(Note: i didnt write this today.. i had written it a couple of months ago and posted it on an egroup.. so dont go thinking i didnt do any work :))
"Ankh-Morpork! Pearl of cities! This is not a completely accurate description, of course — it was not round and shiny — but even its worst enemies would agree that if you had to liken Ankh-Morpork to anything, then it might as well be a piece of rubbish covered with the diseased secretions of a dying mollusc."
This is one of many descriptions of Ankh-Morpork, a fictional city-state which features in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series of fantasy novels. As cities go, it is on the far side of corrupt and
polluted, and is subject to outbreaks of comedic violence and brou-ha-ha on a fairly regular basis. It is home to the Unseen University, a centre of magical learning. Pratchett explains that the city is similar to Tallinn and central Prague, but adds that it has elements of 18th century London, 19th century Seattle and modern New York.
Terence David John Pratchett OBE (known as Terry Pratchett) is an English fantasy author (born April 28, 1948, in Beaconsfield, Bucks) best known for his Discworld series, a series that takes place in a disc-shaped world that rotates on the backs of four giant elephants supported by the enormous turtle Great A'Tuin swimming its way through space :)
Prachett has this sense of witty British humor.. the kind that doesnt make you laugh on the "pie hits the clown" kind of situation, but on normal conversations and the irony of everyday life. The series now contains over 30 novels, and tackles topics from rock & roll to religion, philosophy, monarchy and politics... His Discworld characters mostly revolve around wizards, witches, watchmen, and DEATH :) (actually he shows Death in a very funny way... makes you even
sympathize with him!! check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_%28Discworld%29 , it's really good!)
I will attach at the end a list of nice TP quotes.. if you're into that kind of humor, you may be interested in checking out www.hexoogle.com, a google site that features a new quote by him each time you refresh :)
I recommend the Discworld series. And there is another book for him i highly recommend; Good Omens, co-authored with Neil Gaiman (the Coraline guy)..
by the way, i discovered TP thru Karim as well, but long before he travels.. he got me "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" for my bday.. Speaking of which, i forgot whom i had lent it to!
Some quotes by TP:
"After that one thing sort of led to another and pretty soon everyone was fighting to get something - either away, out or even."
"It wasn't blood in general he couldn't stand the sight of, it was just his blood in particular that was so upsetting."
"This is Art holding a Mirror up to Life. That's why everything is exactly the wrong way round."
Tortoise: "How many talking tortoises have you met?"
Brutha: "I don't know."
Tortoise: "What d'you mean, you don't know?"
Brutha: "Well, they might all talk. They just might not say anything when I'm there."
and a favorite of mine:
"'I'm not going to ride on a magic carpet!' he hissed. 'I'm afraid of grounds!'
'You mean heights,' said Conina. 'And stop being silly.'
'I know what I mean! It's the grounds that kill you!'"
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankh-Morpork
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Pratchett
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld#Published_work
a list of quotes is available on:
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Discworld
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
not quite a Blog!
i knew this song from Karembu.. it's by Cat Stevens (a.k.a. Yusuf Islam, Oh Baby it's a Wild World singer), it's called God is the Light.. and it really fits any faith.. Enjoy :)
How great the wonders of the heavens
And the timeless beauty of the night
How great – then how great the Creator?
And its stars like priceless jewels
Far beyond the reach of kings
Bow down for the shepherd guiding him home.
But how many eyes are closed
To the wonder of this night?
Like pearls, hidden, deep beneath a dark
Stream of desires.
But like dreams vanish with the call to prayer
And the dawn extinguishes night – here too are signs.
God is the Light - God is the Light
How great the beauty of the Earth and the creatures
Who dwell on her.
How great – then how great the Creator?
As it’s mountains pierce the clouds
High about the lives of men
Weeping rivers for thousands of years.
But how many hearts are closed
To the wonders of this sight?
Like birds on a cage, asleep with closed wings
But as work stops with the call to prayer
And the birds recite – here too are signs
God is the Light – God is the Light
How great the works of man and the things he makes
How great – then how great the Creator?
Though he strives to reach the heavens
He can barely survive
The wars of the world he lives in.
Yet, how many times he’s tried,
Himself to immortalise?
