The Shower
"Everyone who's ever taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference."
Monday, July 15, 2019
يا حسافه - عارف الزياني
Wednesday, August 06, 2014
What changed?
They were answers to 23 questions. I'm answering as I read. Here we go:
2- Best friend: You. Everyone.
5- Favorite Color: Orange
6- Gummi bears or Worms: Neither.
7- Home town: Wherever my heart is at a given time.
8- Indulgence: People watching. Writing.
10- Kids: Hello kids!
11- Life: is beautiful.
12- Marriage: an interesting concept, a unique bond.
13- Number of sinblings: 1 lovely energetic girl, 1 creative rocker boy.
15- Phobias: None. Ok maybe insects, but I need to double check.
16- Favorite Quote: إمشي يا روح امك - أنونيموس
17- Reason to smile: No reason.
18- Season: Fall.
20- Unknown fact about me: In an alternative universe I'm a Buddhist monk.
21- Worst habit: I'm perfect.
23- Zodiac: Capricorn.
Five Years Later
It's an experiment I want to start, making writing a regular practice. I hope I get used to it.
Good luck to me!
J
Monday, September 14, 2009
قد كده ملهوف عليك
الجنس على أنغام أم كلثوم..
عنيف.. ثوري.. كتصفيق الجالس في الصف الحادي عشر
كتنهيدتها –المبالغة- في الأوقات الخاطئة
لذة الاشتياق لشيء ألفته/تكتشفه للمرة الأولى
فيه هيبة الخطيئة.. وفداحة ضياع هيبة عازف يجر نغمة نشاز..
هو كما هو.. فوضى لذيذة تثير الحواس
تستفزها
كفعل فادح في مكان عام
كمتعة اختلاس القبلة في سينما مزدحمة
كشرب خمر رخيص لأنك تشتهيه في هذه اللحظة بالذات
هو كما هو..
إيقاع لا علاقة له بمحيطه
عارٍ وشهي كالجنس الصباحي..
قليل أدبٍ في لحظة ليس للأدب فيها مكان
صحيح ويكاد أن يكون خطأ
لحظة غير عاقلة التهمت فيها الرغبة الطرب فتوهجت أغنية روك
هو بالنهاية كما هو..
جنس على أنغام أم كلثوم
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
بؤس
Monday, August 24, 2009
هذي
أكتب..
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أكتب..
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أكتب عن عبثي..
أكتب عن صبري، عن غدري، عن الفرص الضائعة.. أو تلك التي أضعتها بإرادتي..
واكتب عن تلك التي رفضت أن تسميها فرصاً.
أكتب عن الرغبة الجامحة، المحرمة، ولذتها.. واكتب عن متعة الشبق الذي لا تعرفه، واكتب عن الذي لم تره..
أكتب عما رسمته في خيالك، أكتب أنك لم ترسمه، وأن لا خيال لك أصلاً لترسم فيه..
أكتب عن العجز، عن التوهان.. عن أنك تعرف تماماً ما تريد ولا تعرف بالتحديد ماذا تريد.. وأنك في الحقيقة لا تريد شيئاً.
صف لي ابتسامتها، أنفها، وجهها البريء/نزق روحها..
أكتب عن شهوة المظاهر الخادعة.
أو ابق كما أنت، رتيب/عديم الفائدة/بليد، ولا تكتب شيئاً.
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طيب أرسم..(؟)
بس أنت فاشل في الرسم أساساً..
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Sunday, April 20, 2008
أحمد
ففي مغامرات الطلبة أغان.. وحين عرفتها كانت أوتار الشيخ إمام تعزف في مؤخرة رأسي فكانت مثار دموع وأمل.
واليوم وجدت أغنيتي.. وعدت لشخص فيني نسيته لظروف عديدة لم يكن أي منها متعمداً..
عاد فيني بفرح ذاك الثائر/المثابر/الحالم/العاشق/حليق الرأس دون دعوة.. ابتسمت وأشعلت نيران أغنيتي وتوقدت.
ولا ينقصني سواك. ليعود الثائر العاشق الأناني فيني... أجمل.
هذا أنا.. فافتحي لي أحضانك وأنت الحب والوطن.
Saturday, June 09, 2007
سكت دهراً
2- Best friend: Turtle.
5- Favorite Color: Blue
6- Gummi bears or Worms: Gummi bears
7- Home town: مشرد
8- Indulgence: هي
10- Kids: Would love to have them. In fact, this is a good chance to tell you how happy I was when I dreamt the other day that I got a kid. I woke up smiling and sad that it wasn't true.
