Monday, June 11, 2007

Bow Your Head




This is the latest poem by the great "Ahmed Foad Najm" who writes poems and thoughts opposing the Egyptian Government. I will paste it in Arabic, then try my best to translate into English:

طاطي راسك طاطي طــــاطي

انت ف وطن ديمقراطـــــــي

انت بتنـــعــــم بالحــــــــــرية

بس بشرط تكون مطاطــــــي


لما تكون شغــال بذمــــــــــة

خايف على مصــلحة الأمــة

شغلك يطلع من غير لازمــة

علشان مبيعلاش غير واطي

طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي

انت ف وطن ديمـــــقراطي


لما حاميها يكون حراميــها

وبلاده ورا ضهره رامـيـها

طالع نازل واكل فيـــــــــها

مسنود بالبدلة الظباطــــي

طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي

انت ف وطن ديمـــــقراطي


لما شــقاك يصــبح مش ليك

فقرك سد السكة علــــــــــيك

تتلفّت تلــــقى حـــوالـــــــيك

إما حرامي و إما عقــــاطي

طاطي راسك طاطي طاطــــي

انت ف وطن ديمقراطـــــــي


لماتلاقي بـــــلاد الـدنـيـــــــا

فيها البني آدم حــــاجة تانية

وانت في الطبقات الـــــــدنيا


قرد مسلسل أو وطواطــــي

طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي

انت ف وطن ديمقراطــــــي


لما الجهلة يبــــــقوا أمــامــك

أو فوقك ماسكــين ف زمامك

ويسوقك ع الهــلكة إمامك

تشرب م السم السقـــــراطي

طاطي راسك طاطــــي طاطي

انت ف وطن ديمقـــــــراطي



لمــــا الكلـــمة تكون بتدينـك

لما تخبي ف قلـــــــبك دينــك

لما الذل أشوفه ف عيـــــــنك

هات إحباطك على إحباطــــي

طاطي راسك طاطي طاطـــي

انت ف وطن ديمقراطــــــي

انت ف وطن ديمقراطـــــــي


Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country
You are blessed with freedom
in the condition that you are made of rubber

When you work with dignity
And you are looking out for the good of the country
Then your work is worthless
Because those who rise are the dirty people
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country

When the protectors are the thieves
And they throw their country behind their backs
Eating it up with every chance
Supported by those who wear uniforms
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country

When your hard earned is not yours
Poverty has blocked your ways
You look around to only find
a thief or a crook
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country

When you find in other countries
The human is something else
And you are down below
Like a chained monkey or a bat
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country

When the illiterate are in front of you
Or above you holding your leash
And they guide you to your doom
Drinking from the Socratic poison
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country

When the word convicts you
When you hide your religion in your heart
When I see the servility in your eyes
Join your frustration with mine
Bow your head, bow
You are in a democratic country...



Thursday, May 31, 2007

Feeling Euphoric...

The dream started a month back when I got a call from Mr. Saeed the managing director of LOGIC Holdings telling me that he wants to hang 20 of my photos in his cafe on the prestigious Rawdah Street here in Jeddah. Since that time I was in a tornado of decisions... Which photos to pick, what sizes to print, framed or canvas... oh so many choices and so little time...

I finally picked my 20 photos... 3 of them were actually settled upon minutes before I entered the print shop! The guys at Sahara were very precise and professional... 20 photos were done and framed in only 3 days! We then had to stay at the cafe from 2 AM till 6 AM hanging up the photos and making sure everything was ok... A big thanks goes to my lovely wife who endured the tiring stay and struggled to keep awake till we were done.

Then came Friday... the big day... the opening was scheduled at 9:30 PM but people actually started coming since 8:30! Thank God I was there since 7 making sure everything was perfect... I started getting a bit uneasy when only a few people showed up... but as soon as the clock struck 10 PM it was like a pipeline of people burst! Tables were filled, people flocked in, and I couldnt keep up as I was flying like a busy bee from one group to the other giving them a quick tour and answering their questions. Even the famous "Layalina" magazine was there to cover the event.

By 12:30 midnight... the last guest left the cafe and I collapsed on a chair near by.. what a night! I stared at my work hanging on those walls and felt a wide grin come over my face... This is what I dreamt of, this is what I was waiting for... my art and my passion hanging for all to see and enjoy...

In the end I just wana thank everyone who came and everyone who supported even if they were in another city or country... I cant find the words to thank you enough, you're all amazing!


Sunday, May 13, 2007

What a Shame...

59 arrested after Egypt clashes

Published: Sunday, 13 May, 2007, 09:04 AM Doha Time

CAIRO: Egyptian security forces have arrested 59 Muslims who took part in clashes with Coptic Christians over church construction in a village south of Cairo, security sources said yesterday.
They said prosecutors ordered the arrests after taking the testimony of 10 Christians who were hurt in the clashes on Friday in which hundreds of villagers from both faiths fought with sticks and hurled bricks and firebombs at one another.

The sources said at least 10 Christian houses and five shops were gutted by fire during the clashes in the village of Behma, about 60km from the capital. Egyptian authorities were still assessing the damage.
Relations between Muslims and minority Coptic Christians in Egypt are generally peaceful despite sporadic violence, but restrictions on building churches have been one of the main grievances of Egypt’s mainly Coptic Christian community.

