40 is the new 30;
30 is the new 20;
13 is the new 18.
When you think about it, it makes sense - doesn't it?
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Friday, February 16, 2007
Things You Don’t Know About Me
Tagged by Alluring
- I lived in five different countries (
- I can sleep in less than 30 seconds, every day, as soon as I put my head on the pillow. I can also sleep anywhere with no issues whatsoever.
- I flew over
- I studied Engineering, was the third top of my class, but never actually worked as an Engineer.
- I had seven different jobs between 2003 and 2004!
- I’m a closet agnostic.
- I love spicy food. I have a whole bar of hot sauces at home.
Friday, February 02, 2007
Will Be Back Soon
This blog has been inactive for way too long. I think it's about time to kick-start it back to life. Will write something soon,
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Heartbreaking...
I found out about some heartbreaking stuff today.
It all happened in a very spontaneous way – completely unplanned. After Iftar, we were heading out to one of the Ramadan Shisha joints, doing the Egyptian Ramadan thing. As we reached the place, I saw a sign for an orphanage. I immediately stopped there so we can visit the place. You see, my wife has been wanting to visit an orphanage for some time now. She’s been wanting to help out in any way she can: give the kids private lessons, donate money or food. Basically she’s been feeling we’re too wrapped up in the grind of life, and she felt there’s much more to be done to help those in need. Naturally, she was thrilled. We went inside and discovered that this orphanage was a very pleasant place. A small villa housing around 20 kids, ranging from newborns to 4year olds. You could feel it was well-run, and it was clear the kids were getting tenderness and care. The staff was great. We stayed and played and with the kids, who were really eager for any sort of attention. They were literally throwing themselves at us and we spent a good amount of time with them playing, cuddling, and goofing around with them. It was really emotional.
That’s not the heartbreaking part. When we sat with the manager and talked to him, he told us that almost all of these kids were not really orphans. They were abandoned children that were discovered as newborn infants in the streets, most probably because they were illegitimate. To escape social ostracization, their mothers just abandon them. What was heartbreaking was the stories of how they find these kids. Apparently, in a bid to get rid of any evidence of their fornication, many of these mothers purposefully leave the kids in places that will lead to their death! Some infants are found placed next to the back wheels of a huge truck, so that when the driver backs off when he gets into his car in the morning, he crushes the baby! Others are found with fractured skulls because they’re thrown out of the window of a car. Others are left in the garbage, where they get attacked by stray dogs and cats. When we heard this, we could not believe such a thing was humanly possible. How could a mother do something like that? When you see these little children, with all their innocence and purity, and then you hear about what they were subjected to, you cannot help but be heartbroken. Whose fault is this? Are the mothers solely to blame? Or does our society, which values female “honor” much more than it values life, share a huge part of the blame?
It all happened in a very spontaneous way – completely unplanned. After Iftar, we were heading out to one of the Ramadan Shisha joints, doing the Egyptian Ramadan thing. As we reached the place, I saw a sign for an orphanage. I immediately stopped there so we can visit the place. You see, my wife has been wanting to visit an orphanage for some time now. She’s been wanting to help out in any way she can: give the kids private lessons, donate money or food. Basically she’s been feeling we’re too wrapped up in the grind of life, and she felt there’s much more to be done to help those in need. Naturally, she was thrilled. We went inside and discovered that this orphanage was a very pleasant place. A small villa housing around 20 kids, ranging from newborns to 4year olds. You could feel it was well-run, and it was clear the kids were getting tenderness and care. The staff was great. We stayed and played and with the kids, who were really eager for any sort of attention. They were literally throwing themselves at us and we spent a good amount of time with them playing, cuddling, and goofing around with them. It was really emotional.