Like his parents before him in the Garden of Eden
But like the sun sets with the call to prayer
And surrenders to the night here too are signs
God is the Light Everlasting
God is the Light Everlasting
~ Cat Stevens
How great the wonders of the heavens
And the timeless beauty of the night
How great – then how great the Creator?
And its stars like priceless jewels
Far beyond the reach of kings
Bow down for the shepherd guiding him home.
But how many eyes are closed
To the wonder of this night?
Like pearls, hidden, deep beneath a dark
Stream of desires.
But like dreams vanish with the call to prayer
And the dawn extinguishes night – here too are signs.
God is the Light - God is the Light
How great the beauty of the Earth and the creatures
Who dwell on her.
How great – then how great the Creator?
As it’s mountains pierce the clouds
High about the lives of men
Weeping rivers for thousands of years.
But how many hearts are closed
To the wonders of this sight?
Like birds on a cage, asleep with closed wings
But as work stops with the call to prayer
And the birds recite – here too are signs
God is the Light – God is the Light
How great the works of man and the things he makes
How great – then how great the Creator?
Though he strives to reach the heavens
He can barely survive
The wars of the world he lives in.
Yet, how many times he’s tried,
Himself to immortalise?
Like his parents before him in the Garden of Eden
But like the sun sets with the call to prayer
And surrenders to the night here too are signs
God is the Light Everlasting
God is the Light Everlasting
~ Cat Stevens
Monday, June 27, 2005
Coraline :)
Fairy tales are more than true -
not because they tell us dragons exist,
but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.
~G. K. Chesterton
Neil Gaiman uses the above quote to start Coraline (2002), the horror children (and adults) story that is often compared to Alice in Wonderland..
Let me tell you about my experience with Coraline.. One time i was at Diwan, i sms'ed Karim Sobhi (aka Karembu) to recommend a book and he replied saying "Coraline".. i searched for it but with no use.. i checked out on B&N (i like B&N more than i like Amazon)... aaaaaaaaanyway, i decide to order the book and the next day, with no preamble, the door bell rings.. a messenger with a small package... mama goes like "that's definitely something from Karim" (dont get me wrong here, its not that i dont get stuff from other people.. and its not like Karim gets me a _lot_ of stuff or anything.. it was just pure chance that she guessed right.. oh, but you dont know she guessed right yet, i ruined it for you).. soooo, its Coraline from Karim :)
"It is the story of a young girl, daughter of loving but terminally distracted parents, who finds a door in the family apartment which previously opened onto a concrete wall but now opens onto a corridor, down which she finds another apartment, seemingly an exact copy of her own, inhabited by her Other Mother. The novel deals with concerns about identity, familial love and self-belief." (from en.wikipedia.org)
The story is more of a comic story actually than a horror one.. it has many of these sentences that make you go "hmmmm" like this one:
"Coraline wondered why so few of the adults she had met made any sense. She sometimes wondered who they thought they were talking to."
Coraline (pronounced Cora-line not Cora-leen) illustrates to us how, in the process of becoming adults, we can overlook the basic things in life.. Gaiman has a dark sense of humor; sort of like the one in black comedies.. He is fond of vampires and creatures with long nails and fangs and all.. but he also puts them through in a twisted way..
Here is another favorite quote from Coraline for cat-lovers :)
"The cat yawned slowly, carefully, revealing a mouth and tongue of astounding pinkness. "Cats don't have names," it said.
"No?" said Coraline.
"No," said the cat. "Now, you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names."
Gaiman is also the author of the Sandman graphic novels series, a comic-like series that talks about the Endless family: Destiny, Death, Destruction, Dream, Desire, Despair, and Delirium who was once Delight.. a real witty reading!
If you actually want to get a feel of what Gaiman is like here is a link to a *very* interesting article he wrote...
"Books have sexes; or to be more precise, books have genders"
http://www.powells.com/features/gaiman.html
Enjoy!
not because they tell us dragons exist,
but because they tell us dragons can be beaten.
~G. K. Chesterton
Neil Gaiman uses the above quote to start Coraline (2002), the horror children (and adults) story that is often compared to Alice in Wonderland..
