My Birthday's approaching in a couple of days and let me tell you my little brother is far too worried about it more than i am. He thinks that because my mom got married at 20 that means every other person who turns 20 has to get married!! The other day i had the following conversation with him.
LB: so what are you gonna do on your 20th birthday?
Me: ummmm...
LB: are you gonna get married?
Me: huh?
LB: do you want me to build you a house?
Me: no thanks, i'm gonna live in a box
LB: but how are you gonna live with the person you're moving away with
Me: I'm still here!
he leaves for a while then comes back,
LB: didn't you say you loved Sushi?
Me: yea
LB: so you can marry a Japanese guy and he can make u Sushi!
Good thinking kiddo, Japan and sushi here i come!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Camping while Egyptian part 2
"Ok, so tents go here and here" I say making two marks on the ground.
"Also we better hurry" i say glancing up at the sky, "looks like it’s gonna rain"
My brother takes hold of the bigger tent and goes on to setting it up, while my sister and I pick the other one, pull it out and stand there looking at it.
"I have no idea how to set this up!!" I say looking at the tangled mess.
After what seemed hours of struggling, we finally made what seemed to resemble a blob.
“K, so wanna head to the beach for a while?" my sister asks
We head over the sand dunes and to the most spectacular view. Best of all we had the whole beach to ourselves.
I took a chair, plopped it into the sand and extended my feet into the icy cold water.
We sat there with lightning and thunder in the background, trying to calculate how far off it was.
Now that I think about it, it was probably a not so good idea being wet holding metal fishing poles with lightning in the sky, despite the attractiveness of the combination.
When it started to rain we decided to get back to the tent before we got seriously wet ( only reason was, I didn't want to break my record of not taking showers for the longest time possible...i kid, i promise)
The thunderstorm was like a faucet that would not shut off, best of all one of our tents was not waterproof, so all of us were stuck in the other tent. We called it family bonding time and we did what any other Egyptian family would have done. Played cards!
As we fell asleep, my mom asked from her corner of the tent, “Did anyone actually check the weather?"
Ah small details, they get me every time.
"Also we better hurry" i say glancing up at the sky, "looks like it’s gonna rain"
My brother takes hold of the bigger tent and goes on to setting it up, while my sister and I pick the other one, pull it out and stand there looking at it.
"I have no idea how to set this up!!" I say looking at the tangled mess.
After what seemed hours of struggling, we finally made what seemed to resemble a blob.
“K, so wanna head to the beach for a while?" my sister asks
We head over the sand dunes and to the most spectacular view. Best of all we had the whole beach to ourselves.
I took a chair, plopped it into the sand and extended my feet into the icy cold water.
We sat there with lightning and thunder in the background, trying to calculate how far off it was.
Now that I think about it, it was probably a not so good idea being wet holding metal fishing poles with lightning in the sky, despite the attractiveness of the combination.
When it started to rain we decided to get back to the tent before we got seriously wet ( only reason was, I didn't want to break my record of not taking showers for the longest time possible...i kid, i promise)
The thunderstorm was like a faucet that would not shut off, best of all one of our tents was not waterproof, so all of us were stuck in the other tent. We called it family bonding time and we did what any other Egyptian family would have done. Played cards!
As we fell asleep, my mom asked from her corner of the tent, “Did anyone actually check the weather?"
Ah small details, they get me every time.
storm approaching
sand dunes
setting up the tent
Chai and fooul( beans)
their catch
<3
Friday, July 9, 2010
Painting Walls at 4:00 A.M
So yesterday I had a friend who wanted to paint her basement, so my sister and i volunteered to help, considering we're such experts we should be awarded the label of interior designers. Our experience goes as far back as painting the Masjid walls, oh and did i mention the Masjid walls?
So anyways, we head over LOWE'S to pick out the colors and that alone took like 40 minutes.
My friend and I wanted to go with a reddish color
her mom was like, over my dead body!
She showed us a light yellow and we told her she might as well tear down the basement.
Finally, we decided on a light pearly pink and a maroonish color and to work it was.
Since it was getting so late we decided to sleepover and pretty much spent the next few hours telling scary stories about jinn and listening to my friend’s mom telling us stories of things she saw with her own eyes when she lived back in Pakistan.