That’s not the heartbreaking part. When we sat with the manager and talked to him, he told us that almost all of these kids were not really orphans. They were abandoned children that were discovered as newborn infants in the streets, most probably because they were illegitimate. To escape social ostracization, their mothers just abandon them. What was heartbreaking was the stories of how they find these kids. Apparently, in a bid to get rid of any evidence of their fornication, many of these mothers purposefully leave the kids in places that will lead to their death! Some infants are found placed next to the back wheels of a huge truck, so that when the driver backs off when he gets into his car in the morning, he crushes the baby! Others are found with fractured skulls because they’re thrown out of the window of a car. Others are left in the garbage, where they get attacked by stray dogs and cats. When we heard this, we could not believe such a thing was humanly possible. How could a mother do something like that? When you see these little children, with all their innocence and purity, and then you hear about what they were subjected to, you cannot help but be heartbroken. Whose fault is this? Are the mothers solely to blame? Or does our society, which values female “honor” much more than it values life, share a huge part of the blame?
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Istanbul
We spent part of our Summer vacation (a week) in Istanbul. It was great. Istanbul is a city where the cliché of “East meets West” is a reality. It’s also a very geographically blessed city, with miles and miles of waterfront real estate (overlooking both sides of the bosphorus), put to really good use. You find palaces, clubs, restaurants, gardens, museums, houses, and much more either directly on the bosphorus, or having amazing views of it. OK, enough words, I’ll let the photos do the talking.
The Aya Sophia Museum. This was the religious center of Byzantine christendom, converted to a mosque by the Ottomans, converted to a museum by Ataturk.
View of the Bosphorus from the modern art museum.
Sunset on Buyuk Ada (one of the Princes' Islands).
Jazz Brunch on the Bosphorus. A wonderful event, where you listened to live Jazz music, ate delectable Turkish food, with the Bosphorus as your background.
The American Jazz singer of the brunch above. Her voice was Angelic.
Lamps in the Grand Bazaar
Ceramic plates at the Grand Bazaar
Prince Island by night
Playing with the camera at night.
The Aya Sophia Museum. This was the religious center of Byzantine christendom, converted to a mosque by the Ottomans, converted to a museum by Ataturk.
View of the Bosphorus from the modern art museum.
Sunset on Buyuk Ada (one of the Princes' Islands).
Jazz Brunch on the Bosphorus. A wonderful event, where you listened to live Jazz music, ate delectable Turkish food, with the Bosphorus as your background.
The American Jazz singer of the brunch above. Her voice was Angelic.
Lamps in the Grand Bazaar
Ceramic plates at the Grand Bazaar
Prince Island by night
Playing with the camera at night.
Reverts?
I read the following on a Saudi blog called Dotsson, and it cracked me up big time, and is definitely a good point to make:
It’s true: we are taught at school that everyone is born a Muslim, then his environment (parents, society, etc…) leads him to the wrong path. And it all sounds very reasonable and logical when you’re a kid. However, I don’t know why none of us then had very simple questions to ask: if this is true, then do we have ANY examples of anybody who was not indoctrinated into a religion, that then grew up automatically to be a Muslim? How come people in primitive environments opted to worship nature and various animist beliefs, and did not become automatically Muslim? Even if we (as kids) did not questions that, how can the supposedly many intelligent people that convert to Islam buy this line and believe in it and passionately embrace it?
All questions that are very simple and it sounds silly to be even debating such a thing, but then you have so many people who just take it for granted, so I guess it’s worth pointing out!
Q) What is the difference between a convert and a revert? Why do many Muslim publications use the term "revert" when referring to a person of a different faith who has converted to Islam???
Answer: Supposedly every child in the world is born a Muslim. It doesn't matter if that child's father is a Rabbi or if his mother is Britney Spears, all humans are initially born Muslims.
By using the term "revert," it is our way of reassuring ourselves that we are on the "right" path and the winners!!! It makes us feel better about ourselves and if confronted by a non-Muslim, we can easily tell them "Hee hee hee hee you were born a Muslim nah nah nah nah. But now you're on the 'wrong' path and I'm gonna go to heaven and you're gonna go to hell!!!"
