On the Verge...

I Finally Won!!!

2007-09-19T15:29:00.000-04:00

After 3 long grueling months of Scrabble, I finally won. Ramadan must be working in my favor. Everyone stuffed with food and not being able to function properly.

Hmm...lets see how next week goes.

Cooking 101

2007-08-29T01:03:00.001-04:00

So last night was my turn to cook dinner for scrabble night and one of my friends also enlisted me to teach her how to cook. Something I've never taught someone before. I'm not sure how I managed to cook two dinners in one night, but I definitely feel like superwoman at the moment. Although, many other women can achieve 10 times what I did in one night.

Dinner 1 (for my friend):
Beef cubes (I think it was beef) on a bed of potatoes, green peppers, onion and garlic with a tomato sauce.
Carrots and Zucchini in tomato sauce (my usual...I'm not sure what to make as a side dish dish)
My mom's rice - (which i absolutely love)
Salad with tomatoes, green peppers, corn, and beans in a ranch dressing
Fruit Salad with a pineapple and mango sauce (my mom taught me this one, too. The pineapple keeps the fruit from turning brown and the mango juice gives a yummy creamy sauce).

Due to time constraint, I don't feel like I was able to teach my friend much, but I did try to give her some cooking tips. I hope she tries cooking again. Once you start doing it you get the hang of it and start experimenting. I was impressed with the amount of effort she put in.

My mom taught me to cook by giving me direction and forcing me to do it myself and I guess it worked well for me. But anyone whose been with me in the kitchen when I'm in charge of the cooking knows that I take complete control and tend to give orders sometimes. Or if I don't want to take time to explain something I just do it myself. Sometimes, I focus so much on what I'm doing that I don't even realize someone's talking to me. Maybe if I started to cook earlier and didn't feel so pressed for time I would behave differently or maybe I'm just a control freak.

The beef looked so good. It's a dish I'll have to definitely try sometime. I hope dinner worked out well for you. I only wish I had the chance to have a bite of everything.

Dinner 2 (Scrabble Night)
Basil Tomato Pasta
Pesto Bread

Sorry guys I know you totally missed out on the other dinner, but I will try to make it up to you the next time I cook.

I'm tempted to make another dinner soon if I can enlist the help of a few friends and maybe once Dody is back. I probably owe him like a trillion dinners.

Food for Thought...

2007-08-22T20:32:00.000-04:00

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them"
- Mother Theresa

Playdough Hijacking

2007-08-20T12:00:00.000-04:00

Play dough-armed hijackers still under investigation Two suspects who used play dough in hijacking a Turkish plane traveling from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC) to İstanbul on Saturday are still under investigation in the Antalya counterterrorism office, authorities stated. (Today's Zaman)

I never thought play dough could be used as a weapon. I wonder if airports will be banning play dough now.

The Best Reason to Travel to Turkey!

2007-08-19T10:56:00.000-04:00

Wishing you all the best! Mabrouk!!!

This is What Happens when You Lose a Bet

2007-06-12T17:14:00.000-04:00

(I am only doing this because I lost a bet)

So, whenever I make a bet or challenge him in anything. I always lose. I am never right when comes to any argument and I lose every bet. Hope your happy now :P

I'm Totally Missing Egypt

2007-05-27T11:17:00.000-04:00

Things I really Miss from Egypt

1. Everyone in Egypt especially my two favorite girls, Luli and May
2. Abu Ramis - I'm totally craving it
3. May playing the guitar
4. Dinner at Dody's and me trying not to mess anything up
5. The late night cruises
6. Ain Sokhna
7. The tranquility and serenity that is Dahab
8. Being able to order everything and anything
9. The Cairo nights
10. Listening to Tom talk about any random thing
11. Lucille's
12. The Egyptian Dialect. I need someone to speak Egyptian to me NOW!!!
13. Oh and I really miss ketofan

Since everyone makes fun of my american accent

2007-05-23T15:18:00.000-04:00

Your Linguistic Profile:

70% General American English

10% Upper Midwestern

5% Dixie

5% Midwestern

5% Yankee

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

And it continues

2007-05-21T10:04:00.000-04:00

I was hoping that when I checked the news today I wouldn't have to see this.

Music...a Drug for the Soul

2007-05-21T06:23:00.000-04:00

I've never really been a country fan, but man I love Rascal Flatts.

A message to a friend: Things will get easier. Maybe this is all you need to hear. Remember you are stronger than you think.

You can hear the song here and some of his other songs

Stand

You feel like a candle in a hurricane
Just like a picture with a broken frame
Alone and helpless like you’ve lost your fight
But you’ll be alright, you’ll be alright

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend ‘til you break
Cause it’s all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Life’s like a novel with the end ripped out
The edge of canyon with only one way down
Take what you’re given before it’s gone
And start holdin’ on, keep holdin’ on

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend ‘til you break
Cause it’s all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Every time you get up and get back in the race
One more small piece of you starts to fall into place – yeah

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you’re made of
You might bend ‘til you break
Cause it’s all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you’ve had enough
You get mad, you get strong
Wipe your hands, shake it off
Then you stand, then you stand

Yeah, then you stand – yeah
Yeah, Baby
WOO HOO, WOO HOO, WOO HOO-
Then you stand – Yeah, Yeah

Not Good...