I don't know about others but jinn stories beat Zombie takeovers, Alien attacks, and sparkly vampires combined.
ya'll, my stories wander all over the place but I promise painting the basement and Jinn stories actually ties up
SO anyways my friend’s mom decides to go get some sleep and after a while we decide that we're gonna go and work on the basement since we weren't tired.
In the morning my Friend's mom wakes up and goes to check the basement to see if the colors coordinated and finds a finished wall! She almost got a heart attack thinking some Jinn were in the basement working on the walls in the middle of the night.
Although if you ask me I wouldn't mind pair of handy Djinn like that.I know the house could use some help.
So anyways, we head over LOWE'S to pick out the colors and that alone took like 40 minutes.
My friend and I wanted to go with a reddish color
her mom was like, over my dead body!
She showed us a light yellow and we told her she might as well tear down the basement.
Finally, we decided on a light pearly pink and a maroonish color and to work it was.
Since it was getting so late we decided to sleepover and pretty much spent the next few hours telling scary stories about jinn and listening to my friend’s mom telling us stories of things she saw with her own eyes when she lived back in Pakistan.
I don't know about others but jinn stories beat Zombie takeovers, Alien attacks, and sparkly vampires combined.
ya'll, my stories wander all over the place but I promise painting the basement and Jinn stories actually ties up
SO anyways my friend’s mom decides to go get some sleep and after a while we decide that we're gonna go and work on the basement since we weren't tired.
In the morning my Friend's mom wakes up and goes to check the basement to see if the colors coordinated and finds a finished wall! She almost got a heart attack thinking some Jinn were in the basement working on the walls in the middle of the night.
Although if you ask me I wouldn't mind pair of handy Djinn like that.I know the house could use some help.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Camping while Egyptian part 1
" Yalla omo wghzo ray7een camping, 7gtkom tekon gahza fe nos sa3a*"
ahh lovely way to wake up. Saba7 elnoor to you too Mama.
seriously, only in my family does a camping trip get decided like that and we get half an hour to get ready? the generosity!
I was not complaining.
" mama where to?"
"ma3rfsh, your father didn't tell me anything"
ok, guess that's fine too.
An hour later my dad comes home and we start listing stuff we might have forgotten.
tent? check.
sleeping bags? yep, got them
lantern? mhm
everyone have their clothes, toothbrushes, and shoes? yeaa
and then the unfortunate happens, we move onto the kitchen. and true to being Egyptian they start packing half the kitchen. Enough to last us the next two month.
"Do we really need the 3 pans? and Omg, mama all this Fooul!! we're only staying like two days"
we were just a 7alet ma7shy* away from being true to our roots of Egyptianese
well, i told myself,If we happen to get lost at least we'll be able to survive.
My dad looked at the time.you guys, looks like we're going to have to head out tommorow, what do you think?
rolling Arab standard time, i think we're pretty accurate.
* get up and get ready, we're going camping
* 7alet ma7shy- An Egyptian dish
ahh lovely way to wake up. Saba7 elnoor to you too Mama.
seriously, only in my family does a camping trip get decided like that and we get half an hour to get ready? the generosity!
I was not complaining.
" mama where to?"
"ma3rfsh, your father didn't tell me anything"
ok, guess that's fine too.
An hour later my dad comes home and we start listing stuff we might have forgotten.
tent? check.
sleeping bags? yep, got them
lantern? mhm
everyone have their clothes, toothbrushes, and shoes? yeaa
and then the unfortunate happens, we move onto the kitchen. and true to being Egyptian they start packing half the kitchen. Enough to last us the next two month.
"Do we really need the 3 pans? and Omg, mama all this Fooul!! we're only staying like two days"
we were just a 7alet ma7shy* away from being true to our roots of Egyptianese
well, i told myself,If we happen to get lost at least we'll be able to survive.
My dad looked at the time.you guys, looks like we're going to have to head out tommorow, what do you think?
rolling Arab standard time, i think we're pretty accurate.
* get up and get ready, we're going camping
* 7alet ma7shy- An Egyptian dish
Sunday, June 27, 2010
way too many exclamation points!!!!!
Sometimes i get those dreams that stick in my mind, purely because of how weird they are.
So the other day i was reading about King Henry VIII. That same day i was thinking about one of my friends for some reason or another.
That night i had a dream that she was trying to marry King Henry VIII!! seriously the things i dream of.
