tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-97414492024-03-23T13:26:16.973-05:00Earth to Omarxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.comBlogger381125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-48903298695368256882013-05-24T00:29:00.000-05:002013-05-24T00:29:03.139-05:00A Dream Interrupted
It was a sunny day, but you wouldn't be able to tell from
the shade created by the ever rising apartment blocks surrounding the street. I
was walking swiftly back home back from an errand, passing by Ghada’s pharmacy at
the top of our street, turning left towards our alley. I was carrying something
in my hand, looking up towards our balcony. Home was merely a few steps away, and
then xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com42tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-52954102903315546732011-12-26T20:25:00.003-05:002011-12-26T20:37:07.392-05:00This place hasn't been abandoned..When I start writing lines and boundaries disappear, and while I never viewed this as a bad thing, I don't want my writing to cause harm for anyone. For now, I'll let a much more eloquent man do the talking.xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-74929903240075468292011-01-31T02:01:00.003-05:002011-01-31T02:10:57.595-05:00From a city divided to a city unitedSoon after taking the U-ban into East Berlin, we found ourselves walking on Weichsel Strasse heading towards our hostel. We went through the usual motions of checking in, finding a bed, unpacking and of course grabbing a map of the city. On the back of the map was an ad for daily tours of Berlin offered in all languages. The tours promised a trip through the rich history of Berlin with a focusxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-9547941567819447972011-01-24T01:32:00.000-05:002011-01-24T01:33:24.140-05:00The JurseThere is a lot that I hate about winter. The freezing temperatures, driving issues, lack of sunshine.. I can go on forever. But in the midst of darkness of winter a hidden positive comes to light. You see, unless you are in a man Europe, carrying a man’s purse (murse) is not fashionable. While Seinfeld took a stab at popularizing the European carryall, his effort led into nothing but a xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-55702034975098216812011-01-15T18:59:00.003-05:002011-01-15T19:07:23.406-05:00In Honour of Mohamed BouaziziLast night I slept a happy man. The news of the day left me and millions of other Arabs reflecting on events we thought we would never see. The brave Tunisians’ protests finally cracked the dictatorship that had ruled them for well over two decades. The president, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, was forced out of the country flying from place to place until he finally found refuge in Saudi Arabia. xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-57640472337921199382010-11-24T01:22:00.003-05:002010-11-24T01:33:42.487-05:00On Hummus and AliensThe hummus revolution is taking Canada by storm. For one, Microsoft Word recognized the word, and did not draw that ugly, red, squiggly line underneath the word. Marketed as “healthy alternative” and “vegetarian certified” it’s not hard to see why it would be so popular. Plus, it tastes great. But that’s besides the point. As far as I’m concerned, hummus is the latest victim of Capitalist xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-57157462986390344482010-05-01T20:18:00.001-05:002010-05-01T20:21:03.198-05:00How many letters do you have after your name?Somewhere between the realm of meaningful education and “money grab land” lies the mass hysteria that seems to be engulfing every professional field. Everyone is in a race to add more letters after their name, no matter at what cost or with how much effort. Email signatures are laden with meaningless acronyms that are supposed to means something to somebody. People add these acronyms with pridexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-38790957488102250442010-03-28T22:54:00.001-05:002010-03-28T22:55:47.937-05:00Shuffle: All SongsThe emergence of the internet has definitely influenced the type and variety of music people listen to. The interaction of people on Twitter and Facebook, and the readily available music videos on YouTube, have all made the exposure and accessibility of music literally a click away. And now that we can carry over a few thousand songs in the palm of our hands, we have become walking music xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-52590771474679434642010-03-13T23:10:00.000-05:002010-03-13T23:11:29.786-05:00Thoughts from a Saturday trip to the storeAs winter takes its last few breaths, and as the snow melts revealing the yellow grass underneath it, Canadians are taking to the streets and to the hardware stores, anxious to start the summer season complete with camping, road trips, and endless BBQ’s. Motor cycles are back on the streets, their riders who have be waiting patiently for the day the temperatures turn above 5 Celsius seem to havexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-7516054685028429002009-12-25T03:20:00.001-05:002009-12-25T03:26:43.081-05:00Palestinians are bound to be boundThere seems to be an international competition on which country can cause Palestinians the most suffering. Israel has always been a front runner, and a favourite to win the competition in all its categories: land theft, starvation, discrimination, human rights denials, among many others. Lately, another country has emerged as a strong contender to take away Israel’s spots in some of the xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-45222393885295003702009-11-15T23:06:00.003-05:002009-11-16T09:31:08.096-05:00Your Two-Step Guide to Small TalkWe’re all faced with those awkward moments in social settings where we are forced to make “small talk” with someone. These situations are abundant when one starts a new job, or at a party, or even while waiting in line at the supermarket. Sometimes we’re lucky enough to run into someone talkative and creating small talk is a breeze. At other times creating small talk is like pulling teeth. xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-83878550750399197322009-11-11T23:27:00.003-05:002009-11-11T23:35:53.778-05:00The Wars of TodayAs I listened to the radio this morning to a 90 year old veteran of WWII, I had nothing but respect for the bravery he must have had as a 25 year old fighting on the front lines in Normandy. A thought crossed my mind as he went on describing the gory details he had to witness, are we going to reflect back on the soldiers of today the same way we reflect on the ones who died in the two world xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-30499035824792321712009-11-03T01:31:00.003-05:002009-11-03T01:42:34.075-05:00Asking for a Settlement Freeze is Hard in the Midst of Global WarmingIf Hillary Clinton’s current visit to the region proved anything, it’s that Obama’s message of change was nothing but a load