Let me tell you about my experience with Coraline.. One time i was at Diwan, i sms'ed Karim Sobhi (aka Karembu) to recommend a book and he replied saying "Coraline".. i searched for it but with no use.. i checked out on B&N (i like B&N more than i like Amazon)... aaaaaaaaanyway, i decide to order the book and the next day, with no preamble, the door bell rings.. a messenger with a small package... mama goes like "that's definitely something from Karim" (dont get me wrong here, its not that i dont get stuff from other people.. and its not like Karim gets me a _lot_ of stuff or anything.. it was just pure chance that she guessed right.. oh, but you dont know she guessed right yet, i ruined it for you).. soooo, its Coraline from Karim :)
"It is the story of a young girl, daughter of loving but terminally distracted parents, who finds a door in the family apartment which previously opened onto a concrete wall but now opens onto a corridor, down which she finds another apartment, seemingly an exact copy of her own, inhabited by her Other Mother. The novel deals with concerns about identity, familial love and self-belief." (from en.wikipedia.org)
The story is more of a comic story actually than a horror one.. it has many of these sentences that make you go "hmmmm" like this one:
"Coraline wondered why so few of the adults she had met made any sense. She sometimes wondered who they thought they were talking to."
Coraline (pronounced Cora-line not Cora-leen) illustrates to us how, in the process of becoming adults, we can overlook the basic things in life.. Gaiman has a dark sense of humor; sort of like the one in black comedies.. He is fond of vampires and creatures with long nails and fangs and all.. but he also puts them through in a twisted way..
Here is another favorite quote from Coraline for cat-lovers :)
"The cat yawned slowly, carefully, revealing a mouth and tongue of astounding pinkness. "Cats don't have names," it said.
"No?" said Coraline.
"No," said the cat. "Now, you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names."
Gaiman is also the author of the Sandman graphic novels series, a comic-like series that talks about the Endless family: Destiny, Death, Destruction, Dream, Desire, Despair, and Delirium who was once Delight.. a real witty reading!
If you actually want to get a feel of what Gaiman is like here is a link to a *very* interesting article he wrote...
"Books have sexes; or to be more precise, books have genders"
http://www.powells.com/features/gaiman.html
Enjoy!
Saturday, June 25, 2005
Things I'll never say..
(thats a title to an Avril song.. but its not related)
Soooo... my 2nd blog for the day... i decided to "adopt" (not steal, adopt) Duke's method of listing what he doesnt like.. but i will list things that i both like or dont like....
Soooo... my 2nd blog for the day... i decided to "adopt" (not steal, adopt) Duke's method of listing what he doesnt like.. but i will list things that i both like or dont like....
- i dont like lying.. i dont like knowing that someone is lying to me _while_ they are lying.. it's "ok" to know it later, but not while they're actually lying.. i dont like justifications; either me giving them or receiving them.
- i dont like people placing assumptions on what i will or wont do.. If i said i wont do something and ended up doing it, i dont like people saying "i knew you'd do it" because i dont like the "i know you better than yourself" assumption.
- i dont like people emotionally blackmailing me.. Chances are, am not good enough to submit to blackmail but not bad enough to ignore it.. So more often than not, i wont do whats asked and i wont feel good about it, resulting in the blackmailer feeling bad and me feeling bad..
- on the other hand, i dont like it when people dont have faith in me.. when they dont ask me for help where i could be of help.. so too many expectations won't do, too little expectations won't do.. yes, am a bit silly about that..
- hmmmm... what else.. i like walking around in zamalek till i get lost :) well, not actually "lost".. If am alone then i usually try to walk perpendicular or parallel to 26th July Street so that i dont end up lost.. if am with someone, then its no big deal because just about _anyone_ has a better sense of direction than mine :)
- I just discovered that "My Alternative Reality" is such a common phrase, it bugged me..
- I like Alice in Wonderland.. i really do.. i relate to her a teeny meeny little bit..
- I used to luv Paradise Pie at Chilis until i tried Molten Chocolate Cake :) now its a tough call! the best ice-cream/hot cake mix i ever had was at La Mamma at Gezira Sheraton.. a hot chocolate cake that is empty from inside (imagine a chocolate cupcake that is hollow), with vanilla ice-cream on the side.. it was out of this world! the cake was soooooooooooo hot, soooo paper thin and soooo moist..
- i am soooo hungry and i really feel like ending this post...
ta ta..