11- Life: Come again?
12- Marriage: Read #11.
13- Number of sinblings: Amazing sister and an amazing brother that I hate myself for not spending enough time with.
15- Phobias: Heights, unless I'm behind a window.
16- Favorite Quote: أشوفج أحسن من ما أشوفج.. Anyone cares to complete this wonderful poetic verse?
17- Reason to smile: أيضاً هي
18- Season: No seasons in Kuwait. Back there, I used to love Spring and Fall.
20- Unknown fact about me: Shyness.
21- Worst habit: You tell me. 3aneed maybe?
23- Zodiac: Capricorn.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
عبير
Saturday, October 07, 2006
4:44
Monday, October 02, 2006
AAUUGGGHHHH!
I wrote a long post about "motivation", since I've been demotivated for the past week or so. The post vanished!
I remember ini tefalsaft (wayid I think, bs I was good), and realized at the end of the post ena ma 3indi salfa. Fa you don't need me repeating what I said.
Enba6at chabdi.
Enjoy the rest of your day.
Off topic (as if there is one): I want a cigarette!
تك تك تك تك تك
ساعته تشير لوقت متأخر، أو هكذا يفترض.
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يذكر أول يوم له في المدرسة.. عندما بكى خوفاً عند وداعه ذلك الأمان..
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يشعر برغبة لبكاء طويل..
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يترك قلمه.
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Saturday, September 23, 2006
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Thursday, August 03, 2006
تبا
تباً للعاطفة
تباً للهاتف
تباً لأبولهب (وتب؟)
تباً "للنضال"
تباً لإسرائيل.. وتباً لحزب الله
تباً للبحر
تباً للتبغ للكحول للـ..شهوة
تباً للطفولة
تباً للكهولة
تباً للمدونة
تباً للكتابة
للسفر
تباً.. للمطر
"تباً للمستحيل"
تباً للمنطق
تباً للعقل
تباً لك..
نعم نعم.. لك أنت وأنت تقرأ..
تباً للحب
تباً للأحاديث السخيفة
للأنف الجميل
لزيتون الصباح
لرائحة القهوة
لهما
للزوايا المنسية
للتقارير السخيفة
للمحاذير
للأخلاق والأدب
لـ"سقارة"
للنبيذ .. مع الثلج
للصين.. بكبرها
للكمنجات
للمشاعر
للغرور
تباً لأنني يوما سأفنى .. وأقول تباً للحظات ضائعة
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تباً لـ "تباً"
Monday, July 24, 2006
من قلبي سلام
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Paradise Lost: Robert Fisk's elegy for Beirut
Elegant buildings lie in ruins. The heady scent of gardenias gives way to the acrid stench of bombed-out oil installations. And everywhere terrified people are scrambling to get out of a city that seems tragically doomed to chaos and destruction. As Beirut - 'the Paris of the East' - is defiled yet again, Robert Fisk, a resident for 30 years, asks: how much more punishment can it take?
In the year 551, the magnificent, wealthy city of Berytus - headquarters of the imperial East Mediterranean Roman fleet - was struck by a massive earthquake. In its aftermath, the sea withdrew several miles and the survivors - ancestors of the present-day Lebanese - walked out on the sands to loot the long-sunken merchant ships revealed in front of them.
That was when a tidal wall higher than a tsunami returned to swamp the city and kill them all. So savagely was the old Beirut damaged that the Emperor Justinian sent gold from Constantinople as compensation to every family left alive.
Some cities seem forever doomed. When the Crusaders arrived at Beirut on their way to Jerusalem in the 11th century, they slaughtered every man, woman and child in the city. In the First World War, Ottoman Beirut suffered a terrible famine; the Turkish army had commandeered all the grain and the Allied powers blockaded the coast. I still have some ancient postcards I bought here 30 years ago of stick-like children standing in an orphanage, naked and abandoned.
An American woman living in Beirut in 1916 described how she "passed women and children lying by the roadside with closed eyes and ghastly, pale faces. It was a common thing to find people searching the garbage heaps for orange peel, old bones or other refuse, and eating them greedily when found. Everywhere women could be seen seeking eatable weeds among the grass along the roads..."How does this happen to Beirut? For 30 years, I've watched this place die and then rise from the grave and then die again, its apartment blocks pitted with so many bullets they looked like Irish lace, its people massacring each other.
And then, most disgraceful of all, we leave the Lebanese to their fate like a diseased people and spend our time evacuating our precious foreigners while tut-tutting about Israel's "disproportionate" response to the capture of its soldiers by Hizbollah.