Christians comprise up to 10% of Egypt’s roughly 75mn people, with the remainder being primarily Sunni Muslim.
Security sources said rumours that village Christians did not have a permit for church construction had sparked anger among Muslims that turned to violence after Friday prayers when about 300 Muslims clashed with a group of about 200 Christians.

Security sources said Christians had told authorities that the Friday sermon at a village mosque had discussed ongoing church construction, sparking anger among worshippers who emerged from the mosque in a large group and then moved to the church, where clashes erupted.
Police intervened to stop the clashes and sealed off the village, initially detaining 17 people of both faiths, the sources said. They could not immediately say if any Christians remained in police custody.
A spokesman for Egypt’s interior ministry confirmed that around 500 Muslims had gathered after Friday prayers, and that the entrances to three homes had been set on fire. He said three people were hurt in the commotion but declined to characterise it as a clash. – Reuters

Thursday, May 10, 2007

Cause Nothing Else Matters...

No I am not dedicating a post to this amazing song by Metallica... but actually to share something that happened in my office 2 days ago, which made me realize that what was worrying about the last week or more just isn't worth it...

An old Yemeni man stepped into my office, he looked tired and his clothes were dirty and torn... At first I thought he was going to ask for charity, especially when he handed me a piece of paper which I thought was going to contain some medical condition or plead... He gently asked me if I can dial the number that was written on this small piece of paper... I asked him to have a seat and dialed the number and entered the extension... once, twice, three times, no one was picking up... I told him we will give it one more try, and then the other party picked up the phone and I handed it back to the old man...

I turned away to my PC screen and left him to take his time talking... But my ear couldn't help but hear what he was saying as he was just a few steps away... It seems he called a secretary for a prince or maybe a high society VIP man... he was asking him for the rest of the money which the VIP had promised to help him with... It appears this man's daughter was in the hospital and suffering from kidney failure... she had an operation which cost around US$ 8000 and still needs another operation which will cost US$ 5000.... and to make matters worst, it seems this man and his family will be evicted soon from their home because he is late in paying his rent...

The man was close to tears as he was telling all this to the man on the other side of the phone line... I myself felt myself close to tears as I imagined myself in his shoes... You flesh and blood lying in the hospital in need of care, you are about to be sleeping in the streets cause you don't have rent money... At this point I felt all my problems and all my worries are just a grain of sand compared to what this guy is going through...

I felt I don't care about my problems at work (at least I have work, and it pays well) , I felt I don't care if some people misjudge me or don't accept me (at least I have a family and friends to care for me in time of troubles), I felt it doesn't matter if I don't have enough money to buy something I want or go out (at least I have a roof over my head and a warm bed to lay in), I felt I don't care if the medication I was taking for the past 6 months didn't give the proper results and I may not have children of my own (at least I am in perfect health and can enjoy life) ...

We always seem to get wrapped up in our own world, and forget to actually look at what we have, and just focus on what we don't have... If we just take a moment to remember those who are less fortunate, I think everyone will not feel depressed or down... We have a saying in Arabic, which roughly translates to: "He who sees the problems of others will feel that his problem is bearable"... That is so true...

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Weird facts...!

As a member of Deviant Art, you occasionally get these weird "tag" posts where you have to answer several questions or state a few facts about yourself or others. Well there is this tag where you have to say 6 weird facts about yourself! I got tagged by several people and every time I had to think of more weird stuff to write! Anyway I decided to share all the weird facts that I have gathered.. and please, no more tags about weird facts, lol....


1- I once kissed a live snake on the mouth as a bet

2- Back in college I used to have a Christian girlfriend, and I also went out for a while with a girl 6 years older than I am!

3- If I saw a nightmare, I would shout or scream out loud in reality and everyone in the house would hear me

4- I broke one of my front teeth in school and had it crowned, you cant tell its not real!

5- I was in jail once

6- My legs are a bit curved inwards below the knees, but nothing that needs surgery thank God.

7-I dont feel comfortable sleeping alone in the house, not that I get scared, but I am just not comfortable about it.. I hate too much silence... Reminds me of death and loneliness...

8- I am usually very protective of my stuff... And my space... But if I like the person and/or trust them then I dont even mind giving my car keys to them!

9- I forgive and forget very easily... You can be an asshole/bitch to me and then I will forget all about it after one or 2 days.. Too bad some people dont act the same way...

10- I never had a steady hobby or interest in my childhood and early youth.. which drove my parents crazy.. I would ask for a telescope cause I got interested in astronomy, then ask for a microscope and slides cause I liked Biology, then suddenly change to stamp collecting, marine life and sharks, then to Karate (I got a blue belt by the way!)... it was annoying to them I am sure, but it helped me to gather alot of info about various things in life... thanks mom and dad!


11- I was told I have some unnatural strength.. my mom noticed that when I was a kid, I was much stronger than other kids my age... once a vase fell on my head from several feet up and it cracked into peices and I didnt even get hurt or cry... another time in high school, my aunts GMC house-van (a bit smaller than an RV) ran out of gas in the middle of the road, I told my cousin to take over the wheel and I went down and pushed the van (plus 7 people with their luggage inside) till we managed to find a spot to stop the car.. people actually slowed down to see what the f*ck is that guy doin! (Mashallah, lool)


12- I appreciate good food, not just anything... For example I dont eat chocolate except if its GOOD chocolate... I am a very picky food critique, my friends always take my advise about the good places to eat... In Cairo I never went to the same place twice cause I wanted to try diff stuff, and in Malaysia I always liked to try things that I dont have back here in Saudi Arabia...