2007-05-20T11:01:00.000-04:00

"At least 19 people have died and scores have been injured in clashes between the Lebanon army and an armed Palestinian group around a refugee camp in the north of the country." (Al Jazeera)

Feeling Inspired

2007-05-15T20:14:00.000-04:00

"Change has considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better."

- King Whitney Jr.

At first, I was afraid to come back and now I realize I needed to come back. I needed time on my to think without having the influence of other people. I needed time away from family and friends. I got just that. Although, I wish the circumstances would have been better.

I've been doing a lot of thinking about me. I feel like somewhere down the road I got lost. I forgot who I was. Why I made the choices that I made. I feel like I finally found myself again. Over the past couple of years I changed. I'm not so sure I'm happy with some of the changes I made. Some were good. Sometimes I wonder if I compromised my principles or the values I live by because of the environment I was in. What happened to the girl I once knew? Where did she go?

I feel like I'm finally back on track and I feel really good about it.

Sometimes you just need to get back in touch with you.

Happy Mother's Day

2007-05-14T01:57:00.000-04:00

Mom

Me and Mom

My Crazy Neighbor

2007-05-12T08:59:00.000-04:00

So, I found out yesterday that my neighbor called the cops while my mom was gone. From what I heard, he saw flashing lights in the garage and thought the car was running. Or that someone had broken in. Flashing lights? Car running? The cops came I guess, but they never rang the doorbell. I had no idea they were here.

Or maybe they didn't come, because they know my neighbor is crazy. It turns out that he called the cops on my other neighbor, because someone he didn't recognize was mowing her lawn. It turned out to be her niece.

Living in a small town everyone knows everyone and it's nice to know that there will always be people looking out for you. But, sometimes it sucks to have everyone know your business especially when you're a teenager and your doing something you are not supposed to be doing or if you're somewhere you're not supposed to be. Once you see an adult you know your mother will know about it before you arrive home.

Eww!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-05-07T05:34:00.000-04:00

"Doctor finds spiders in ear of boy with earache

ALBANY, Oregon (AP) -- These guys were not exactly Snap, Crackle and Pop.

What began as a faint popping in a 9-year-old boy's ear -- "like Rice Krispies" -- ended up as an earache, and the doctor's diagnosis was that a pair of spiders made a home in the ear.

"They were walking on my eardrums," Jesse Courtney said." (CNN)

And I just killed a spider that was crawling on my laptop...ewww

Being Free

2007-04-24T17:27:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've gotten bored of driving anywhere. Mainly, because I hate driving through the country. There's nothing but fields and barns and sometimes that awful farm smell. Although, at times it feels comforting and relaxing, but after 30 minutes it gets boring, well, at least for me.

Living in a small town means that I have to drive for an hour just to have my car serviced and thats what I did today. But, it felt different. The weather was warm, the flowers are blooming, and everything is green. Almost my entire drive was on the interstate. I could go as fast as I wanted unlike driving through the country. I cranked up the radio, rolled the windows down, opened the sun-roof. I could feel the cool breeze whipping my hair in every direction. I felt free. It was a great feeling.

Life's not Always Fair...and that just sucks

2007-04-23T01:16:00.000-04:00

Dreams sometimes fade away and there is nothing you can do about it.

Dreaming of Pink Cats

2007-04-13T14:58:00.000-04:00

I usually don't remember my dreams but this one was a bit odd. I dreamt I walked into the living room with flowing pink curtains and walls frosted in pink (our living room is painted pink and has pink curtains. And no, it wasn't my idea.) To my surprise, I saw a pink cat. It was a brighter perkier pink and I thought to myself, look at that adorable pink cat. And then I freaked out wondering what the cat was doing in my house, how did it get there in the first place, and how was I going to get it out of my house. Well, then I started running around the house like a mad woman looking for a can of tuna. (i have a personal experience of trying to get a cat of my mattress. I hated that cat. And no it wasn't mine). I found a can of tuna, opened the front door, popped the can open, the cat came running and I put the can down about 10 feet from the house and bolted the door shut.

After that, I woke and realized that pink cats aren't real.

I've been thinking about this dream for about a day or so and I've come to the conclusion that the pink cat represents Luli. The cat is a symbol of ancient egypt so why couldn't it be a representation of an Egyptian. And no one in the world loves pink as much as luli. So, who else could it be but Luli.

But I still haven't figured out why I would kick "luli" out of my house.