By the River Piedra I sat down and wept
(that's an old review i wrote, and just wanted to share it.. funny how i understood back then, and am totally detached from it now)
"If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to
live, and I need to live it in the best way possible. If he has to
make a choice, may he make it now. Then I will either wait for him or
forget him. Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing
which to do is the worst kind of suffering."
The previous amazingly touching phrase is one of the many quotable
phrases in "By the River Piedra I sat down and wept" by Paulo Coelho
published March 1997. Even though I consider Coelho to be a purely
"commercial" writer, yet the beauty of this book is undeniable.. I
would recommend it as an easy, interesting read..
The book's synopsis from Barnes & Noble:
Pilar is an independent and practical yet restless young woman,
frustrated by the daily grind of university life and looking for
greater meaning in her existence. Her life is forever transformed by
an encounter with a childhood friend, now a mesmerizing and handsome
spiritual teacher - and a rumored miracle worker - who leads her on a
journey through the French Pyrenees, a magical landscape that has been
home to holy visions and miracles through the ages. On this passionate
adventure of the heart and spirit, the two lovers together glimpse the
feminine face of God and receive a startling revelation about the
divine - that what they have always known as God is actually love, the
powerful, essential force that is the very water of life. As they
rediscover each other, Pilar and her lover also discover the joyous
power at the heart of the human experience, and Paulo Coelho, our
preeminent weaver of spiritual adventure, once again opens a window
onto exhilaration and inspiration for his characters and readers
alike.
Favorite quotes from the book:
"All of us have had this experience. At some point, we have each said
through our tears, "I'm suffering for a love that's not worth it." We
suffer because we feel we are giving more than we receive. We suffer
because our love is going unrecognized. We suffer because we are
unable to impose our own rules."
"You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life
fully when we allow the unexpected to happen."
and a favorite:
"A fall from the third floor hurts as much as a fall from the
hundredth. If I have to fall, may it be from a high place."
"If pain must come, may it come quickly. Because I have a life to
live, and I need to live it in the best way possible. If he has to
make a choice, may he make it now. Then I will either wait for him or
forget him. Waiting is painful. Forgetting is painful. But not knowing
which to do is the worst kind of suffering."
The previous amazingly touching phrase is one of the many quotable
phrases in "By the River Piedra I sat down and wept" by Paulo Coelho
published March 1997. Even though I consider Coelho to be a purely
"commercial" writer, yet the beauty of this book is undeniable.. I
would recommend it as an easy, interesting read..
The book's synopsis from Barnes & Noble:
Pilar is an independent and practical yet restless young woman,
frustrated by the daily grind of university life and looking for
greater meaning in her existence. Her life is forever transformed by
an encounter with a childhood friend, now a mesmerizing and handsome
spiritual teacher - and a rumored miracle worker - who leads her on a
journey through the French Pyrenees, a magical landscape that has been
home to holy visions and miracles through the ages. On this passionate
adventure of the heart and spirit, the two lovers together glimpse the
feminine face of God and receive a startling revelation about the
divine - that what they have always known as God is actually love, the
powerful, essential force that is the very water of life. As they
rediscover each other, Pilar and her lover also discover the joyous
power at the heart of the human experience, and Paulo Coelho, our
preeminent weaver of spiritual adventure, once again opens a window
onto exhilaration and inspiration for his characters and readers
alike.
Favorite quotes from the book:
"All of us have had this experience. At some point, we have each said
through our tears, "I'm suffering for a love that's not worth it." We
suffer because we feel we are giving more than we receive. We suffer
because our love is going unrecognized. We suffer because we are
unable to impose our own rules."
"You have to take risks. We will only understand the miracle of life
fully when we allow the unexpected to happen."
and a favorite:
"A fall from the third floor hurts as much as a fall from the
hundredth. If I have to fall, may it be from a high place."
Sunday, June 19, 2005
missing header
hmmmmmmmmm..... lets give it a try..