13- I can immitate lots of accents either in Arabic (Saudi, Egyptian, Kuwaiti, Lebanese, Syrian, etc.) or non-English speakers speaking English (like French, Italian, Texas style, Indian, etc.)

14- I fall asleep REAL fast! Just put my head on the pillow or lay on the couch and zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... something lots of people envy me for (including my wife! )

15- I get dizzy at the site of blood Thats why I never wanted to be a doctor! LooL

16- I am very VERY stubborn... in order to convince me of something I dont agree with or beleive in, you have to try REALLY hard!

17- I am a "clean freak" ... kinda like Jack Nichelson in "As Good as it gets".

18- I can tell alot about the personality of people just by hearing their voice or seeing their picture, even if I never met them in person

19- I hate colored contact lenses on girls, and I always dissagree with the Mrs. whenever she wants to wear them... I like how God created us

20- I am a bit "old fashioned" when it comes to some things in marriage and family... like taking permission before going out, etc. Sometimes the old ways are the best ways

21- I am a SUPER jealous person

22- I never kissed a girl till I was 20! (yeah some consider that weird!) I guess I gotta blame life in Saudi Arabia for that...!


Feel free if you want to tag yourself and write 6 or more weird facts about yourself... But please, don't tag me back...!

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Long time no see...

Its been almost a month since I last blogged... Its not that there isnt much that happened, on the contrary, my life these past days was a major roller coaster ride...

First about work, I still have no idea whats going on.. Things have stabilized a bit and we got our March salary on time... Even though my dad (and several others) got letters that the head office is moving to Riyadh, and who doesn't wana move will have to quit... My dad has been a wreck for the past 10 days and sometimes I discover he didn't even go to work... Its hard when you are 53 years old and with all this experiance to find yourself job hunting again... Especially in a country where Saudiazation, racism, and who referred you (wasta) come in top 3 places...

I turned down that offer by Al-Khayyala cause I felt the guy was trying to abuse the fact that I was desperate to leave my current company. He offered me a position in corporate (which I hate) and a salary which is SR. 600 less (US$ 160) than what I get now... I kinda felt relieved that I turned it down cause he was putting major stress on me to accept and start right away without even giving the usual 1 month notice to my current company...

I went to Cyprus for 5 days last week by invitation from Cyprus Airways, all expenses paid.. it was an amazing chance to discover this amazing island which I have not visited since 10 years back. It was also a good chance for me to kick back and relax, and think straight about what I am gonna do with my life... I had loads of fun, massages, discovered new stuff (we even hit a strip club!) and saw real snow for the first time in my life in Trodos Mountains... The Greek food was to die for! And the weather overall was amazing, and the people oh so friendly.. I really have to take the Mrs. and visit this amazing island soon.

I attended this meeting which was called "Jeddah Urban Artists" where I displayed 3 of my photography. The place was so crowded and full of smoke that I decided to stick around for only 15 minutes. That and also the fact that there were some people there who we don't actually "get along" together quiet well, I got the icy cold look on several occasions which made me feel even more uncomfortable... The ironic thing is that I decided to mend things with lots of people after that meet, but alas it seems alot of people have black hearts, and even sometimes no heart at all, but at least I tried and I know God knows that... Anyway no more JUA meets for me... I think its better this way...

I got in touch with people from a major local company and I am now doing some freelance photography for them. Just yesterday we wrapped up shooting over 50 delicious looking pastries and goods for their new menu. And I have to say I am very happy with the results of the photos. In addition to the pay, they even told me that my name will go into the menu (no they wont name a dish after me, lol). So that means more exposure and (God willing) more freelancing to help pay the rent and put bread on the table.

I guess that just wraps it up, I just realized that simply writing whatever comes to mind is more easier and fun than organizing the thoughts in your head first. I guess being unorganized does come in handy sometimes...

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Still wondering what's next...

No, still no blogging about my vacation to Cairo, seems it will take a while for me to regain my mood to blog about the good stuff in my life...

I met with our vice president last week, and he gave it to me point-blank: "The current situation will continue for another 3 to 4 months, even more... The company is passing through some tough financial times and even the travel agency might be the first to close down..."

Well I guess that put an end to thinking! I am on a sinking ship, and its either stay on and hope that they manage to close up the hole at the bottom... or just abandon ship!

On the other hand, I had an interview with the Business Development Manager of the company I applied to... The guy was very pleasant and he seemed to be well educated and knows what the heck he is talkin about. I actually enjoyed this interview and felt at ease talkin to him... But he did surprise me with a question in the middle of our conversation: "Who do you consider as your idol in leadership? Who do you look up to?"

I stared at him a bit for a second, then told him: my dad! He smiled and asked if I would like to add someone else... I told him I do consider Anwar Al-Sadat as a good leader... and in the Field of business I have to say Mohammed Bin Rashed Al-Maktoom.

Anyway enough with the Jeopardy game... I am expecting their proposal and contract in my email today or tomorrow, and afterwards I have the biggest and the most feared task: meeting up with my general manager to tell him I am quitting, only 2 months before high season!!! And the funny thing is, he doesn't know I met up with our vice president! So as the sly man I know him to be, he will try every trick in the book to pressure me to stay... This wont be easy...

