Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Photographic Highlights From My Camera Phone Collection

I recently upgraded my phone from a Nokia 6600 that has been serving me very well for almost three years now to a new Sony Ericsson with a 2 Megapixel camera, MP3 player, 3G, and the whole works. So, what is the first thing you do with your old phone? You move all the contacts, calendar items, SMS messages, photos, and videos to the new phone and to your PC for back-up. Going thrrough all the photos I had taken with my old phone camera was a really pleasant surprise! I had forgotten about most of them. Amongst the almost 700 photos on the phone, there was some really goos stuff that I decided to share with you guys.

Ahmed Zaki's Funeral

My old office was located in Mohandiseen overlooking Mostafa Mahmoud Square, where the funeral of Ahmed Zaki (the late famous Egyptian actor) was being held. Tens of thousands of mourners gathered that day to attend the funeral, and as is expected when such a number gathers in one place in Egypt, chaos ensues. From my office window, I saw the number of the crowds increasing, with everyone trying to reach the ambulance carrying the body, until hysteria erupted. Policemen with canes then started beating up the mobs to keep them away from the ambulance. Sure, Ahmed Zaki was an amazing actor. But what were these people thinking?


Penguins on a Summer Day
In Cape Town, there's a beach called "Boulder" where a strange phenomenen exists. A colony of Penguins lives amongst ginat boulders on a beach that is open for the public to swim in. It's a strange site to see swimmers and sunbathers lying casually on the beach and penguins frolicking in the background. Some of these penguins wander out of the beach and onto the streets. Some even enter the houses that are close by and steal food. Check out the traffic sign below :) I spent hours just hanging out with the penguins and taking photos.

















Using God to Reserve a Parking Spot

This sign was posted in front of a mosque in Mohandiseen. Apparently, the Imam got fed up of people taking up his parking spot, so he put up the sign hinting that if you park the car in this spot, God might have to intervene!










The Millenium Wheel: the original and the imitation
I took the above photo of the original Millenium Wheel in London. It's the largest observation wheel in the world. Of course, with the UAE's obsession with copying everything big, they had to have one of their own in Sharjah (below).

Only in Egypt

I took the photo of this sign during the elections. The top line says "Yes to Mubarak" and then the rest of the sign is advertising a glass cleaner's number. It might seem odd to have these two together. But if you know the reason, you'll understand. The thing is, the municipality usually removes signs like this one. By putting "Yes to Mubarak" on the top, the person who did this sign guarantees that his sign stays as long as possibly can. Smart, right?





Photo on the right taken in the "Honey Day Inn" in Fayoum. Room rate: LE 120 (Bed, breakfast, and Fleas included).










Have you ever seen "Minimum Charge" spelled this way before?





Our Dog On a Desert Trip


Veiled Truck Driver!
Our Veiled Cat!!

5 comments:

Alluring said...

Pretty pictures, especially the penguins!

I have seen the observation wheel in Sharjah, isn't it pathetic the fact that they just die to imitate everything big? i also saw the tallest flag pole in jumierah road, i mean what exactly are they trying to achieve or prove???

Seneferu said...

Nice pictures and post. What were the penguins like in person? Interesting about the glass cleaner's sign.

GC said...

Alluring, you should go see Dubai now. Just got back from there, and it's getting ridiculous. Th eowrld's tallest tower, largest indoor ski place, largest mall, etc...... Pur superficial hype. And what's crasy is that so many people are falling for this bullshit.

Seneferu: it was really cool. I just sat there, with my back next to a boulder, and a whole group of penguins just gathered around me everywhere going on with their business. It was unbelievable!

Carmen said...

Camera phones are great!!

Awesome pictures GC! Thanks for sharing...

Anonymous said...

Well said.