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Inspired by Sina’s pride in Egypt and a general feeling that one should be more positive and proactive I have decided to have this giveaway.
Back to the giveaway for a chance to win one all you have to do is leave a comment and tell me why you are proud of Egypt. For an extra (optional) chance you can become a fan of Chocolate Mints in a Jar on facebook. The giveaway ends Friday June the 18th at midnight Egyptian Time.
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 Alexandria Airport Departure Hall I gave myself a very long vacation. Well I did blog in the middle and came up with a few posts but they were all written on the same day when I had a hit of inspiration and scheduled. I am back now. I had a wonderful vacation with my family. I always miss them terribly so getting a month with them was a wonderful thing. I think I should thank my husband for agreeing to stay along for a whole month. Meesh, thank you because I know how much you missed Lulu and I when we were gone and for having to eat junk food while we were gone too. I would also like to thank my mom and sister. You probably have seen her comment on many of my posts as “inas”". Yup my mom reads my posts, comments and makes public comments about my weight gain. Mummy, I promise to lose the weight and stop being a sissy. There, a public promise/announcement about my weight issue. Thank you Meeema (also known as RJay or Reem my sister) for letting Lulu abuse your face creams, nail polish and perfumes. I think she is now addicted to the stuff. My sister introduced my daughter to peel off nail polish now she keeps coming up to me to show me her painted toenails and nails. I used to think parents were crazy to paint their little girls’ nails but now when I see her smile I totally get why they do it. It was a long awaited and much needed vacation. At first it was not going according to my crazy plans or really high expectations but then I gave in and decided that there was no way things were going to happen my way so I might as well enjoy what comes anyway.  Don't they just look gorgeous? Remember my stack of 11 books? Well I added another 8 to them. I didn’t want to buy any, nor did I plan to. But those pesky books know my name. They called my name and whispered sweet nothings begging me to buy them and who am I to refuse a book’s plea. From top to bottom they are:
You totally understand why I got them right? They’re all really really useful books. Besides they look so pretty.  So warm and cozy My favorite mug might live at my mum’s house but my second favorite mug lives here. It even has it’s own cozy and looks so cute. I really should stop thinking about mugs the way I do. But mugs are really important. I mean who doesn’t drink at least 3 cups of coffee a day in their favorite mug? It has to be the right size, the right color and just fit in your hands perfectly. Otherwise it’s just a vessel for coffee. But a good mug is an experience worth having. Just like the perfect pair of shoes. You can think of shoes as containers for your feet, or you can think of them as the platform you stand in every day to deal with the world. They take you from one place to the next. They take you to greatness, they run with you when you run from fear and they make you look taller or slimmer if you choose the right pair. The right pair will hug your feet and support you all day long while still looking pretty and nice. I also feel as strong about my pens ( I love fountain pens) as I feel about mugs and shoes. I am not an overtly sentimental person but I guess I am a very sentimental person. Have you ever thought about your two personalities? Your inner personality (the one that only you knows) and your outer one ( the one that everyone deals with)? I think my inner personality is an extrovert while my outer personality is an introvert.  Rain in Kuwait It rained almost all day yesterday. I love rain. Coincidentally I turned on my iPod in the car and Tracy Chapman was singing Let it Rain. Coincidence or cosmic alignment? I love how a good rain makes everything look clean and sparkly. It is like the streets just had a shower, now if only the streets smelled like Herbal Essence shampoo I would be in heaven. I am going to miss winter. I always miss winter. Maybe I should move to a country with colder cloudier climate. I really shouldn’t drive and take pictures. But in my defense the light was red and turned green while I was taking the picture. So technically I wasn’t really driving.  Let it rain It’s good to be home. I have big plans but this time they are more realistic plans. I learn fast. I so miss crocheting too. I got lots of lovely cotton yarn at ridiculously low prices compared to Kuwait and the variety was great too. I should have bought more but I was afraid of being caught by customs for illegal export of yarn. I had better go now and start working on my new awesome “to do for life” list because it is really long and I really want to tick off everything on it as soon as I can because I am alive so I have to do all of this stuff I want to do. You might also like
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… the spelling of Borg El 3arab.