Thursday, March 08, 2007

God have mercy on our youth

This is an actual conversation that happened between 3 young Saudi girls on the day of Ashoraa ... lets call girl 1 "L" , girl 2 "B" , and girl 3 "M"... Note that M is fasting, while L & B are having lunch...

L: Hey M, you want some of this salad?
M: No thanks, I am fasting
B: Really? Why?
M: Today is day of Ashoraa, dont you know??
L: nope, so why are you fasting it?
B: Dont you know that if you fast this day, Allah forgives your sins for the past year? Whats wrong with you girl?
L: And like... is this "guaranteed"?
B: Of corse its guaranteed! Allah said so didnt he??!! It's guaranteed, right M?
M (smiling in denial of what she's hearing) : yes of corse... hope you girls make it next year...
B: yeah of corse
L: yeah, I bet we got alot we want to be forgotten (L&B start laughing)

I would just like to add that M is only 18 years old, while B & L are in their mid 20s... I would like to leave the comment to you guys, tell me who's fault is this? And how can we build a strong Mulsim Nation with such ignorance of basic Islamic knowledge and teachings? Really, may Allah have mercy on us all...

Friday, March 02, 2007

Looking for the dream job

Seems I will break the chain of writing about my trip to Cairo to blog about a dangerous step I am thinking of taking in my life...
The situation at work is getting very bad... It first started when our salaries were late for the month of December, then January, and now February!
In addition to that... more and more employees are leaving, and our management are getting more and more strict for God knows what reason...
They are closing down downloads, MSN, increasing working hours, refusing to give us half day on Thursday (though other bigger agencies get that) ... You would think that with all the other shitt goin on, that they would try to win us over in order not to get us upset about the late salaries and expired medical insurance (I didn't mention the medical insurance did I?)
The bottom line is that its getting really bad and I have lost all will to work...

I started looking for other openings... I sent my CV to a new travel company which advertised in a local newspaper, and they called me yesterday for an interview next week...
Also my ex-manager at Zahid contacted me about an opening in a new airline company, and I am supposed to attend their training sessions the next 2 days...
I even sent my CV and applied online at companies such as Unilever and P&G...
Let's hope for the best...

I keep thinking that maybe if I managed to get the Saudi Nationality everything would be better, at least I can move as I please without thinking about the Labor Office and transfer of sponsorship and all that shitt the Saudi Government puts in our way as expatriates... Not to mention the idea of "Saudiazation" which I think is total Bull, if a person was an experienced and qualified good employee, he would sell himself and companies would hire him/her, no matter what nationality he/she carries... You don't have to FORCE a company to hire someone...
Anyway I will dedicate a full post to Saudiazation later on cause I have ALOT to say about it...

I ask Allah to help me make the best choice to help me in my career and life... I am tired of wrong decisions... So tired....

Friday, February 23, 2007

Back From Cairo

Well what do you know? Those 2 weeks passed in a blink of an eye, and here I am again getting ready to go to bed to wake up and go to work tomorrow, and get tied again to the usual mill like some ox. But it was a good vacation, a much needed one actually. I reached a point where I almost lost my mind at work... telephones, problems, complaints, bookings, etc. etc.
Allot has happened, and I have allot of thoughts about many things... but to keep my mind organized, and not let my blog get too long and boring for my faithful readers, I will divide it into several blogs and several paragraphs. Being organized may turn into an obsession sometimes, but it works.


The Hotels
I hate staying at a house when I travel, my idea of a vacation is a room where I know I can throw my clothes everywhere (errrm... yeah I noticed I was just talkin about being organized up there) and know that I will come back from lunch or dinner and find house keeping took care of everything! My clothes are folded on the bed, clean warm towels in the bathroom, the fridge refilled, and everything in place. That's why I prefered that we book a hotel rather than stay at my mother in-law's apartment. Its also a good chance to let my wife relax and kick back, rather than worrying about preparing breakfast and cleaning up after my chaos.
For the first 8 days, we stayed at the simple but perfect Pyramisa Hotel. The hotel is one of the oldest in Cairo, but its cleanliness combined with friendly service make up for the too-simple rooms and staff who most of them seem they were there since World War II. I guess they dont have to worry about turn over over there, sounds promising. Also a good plus for this hotel, is that it offers a beautiful breakfast buffet, something other 5 star hotels in Cairo dont offer. So for 75$ you get a good clean room, 5 star service, an excellent location, and a good starting meal for your day.


The remaining 5 days of our stay, we decided its time to dip in deep into our wallets and move to a more luxurious escape! And what's the best hotel to go to than the one which was voted as the best hotel in Cairo for 3 years in a row and best hotel in AFRICA 2006? Yup, its the one and only Four Seasons Nile Plaza Hotel!

The view from the rooms is just breath-taking, I have to say its the best view of the Nile I have ever seen in any hotel, and I have seen many! The room itself is the largest in the city according to the Tourism Board of Egypt, the bathroom makes you wana have a shower every hour. And the relaxing bed that you just sink into, makes you hate and loath the bed you have back home no matter how comfortable it is. I must know their secret some day!

