03.30.09
Pamper Yourself!
Last Thursday I was in a very low mood, being continuously overloaded lately at work and many other non-work-related stuff was really getting on my nerves… I came home after a very hectic day only to realize that am losing interest in doing anything… I didn’t wanna read, nor write, didn’t wanna watch tv, not listen to music… I just wanted to stay out there doing absolutely NOTHING!
Staying home alone after my mum travelled, I felt really lonely that day… Bored as much as I was, I logged on to the internet, checked who was online on msn… then started a small chat with Meto, one of my dear friends, not realizing that he will give me the magical medicine to cure my exhaust and boredom…
So what was his tip…?
Here’s what he convinced me of doing, and which I absolutely do not regret doing…
I filled the tube with hot water and my favorite tropical shower gel, lightened up my scented candles, turned on some of my favorite songs for Dean Martin, turned off the lights of the whole apartment, and enjoyed a long hot bubble bath in the dimmed candle light and the soft flow of the music…
I can’t start telling you how relaxing it was, how mind freeing it felt… I almost fell asleep during it…
After I was done, I couldn’t let go of this relaxing mood easily, so I fixed myself a cup of earl grey tea, took a cover and went to the balcony, laid down on a couch there, enjoying the cold breeze on my face… and fell asleep again…
The amazing thing about this actually is the fact that its effect lasted a lot more than I expected it to do… it marvelously continued putting me in a very high mood, and left me enjoying the little things that I seemed to have totally forgotten about lately… and I ended up thinking… Why the hell do I do this to myself… why do I keep myself stressed all the time, and forget to enjoy the little things… I mean… such as… you know… I used to buy myself flowers for example… I don’t even remember when the last time I got myself flowers was…
When I was talking with Meto afterwards, he told me… ya Rou you should love yourself a little bit more than the way you do now… I guess he was very right in this… I guess I need to take care of myself more… to love her more… to pamper her a little bit more…
Thanks ya Meto for the tip… J
Rou…
03.25.09
Nostalgic!
Ever felt nostalgic to something you haven’t actually seen before…?
To another place… somewhere you have never been to…
To another people… other than those you know…
To another life… that you haven’t actually lived…
To another… You…
I do…
Rou… Nostalgic!
03.11.09
Life is not a fairy tale…
Am not a heavy Arabic music listener… If it’s not for Fairuz, Moneer, or some chosen tracks for other singers, you can hardly ever find me listening to Arabic songs… However, a few days ago a dear friend of mine sent me a song by Mahmoud El Essiely named “مش زي الأفلام”… the song is not that impressing, yet a particular sentence from it kept popping into my mind that said:
“و أتاري الدنيا مش حلوة كلها، مش زي الأفلام اللي هو بيحب يخشها”…
Listening to it, I immediately remembered some words from a scene of one of my favorite movies (The mirror has two faces), that said: “… it’s like going to the movies and we see the lovers on screen kiss, and the music swells, and we buy it, right? So, when my date takes me home and kisses me good night, if I don’t hear the philharmonic in my head, I dump him!”