of crap. “Yes we can” continue our ways of standing on the side of the oppressor against the oppressed is the message I have been hearing lately. In his attempt at justifying his premature Noble Peace prize win, Obama is settling for the easy way out, putting pressure on xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-27519450188324586632009-10-09T20:59:00.001-05:002009-10-09T21:00:45.536-05:00Giving Equality to Women - The Muslim Canadian WayLet’s recap. The Supreme Council of Al Azhar in Egypt approved a ban on wearing the niqab in their schools. A few days later, the Muslim Canadian Congress made a call to the federal government to prohibit women from wearing niqabs and burkas in public. Ironically the reasoning for their call is “covering one’s face has no place in a society that supports gender equality.” Because as we all xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-8599438158090996732009-09-27T22:44:00.001-05:002009-09-27T22:47:13.756-05:00It's not as easy as some make it lookI have been eager to get back into blogging again after the trip, but I just didn’t know where to start or what to say. Maybe because I don’t think my writing can do justice to some of the places I came across, and maybe it’s because writing about it makes me reminisce on a really good time, leading to nostalgia, and then reflectance, and then a whole bunch of day dreaming. I’m sure as winter xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-23397246617900957672009-08-31T00:09:00.001-05:002009-08-31T00:10:44.619-05:00Bringing Summer to an EndI’m counting down the seconds. The plan was conceived as an idea thrown around while sitting around at a cafe. “What if we visited Europe at the end of summer?” I asked her, her reply was “I’m not sure if I can afford it.” A few weeks after the conversation, and in the way all good ideas materialize into reality, the seed grew in her head thoughts of the trip invaded her thoughts. She would xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-16143409719843111882009-08-24T22:09:00.002-05:002009-08-25T11:02:15.628-05:00Reminiscing RamadanSo here I am jumping on the Ramadan post bandwagon, like any good blogger would do. In the few years I have been blogging I don’t think I ever posted something longer than a Happy Ramadan post. I think it’s because I’m never really that excited about the month, except for the odd Syrian drama that I look forward to. My memories of Ramadan are from the time I lived back in Syria. Ramadan then xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-53868568995605179762009-08-09T21:52:00.008-05:002009-08-09T22:15:30.588-05:00Summer finally started!I woke up this morning to the sound of thunder in the sky. I am not the type who is scared by thunder, but today was a little different. I was certain the lightning bolts were arcing within a kilometre radius from my house. The sound was louder than I have ever heard. I got up, went through my morning routine and went back to video tape mother nature’s fine work. By then it had calmed down axhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-19728687611369538222009-08-06T23:41:00.000-05:002009-08-06T23:42:41.853-05:00An Ingenious IdeaThe scene: a busy classroom, students scattered everywhere, some busy putting the final touches on their projects, others nervously waiting their turn for testing. A carton of eggs is placed on the teacher’s desk, right next to a big plank of wood propped up from one side creating a slope. It’s noisy. There are some students checking out their peer’s work, others flirting with each other, and xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-67388801286456958002009-07-31T00:34:00.004-05:002009-07-31T00:37:06.074-05:00Gaining Weight is a Problem?Is it just me are we all surrounded by the diet hysteria? A quick search on Google shows that “6.8 million Canadian adults ages 20 to 64 were overweight, and an additional 4.5 million were obese” which happens to be more than a third of Canada’s population. So maybe it’s not me after all, it’s an epidemic and you don’t have to look far to see it. Of course marketing gurus are all over this and xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-78583799561739047942009-07-20T22:43:00.002-05:002009-07-20T22:44:02.898-05:00In Memory of Frank McCourtI came across his book while searching for a work on poverty for my grade 12 class. At the time I didn't know that I was to embark on reading a book that would have such an impact on me for years to come. Angela's Ashes is the autobiography of Frank McCourt, an Irish boy, born in America to a Protestant father and a Catholic mother. McCourt's book wasn't simply a description of his poor xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-7946521241715270282009-07-15T23:01:00.002-05:002009-07-15T23:09:18.725-05:00Increasing Israeli ArroganceHer arrogance is growing day by day, perhaps it's in reaction to the slow but noticeable change of opinion towards her, or maybe it's just stemming from growing levels of ignorance. One doesn't have to dig deep to see the signs. In one instance we have Israeli President, Peres, warning that Syria should not expect the Golan heights to be given back to her on a silver platter. In another she's xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-18931347060904624692009-06-28T19:48:00.009-05:002009-06-29T22:31:30.407-05:00Queen of Andalusia - Part 2Queen of Andalusia - Part 1As we were talking to the cop, a shopkeeper came up to us and pointed up to the woman on the balcony. About a minute a later middle-aged, blond woman came down and started talking to us in Spanish. We showed her the address we were looking for, and as she led us to the location (which was about a 3 minute walk from her house) we realized that she was the owner of the xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-67174573220319419352009-06-02T21:27:00.008-05:002009-06-03T16:13:36.316-05:00Queen of Andalusia - Part 1The story of Granada is a long one, one that will engraved in my memory forever. Never had a city cast its spell on me as quickly as Granada did. Out of all the stops on my Eurotrip last summer, Granada was the city I was looking forward to seeing the most. The anticipation stemmed from a mix of its historical importance, and the special romance that I knew Granada would have... on to the xhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9741449.post-77107884310801975622009-05-06T17:46:00.002-05:002009-05-06T17:47:29.934-05:00Bin Ladin's Biggest BlunderWhat was Bin Ladin’s biggest blunder? Are you ready for this? He didn’t say the magic word. That’s right, had Bin Ladin said “sorry” after the attacks on the twin towers everything would have been fine and dandy. After all we all make mistakes, and if parents teach you anything it’s that a real man (or woman) takes responsibility for his/her mistakes. Look at Hillary Clinton for example. Lastxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13527462088128356678noreply@blogger.com4