Some people may think 250$ per night on room only basis (no meals) is just too much, but I have to disagree. You dont only pay for a room, but you are actually paying for amazing service (the staff are actually friendlier than some family members, lool), Countless extras in your room (my fave is the DVD player and 5 page long movie library), fully equipped gym, and the amazing relaxing facilities! I was just swept away with the relaxation lounge, a bed placed in a quiet room in front of a glass wall facing the Nile, with relaxing music playing in the background. I feel I can write dozens of poems by just sitting in this place, and if I get thirsty, I can treat myself to the complimentary green tea, ginger, or cold water with iced cucumbers.

I think I may go on about the Four Seasons Nile Plaza forever, so I will just stop here. But I warn you that it WILL pop up in many paragraphs later on, lool... SO next time you are in Cairo, dont miss out on this excellent property!


My Transport

I plan my vacations carefully, especially when it comes to the money business. So I booked a Toyota Corolla for my car rental for only 40$ a day. The car was OK, but a bit uncomfortable because of my "big&tall" posture. Also for a guy who drives a 4x4 back home, its a bit difficult to feel this close to the ground, lool... Soooooo, I said to hell with money saving and I opted for a BMW X3 instead! It was the first time I drive it, and I have to say I miss my new mistress terribly... The bad thing, is that (like most expensive cars in Cairo) the license plate was "Customs", meaning that this car was bought outside of Egypt and brought into the country without paying the usual customs. This procedure is used by tourists to bring in their cars for their personal use and then taking it out of the country once they are done with their vacation. You must be wondering "OK... where is the problem????" The problem is that this license plate means $$$ for beggars! I guess thats why the plate is golden yellow, to symbolize some kind of bling-bling, loool....


I actually had a kid run after the car and try to hang on for a distance of 50m! This kid will grow up to become some athlete one day! We were attacked by every type of beggars, from women to men to crippled to even a guy who used to be a thief and became clean and he made his life story on a DVD and is selling it to people in traffic lights! This will bring me to talkin more thoroughly about beggars in Egypt, but that will be another blog... See ya...

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Cairo 2 : the Empire Strikes Back

Cairo.... Here I come!!!! That's all I got time to say right now, loool...

Our last battle was fierce and lasted a whole month but I won only 1 day before my exit re-entry visa to Saudi Arabia expired... and now, in round two of the battle... who will win??? Will I overcome the evil Empire of bureaucracy and routine and be a free man with full exemption from the army? Or will the Empire finally have the last word and I am trapped in the pit forever... stay tuned...!

Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Some You Tube Stuff

This baby looks HOT!!! I'm savin my dollars for this hottie to hit stores next June!




As a fan of Evanescence, I was blown away by their new video "Lithium" (and of corse by Amy Lee's voice and beauty!)




Now condoms dont only protect you from HIV and other STDs... they can save you ALOT of Panadol!!



Ever since I bought this game 4 months back, I have been playing it non-stop! Its pretty addictive... Just check out the intro which itself is mind blowing!! I present to you: Civilization IV ... where you take your civilization from the stone age to the space age!



Thursday, February 01, 2007

The Guide to Understanding Women

As I was cleaning up my hard disk from all the crap I had saved over the past 3 years (yeah I got a 100 GB memory, so?) I stumbled over this document, which I remember a friend sent to me long ago on MSN, its taken from an introduction of a book. But sadly, I couldnt find neither the name of the book or the author, so please forgive me about that. But even with just the introduction, I think the guy finally found the key to understanding which we have suffered for long years to understand... No its not why men always stare at boobs, its how do women think! (though I would like to know the answer to the first question too, lool... But actually there is an indirect answer for that below... so read on...)


Secrets to Success with Women
An e-book by anonymous author


In order to understand women, you must understand that they are bombarded non-stop by the following 3 ideas from the time they hit puberty.

MESSAGE ONE: Your looks are the only thing that really counts.

MESSAGE TWO: Don’t be a “slut”.

MESSAGE THREE: Be “independent”.

The effect of these messages has been to create total sexual CHAOS between men and women. I’ll explain the effect of each message:

MESSAGE ONE:
“YOUR LOOKS ARE THE ONLY THING THAT REALLY COUNTS.”

From the time a girl hits puberty, if she is attractive, she has guys hitting on her in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, ALL THE TIME. Guys are kissing up to her, willing to help her with favors, buy her things, etc. And even women want to be around her, since she is so popular.

Think about the effect that has on her. It doesn’t matter if she is totally a rotten personality, if she is HOT, she’ll still get tons of attention from both men and women. Men want them, and women want to be around them.

She becomes very distrustful of guys, and also, she starts to realize how most guys have no self-respect. Most guys are dumb and will tolerate the bad personality just to be with her. Attractive women tend to get SPOILED because they are given everything by people without having to earn it or work for it. They can get AWAY with having a rotten personality.

Unlike men, they don’t have to develop the rest of their personality in order to get respect, attention, affection, etc.

It leads to attractive women having a self-perception that they are superior to most people, as long as they have the looks. So they can treat most people as if those people were inferior. Especially men who ass-kiss, who come across as needy and uncool, and believe it or not, also come across as manipulative. (You see, womanizers don’t come across as manipulative, since they hide their agenda better. Nice guys are obvious- “Hey I like you, do you like me?”)

This is why being a “nice guy” is disastrous. Most attractive women simply do not appreciate “nice-ness” since WOMEN think that if you would be as superior as they are, you would then not be nice.

To them, nice is for people who are inferior. After all, THEY don’t have to be nice- and look how everyone kisses up to them and respects them.

Get it?

Attractive women just assume nice = loser.