- i got Sidney Sheldon's latest book.. Sidney Sheldon is my most favorite novelist.. i've read all his books but the first and last ones ("Naked Face" and "Are you afraid of the Dark?" respectively).. he is really an interesting person.. he writes about places and times, and makes you believe he was there.. so.. his 2004 latest was "are you afraid of the dark?".. at first the book was only available in hardcover in Diwan, so i thought its not that cool and i'd order the paperback.. then i found the paperback in Diwan.. since then, every time i go to Diwan and i dont have money, i find the book... if i go with money, the book is out.. soooooooooo, finally i went last Saturday, the book isnt there, so i let them do some computer search that showed that the book is there but somehow misplaced.. anyway, to cut it short, i got it :) i didnt have a chance to start it yet, which is weird, but i really havent had time for reading lately!!
- listening to Baby Boy for Beyonce + Sean Paul.. R&B tune that am completely in the mood for now...
- am so very tired....
- listening to Shoot the Moon (norah jones)
- i think am the typical definition of a nerd.. i mean i can skip updating my blog then go home a bit earlier, but am actually updating it so that am in the mood to work again :)
- Being an ex-Windows 2000 user, i rarely ever turn off my machine.. and i mean seriously.. ya3ni my machine now has been on for 9 days.. in IBM i remember once i made a record of 90 days!!!!! funny thing is, the machine was off because there was an electricity cut-off, not because i turned it off :) now the problem is, i work on an XP system now.. XP is not made for such heavy duty, so 3 days without shutdown and it starts going berzerk.. really.. logging out messenger, closing winamp, etc etc.. and i still wont shut it down! :P
- i want to be done with this blog so that i go back to work because i wanna go home early enough to sleep ba2a!! havent been sleeping right lately... but am enjoying the fact that am writing :)
- i think thats enough...........
- ah, one more thought, karim, you dont ask about me anymore!
now Aerosmith, am listening Amazing then Crazy then Dont wanna miss a thing (but i'll fwd this one) then Pink :)
i want to talk about some other stuff that are bugging me, but maybe not..
Good night.. or good morning & have a great day!
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Back? am i?
Sooooooooooooooooooo, i am back... after a long writer's block, i am back...
i am still taking baby steps tho.. am still getting used to writing again..
So let me start by talking about this week.. Last Sunday was my 1st day in my new place... I went very very early.. i was at worx @ 8 am!! on his way to work, Chris got me Cafe Tiramisu from Cilantro (and its pronounced Silantro not t-shilantro by the way... it sooo bugs me when someone doesnt get it keda!)
anyway.... hmmm seriously am now having doubts that tell me to stop writing but am fighting the urge aho... i had a biiiiiiiiig contribution in the company's newsletter thats being prepared these days.. i am not going to disclose it bass 3ashan the element of confidentiality :)
i need to go work now but i was getting used to writing :)
am deadly sleepy!
i am still taking baby steps tho.. am still getting used to writing again..
So let me start by talking about this week.. Last Sunday was my 1st day in my new place... I went very very early.. i was at worx @ 8 am!! on his way to work, Chris got me Cafe Tiramisu from Cilantro (and its pronounced Silantro not t-shilantro by the way... it sooo bugs me when someone doesnt get it keda!)
anyway.... hmmm seriously am now having doubts that tell me to stop writing but am fighting the urge aho... i had a biiiiiiiiig contribution in the company's newsletter thats being prepared these days.. i am not going to disclose it bass 3ashan the element of confidentiality :)
i need to go work now but i was getting used to writing :)
am deadly sleepy!
Thursday, June 09, 2005
You make me feel so young (another lyrics!)
You make me feel so young
You make me feel like spring has sprung
Every time I see you grin
I’m such a happy individual
The moment that you speak
I want to go and play hide-and-seek
I want to go and bounce the moon
Just like a toy balloon
You and i, are just like a couple of tots
Running across the meadow
Picking up lots of forget-me-nots
You make me feel so young
You make me feel there are songs to be sung
Bells to be rung, and a wonderful fling to be flung
And even when I’m old and gray
I’m gonna feel the way I do today
’cause you make me feel so young
~Frank Sinatra
You make me feel like spring has sprung
Every time I see you grin
I’m such a happy individual
The moment that you speak
I want to go and play hide-and-seek
I want to go and bounce the moon
Just like a toy balloon
You and i, are just like a couple of tots
Running across the meadow
Picking up lots of forget-me-nots
You make me feel so young
You make me feel there are songs to be sung
Bells to be rung, and a wonderful fling to be flung
And even when I’m old and gray
I’m gonna feel the way I do today
’cause you make me feel so young
~Frank Sinatra
This week in history..
well, what do you know.. it turns out i had one of my worst weeks since the move... why...... a series of issues...
