Rants: On acquiring wisdom

A Chinese story:

A number of countrymen went to ask the Wise man, on how he gained his wisdom. His answer was simple; from Fools and Mad men. Surprised and puzzled, the countrymen asked, how so? I learn from their mistakes, and try not to repeat them.

Gibran quote:

I have learned silence from the talkative,
tolerance from the intolerant,
kindness from the unkind,
and yet I'm not grateful to these teachers

Why go through the trouble of making a mistake when you can learn from others?

Rants: Stupidity

These type of people never cease to make me feel smart. I owe them!

Question: Do people ever mistake you for being a different race?
Answer: yeah, albino

umm yeah, since when is being "albino" a race, huh?

Freaking Stupid.

Rants: Names worth knowing

#1 Dennis Kucinich



#2 Turkish PM - Erdogan



#3 Tony Benn



#4 George Galloway



#5 Venzwelean President -Chavez



All that and a Saudi clerk issued a "fatwa" saying that demonstrations are "haram" because they lead us astray, but I guess keep listening to mindless arab politicians and not do anything about it isnt.

Rants: Conversations

Conversation #1

(in the elevator)

Worker: So where are you from
Me: The middle-east.
Worker: Yeah, I know.. but from where?
Me: *just got burned* Palestine.
Worker: Is that near Gaza?
Me: Well.. technically. Its a city in Palestine, but I'm from the northern territories.
Work: Its a harsh world back there, eh?
Me: Yep, it definitely is.

Conclusion: If Newfie workers (no offence intended) know about the crisis in Gaza, then there is still "hope" in this world.

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Conversation #2

(In the dining hall)

Boy: So you are going to breezeway ( a university bar) tonight?
Me: No.. its not my thing
Boy: *puzzled* what do you mean?
Me: *smiles* Its not my thing.
Boy: *looking at a girl wearing a scarf at the table* So you are from the same religion as her?
Me: Yes. *dreading the coming question*
Boy: So how come you don't wear a scarf?
Me: *as always not sure how to respond* I want to.
Boy: *ignoring what I just said* What will your parents do if they knew you were walking around without that on your head?
Me: They are the problem.
Boy: *puzzled*
Me: They don't want me to wear it. They think I'm "too young" for it.
Boy: *O_O* Are you serious? You WANT to wear it?
Me: Yes.

*Silence*

Conclusion: There are more than one colour shining through a prism. Different shades, different extremes, and people should know that. Also, I still think that excuse isn't strong enough to stop me from doing it.

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Conversation #3 (repeated e.v.e.r.y.t.i.m.e. I go there)

(In the dining hall)

40ish year-old server at one of the stations: You have a gorgerous smile, beautiful.
Me: Thanks! *smiles*
Same server: Its like a Monalisa smile. You know her?
Me: Ofcourse I do!
Same Server: Where are you from?
Me: Palestine.
Same Server: Wow, you are the first person I know from there. You're beautiful.
Me: *smiles*

-Later-

Same Server: Can I take a picture with you? I want to show my friends. I told them about you and your monalisa smile.
Me: ha ha ha. O_O

Conclusion: Even though he looks/sounds geniune, I think some lines are ought to not be crossed.

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Conversation #4

(on msn)

Me: I got a red heart-shaped lollipop and chocolate today!
Brother: From who?
Brother: Give me the name, and I'll pay a hitman to finish him!

Conclusion: Family love is so tight and deep. Its unconditional. Real. (Can't wait to get some soon in April).

My thoughts on -politics- #1

Obama's election.

Before I even start, I'm going to have to declare my political atheism (I know this term isn't correct since "theism" relates to "belief in a god", but I'm still going to use it to send my message across). You see, political parties, organizations, etc. are created by people so this simultaneously means that something ought to be imperfect somehow. So really I can't put my faith in something that is flawed.