THIS BRINGS US TO LESSON #1:

Since being “nice” (i.e. telling her she is beautiful, buying her things, always being there when she asks, etc.) simply makes her feel you are inferior to her and that you need her, and this just confirms that she is superior and that it is therefore okay to ABUSE you….

YOU MUST THEREFORE LEARN TO CREATE AN AURA OF SUPERIORITY AROUND WOMEN.

How do you do that?
Simple.
SPEAK THE LANGUAGE OF SUPERIORITY THAT WOMEN SPEAK.

In other words, be just as arrogant, cocky, confident, hard-to-get, indifferent, cool, and challenging as possible. That’s a lot packed into one sentence (And expanded on in my material.)

But for example, if you see a woman you’d like to speak to, don’t make it so damn obvious you’re interested. If there’s something about her that she is doing, or wearing, etc, that’s begging to be poked fun at, DO IT. Don’t act as if you need her approval or her desire.

And don’t lean all into her as she speaks as if her every word is DIVINE. Get DISTRACTED in middle of the conversation by another girl, or by something else.


LESSON # 2

The fact that attractive women are so stuck up as a result of their looks creates a FLIP-SIDE to the equation…

These attractive women are very INSECURE about LOSING their looks, for if they were to lose their looks, they would lose all that POWER. Scary thought for them. So guess what happens when you make a woman second guess whether her looks are all that great?

Like for example, if you pointed out a flaw? Yeah, a FLAW. Anything from head to toe.

Yeah, she’d be DEVASTATED, that’s what. So devastated, in fact, that she might HATE you. So I recommend being very TACTFUL about this, or she will feel so bad that she will feel UNWORTHY of you. Don’t try to cut her down TOO HARD.

But in general, just not kissing up to a woman who is used to getting her butt kissed is enough to communicate that you are just like HER: SUPERIOR, and thus worthy of her.

You see, the whole problem started because of GUYS. Men should NEVER have given women the impression that looks were all that counted, because it’s not even TRUE.

No guy on earth wants to actually STAY with a woman with a rotten personality. He might just want to have sex and dump her, but that’s it. But most women actually think that guys will want them long term too, just as long as the woman is attractive. But that is inherently false.

And to be honest, once you learn how to attract women, you tend to become more picky even just for sex- you don’t just want looks, you want a fun girl who’s also not a complaining, unstable, headcase.

Okay, on to the effect of:

MESSAGE NUMBER TWO
“DON’T BE A SLUT”.

Oh man, this one really has caused a lot of damage. On one hand, women keep getting approached by men who want to have sex with them, and on the other hand men keep telling them not to be sluts. Can you imagine what it must be like to have to live in such a crazy contradiction?

What is a slut anyway? A girl who likes sex? Does that make men sluts too?

I think that the concept of “sluts” in WOMEN’S minds is basically that men want to control women. Of course, the effect of this whole slut label
has created the OPPOSITE EFFECT: REPRESSION ONLY SERVES TO MAKE SOMETHING DESIRABLE. PLUS, IT CAUSES ACTIVITY TO BECOME COVERT.

By men trying to REPRESS WOMEN, women feel that they are missing out on something, even if it’s actually nothing. Reminds me of this Weird Al video where these religious guys are eagerly checking out their version of a Playboy “centerfold” who’s actually clothed from head to toe, but her ankles are showing.

So a little respectful bow now, to our friend Dr. Freud…

As far as I’m concerned, if we just removed the whole “taboo” label of being a slut, women would be a lot more relaxed around men and actually there would be less motivation to be a “slut”, whatever slut means. The best way to make something sexually desirable is to make it taboo. I bet you if I could make a new fad that looking at a woman’s ankles was TABOO, every guy would want to get a look at women’s ankles all of a sudden.

Or if women looking at men’s earlobes was TABOO, then every man would cover up his earlobes and if he caught his woman looking at another man’s earlobes, she would be labeled a “slut”. So the effect of the whole “slut” label has been that women feel the need to REBEL against men, who women conveniently group all together as one, to compensate for all this sexual guilt trip by society. (women translating society as being male-dominated)

Of course, the rebelling occurs COVERTLY. If you are the kind of guy who has no clue to the reality of what women want, women will TELL YOU one thing, and then do whatever they really want to do in secret. Such is the effect of repression. Plus, women know that the nice guys will STOP all ass-kissing and all favors if the nice guys wake up to reality and how they are getting taken advantage of. So it’s currently in women’s best interests to keep things covert.


LESSON #3

So, what you as a man must do is help women NOT feel guilty about sex. You must keep their mind OFF of the actual idea of you having sex with them when you are talking to them, because otherwise they will start to feel guilty. So just keep things light and fun. You might even be able to make sexual JOKES, just not direct sex.

And show that you can LEAD, by arranging the next meeting or date or whatever. She feels to guilty to be the one to lead. And, when in bed, if you can help her feel GREAT about being sexual, you won’t have to worry much about her being unfaithful, since she’ll get to enjoy her sexual nature with you and have a psychologically healthy outlet for it.

In other words, you better have no hang ups about sex, because if you do, you can imagine how impossible it will be for HER to feel comfortable having sex with you. Be an example.