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To Beirut - peace to Beirut with all my heart
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Tuesday, July 18, 2006
لازلنا نبيها
قالت "you guys did it".. ولم نفعل شيئاً..
في تاريخ الشعوب قامت ثورات.. وتحققت ثروات.. غزى نابليون لأنه قصير القامة.. وبعده هتلر لأنه يعاني ضعفاً جنسياً.. أو هكذا يقولون..
في تاريخ الشعوب سحقت حركات.. وعذب شباب.. أحبط بعضهم.. وواصل البقية نضالهم.. لوحدهم!
وفي تاريخ الكويت.. سيكتب أن الشباب اتشح البرتقالي.. وأرادها خمس..
وتحققت الخمس..
وتحققت إرادة الشعب..
إلا أن بين هذه الحشود يجلس شاب... -هو أيضاً- أرادها خمس.. حليق الرأس... ذو ذقن عادة ما يهمل حلاقته لأنه يعتقد أن لا وقت لديه..
كانوا يهتفون من حوله بأنهم "يبونها".. وهو أيضاً "يبيها".. ليس لأنه كهتلر أو نابليون.. بل لأنه أحبها..
تحققت إرادة الشعب.. ولم تتحقق إرادته..
هم نبيها.. سام!
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Two Weeks in Review
Welcome to two thousand and six
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
معلومات عامة
Sometime around the late 1920's, Champagne Moët et Chandon adopted his name for their new luxury or prestige cuvée of Champagne. Helped in part by Hollywood glamour, this extremely well marketed brand has developed a widespread reputation in countries across the globe. In most vintages it has proved to be considerably above average in quality and is in huge demand. Its 1990 vintage is generally admired as an exceptional Champagne.
The distribution philosophy for Dom Perignon seems to have changed a great deal over the years. Patrick Forbes, a director of the UK importers of Dom Perignon, wrote of the blend, in his outstanding book 'CHAMPAGNE' in 1967, "It always has been and always will be in very short supply". Yet nowadays one can find it quite easily in cities all over the world.
It has been an onerous task to acquire information about Dom Perignon, as key enquiries have brought no response. We believe that Moët et Chandon has declared a vintage for Dom Perignon in the years 1959-1995, but are open to correction. Alongside the vintages, where available, are auction or stockist prices, researched in the second half of 1999.
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
مبروك
Thursday, September 08, 2005
يازين أمريكا
Monday, August 22, 2005
نعود لنسود
Thursday, June 30, 2005
A Temporary Matter
Enjoy!
Monday, June 27, 2005
A Persian Rug
The whole world was silent for a moment. Ali couldn’t hear anything for a minute until his mother’s weeping suddenly broke into his ears. There was the old man, lying peacefully in his bed, looking pale as he has never seen him before. Ali knew that that would be the last time he’d see his father. Ali, who was a lonely child, did not cry. All of a sudden he was not able to bring tears to his eyes. He was shocked more than being sad. He recalled the first memory of his father, smiling in his face and playing with him. He remembered how his father taught him how to plant “romman” –pomegranate- at an early age; he even remembered how his father got angry if Ali wouldn’t eat all the seeds. He told him there’s always one seed in the romman that gets a person into heaven when they eat it. From that day on, Ali loved eating romman every day; he saw it as a short cut to heaven and gave him comfort when his father got angry because Ali didn’t do his daily prayers. He recalled the first time his father has beaten him when he took a nap under a tree instead of working on the field. All these memories flashed before his eyes as he stood in front of the body of his dead father.
Ali knows that it’s been hard for his family lately to manage their lives, his father’s death only made it worse. The drought has affected their land severely, and is now moving to neighboring towns. His village is empty, everyone left to places where they can earn a living. Ali doesn’t know what to do, he suddenly found himself, at the age of 11, in the position of responsibility towards his pregnant mother and widowed aunt.