“When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste.” - Laiko Bahrs

2006-12-25T17:34:00.000-05:00

Lesson learned (I hope)

"Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend." - Unknown

2006-12-24T14:37:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we just need our friends to be there. Words unspoken, simply acknowledging we need their presence and nothing more. Something great about friends is that they know when to let you be. They know when you need to talk and know when to be silent. They know when all you need is a hug. They are understanding and patient. I love my friends for who they are and I don't know what I would do without you. I love you guys.

Luli, Nay-Nay, May, Sarah, Jessica, Michelle and Dania, you guys are the best. Thanks for being there. Your friendship is one of the greatest gifts of all. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Love U tons!

Happy Holidays!!!

In utter and complete shock...

2006-12-21T22:09:00.000-05:00

Every now and then we head over to this cafe/restaurant/bar during the weekend for an afternoon of coffee and shisha. Instead of the usual afternoon shisha, we ended up heading over there in the evening.

As we approached the bar, I noticed a group of young people hanging out outside of the bar. When we got to the bouncer at the door, the manager/owner told us there was a private party, but he said he would let us in free of charge. The manager is nice friendly older man who has spent time in the U.S. and usually chats to us whenever we come.

As we walked in the crowd seemed to be really young. They looked like a bunch of 15 or 16 year olds who decided to reserve the place for a friends birthday. I looked around, no parents to be seen. No adults other than the manager and waiters. Things seemed a bit odd and it wasn't the typical Egyptian environment you would expect to see. Kids smoking and dancing. Having their bit of fun. So, that was a bit odd, but I wasn't surprised.

Then May pointed out that someone was taking a shot, then a waiter passed by with an ID Edge on a tray. The table across from us had a few guys with mixed drinks. As we glanced around, we noticed there were quite a few of them a tad drunk. This had to be the biggest shocker out of everything I've seen in Egypt. What are a bunch of teenage kids doing drinking at a bar in Cairo? How can the bar turn a blind eye to this. The drinking age in Egypt is 21 and these kids were definitely not 18. And NO way can this be culturally acceptable. Where are their parents? What are these kids going to do when they go home stumbling drunk?

Church and State

2006-12-20T22:22:00.000-05:00

In his letter, which was dated Dec. 5, Mr. Goode said that Americans needed to “wake up” or else there would “likely be many more Muslims elected to office and demanding the use of the Koran.”

“I fear that in the next century we will have many more Muslims in the United States if we do not adopt the strict immigration policies that I believe are necessary to preserve the values and beliefs traditional to the United States of America and to prevent our resources from being swamped,” said Mr. Goode, who vowed to use the Bible when taking his own oath of office. (New York Times)

Some Days I Really HATE Technology

2006-12-09T17:05:00.000-05:00

The easiest thing would be to learn how to deal with the damn computer, but honestly i doubt i have the patience. It seems easier just to pitch it out the window.

Are Men Right?

2006-11-13T01:57:00.000-05:00

Are men simple and women complicated? That just seems like an easy answer to a complex question about how women confuse men? Maybe men are too simple minded to understand women. I wonder if a man ever asked himself that question. I doubt it. Instead he was probably asking himself who was going to win the soccer match or whatever other sporting events men watch. That and probably thinking about sex (don't men think about sex every ten seconds?).

I probably sound like a man hater, but I'm not (really I'm not). I'm just tired of hearing how men are simple and how women are confusing/complicated?

I'm left to ask myself two questions. Do women overcomplicate things? Are we too analytical?

No, there is nothing wrong with questioning things. Men just don't understand women and their easy answer is to say that women over complicate and over analyze things.

Thus, men are just stupid and too simple.

Going Home...Not My Thing

2006-10-30T14:44:00.000-05:00

I've been postponing the inevitable for as long as possible. Going home just doesn't sound good. What scares me the most is reintegration. I totally understand now what trainees face after returning to their home countries. I've been trying to mentally prep myself by checking the news and following whats going on in the U.S., but it really doesn't help much. I'm still scared shitless.

It would totally be easier to either stay in Egypt or pack my bags and hed elsewhere. I don't think it would be as tough living in another country or having to reestablish myself elsewhere, but having to do it in the U.S. just makes it sucky. Maybe because I know what living in the U.S. means or maybe because I fear that I'll never leave again.

What makes it harder to leave Egypt is that I've established myself here. I have my circle of friends, I enjoy living in the city (even this pollution filled conservative society), and I'm surrounding myself with internationals who constantly challenge my perspective towards things.

To try to cheer myself up a bit, I've created my to do list for the U.S.
1. See the fam - Make a trip to Phoenix and Indy
2. Eat tacos
3. Go shopping for clothes, shoes, and accesories (I miss all of my favorite shops)
4. Go to target or any big supercenter with one stop shopping
5. Pamper myself...maybe a massage, pedicure, or manicure or all three
6. Go to sometype of ball game
7. A trip to chicago or NYC or both and/or anyother big city
8. Visit my LC Miami of Ohio...I wonder if I still know anyone there
9. Get some really chinese food
10. Catch up with friends
11. Try to make life interesting