I bet Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology were devastated when the local Imam told them the "truth" about little baby Suri.
It’s true: we are taught at school that everyone is born a Muslim, then his environment (parents, society, etc…) leads him to the wrong path. And it all sounds very reasonable and logical when you’re a kid. However, I don’t know why none of us then had very simple questions to ask: if this is true, then do we have ANY examples of anybody who was not indoctrinated into a religion, that then grew up automatically to be a Muslim? How come people in primitive environments opted to worship nature and various animist beliefs, and did not become automatically Muslim? Even if we (as kids) did not questions that, how can the supposedly many intelligent people that convert to Islam buy this line and believe in it and passionately embrace it?
All questions that are very simple and it sounds silly to be even debating such a thing, but then you have so many people who just take it for granted, so I guess it’s worth pointing out!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Clash!
So, it seems that The Clash of the Civilization is now slowly, but surely on its way to materializing. I’m now watching Al Arabiya satellite channel, and they’ve got this extensive review of the Muslim world’s reactions to the Pope’s remarks. Regardless of what he meant or whether he was right or wrong, I personally think it wasn’t very smart to say what he said, especially at such a time. There’s this steady buildup that’s happening on both sides of the fence and I think it’s a question of “when” and not “if” that some catastrophic conflict will happen. The problem with such a scenario is that it will force you to take sides, and I don't really want to join either side!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Egyptian Movie Summer Roundup
I watched several Egyptian movies throughout the summer. Here is a quick roundup:
Aw2at Faragh
This good movie is to kids in their late teens what Sahar El Layaley was to young married couples. For the first time in recent Egyptian film, the characters (young college students) are portrayed in a very authentic way. In other movies, you feel that such characters were written by sixty year olds. Not in this film. A truly captivating portrayal of the lives of Egyptian kids in their late teens, with all its sense of emptiness, contradictions, and bummed out existence. Although there is nothing really new in the plot, I still recommend it.
3an El 3esh2 Wal Hawa
Sappy romantic movie written by Tamer Habeeb (write of Sahar el Layaley) and directed by Kamla Abu Zekry (director of A7la El Aw2at). Both very talented people. I liked this movie as well. It portrays a range of relationships and how people deal with them in relation to social pressures and restrictions. Several plot holes in there, but what I liked about it is that the writer doesn’t go through the predictable route of supporting the socially accepted relationship model. Menna Shalaby was fantastic in the film (in my view she is the top Egyptian actress of the current generation). A funny thing that happened: in one scene Ahmed El Sakka is crying because he broke up with his girl even though he still loved her. What does the audience do? They are laughing like it’s a scene from Madreset El Moshaghbeen. Apparently, it’s unbelievably funny that an Egyptian man cries. Can’t really be insulting the macho male ego can we? Reminded of the scenes where the audience also laughed at the gay character’s heartbreak in Yacoubian.
Wa7ed Men El Nas
An action movie with an unrealistic plot, but excellent directing. Menna Shalaby also shines.
Yaqoubian Building
Loved the movie. I had also enjoyed the book. For details refer to Forsooth’s review. Noteworthy performances by Khaled El Sawy and Hend Sabry.
As for the rest of the summer movies, I’m quite sure none of them is any good. Have you seen anything else you recommend?
Aw2at Faragh
This good movie is to kids in their late teens what Sahar El Layaley was to young married couples. For the first time in recent Egyptian film, the characters (young college students) are portrayed in a very authentic way. In other movies, you feel that such characters were written by sixty year olds. Not in this film. A truly captivating portrayal of the lives of Egyptian kids in their late teens, with all its sense of emptiness, contradictions, and bummed out existence. Although there is nothing really new in the plot, I still recommend it.