It was a cold afternoon in March in Sangeel, a village in the outskirts of Shiraz in Iran. Ali was sitting outside his house, like any other day lately. Ali remembers how just two years ago, he and his father would plant the seeds for the following season’s crops. A woman walked out of the house, he knew she was the wife of Mr. Ismael, his father’s friend. Ali’s mother called his name, her voice sounded urgent. Ali walked into the house, an old one floor house made of red clay that somehow over time began to look grey. His mother was sitting on the floor in the corner of the living room with his aunt whispering something, as his mother saw him, she looked ready to tell him something. Although he couldn’t think of anything that would have his mother look so anxious to tell, Ali feared what she was about to say even before knowing what it was. He wanted to escape the pressure and avoided eye contact with her immediately. He tried to look unworried, and went to the other corner of the room to the clay container where water was stored to keep it cold. He took a sip of water even though he wasn’t thirsty; he did it just to get him self some more time before knowing what he thought was troubling news. His mother called again, thinking that he didn’t hear her before, “Ali come my darling,” she said trying to comfort him. The room was very dark but from a ray of light coming from the window beside his mother. His aunt was giving him looks of sympathy that he didn’t understand.
“Ismael’s wife was just here,” His mother said, and continued “you’re uncle Ismael wants to talk to you tonight. I told her you will go see him after the night prayer,” She concluded authoritatively.
“What is it about?” Ali asked.
“Don’t worry my dear; it’s only for the best of you and all of us. It will be the start of something good.” His aunt Khadija said with a smile.
That night, Ali felt an urge to perform the Esha –night- prayer. Maybe because it was what his father always wanted to see him do, be a good Muslim, but probably to kill time, especially that his mother always told him about the comfort of prayer. He needed the comfort before going to meet uncle Ismael. He never liked someone to tell him that they want them with something, because all it does is make him worry until that meeting. During prayer, the thought of possibilities couldn’t escape him, only he didn’t know what the possibilities are. Finally, the time came; he left their house for uncle Ismael’s house. It was a 5 minute walk, he tried to think about silly things on the way; where do falling stars go? Where does this small stream end?
As he arrived, he saw that a torch was on in the men’s lounge which was a separate part of the house. Ismael’s family was better off than Ali’s, they had a bigger house and many torches to light all the rooms at once. Ali’s house had only two torches, two bedrooms and a small living room part of which was a kitchen with a ground stove and a couple of pans. Ali entered the room, taking his shoes off outside. The room was filled with light as if it was morning. Uncle Ismael was sitting at the head of the room on the floor cushions that surrounded the room. Six other men were sitting having small conversations around the room. He didn’t recognize any of them. “Al Salam Alaikom,” Ali said in a loud voice that still sounded childish. Uncle Ismael looked at him with a wide smile as he walked through the long room, he pointed to Ali to sit next to him. Ali leaned forward and kissed uncle Ismael on his head and sat beside him. Ismael carried on with a conversation with the man next to him, while Ali started scanning the room around him. The walls were decorated with Persian rugs and some paintings; he smiled remembering how their house’s walls are decorated with cracks and stains. He looked closely at the Persian rug on the wall, it was beautiful and colorful. It showed a golden lion with people surrounding it. He remembered what his father told him about the Persian rugs, they’re the finest in the world and the rug gets better the more people step on it.
Finishing his conversation, uncle Ismael turned to him with a smile and poured minted tea into a cup next to him and handed it to Ali. After asking about his family, Ismael proceeded to say, “My son, I called you here to offer you help. I know you and aunt and mother are living a hard life, especially now with your father gone. It was hard enough for him... I can understand how you now can’t bear to live here.”
Uncle Ismael’s words were somewhat comforting to Ali, but he couldn’t see where he’s going. And just like what his father told him to do when older people talked, Ali listened. “I promised your father that I would take care of you and your mother, and I’m doing my duty towards him in front of god. I have arranged for you and your mother and aunt to move to Bushehr, it’s an area down by the sea. There’s a Bandar –port- in this area and I have talked to some people that are going to take care of you and get you on a boat. The boat will take you to across the sea to Koveit.” Ali didn’t want to hear the rest, and although uncle Ismael was talking, Ali this time was not listening. How can I move to another place? Why?! What is this Koveit?! He simply is not willing to go anywhere.
“Are you with me my son?” Uncle Ismael said when he noticed that Ali was drifting away with his thoughts. Ali gave his attention back to Ismael who continued, “As I said, it is a new country where one can make a decent living. Many of my relatives have gone there and many of the people in Sangeel too. I’m sending a letter with you to my cousin and he will take care of you and find you a job. Go there, and earn a living and one day you will come back here. It’s getting very hard to live here in Iran. This is the best thing for all of you.”
“But uncle, I have never been anywhere! How can I travel and leave our home? I don’t know what Koveit is!” Ali said with a very worried look. He looked even more worried than at his father’s funeral where Ismael last saw him.