* Sunday: woke up late.. 3 hrs later than what i wanted...
do i really want to blog? i dont feel like continuig the whole thing here.. i really dont... i havent been bloggin OR reading other ppl's blogs....
i cant blog.. really... i cant.. even listing the week's ugly events is a tiresome job................
maybe i'll post some lyrics instead! :)
* Sunday: woke up late.. 3 hrs later than what i wanted...
do i really want to blog? i dont feel like continuig the whole thing here.. i really dont... i havent been bloggin OR reading other ppl's blogs....
i cant blog.. really... i cant.. even listing the week's ugly events is a tiresome job................
maybe i'll post some lyrics instead! :)
Wednesday, June 08, 2005
Be Here to Love Me :)
Your eyes seek conclusion in all this confusion of mine
Though you and I both know it's only the warm glow of wine
That's got you to feeling this way, but I don't care,
I want you to stay
and hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
Children are dancin', the gamblers are chancin' their all
The window's accusing the door of abusing the wall
But who cares what the night watchmen say
The stage has been set for the play
Hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
The moon's come and gone but a few stars hang on on to the sky
The wind's runnin' free but it ain't up to me ask why
The poets are demanding their pay
They've left me with nothin' to say
'cept hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
Just hold me and tell me that you'll be here to love me today
~Norah Jones
Though you and I both know it's only the warm glow of wine
That's got you to feeling this way, but I don't care,
I want you to stay
and hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
Children are dancin', the gamblers are chancin' their all
The window's accusing the door of abusing the wall
But who cares what the night watchmen say
The stage has been set for the play
Hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
The moon's come and gone but a few stars hang on on to the sky
The wind's runnin' free but it ain't up to me ask why
The poets are demanding their pay
They've left me with nothin' to say
'cept hold me and tell me you'll be here to love me today
Just hold me and tell me that you'll be here to love me today
~Norah Jones
Tuesday, June 07, 2005
See you when you're 40
I've driven round in circles for three hours
It was bound to happen that I'd end up at your house
I temporarily forgot there's better days to come
I thought that I would give it just one more chance
Cos' I want, tonight, what I've been waiting for
But I found, tonight, what I'd been warned about
You think that you are complicated, deep mystery to all
Well it's taken me a while to see, you're not so special
All energy no meaning, with a lot of words
So paper thin that one real feeling, could knock you down
And I've seen, tonight, what I'd been warned about
I'm gonna leave, tonight, before I change my mind
So see me when your 40, lost and all alone
being comforted by strangers you'll never need to know
not sad because you lost me
but sad because you thought it was cool to be sad
You think misery will make you stand apart from the crowd
well if you had walked past me today I wouldn't have picked you out
I wouldn't have picked you out
now I've seen, tonight, how I could waste my time
and I'll be on my way, and I won't be back
cos I've seen, tonight, what I've been warned about
your just a boy, not a man, and I'm not coming back
~See you when you're 40 by Dido!
my favorite line is "if you had walked past me today I wouldn't have picked you out" :)
tom ba2a a real blog :)
good night
It was bound to happen that I'd end up at your house
I temporarily forgot there's better days to come
I thought that I would give it just one more chance
Cos' I want, tonight, what I've been waiting for
But I found, tonight, what I'd been warned about
You think that you are complicated, deep mystery to all
Well it's taken me a while to see, you're not so special
All energy no meaning, with a lot of words
So paper thin that one real feeling, could knock you down
And I've seen, tonight, what I'd been warned about
I'm gonna leave, tonight, before I change my mind
So see me when your 40, lost and all alone
being comforted by strangers you'll never need to know
not sad because you lost me
but sad because you thought it was cool to be sad
You think misery will make you stand apart from the crowd
well if you had walked past me today I wouldn't have picked you out
I wouldn't have picked you out
now I've seen, tonight, how I could waste my time
and I'll be on my way, and I won't be back
cos I've seen, tonight, what I've been warned about
your just a boy, not a man, and I'm not coming back
~See you when you're 40 by Dido!