3an El 3esh2 Wal Hawa
Sappy romantic movie written by Tamer Habeeb (write of Sahar el Layaley) and directed by Kamla Abu Zekry (director of A7la El Aw2at). Both very talented people. I liked this movie as well. It portrays a range of relationships and how people deal with them in relation to social pressures and restrictions. Several plot holes in there, but what I liked about it is that the writer doesn’t go through the predictable route of supporting the socially accepted relationship model. Menna Shalaby was fantastic in the film (in my view she is the top Egyptian actress of the current generation). A funny thing that happened: in one scene Ahmed El Sakka is crying because he broke up with his girl even though he still loved her. What does the audience do? They are laughing like it’s a scene from Madreset El Moshaghbeen. Apparently, it’s unbelievably funny that an Egyptian man cries. Can’t really be insulting the macho male ego can we? Reminded of the scenes where the audience also laughed at the gay character’s heartbreak in Yacoubian.
Wa7ed Men El Nas
An action movie with an unrealistic plot, but excellent directing. Menna Shalaby also shines.
Yaqoubian Building
Loved the movie. I had also enjoyed the book. For details refer to Forsooth’s review. Noteworthy performances by Khaled El Sawy and Hend Sabry.
As for the rest of the summer movies, I’m quite sure none of them is any good. Have you seen anything else you recommend?
Friday, August 25, 2006
The Significance of Hizballah's Popularity
Hi there. It’s been a while since I posted. I went on vacation for a while, and the rest of the time it was too hot to blog :) But, now I’m back and I promise to start writing more regularly.
I bought the important Egyptian daily newspapers yesterday, and in Rose Al Yousef newspaper, I found an article regarding Hizballah’s current exploding popularity (in print only, not available on the web). This article stood out from the current conventional wisdom in Egypt. If you live in Egypt, you’ll know there is a general state of euphoria regarding Hizballah’s recent “victory”, with several newspapers giving out posters of Nasrallah and some even issuing special supplements that include Nasrallah’s biography, poems glorifying him, and similar stuff. Not to mention the countless articles that have been written on how the victory has brought back a feeling of dignity and pride to all of us Egyptians and what we can do to develop Egyptian Nasrallahs of our own! In the middle of all of this, I found the article by Adel Esmat in the issue of 24 August, 2006 of Rose Al Yousef newspaper. The article is in Arabic, so I’ll try to translate some excerpts:
I hope the translation wasn’t too bad. I think it was a good article and I completely share the writer’s thoughts. I have always thought that our priority should go to fixing our problems and building our societies. And I really think that the blind support Egyptians and Arabs are giving to Hizballah is not in their interests.
I bought the important Egyptian daily newspapers yesterday, and in Rose Al Yousef newspaper, I found an article regarding Hizballah’s current exploding popularity (in print only, not available on the web). This article stood out from the current conventional wisdom in Egypt. If you live in Egypt, you’ll know there is a general state of euphoria regarding Hizballah’s recent “victory”, with several newspapers giving out posters of Nasrallah and some even issuing special supplements that include Nasrallah’s biography, poems glorifying him, and similar stuff. Not to mention the countless articles that have been written on how the victory has brought back a feeling of dignity and pride to all of us Egyptians and what we can do to develop Egyptian Nasrallahs of our own! In the middle of all of this, I found the article by Adel Esmat in the issue of 24 August, 2006 of Rose Al Yousef newspaper. The article is in Arabic, so I’ll try to translate some excerpts:
On Hizballah and Hamas’s Popularity: is there any competition?
What is the significance of Hizballah and Hamas’s unprecedented popularity these days? This popularity mainly means that Arab populations have an overwhelming desire to defeat Israel or to seek revenge from it at the very least. What they do not understand is that a total victory cannot be achieved in the military field alone. They do not even understand that military superiority itself is the end result of progress in many other fields. They do not understand that building the inside is the first step to confronting your enemies and that developing our countries is what will make the difference in the long run!