Though quite different, both phrases triggered the same thoughts in my mind… that real life is not a fairy tale… that no matter how relationships appear to be at the beginnings, at some point in time people seem to be losing that scent that their relationships used to have and things become a sort of a duty… and days come when they feel completely overwhelmed with their relationship that they can’t seem able to take anything anymore… this is the real world kind of love… this is real… not a fairy tale…
But, the thing is that I somehow tend to believe that when relationships fail or even turn into this kind of routine, it is more likely that both partners are responsible for this… not because one them is bad… but rather because the two of them never knew what to expect from each other… they got into the relation just for the sake of being in love… and their definition of love and its consequences was mainly extracted from movies and fairy tales… she’s expecting him to be acting like prince charming, while she totally forgot that she’s not Cinderella… and he’s expecting her to be the Sleeping Beauty, while he totally forgot that he have no clue how to save her from her hundred-years curse…
And speaking of fairy tales, I always believed that anything can be seen from a different perspective… so after all maybe it’s not about prince charming who saves Sleeping Beauty… but rather it’s about dozens of young princes who die horrible deaths trying to get through the thorn hedge that surrounds the Sleeping Beauty, just because they had the bad luck to be born before her hundred-year curse expired; while one young prince, no better or worse, no handsomer or uglier than the rest, gets through merely because he has the good luck to arrive just as the hundred years are up; and so on and so on… and hence, you can see that fairy tales are not always splendid…J
So, either ways, my point is that we need to learn to understand the difference between a real life relationship and movie fantasies, we need to understand our needs along with our partners’ needs, we need to set our expectations based on solid grounds, not mere fantasies, and we need to love our partners the way they really are, not what we imagine them to be…
Am not a fairy tales hater… I just learned to be a realist…
Anyways, below is the full lecture scene from “The mirror has two faces” movie, it’s an amazing one, worth reading/watching…
Enjoy it! J
Rou…
As I stood at the altar beside my sister and her husband to be, it struck me that this ritual, called wedding ceremony, is really just the final scene of a fairy tale…
They never tell you what happens after…
They never tell you that Cinderella drove the Prince crazy with her obsessive need to clean the castle, cause she missed her day job, right?
They don’t tell us what happens after because there is no after…
The be-all and end-all of romantic love was…?
Sex…?
Marriage…?
But it wasn’t always like that!
Around the 12th century there was a notion known as ”courtly love”, where love had nothing to do with marriage and nothing to do with sex…
In most cases it was defined as a passionate relationship between a knight and a lady at the court who was already married, and so they could never consummate their love… In this way they would have to rise above… your ordinary… you know… ”going to the bathroom in front of each other” kind of love…
They would go after something more divine…
They took sex out of the equation, and what was left was a union of souls…
Clinical experts, scholars and my Aunt Esther are united in the belief that true love has spiritual dimensions, while romantic love is nothing but a lie… an illusion… a modern myth… a soulless manipulation…
And speaking of manipulation … it’s like going to the movies and we see the lovers on screen kiss, and the music swells, and we buy it, right? So, when my date takes me home and kisses me good night, if I don’t hear the philharmonic in my head, I dump him!
Now the question is; why do we buy it?
We buy it because whether it is a myth or a manipulation, let’s face it… we all want to fall in love… Right?
Why…?
Because that experience makes us feel completely alive…
Where every sense is heightened…
Every emotion is magnified…
Our everyday reality is shattered, and we are flung into the heavens….
It may only last a moment, an hour, an afternoon… but that doesn’t diminish its value… Because we’re left with memories that we treasure for the rest of our lives…
I read an article a while ago that said, ”When we fall in love, we hear Puccini in our heads”… I love that… I think it’s because his music fully expresses our longing for passion in our lives and romantic love…
And while we are listening to La Bóheme or Turandot, or reading Wuthering Heights, or watching Casablanca… a little bit of that love lives in us too…
So the final question is: Why do people want to fall in love when it can have such a short run and be so painful?
Propagation of the species…?
Psychologically we need to connect with somebody…?
Are we culturally preconditioned…?
Good, but much too intellectual for me…
I think it’s because, as some of you may already know…
While it does last, it feels f*kin’ great…
03.10.09
Yawmeyat Rou and Mayo: Episode II
Back to making me laugh my heart out… Thanks ya Meto for the laugh! J
Here we go, Episode II of Yawmeyat Rou & Mayo, for Episode I click here!
Rou…
The scene: nahar 7′argy, Al Azhar park
Mayyada sitting “Al korfosa2 al dofda3eyya” that she is famous for, wearing her huge sunglasses and in front of her a 1 litre pack of Juhayna Ananas, with a “shalimo” as big as massooret el magary elly fe share3na (mahy mafgoo3et ananas, a normal shalimo used by other people would not do with this hover-like sucking power)
El mohem, she is sitting as mentioned above, still working on Meto’s “sherz” (please refer to first episode)
Zoom in… Mayyada is totally “monhameka” fel tricot and every now and then she pauses to take a huge gulp of the ananas, and although the pack is finished (this is obvious from the deformations appearing in the pack as she keeps sucking and sucking “bemontaha al gabaroot” without showing any mercy to the poor pack that keeps sending “aswat este3′asa” very similar to my father’s snoring when he falls asleep-as usual- while watching “nashret a7′bar el sa3a tess3a” (elly bteegy 3ala el kanah el2oola, fakrenha??? yes lessa fee nas betshofha, etlammo, da abooya mahma kan, howwa elly rabbany we kabbarny we 7′allany ragel malw hdoomy)
Mayyada finally decides to stop torturing the poor pack; she looks at it, sighs, looks around her carefully from under her huge sunglasses, and after making sure that no one is watching, she throws the victimized pack behind her to disappear under the bush.
