stubborn person
(A) For showing me what it takes to finally forgive someone.
(R) For showing me how the word sorry could end wars between people.
(H) For showing me that it takes two not one
(S) For showing me how hard it is to be a lonely person
Traffic for allowing me to enjoy my favorite radio programs and enjoy more music during the day.
Corruption for showing me how I care about my country
Poverty for making me be a satisfied person
And Last but not least, “LIFE” for showing me that “You Cant Get Everything You Wish For”

The sunrises, and I am released!!

Back to Life,Back to Reality

First Day in Reality

“Sara, you need to get up, its 8:30”.

Sara...Sara!! yalla get up!

“Sounds like my mom’s…zzzz…is this my pillow?...zzzz....I know those curtains…zzzz…I have to get up…zzzz….work is calling…zzzz...I cant move…zzzz…I am very tired…zzzz…where am I!…zzzz….looks like my room!!...zzzz…where am I? zzzz..

- You are back home Sara. Dream is over, time to wake up. Get back to your life; get back to your reality.

* Who is this?
- This is you

*No, it can’t be me. I don’t want to wake up; I don’t want to get back to reality. Let me sleep, let me go back to my dream
- Dream is over, time to wake up. Get back to your life; get back to your reality.

* Stop Saying that. Leave me alone.
- You have to get up…You have to go to work…There is a meeting you should attend…You have to unpack. You have to give your family the presents. You have to tell all the stories to your family and friends…You have to check up on a friend…You have to…

*SHUT UP.SHUT UP.LEAVE ME ALONE

“Sara, Sara, wake up its 9:45”

*********
“…meeting….postponed….9:30 am…work…today…rest...“

*********

Mobarak meets with his Indian counter part to discuss…

Al-Ahly meets Cotton Sport this afternoon at….

A teacher beats a student to death in Alexandria after….


*********
I slept some more and woke up at 11:30. More conscious now, more aware of where I am, and more interested in the news. I checked my mobile to make sure that the sms was real. Thank God it was J

I missed talking to my mom. I spent two hours telling her about all the people I meet. All the people I was inspired by. And all the amazing friends I have now.

After talking and showing her all the photos, I didn’t feel well. I just wanted to go back there so bad. It felt like home sick, but in a very different way. So, I decided to go get some more sleep.

*********
“Hallo”
“Saraaaaaaaaaaa, I miss you Sooooo much. Welcome back”

That was my best friend, Rania. Talking to her for the first time in three weeks. I missed her so much and her Son “Omar”. We talked for an hour about everything. It was really nice hearing her voice. She told me that Omar said his first word yesterday. It was “Babba” J She was really disappointed with that. “It was supposed to be Mamma” she said J

I miss everyone, I miss my walks in the city, I miss being lost in the streets, I miss the lectures, I miss working in the project, I miss…

“So we decided to move for a couple of years, maybe more, still not sure, but….

MOVE.WHERE?!

Was I talking to my self?!

I am sorry, but YOU ARE LEAVING?

Yes ya Sara. I was telling you my husband got a better job offer outside Egypt and ….

No, this can’t happen. Enough people moving away, enough being far from the ones I love. First was Yousra my best friend from University, then Sara my best friend from Work, then making great new friends and leave and now Rania. Why!!

“..And so we decided to go. I am not happy with leaving, but it’s the best thing for us at this moment”
**********
I turned on my laptop to check my facebook account. Got a special message from a special person. Went through the profiles updates. Hoped that everyone arrived back home safe and went through the photos once more.

**********
At this point mom was really pissed off that I was spending half of my time either on my phone or on my laptop. I wanted to tell her that this is only the beginning but I decided not to. Not at this point at least.

**********

I had dinner with my parents. Talked more about my trip. And more about family issues, realizing that I missed lots of family events too. I wished them good night then I went to bed.
Staring at the starts on the sealing above my bed, missing my night walks and the evening chats with the people in the lobby.

Yet again, Tomorrow is another day in Reality.

**********

I miss that smell, I miss that smile, and I miss that camera….