Our people’s absolute support for Hizballah and Hamas reveals a desperate and hasty way of thinking…and shows that we are gripped by focusing on the temporary situation without thinking of the long term consequences….
Our blind support to HA and Hamas means that there is a popular mood that does not recognize what a popular state is, and what its limits are. A culture that does not care about building state institutions, that is not worried about corruption and does not give priority to the value of spreading of democracy or of internal development. It’s a culture that always looks to the outside and places the blame on enemies and does not see the need to look at its flaws: since it does not make any mistakes and is innocent of all sins. Only others are to blame for our backwardness….A culture that gives priority to confrontation without thinking of the consequences.
(A culture that will lead us to) blindly follow Hizballah and Hamas, agreeing to all their decisions, no matter what they do, so at the end our role becomes to only glorify their actions and sing their praises, singing songs of resistance while carrying their leaders on our shoulders, carrying banners saying “Islam is the solution” and “ Resistance is the solution”.
I hope the translation wasn’t too bad. I think it was a good article and I completely share the writer’s thoughts. I have always thought that our priority should go to fixing our problems and building our societies. And I really think that the blind support Egyptians and Arabs are giving to Hizballah is not in their interests.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
I am Disgusted
I’m disgusted by all that shit that’s going on in Lebanon.
I’m disgusted by Hizbullah’s reckless dragging of the whole Lebanese population into a bloody war for their (and their masters’) selfish interests.
I’m disgusted by the Israeli barbaric reaction and their destruction of a country that I love and their reckless slaughter of civilians so they can vent their anger and feel like they’re doing something to protect themselves (they’re not).
I’m disgusted at the Syrians that are celebrating in the streets as if there’s any price that they had to pay for the couple of dozen Israelis that were killed by Hizbullah. They are more than happy to see the whole of Lebanon get destroyed just so they can have the satisfaction of seeing a war with Israel materialise.
I’m disgusted at the Egyptian leftist demonstrators who carried the pictures of Nasrallah and Nasser on placards.
I’m disgusted at most of the Israeli commentors on Lebanese blogs, who are flooding these blogs with vicious, insensitive comments. As if by doing this, they’re going to magically get them to adopt the Israeli point of view.
I’m disgusted at so many commenters on Al Arabiya web-site, that are cheering on this war from their desks as if they’re cheering for their team in the World Cup.
I’m disgusted because I know that all this shit will keep on happening over and over and over again, and nobody will be able to change anything.
I’m disgusted by Hizbullah’s reckless dragging of the whole Lebanese population into a bloody war for their (and their masters’) selfish interests.
I’m disgusted by the Israeli barbaric reaction and their destruction of a country that I love and their reckless slaughter of civilians so they can vent their anger and feel like they’re doing something to protect themselves (they’re not).
I’m disgusted at the Syrians that are celebrating in the streets as if there’s any price that they had to pay for the couple of dozen Israelis that were killed by Hizbullah. They are more than happy to see the whole of Lebanon get destroyed just so they can have the satisfaction of seeing a war with Israel materialise.
I’m disgusted at the Egyptian leftist demonstrators who carried the pictures of Nasrallah and Nasser on placards.
I’m disgusted at most of the Israeli commentors on Lebanese blogs, who are flooding these blogs with vicious, insensitive comments. As if by doing this, they’re going to magically get them to adopt the Israeli point of view.
I’m disgusted at so many commenters on Al Arabiya web-site, that are cheering on this war from their desks as if they’re cheering for their team in the World Cup.
I’m disgusted because I know that all this shit will keep on happening over and over and over again, and nobody will be able to change anything.
Monday, July 10, 2006
The Origin of the Notorious Head Butt
Like everyone else, I was stunned by the notorious head-butt by Zinedine Zidane in the World Cup final. Why the hell would he do something like that? Did he go mad? No matter what the Italian guy did to him (some suggested he called Zidane a terrorist, and others said he pinched Zidane’s nipple!), Zizou still should have controlled himself.