Then out of no where, she has another on in her hand, she looks at it with a wide grimace, her upper row of teeth going as down as her chin, she stabs the new prey with another huge shalimo and goes on again…
Suddenly Rou comes running, raising both arms up and screaming
“el7a2eeny ya mayoooooooooo
Mayyada quickly hides the juice behind her back, at the same moment when Rou is just in front of her
M: My Goodnes!!! Fee eh ya Rou? 7′addeteeny
R: Karsa, moseeba, mesh 3arfa a3mel eh
M: What happened?
R: Camel rage3 el osboo3 el gayy and he wants to give a presentation about Spain,we 3awez makan yekaffy meet wa7ed, ageblo mnen makan yekaffy el bashareyya dy?
M: Tayyeb why didn’t you tell him to give it here? (tab3an the “R” is pronounced something like 7ad byetkarra3 to emphasize the British accent that Mayyada is famous for) It’s a lovely place
R: “here” eh bass???- she pronounces it the same way as Mayyada, with the same takree3a impression- enty mesh shayfa el donya bard ezzay?
M: Yes, it is, lovely weather (the “R” is in the same way as mentioned above) I love it, it’s wonderful…. (Tab3an dy massada2et we hatebtedy teddey el maskeena Rou mo7adra fel sheta we awa7′er el sheta)
R: Lovely eh bass enty Kaman, we need a closed place yekaffy 100 sha7’s
M: Tayyeb do you have any options?
R: Yes, fy maktabet mobarak ta7t re3ayet el sayyeda el fadela mama Suzan
M: Tab that’s great, ommal fen el problem?
R: (to herself: allahoma tawellek ya ro7, aboos eedek ya Mayyada ana mesh na2saky) 3ayzeen gawab rassmy men el group yashmal 7′etab mowaggah lelsayyed ra2ees al maktaba wa ya7′oss belshokr al sayyed ra2ees el gomhooreyya wa kol man tafaddal bemowasatena bel7oddor wal bark wa la arakom Allah makrrohan fe 3azeezen ladaykom
M: Rou, I can’t believe you, you must be kidding
R: I’m not kidding, begad 3ayzeen gawab rassmy mo3akkad malyan tafasseel wenty 3arfa ana maleesh fel sekka dy
M: Bass since this is the only possible way, then we have to do it
R: Hmmm tayyeb, el moshkela ba2a ennohom 3ayzeen tawkee3 rassmy men el modeer
M: Which modeer?
R: El rayyes… el kebeer bet3 el magmoo3a ya3ny (to herself: heyya malaha ba2et 3′abeyya keda leh, haykoon modeer eh ya3ny, da eh ya rabby el balawy dy?)
M: But as far as I know the group has a moderator not a modeer (again the famous “R”, this time the R in modeer is also pronounced the same way although it is an Arabic word)
R: Bezzapt , maheyya dy el karsa
M: La2 wala karsa wala 7aga, I have an idea
R: (to herself: ostor yally btostor) 2ooly
M: You write the letter and sign it as “monassek el magmoo3a”
R: Mo 2eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?
M: Monassek Al magmoo3a!!
R: Eh monassek el magmoo3a dy Kaman?
M: Monassek el magmoo3a is… is el sha7’s who is mass2ool 3an el moderation wel events we keda.
R: Mesh 3arfa… mesh 7assaha temshy
M: It does, I think it’s the most suitable title ya Rou
R: Ba2ollek eh ana et7′ana2t … ana hamshy we lama Camel yeegy ye7elaha 7allal.