MESSAGE 3
“Be Independent”

I’ve saved the best for last. This “girl power” and “independence” idea has warped into something much more problematic: It has come to mean, for a lot of women, that if she ever has to make a choice between commitment to her man or commitment to ANYTHING ELSE, that she should choose ANYTHING ELSE. Because, after all, the logic goes, a woman must be “independent”. So if it ever comes down to it, a woman’s girlfriends, for example, will win out over a guy any day, in terms of priorities.

This “independence” idea is also used by womanizers to get women to cheat on their boyfriend. They just frame “cheating” as something the boyfriend would NOT want, and now the woman will do it just out of rebelliousness and to confirm her “independence”. This “independence” idea is also used by a woman’s girlfriends who are having problems with their own relationships- the friend will demand ridiculous amounts of time and energy from the girl who IS in a happy relationship, even though she knows this will cause damage to her best friend’s relationship. Sometimes this is intentional, out of jealousy, but of course the PRETEXT is “independence”.

Independent is the excuse for cheating, the excuse for not giving as much as she gets. Another effect of “independence” is the general malaise regarding any type of genuine female commitment to a relationship until a woman’s LOOKS begins to fade.

Suddenly, then, women no longer want independence as much and are instead looking for a “stable, secure relationship”. It’s hard to want independence when no one wants to be with you. It’s only fun when everyone wants to be with you.

LESSON #4

As a result of this phenomenon, it’s crucial to absolutely NEVER be the one to INITIATE a “serious” relationship with a woman. If she wants one with YOU, then it must be ONE TRILLION PERCENT CLEAR TO HER THAT SHE WANTS IT. Let HER make it clear to YOU that she wants it. So, just enjoy going out and meeting TONS of women, enjoy them if you like, and date many women at the same time. If some of them want to get serious with you, and if that is something you might be interested in, put them to the test and see how badly they really want a meaningful relationship, or is it just some way to get you under CONTROL so that they can have YOU faithful while they continue to be “independent”.

That way, women will see that YOU are “independent” as well, which not only makes you clearly in a position of choice, and therefore increases your apparent sexiness, but will also make the women think: If everyone is supposed to be so independent, and if everyone is supposed to need so much space, then how the hell does anyone ever get into a relationship?

Trust me, you’ll be a rare guy indeed who is not so ready to give all his affection and emotion for her. She’ll appreciate you more.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Vote.. if you see its worthy!

I submitted my photo under the theme Elegance to JPG Magazine, if it receives enough votes it will be published in the March issue!

Click here to view!

Friday, January 19, 2007

FIRE...!!!

As me and the Mrs. arrived at the famous Sawari Mall for some weekend shopping, we heard the whaling sirens of ambulances and fire trucks. Just a few seconds passed and we saw these trucks and cars speeding into the parking lot of the mall. After asking a few bystanders who arrived before us, it appeared that the famous Lebanese cuisine "Shami" restaurant was on fire because of an electrical short circuit! Thank God no one got hurt as the mall turned into a ghost town as people rushed out. I didn't forget to whip out my mobile to record this moment for my faithful watchers and readers:


Friday, January 12, 2007

Warning... Lots of talk coming ahead...!

Four Weddings.. And more weddings...!

Everyone loves weddings right? People are happy, free food, and maybe getting a chance to dance. Yeah all that is great, but not when weddings last till 3 or 4 AM! And here is the thing, weddings in Saudi Arabia are actually NOT mixed! So what you have is that you and your wife (or sister, mother, whatever) are attending the same wedding, but ironically the men's side usually finishes around 11 PM or midnight, while the lady's side doesn't finish till dawn...!

So what happens is that I finish dinner, then tea, then some "mingling" with people I may not like, and I am done with all that by 11! I call up my lady (of course barely hearing her over the screaming loud speakers) and she usually informs me that the bride and groom actually haven't started the ceremony yet (which they call here in Arabic "Zaffa" ). So I am stuck having to mingle some more here and there, maybe fiddle a bit with my mobile phone, deleting those unwanted numbers and editing others, or maybe I just try to wonder away with my thoughts.

Even with all that done, I look at my watch and its still 2 AM... "Honey, are you done?" ... "No sweety, they just served dinner now!" ... Excuse me? Dinner at 2 AM?? I think if you try to explain to Europeans or Americans that there is actually a "dinner" served after midnight, you would probably be labeled insane... And now I have to wait for another hour or two and drive back home half awake, which is dangerous since sometimes weddings occur in Makkah which is an one hour drive from Jeddah where we live.

Why cant we just have normal weddings where everything wraps up at midnight max? Why are Saudi families competing with each other who has the longest weddings? The problem is that women usually don't have a problem, they got the Sound system and maybe a female singer inside, plus they consider talking as their favorite sport. Its us husbands, sons, and brothers who have to mingle and fiddle with our mobiles till the crack of dawn...


Pimp My Ride!

The first day of the vacation witnessed my first event photoshoot for "Layalina" magazine. Actually it happened by chance while I was driving by the sea and spotted a large number of teens grouped around something.. Turns out its a show for pimped up cars!

I called up my editor and asked her if she is interested, then set up my gear (which luckily I had in my car trunk) and started shooting my heart out! I really had fun, and its not just cause I LOVE photography, but also cause this actually gave me a large boost in my self confidence. I mean there you are, carrying this huge sophisticated camera around your neck and shooting at everything, plus you are getting to stand in front of all the other viewers and granted special access, with a society like we have here you are bound to get a stupid remark or more from someone. Also I got to work on my conversation skills where I had to talk to the sponsors and organizers of the show, not to mention making what I call "cigarette buddies" which are basically people you ask/they ask you for a smoke.