This was especially puzzling coming from someone who seems so calm, collected and in control.
Until I read the following article (written way before the incident) which sheds light on his character. It’s important to know this about Zidane’s background: born to poor Algerian immigrants in the south of France, he grew up in the ghetto, and had a tough start to his life. This naturally affected his character.
“One of the theories about Zidane as a player is that he is driven by an inner rage. His football is elegant and masterful, charged with technique and vision. But he can still erupt into shocking violence that is as sudden as it is inexplicable. The most famous examples of this include head butting Jochen Kientz of Hamburg during a Champions League match, when he was at Juventus in 2000 …and his stomping on the hapless Faoud Amin of Saudi Arabia during the 1998 World Cup finals”
Sounds familiar?
"Zidane’s first coaches at AS Cannes noticed quickly that he was raw and sensitive, eager to attack spectators who insulted his race or family. The priority of his first coach, Jean Varraud, was to get him to channel his anger and focus more on his game. According to Varraud, Zidane’s first weeks at Cannes were spent mainly on cleaning duty as a punishment for punching an opponent who had mocked his ghetto origins.”
“And yet in his early days at Juventus, particularly in big matches, some of his temperamental faults would resurface, and there were doubts over his ability to lead from the centre of the pitch.”
“Zidane’s occasional violence may well be a product of this internal conflict : the French-Algerian who is for ever suspended between cultures. But it is equally likely that, although in public he presents a serene and smiling face, he is underneath it all every bit the same hard nut he had to be to survive the mean streets of La Castellane. ’Nobody knows if Zidane is an angel or demon,’ says the rock singer Jean-Louis Murat, who is himself a fan of the player. ’He smiles like Saint Teresa and grimaces like a serial killer.’”
My theory is that the Italians knew this about Zidane’s personality, and they used it against him. Whether it was a nipple pinch that insulted his hot Arab macho blood, or calling him a terrorist, they knew how to push his buttons. And they did. Successfully.
UPDATE: So it seems we now know what happened. The Sun newspaper got a lip reader to analyse what Materazzi said. Highlights of the report:
A lip-reader told The Sun that Marco Materazzi called Zidane "a son of a terrorist whore”.
Top lip-reader Marianne Frere revealed the Italian told Zidane — who understands the language after playing for Juventus — a high ball was “not for feccia like you”.
Feccia is an Italian insult meaning scum or s**t.
Zidane smiled at Materazzi as he walked away. But there was another exchange, Zidane turned and floored him with a butt to the chest. The lip-reader claimed the Italian had said: “We all know you are the son of a terrorist whore.”
He added: “Viffanculo”. (f*** off). A source close to the Italian squad claimed that after twisting Zidane’s nipple, Materazzi asked him: “What, don’t you like it?” The French captain replied: “A bit too hard to turn me on.”
But Materazzi shouted: “Well, I did it that way because I know that’s how your mother likes it.”
Materazzi’s agent denied any racist slur — and said the attack came when Zidane offered to swap shirts later and the Italian replied: “‘I’d rather take the shirt off your wife.”
The mystery is resolved!
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Is it Slavery? Or Just a Little Help Around the House?
Check out this story:
An Egyptian couple with five kids move to the US. Naturally, they need some domestic help (Egyptian style) with such a large family.
So what do they do? They arrange to bring along their 12 year old servant with them (with a fraudulent visa, nonetheless) where her life continues along the same lines of what she had in Egypt. Basically, serving the family 24/7, no schooling, sleeping in a tiny space in the garage, getting beat up if she makes any mistakes, the usual stuff an average 12 year old maid goes through in Egypt. With one small difference: it’s in the US. Obviously, the family did not see they were doing anything wrong.
So what happens when the American authorities find out?
The couple is charged with human trafficking, harboring an illegal immigrant, and conspiracy. Basically, they were considered to have enslaved the 12-year-old girl.