Having said that, I tend to believe that "good" politicians don't make it to presidency, let alone American presidency, as it is without question the most powerful of all. When it comes to Obama getting elected, I wasn't surprised at all. The media coverage was huge; celebrities were voicing their thoughts, and everyone was chanting "hope and change" over and over again. Somehow, among all that hype it didn't feel right to me. I think having lived in the middle-east all my life, politicians almost always equal fake promises, so really, when I tried to listen to Obama's speeches, I didn't expect much.

Among the other reasons to why he got elected is because of his race. Believe me. Yes, he is an African American, and yes it is "the first" in history to have an African American with "Hussien" as a middle name president, and that's exactly the reason why he got it. See, people are selfish, by nature. They want to be the first to witness this and also the first to tell the story. "Live while history is being made".

I got to admit, Obama seems like a smart man; someone who knows how to manipulate people's thoughts. I mean, really. After almost a misrable decade under the Bush Administration, Americans (and the world) want something new, and he took the chance and emphasized on that. "Change". "Hope". So I give him that.

Obama's stance on the middle-east situation, didn't impress me, nor did it surprise me. He is warning Pakistan and Iran and blindly supports Israel (AIPAC, anyone?). I listened to one of his speeches, and I couldn't stand him. He was talking about his trip to Israel and how he visited some houses that were affected by Katuscha rockets. Really? I mean, really? What about the houses on the other side of the wall? Opps, sorry you can't see them, because they are destroyed to the ground. Bulldozed, or hit. Either way, people no longer have homes. And for the love of God, why can't you leave Iran and let it be? Yes, they do have a nuclear program, but so does the rest of the world! Now I haven't read much about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to actually make up my mind on it (maybe I should then dedicate a post for it) but I still think that its only fair for Iran to have a nuclear program.

One friend told me once about a quote that I actually like: "The good thing about pessimism is that, either you'll be proved right or you'll be pleasantly surprised". Nice, eh? True too.

Rants: On getting old and marriage.

Exactly one year from now, I'll be finishing my last couple of months of University. I'll be done. How do I feel? Scared Shit-less! Also I can't decide what to do with my life after that, should I continue on to Masters, or should I work? Either way, I'm staying here. At least, till my brother is done, so that'll give me, umm 5 years? Yeah, that'll be enough I'd think.

Lately, I've been playing this game with my mom whenever we talk, where I'd say: "oh guess who got engaged?" Yeah! I have 4 friends who are engaged now, and two are getting married pretty soon! and adding to that list one of my friends also got married like right after high school? she has kid now! The bad thing, is that they're all looking up at me now, especially that I'm graduating soon, which coming from a middle-eastern background means that I'm officially eligible for marriage. Marriage. That's a big word. Rhymes with Responsibility, hard work, maturity, and of course not forgetting love. Thankfully, I have parents who are open-minded enough to give me space to finish what I plan on doing before getting "committed". Don't get me wrong, I don't find getting married a bad idea obviously, but there is more in to it than love and sex. Also, another good thing about my parents is that they completely understand my view on marriage when it comes to the Arab society; that is I'm definitely not going to get married to a) one of my cousins b) strangers who knock on doors to check if there are girls for marriage. When it comes to getting committed, I'd rather know the person before hand, be friends at first, then if there is "something" there we can take it up a notch till we get to the engagement/marriage level.

Now some people think that's "haram", and you shouldn't be talking to guys in the first place and blah blah blah.. See my definition of haram is physical contact, making out, smooching, sex; you get the idea. My philosophy is, if the guy could be a potential, then I'll build a bridge, but running after guys and trying to befriend them? No, thank you. We all know where the other part of their brain is, and I don't want to tire myself or get in to trouble for a worthless reason.

This whole talk about jobs, marriage and growing up is scaring me. I admit. I know its really not as easy as it looks like. (like duh!) I just hope I'll reach a point in my life, where I'll look back and smile. Be satisfied. Happy. Proud of myself. One can only hope and pray...