I took over 100 photos that day, not to mention a few videos for my channel on youtube.com , have a look at one of them:





Let's Hit the Beach...!

The second day of my vacation wasn't so bad either, went out for lunch then some bowling with my wife and sisters. But deep down I was worried about the rest of my vacation and how there is not much to do in little ol' Jeddah. Just then I got a phone call from a good client of mine which went something like this:

Him: Hey Ahmed, I want you to fix me a flight to Cairo.
Me: Ok sure, sms me the details and I will tell the guys to work on it
Him: Great! By the way how's your vacation?
Me: Starting to get boring man
Him: OK why don't you hit the beach? Rent a beach house or something... Or tell you what, did you know that I own the "Canary Resort" by the sea?
Me: Yeah I heard something like that...
Him: Well take your family and head out there, pick whichever cabin you like and its yours till Friday!
Me: That's great man, thanks! But how much?
Him: Oh shut up!

So the vacation turned out well after all..! Seems a bit of PR really goes a long way!

Tuesday, January 09, 2007

No end to the horror that is Guantanamo

By Andrew Buncombe in Washington and Andy McSmith (The Independent)

Published: 09 January 2007

When the first prisoners arrived at Guantanamo in January 2002 they were handcuffed, shackled and wearing hoods. The reason for these exceptional measures, explained the then chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Richard Myers, was that the prisoners were highly dangerous. "These are the sort of people who would chew through a hydraulics cable to bring a C-17 [transport plane] down," he claimed. "They are very, very dangerous people."

Five years later none of these "worst of the worst" have been brought to trial. Just 10 have been formally charged while hundreds of others have been returned to their own countries and released. Meanwhile, three have committed suicide, at least 40 others have tried to do so and there are concerns about the mental health of most of the 400 or so remaining prisoners.

"It is remarkable that Guantanamo still exists five years on," said Clive Stafford Smith, legal director of the British group Reprieve, which represents three dozen inmates. "But what is also remarkable is that Guantanamo has distracted attention from other secret prisons the US has. As of August last year we know there are 14,000 prisoners in US custody around the world."
Critics say the low point of the past five years perhaps came in June 2006 when three prisoners - Ali Abdullah Ahmed, 28, from Yemen, and Saudis Yassar Talal al-Zahrani, 21, and 30-year-old Mani Shaman Turki al-Habardi Al-Utaybi - hanged themselves using torn sheets. Lawyers said they did so out of desperation but the base commander claimed it was "an act of asymmetric warfare waged against us". Controversy had previously been stirred in December 2005 when it emerged the US military was strapping prisoners into "restraint chairs" to force-feed those who had gone on hunger-strike.


General Bantz Craddock, head of the US Southern Command, defended repeatedly inserting feeding tubes into prisoners' throats and nostrils, saying: " Some of these hard-core guys were getting worse." There have been numerous reports of abuse, humiliation and torture. Prisoners have allegedly been held in stress positions, locked in solitary confinement not permitted to sleep and been smeared with fake menstrual blood.

Three Britons who were held for more than two years before being released without charge - Asef Iqbal, Ruhal Ahmed and Shafiq Rasul - claimed they were repeatedly punched, kicked, slapped, injected with drugs, hooded, photographed naked, subjected to body searches and forced to endure sexual and religious humiliation. Mr Ahmed said he was questioned by a British interrogator while a gun was held to his head.

One of the more unusual reports was the so-called Harry Potter torture. Visiting US legislators watched through a one-way mirror as a woman interrogator sought to wear down a prisoner's resistance with a non-stop reading of the adventures of the boy wizard, which reportedly lasted for hours.

Campaigners believed they had achieved a breakthrough last June when the US Supreme Court ruled that the Bush administration's use of military tribunals was unconstitutional. It also ruled that each of the prisoners had the right to have their cases heard in court.

But though Mr Bush said at the time he wished to close Guantanamo, just three months later he was successful in getting Congress to pass new legislation that circumvented the Supreme Court ruling and opened the way to proceed with the tribunals. It also backed the administration's decision to refuse prisoners the right to see the evidence used against them.

Last May the UN Committee on Torture called on the US government to close the facility immediately. The same month the Attorney General, Lord Goldsmith, also said the prison's continued operation was "unacceptable" . Tony Blair called it an "anomaly". But the Government refuses to help eight British residents who are still being held at the prison even though the US has sought their repatriation.

In October the High Court in London ruled that the men did not have the right to be treated in the same way as British nationals. The Foreign Office claims it has no power to intervene on behalf of foreign nationals, even if they were long-term residents of the UK.

The numbers that shame America
1825
Number of days that Guantanamo has been open
400 prisoners are currently detained at Guantanamo
20 detainees arrived on 11 January 2002, the day the detention centre opened. They were hooded and shackled
8 per cent of detainees accused of fighting for a terrorist group
300 prisoners who have been released back to their own countries since 2002
86 per cent captured by the Northern Alliance or the Pakistani authorities for US bounties
70 prisoners who President Bush's administration plans to charge in military courts
10 prisoners who have already been charged
0 number of detainees brought to trial

President Bush reacts to Supreme Court ruling that Guantanamo military tribunals are unconstitutional.





And this is the briefing the President received on his way to the conference...