Disclaimer: No disrespect to the government, just wondering why the same department or ministry can’t be consistent. You might also like
I keep coming across articles about Egyptian government’s decision on blocking Skype. I don’t get it. Everywhere in the world people are embracing new technologies and learning to use them to make more profits if they are businesses or save money if they are consumers. Why do we always have to be the people who ban technology to force people to pay more? Instead of banning it why don’t they regulate it so they can get paid for it too. For example why don’t they offer people the option of buying skype minutes using their top up cards and negotiate a deal with Skype to get a piece of that pie? I mean Skype Out does not have the best quality all the time, they could give users the option, they could either pay more for better quality. Besides they could make more in the end anyway because people would most probably use more minutes. How are they going to block it anyway? I understand technically how it can be done, but will they block SkypeOut (PC to Phone calls) and allow people to use regular Skype (PC to PC) or will they be blocking the application all together? I don’t live in Egypt at the moment, so the decision doesn’t really affect me but it bugs me. Isn’t it enough that people have to deal with loved ones living on different continents, do they also have to make it cost an arm and a leg to call them. Even if we take it from a business perspective, companies who use VOIP technology are doing business overseas, many of them exporting goods or services, why do we have to make them pay more money. Shouldn’t the government be aiding businesses that export? The question that now bugs me, as consumers what can we do other than just accept it and live with the decision? Is there a way to fight back? I guess not other than finding other programs that haven’t yet been blocked. Another example of failing to take an opportunity and turn it into success. You might also like
RJay went to Cairo Tower had fun and took some pretty interesting pictures. I on the other hand, steal her pictures and make desktop wallpaper. The quote says: All that a city will ever allow you is an angle on it — an oblique, indirect sample of what it contains, or what passes through it; a point of view.  An Angle On Cairo - Click on the image for the full size version You might also like
They’re dancing all around the world. This is awesome and crazy at the same time. Would you dance for your country and raise your flag and feel happy and proud? You might also like
I saw this quote a couple of days ago somewhere. At first I thought it was funny, then I thought it were true then decided that I could not decide what I really thought. It is true that many Egyptians are social climbers.
I like the word parvenu it looks and sounds smart and sophisticated. I’ve met lots of social climbers (Egyptians) in my lifetime so I could say yes. I wouldn’t be able to judge if this were an Egyptian thing or a more global thing. Basically because you can only judge a persons socioeconomic status if you understand how things work in that country. Lots of things go into the equation like how they walk, dress, use their hands, their posture, their language, pronunciation, level of education, culture, intellect and lots of other things. In my point of view social climbers are the people who use their money to try to appear to come from a higher social status than they already do. I don’t beleive that you are stuck with your socioeconomic status, quite the contrary I think it is a variable status and you can change it with hard work and some luck. I also believe that it takes more than one generation to make the jump. I feel very proud of people who can achieve this through education, hard work and self development. What I dislike are the sleazy pretending wannabes. Perhaps they are very obvious here in the gulf because if you have an education you can be well paid, and when you have the money you can buy the clothes, the car, the education for your children and the Asian maid. Nevertheless you still can’t buy class. On the other hand I have met many people who are not exactly well off but have lots of class and finesse. Class is how you carry yourself and handle yourself in everyday life. So even though a person might be a social climber that does not necessarily mean they will reach the summit. You might also like
 Cute enough gloves might just make me seriously consider taking boxing lessons. People Who Deserve it is a hilarious blog, which lists people who deserve a punch in their face.
Who do you want to punch? You might also like
Like everyone else and their brother I heard about the ruling in the Suzan Tamim murder trial last Thursday. Personally I am confused. I am not happy about it, not because I am a ST supporter or the other way around. I just don’t understand why someone with money, power and connections would stoop that low. Did he really want her dead? Is he the devil like some people in the media would like us to believe? Is this all just some sort of incredible Hollywood production orchestrated for our viewing and for teaching someone else a lesson? It just smells wrong. Like a huge conspiracy theory, and with the ban on publication and without knowing the whole story we will never really know the truth. There are three things that are bothering me about this case. The first being why and how could such a man resort to murder. The second thing is how people can easily condemn anyone without searching for the truth. Finally, is our judicial system fair for everyone? All these ideas are not just related to the case itself but to basic human nature and specifically an Egyptian culture which is changing and evolving perhaps not to a better but a stronger creature. “The marriage between money and power” like the media likes to call it is the reason behind all of the corruption in Egypt. I have to disagree. There have been many powerful and rich men and women in history but not all of them were corrupt. Not all kings were unjust and not all rulers were dictators. Corruption can not breed and grow unless everyone turns a blind eye. What makes me wonder the most is why would someone like HTM would commit such a crime and why someone like Mamdouh El Sokkary who was an officer who had sworn to protect the people resort to murder, that is, if they really did it. Did they believe they were immune to justice or did they think they would never get caught. Did they think that they were above everyone else? If they didn’t do it, then who did and why? If he did do it, why did he really want her dead? Second, everyone decided right away that he was either 100% guilty or 100% innocent depending on their ideologies and political leanings in life. How can anyone make such a decision without seeing and hearing all of the evidence. Just because someone is rich or powerful does not mean they are also evil. On the other hand just because they don’t look like a criminal does not make them innocent. Finally, what has happened to the judicial system in Egypt. Suddenly it is condemning powerful people? I don’t think powerful people should be above the law, I just find it fishy that some people can get away with murder and others can not. It also makes me wonder if there is some sort of unfair play behind the curtains or under the table. Mamdouh Ismail for example was completely declared innocent of the death of over a thousand people, no fine, no jail time, no nothing. I just hope that this ruling is fair and just and not just some sort of payback for something we do not know or understand. What happens now is the question? Will they really be executed? Will we learn that there are always consequences to our actions? Will the law be applied to everyone? So many questions and no answers. On a very different note, I saw a police car today while I was driving and I realized that I can’t remember what Egyptian police cars look like, I could only recall what “ElBox” looks like. Does anyone have the same feeling? You might also like
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