my favorite line is "if you had walked past me today I wouldn't have picked you out" :)
tom ba2a a real blog :)
good night
Monday, June 06, 2005
ITWorx group :)
from left to right:
the guy in the Brasil t-shirt: Sameh, graphic designer, a very talented person and a hilariously funny character.. you can spend 10 minutes laughing at what he is saying and then discover he is making fun of YOU! Also an ex-tennis player which makes him a very good person :)
the sleepy guy with the (inapparent here) ponytail: Ahmed Mahfouz, i dont really know what his actual job is.. he works a lot, i know that far.. and he also spends his day smoking and drinking _strong_ coffee... a nice character.. you can trust him but, more often than not, he'll tell you what you dont want to hear.. a true advice ;)
the guy in black behind Mahfouz: Hussam.. Mahfouz calls him Wolverine.. a very nice and friendly guy but i didnt get to know him awi..
the pretending-to-be-shy-but-indeed-very-cool girl in red: Millania.. weird name and its weirder when she tries to explain it :) She was on the cover of Business Today in May's issue that featured ITWorx as "the most exciting company in Egypt" and ever since she is living the role of a supermodel superstar ;) Mill is a cool one.. she seemed too "girlie" but turned out to be really funny and "day3a"
the big-grin-from-ear-to-ear as if there is no care in the world: ME!
Behind me in a green veil: Yasmine.. a.k.a. Zeww.. the Shikapores lady.. (Shikapores is a story to come).. she was one of the main reasons i came to ITWorx.. actually if it wasnt for her, i probably wouldnt have gotten to change careers.. she also has the coolest soft toy, Cinko! a very cool person indeed, always making me smile (or cry, or just wonder in silence :)) Very loyal and very "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG in text manipulation terms -an acronym from my past life as a software engineer!)
Beside Yasmine: Yaser (and not spelled Yasser).. her "singnificant other".. a very cool person to tease.. with very philosophical views about the world, including the cartoon "Monsters Inc." that turned out to be about globalization :) Sometimes a very good taste in music, he likes Souad Massi and some other favorites of mine..
in front of Yaser: Nevine Cookie, or just Cookies, or Cookies 'n Cream.. an IBM friend who thought i was way too weird when she first met me, then it turned out we had so so much in common... we used to go to Diwan's bookstore, spend our salary then almost beg our way back home :) if you get her in the mood, you'd be surprised what she's capable of becoming... a diamond in the rough :)
black Superman: Kareem Mosatafa... not a WYSIWYG at all!! you see a nice, friendly young man.. you get a sarcastic sharp sense of humor that really gets to your bone.. i only knew that from checking his own blog.
hmmmmmmm...... i now realized that Chris is not in the pic... after i carefully picked this one to include us all... weird! :)) very annoying actually... i will post another one now...
the guy in the Brasil t-shirt: Sameh, graphic designer, a very talented person and a hilariously funny character.. you can spend 10 minutes laughing at what he is saying and then discover he is making fun of YOU! Also an ex-tennis player which makes him a very good person :)
the sleepy guy with the (inapparent here) ponytail: Ahmed Mahfouz, i dont really know what his actual job is.. he works a lot, i know that far.. and he also spends his day smoking and drinking _strong_ coffee... a nice character.. you can trust him but, more often than not, he'll tell you what you dont want to hear.. a true advice ;)
the guy in black behind Mahfouz: Hussam.. Mahfouz calls him Wolverine.. a very nice and friendly guy but i didnt get to know him awi..
the pretending-to-be-shy-but-indeed-very-cool girl in red: Millania.. weird name and its weirder when she tries to explain it :) She was on the cover of Business Today in May's issue that featured ITWorx as "the most exciting company in Egypt" and ever since she is living the role of a supermodel superstar ;) Mill is a cool one.. she seemed too "girlie" but turned out to be really funny and "day3a"
the big-grin-from-ear-to-ear as if there is no care in the world: ME!
Behind me in a green veil: Yasmine.. a.k.a. Zeww.. the Shikapores lady.. (Shikapores is a story to come).. she was one of the main reasons i came to ITWorx.. actually if it wasnt for her, i probably wouldnt have gotten to change careers.. she also has the coolest soft toy, Cinko! a very cool person indeed, always making me smile (or cry, or just wonder in silence :)) Very loyal and very "what you see is what you get" (WYSIWYG in text manipulation terms -an acronym from my past life as a software engineer!)