M: No ya Rou, this is not the right attitude, as a moderator, you have to be more responsible and…
R: Ba2ollek eh, ana mesh na2saky, 7′alleeky fel tricot elly enty sha3′la feeh men ayyam el mamaleek da, ana mashya… (Rou leaves)
M: (Sighs) Heyya leh el nass ba2et so unpersistent? Walla ana elly el moshkela feyya? Yalla, ahy meshyet, heyya 7orra. Amma al7a2 ashta3′al shwayya felsherz bta3 meto la7san fade7ny.
She gets the juice from behind her and takes a huge gulp and goes back to knitting.
- The End-
Meto
03.07.09
Wahed.. Sefr!
Today I saw “Wahed…Sefr” or “One…Zero” movie, which presents one day in the lives of 8 different characters (the day of the final match of the African Championship 2008, between Egypt and Cameron, that Egypt won 1/0)…
The idea of the movie itself is good, presenting 8 different lives with the different struggles they encounter, reaching somehow their peek on this particular day, only to melt down (even if it is only for a while) as the day reaches its end with the historical victory of Egypt over Cameron, with the outstanding celebrations and carousing of the Egyptians with their different social levels gathering together all over the streets in joy and happiness…
Even with the fact that the plot is a bit naive at some parts, and some relations are a bit… mmm… artificial… but I would say that overall the movie is good and the acting is excellent, especially “Nelly Kareem”, “Entessar”, and “Lotfy Labib”…
On another note, I wonder why is the movie causing this amount of outrage and criticism from many Copts who sees the movie as an attack on one of the fundamentals of the Christian faith… I mean… “Elham Chahine” ’s role in featuring a divorced Coptic woman struggling with the church to receive a religious permit to remarry is basically a real case that can happen with any Christian woman (I have a friend who had been into this before)… the movie simply puts some light on an existing problem, without giving any solution to it, and without being disgraceful to the Christianity as a religion by any means… Over and above, the movie is not merely about this case… the movie highlights this case through one scene only, along with another 7 different characters and their problems resembling different categories of the Egyptian community… and Christian women are part of the community…
A final comment… I absolutely have no idea what was Aida Riad doing in the movie… One scene, with no value add at all!
Anyways, again, overall, it is a good one… am glad I watched it…
Have a good day,
Rou…
03.06.09
I’m over you…
Do I seem a bit cold to you… or let me say… neutral?
Let me explain… it’s just that… dear… you’ve lost your hold over my mind and heart…There were times I thought I would never be able to do it… I was almost broken… but now am not… I knew I would someday be able to do it… no matter how much time it took me to…
Some time ago my heart was broken badly by you, yet I never stopped thinking of you… even with my pains, my heart never stopped lingering to you… but now I managed to take a grip of my life again… and I finally broke the chains… I guess this heartache and pain I felt gave me strength to reach what I reached now… everything is crystal clear now… and the sun is shining and promising me of another tomorrow…
Once upon a dream, I was deeply madly in love with you… and I cannot recall the number of promises you made to me… that you’ll always be there, always keep me happy, never make me cry……… well… you didn’t keep any my friend… I used to cry every night before I sleep… but now I don’t… and if there’s any sort of tears in my eyes now, it doesn’t mean I’m in pain anymore… it might be just the thought of the memory itself that brings tears on and makes me feel nostalgic… not to you… but rather to my feelings to you…
Come down to earth my friend… I’m over you…
I’m finally over you…
Rou… J
03.02.09
“Read”
As their slogan says: “The Only Newspaper for Youth in Egypt!”, “Read” is a new initiative from youth to youth, presenting news from all parts of the world, structured in an eye catching way that makes one interested to read every single column and article…
Let’s grab the opportunity to get to know what the world around us has to offer…
“Read” is published biweekly on Sundays, and is available at the following outlets:
§ Distributed freely in all private universities
§ Available free at different bookstores (Shorouk Bookstores – Kotob Khan)
§ Available free at different coffee shops (Cilantro – Starbucks)
§ Available at On The Run branches
§ Read is sold only for One Egyptian Pound (1LE) at Newspaper stands & kiosks