I should start a dream journal, make it into a book and become rich!!!
sounds like an awesome plan? ya i thought so too.
Excuse me while i go dream some more dreams for my book. This is serious work.
So the other day i was reading about King Henry VIII. That same day i was thinking about one of my friends for some reason or another.
That night i had a dream that she was trying to marry King Henry VIII!! seriously the things i dream of.
I should start a dream journal, make it into a book and become rich!!!
sounds like an awesome plan? ya i thought so too.
Excuse me while i go dream some more dreams for my book. This is serious work.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
My List of 70 Random things to do
I've always at one point or another come up with something that i wish to achieve before i die, or something that i've heard another person has done and since it was so awesomly awesome, i thought to myself " I HAVE TO DO THAT!"
It came to a point where i was like " i should just probably write down my list" so here it is
1. Graduate from university
2. become a lawyer
3. work for human rights
4. learn a martial arts
5. scream at the top of my lungs
6. skinny dip
7. go skydiving
8. bunji Jump
9. donate blood
10. run a marathon
11. write a novel
12. open a (successful) boutique
13. swim 500 yards in under 6 minutes
14. get my nose pierced
15. sleep under the stars
16. teach English in South Korea
17. find the roots of my family tree
18. Visit Japan
19. backpack through Europe
20. ride a horse in the middle of the night
21. Ride a camel around the pyramids in the middle of the night
22. camp in the Sahara desert
23. raft through the grand canyon
24. get closer to my dad
25. shower in a waterfall
26. visit Greece and Turkey
27. feed birds in Italy
28. send a message in a bottle
29. get an answer
30. plant a tree
31. fall in love
32. Marry the person I fall in love with
33. pray fajr on a beach somewhere
34. Stay out all night at a beach and build a bonfire
35. help build a house for battered women in Egypt
36. sponsor an orphan
37. Spend three months getting my body into optimum shape
38. Visit the holy land
39. learn a new language
40. learn how to make sushi
41. scuba dive in the red sea
42. Go white water rafting
43. Ride an elephant through the jungles of Thailand
44. get a job that I love
45. Ride in a gondola down the Grand Canal in Venice.
46. run for student council and have fun doing it
47. Stand on the Great Wall of china
48. learn how to surf!
49. go yak skiing
50. write an article for a major publication
51. get on the cover of a magazine
52. participate in poetry slam
53. live like a local for month
54. visit Niagara falls
55. people watch in central park
56. travel anywhere with a friend
57. ride a boat down the Nile
58. pay the toll for the person behind me
59. partake in a Japanese tea ceremony
60. visit the Prophets grave
61. drink an espresso at the chansa` le zait
62. swim in the dead sea
63. get all As in a given semester
64. make an impact on someone’s life
65. take part in the world’s biggest water fight during Thailand’s New Year’s festivities
66. Bike the Pacific Coast Highway.
67. memorize the Quran and learn its tafseer
68. milk a cow
69. make hajj inshallah
70. be at peace with myself
It came to a point where i was like " i should just probably write down my list" so here it is
1. Graduate from university
2. become a lawyer
3. work for human rights
4. learn a martial arts
5. scream at the top of my lungs
6. skinny dip
7. go skydiving
8. bunji Jump
9. donate blood
10. run a marathon
11. write a novel
12. open a (successful) boutique
13. swim 500 yards in under 6 minutes
14. get my nose pierced
15. sleep under the stars
16. teach English in South Korea
17. find the roots of my family tree
18. Visit Japan
19. backpack through Europe
20. ride a horse in the middle of the night
21. Ride a camel around the pyramids in the middle of the night
22. camp in the Sahara desert
23. raft through the grand canyon
24. get closer to my dad
25. shower in a waterfall
26. visit Greece and Turkey
27. feed birds in Italy
28. send a message in a bottle
29. get an answer
30. plant a tree
31. fall in love
32. Marry the person I fall in love with
33. pray fajr on a beach somewhere
34. Stay out all night at a beach and build a bonfire
35. help build a house for battered women in Egypt
36. sponsor an orphan
37. Spend three months getting my body into optimum shape
38. Visit the holy land
39. learn a new language
40. learn how to make sushi
41. scuba dive in the red sea
42. Go white water rafting
43. Ride an elephant through the jungles of Thailand
44. get a job that I love
45. Ride in a gondola down the Grand Canal in Venice.
46. run for student council and have fun doing it
47. Stand on the Great Wall of china
48. learn how to surf!