“My son, this is all for the best. You don’t want your pregnant mother to have her child live a life here. There is no future here. I’m also thinking of moving, and might join you there soon. As for Koveit, I’m getting very good news from our relatives and friends there. They struggle with the language at first, because beyond that sea they’re all Arabs, but there’s a decent living. Go there
and make money then decide if you want to come back or not, it will only be for a short while at least until things get better here. Arrangements have been made, and you will leave to Bushehr in 5 days.”
It seemed inevitable to Ali, especially when he went back to his house and saw his mother and aunt. They agreed with what uncle Ismael offered, and told Ali that it would be for the best of everyone and that there’s nothing to loose anymore with the worsening conditions in Iran.
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The sea was spectacular. Ali has never seen that much water in one place. He remembered the old stream next to his house and asking where it ended. He also hasn’t seen that many people in one place. He remembered when his father once took him to Shiraz. It was huge with many people but not as much as here. The port was crowded with people moving in all directions, many shouting and yelling. Many were speaking a language he never heard before. He realized then that it was a different Iranian dialect than what they use in Sangeel and Shiraz. He seemed like a kid among giants. All the men around him had a strong build. He kept his mother and aunt waiting for him on a corner, while he went to ask about their ship.
As he turned the corner, he realized what a port is. He saw all the ships and dhows packed next to each other on the port’s dock. He stood for a second absorbing the enormity of the scene. It was a different world than what he had known. He suddenly felt excited, but the fear overwhelmed the excitement. He wanted to be back in Sangeel listening to his father’s stories over his mother’s cooked hot dinner about the legends that built this country. But he had to face the new reality. He walked to a group of men sitting at a table playing with dice a game he doesn’t understand. He didn’t want to distract them from what they’re doing, so he just stared at them from a close distance hoping to gain their attention. It didn’t take long for the bald man among them to stare back at Ali. He said something in a weird language. From the man’s tone Ali understood that he was asking him a question, but couldn’t really understand what he was saying. He quickly gave the man a piece of paper he was holding that had the name of the boat they were supposed to travel on. Recognizing the language Ali speaks, the man talked to him in that language and pointed to a dhow parked at the dock. Ali thanked the man and went back to his mother and aunt.
In front of the huge dhow stood two wooden walkways that lead to the main deck, people where rushing in and out of the ship carrying boxes and bags that were on the dock on their way in. A huge man was standing on the main deck talking to some men and seemed to be giving instructions. He was wearing a white shirt half buttoned, he looked overweight, and the white shirt appeared to be from his younger days along with the short black pants. He wore a black beret hat that had some writing in the front and carried a red handkerchief in his hands. His face was huge, almost non human with a short beard that had not been shaved for a couple of days. As soon as the man saw Ali and his company, he shouted to one of the men in a language that Ali understood, “I told you, women and children from the back.” The skinny man looked troubled and hurried towards Ali. He told him to get in the boat through the rear walkway. Ali followed his instructions. The walkway looked dangerous; it had no handles so any tiny shake would mean that he will fall in the water. The man on the deck told the women to get in first, they did quickly. Ali followed them. He walked slowly and kept looking down despite the man telling him not to do so. Ali knew that he did not know how to swim, and feared falling in the water beneath him. The man reached his hand to pull Ali and he did. His hand was not soft. The hand reminded Ali of his father’s rough hands. The man told Ali to go to a corner where other women, children, and some men were sitting. There were about twenty of them.
Ali gave the paper he had to the man that pulled him onto the deck. The man quickly went and showed the paper to the huge man that looked to be in charge. The huge man kept the paper in his hands and went towards Ali who wasn’t standing with the rest of the travelers, while his mother and aunt made themselves pretty comfortable and even started talking with others from what Ali saw. As he got closer to Ali, the huge man smiled showing his unorganized set of teeth. They looked rotten. Ali wondered why a man that lives by the large sea wouldn’t use some of its water to clean his teeth.
“So, you know Ismael?” The huge man asked Ali who nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry young man, you will be fine. We’ll take care of each other until we reach the other side of this sea.”
Ali felt some comfort. At least he was beginning his new journey with someone that knew who he was and where he came from.
As the boat pulled away, Ali saw Iran getting smaller and further away. He also saw the sea seeming even more never ending. His mother was talking with his aunt and another lady that he didn’t recognize. They were smiling and he was glad that they were. He looked back at the port and Iran as a whole, he felt as if he left part of his heart in there. He wondered whether he had also left the problems and sorrow he and his family were facing. He was hoping that he was traveling to a better place. The sky was clear blue with some scattered clouds, and the sea
looked fearful and peaceful at the same time.