Beside Yasmine: Yaser (and not spelled Yasser).. her "singnificant other".. a very cool person to tease.. with very philosophical views about the world, including the cartoon "Monsters Inc." that turned out to be about globalization :) Sometimes a very good taste in music, he likes Souad Massi and some other favorites of mine..
in front of Yaser: Nevine Cookie, or just Cookies, or Cookies 'n Cream.. an IBM friend who thought i was way too weird when she first met me, then it turned out we had so so much in common... we used to go to Diwan's bookstore, spend our salary then almost beg our way back home :) if you get her in the mood, you'd be surprised what she's capable of becoming... a diamond in the rough :)
black Superman: Kareem Mosatafa... not a WYSIWYG at all!! you see a nice, friendly young man.. you get a sarcastic sharp sense of humor that really gets to your bone.. i only knew that from checking his own blog.
hmmmmmmm...... i now realized that Chris is not in the pic... after i carefully picked this one to include us all... weird! :)) very annoying actually... i will post another one now...
Thursday, June 02, 2005
Too proud to tango alone.....
.....but too cool not to try it ;)
i dont know what made me think of such a phrase, but it's been ringing in my ears since yesterday actually..
I still believe in:
i dont know what made me think of such a phrase, but it's been ringing in my ears since yesterday actually..
I still believe in:
- Happy Endings
- Frog Princes
- Second Chances
and nothing will ever change that (i hope!)..
The CS Dept event yday was very cool.. would've been cooler if more people showed up, but apparently it wasnt well announced.. They actually presented Wael Amin (our company's president) with the “Distinguished Alumni Award” for his efforts in the IT field and all...
I was with Youssef Assabgy all the time (a.k.a. Jaw, a.k.a. Sub-G), who is my Salsa friend (only those who knew us in the graduation project semester would know what that is about! ;)) We made fun of each and every one just like the good old times (including making fun of each other) then we had a quality talk in Beano's and he drove me home in his not-so-brand-new-but-brand-new-to-me car, he really really "sky-rocketed" the mood... Sub-G >>>> You ROCK! :) (and you're not a peacock ;))
until the next blog,
Cheers!
A quote from the Bible
(no, am not Christian, but no one said i had to be Christian to quote it! I just luv this wisdom i will paste :))
For everything there is
a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:
a time to be born,- and a time to die;
- a time to plant,
- and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill,- and a time to heal;
- a time to break down,
- and a time to build up;
a time to weep,- and a time to laugh;
- a time to mourn,
- and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones,- and a time to gather stones together;
- a time to embrace,
- and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to seek,- and a time to lose;
- a time to keep,
- and a time to cast away;
a time to tear,- and a time to sew;
- a time to keep silence,
- and a time to speak;
a time to love,- and a time to hate;
- a time for war,
- and a time for peace.
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Wednesday, June 01, 2005
Eih ya bartner? :) Take it easy on the readers man...
that was my clipboard pasted again :) That was a comment from Karim-Bo on Sherif's blog...
yes it's true.... Sherif Shaltout (a.k.a Duke of Darkness) now has his own blog.. you can check it out but at your own risk... i am not saying it's not cool... quite the contrary, it is very mega cool.. it just won't appeal to the typical person ;)
hmmm it's going to be a short blog today.. The CS Dept at uni is doing this reunion thing and the minister will come say somsin and all.. (which minister, i dont need to specify i guess :))
am having a "cool" day... toooooo much work, am busy but nothing gets done! :S
it's like am just like where i started in the morning!!
more about that later...
yes it's true.... Sherif Shaltout (a.k.a Duke of Darkness) now has his own blog.. you can check it out but at your own risk... i am not saying it's not cool... quite the contrary, it is very mega cool.. it just won't appeal to the typical person ;)
hmmm it's going to be a short blog today.. The CS Dept at uni is doing this reunion thing and the minister will come say somsin and all.. (which minister, i dont need to specify i guess :))
am having a "cool" day... toooooo much work, am busy but nothing gets done! :S
it's like am just like where i started in the morning!!
more about that later...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)