49. go yak skiing
50. write an article for a major publication
51. get on the cover of a magazine
52. participate in poetry slam
53. live like a local for month
54. visit Niagara falls
55. people watch in central park
56. travel anywhere with a friend
57. ride a boat down the Nile
58. pay the toll for the person behind me
59. partake in a Japanese tea ceremony
60. visit the Prophets grave
61. drink an espresso at the chansa` le zait
62. swim in the dead sea
63. get all As in a given semester
64. make an impact on someone’s life
65. take part in the world’s biggest water fight during Thailand’s New Year’s festivities
66. Bike the Pacific Coast Highway.
67. memorize the Quran and learn its tafseer
68. milk a cow
69. make hajj inshallah
70. be at peace with myself
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
And i hope there's a pot of gold at the end of that rainbow!
This Summer was not what it was set out to be but i'm not complaining.
Started out visiting my dad and found him getting ready to move from his apartment. Seriously how much stuff do you need when your only two people in an apartment! The place was full of stuff that for lack of better words, had no use.
when i say my dad and brother can open a fishing equipment shop with all the stuff they've collected that would be an understatement.
During all that, I started teaching Arabic and Qur'an at their Masjid here. This is probably one of the most patience trying yet satisfying things to do. At times you'll have to repeat a verse 50844 times( slight exaggeration...maybe) before the kid gets it. Once they do though, and recite the whole surah back to you it feels good to know that you've helped them memorize a surah they're gonna be praying with the rest of their lives.
I figured i should also step up my religious game a bit and read Islamic books. I started from square one, Islam in general. What it means to be Muslim, and not just Sunni. I began reading into Shia, Sunni, and Sufi theology. It was interesting to say the least. I’ve read the generals but I wanted to go into historical depth. Then it became too many books to keep up with so I figured if a book should take precedence it should be the Qur'an. So Qur'an understanding and memorization it is.
Then during all that, I realized that "oh hey, I'm planning to go to law school. I need to take the LSAT exam for that". Yea, so I’m cracking open the books.
hmmmm, lets see what else.
I promised myself that i would try being healthier, and i swear its not easy! I don't know how my sister eats so much fruits. Seriously, like that has to be unhealthy or something. forget eating 5 fruits or vegetables a day. I'm trying to get it to 2 first! and running a mile everyday.
ummm, we'll see how far that goes.
Yep. so thats life.
I'm not much on the blogger scene anymore.
I barely get an internet connection as it is.
Happy 2nd day of summer Ya'll
<3
Started out visiting my dad and found him getting ready to move from his apartment. Seriously how much stuff do you need when your only two people in an apartment! The place was full of stuff that for lack of better words, had no use.
when i say my dad and brother can open a fishing equipment shop with all the stuff they've collected that would be an understatement.
During all that, I started teaching Arabic and Qur'an at their Masjid here. This is probably one of the most patience trying yet satisfying things to do. At times you'll have to repeat a verse 50844 times( slight exaggeration...maybe) before the kid gets it. Once they do though, and recite the whole surah back to you it feels good to know that you've helped them memorize a surah they're gonna be praying with the rest of their lives.
I figured i should also step up my religious game a bit and read Islamic books. I started from square one, Islam in general. What it means to be Muslim, and not just Sunni. I began reading into Shia, Sunni, and Sufi theology. It was interesting to say the least. I’ve read the generals but I wanted to go into historical depth. Then it became too many books to keep up with so I figured if a book should take precedence it should be the Qur'an. So Qur'an understanding and memorization it is.
Then during all that, I realized that "oh hey, I'm planning to go to law school. I need to take the LSAT exam for that". Yea, so I’m cracking open the books.
hmmmm, lets see what else.
I promised myself that i would try being healthier, and i swear its not easy! I don't know how my sister eats so much fruits. Seriously, like that has to be unhealthy or something. forget eating 5 fruits or vegetables a day. I'm trying to get it to 2 first! and running a mile everyday.
ummm, we'll see how far that goes.
Yep. so thats life.
I'm not much on the blogger scene anymore.
I barely get an internet connection as it is.
Happy 2nd day of summer Ya'll
<3
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