They’ve pleaded guilty and are now expecting a sentence of three years each, possibly up to fifty years!!
How could these idiots ever have expected to get away with this in the US?
You know what’s the best part of all of this? The government gave the girl a green card, put her up at a foster home (where she’s going to a public high school), and ordered the couple to pay her back wages of $100,000!!
Yes, $100,000.
Isn’t this an incredible story?
Read the official report here.
An Egyptian couple with five kids move to the US. Naturally, they need some domestic help (Egyptian style) with such a large family.
So what do they do? They arrange to bring along their 12 year old servant with them (with a fraudulent visa, nonetheless) where her life continues along the same lines of what she had in Egypt. Basically, serving the family 24/7, no schooling, sleeping in a tiny space in the garage, getting beat up if she makes any mistakes, the usual stuff an average 12 year old maid goes through in Egypt. With one small difference: it’s in the US. Obviously, the family did not see they were doing anything wrong.
So what happens when the American authorities find out?
The couple is charged with human trafficking, harboring an illegal immigrant, and conspiracy. Basically, they were considered to have enslaved the 12-year-old girl.
They’ve pleaded guilty and are now expecting a sentence of three years each, possibly up to fifty years!!
How could these idiots ever have expected to get away with this in the US?
You know what’s the best part of all of this? The government gave the girl a green card, put her up at a foster home (where she’s going to a public high school), and ordered the couple to pay her back wages of $100,000!!
Yes, $100,000.
Isn’t this an incredible story?
Read the official report here.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Watch the World Cup for Free!
I was checking out Hal's rant about the injustice of having the World Cup available only to ART subscribers, and I decided to do an act of charity. I will post the frequencies of 4 free to air European satellite channels that will be airing the World Cup - you can get these channels in the Middle East! You have to have a movable dish, though.
So, enjoy.....
So, enjoy.....
Friday, June 02, 2006
Lucid Dreams
Everyday when I wake up, it takes me quite some time to get out of my dream mood. The mood I wake up with usually depends on the dream I've had – and in many cases, this mood is one of worry, anxiety, stress, or anticipation. The funny thing is I rarely remember the details of the dream, I just live the mood and the feelings that I have as a result of the dream.
A while back, I saw an amazing movie called Waking Life. The whole movie is a surreal experience, almost like a dream. It is actually inspired by the dreaming process and it uses the dream-like format of the film to explore many different issues and observations that the writer/director had. There really is no plot or story – just a guy who moves from one surreal scene to another, observing (and participating in) philosophical and deep discussions on all sorts of topics. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that in one scene of this movie, the hero realizes he's dreaming but he still continues with his dream and starts manipulating the dream to make it go his own way. I got interested in this and checked the website of the movie and I made an amazing discovery. This scene referred to something called lucid dreaming. A lucid dream is a dream where you know that you are dreaming during the actual dream itself, which usually enables you to have direct control over the content of the dream. Can you believe that? Having the ability to control your own dreams? Writing their script? Experimenting with your fantasies? Turns out that inducing lucid dreams has almost become a science. It is scientifically verified that you can do it, and there are many methods to do so. One of the methods (which was used in Waking Life) is to try to flick on a light switch in your dream. If it doesn’t work, then you’re dreaming (apparently light switches don’t work in dreams). Once you realize that you’re dreaming, then you can control what happens in it.
Those who have experienced lucid dreams describe them as
Can you imagine the possibilities?
Funny thing is, what do most people do when they experience lucid dreams? They either fly or have sex.
A while back, I saw an amazing movie called Waking Life. The whole movie is a surreal experience, almost like a dream. It is actually inspired by the dreaming process and it uses the dream-like format of the film to explore many different issues and observations that the writer/director had. There really is no plot or story – just a guy who moves from one surreal scene to another, observing (and participating in) philosophical and deep discussions on all sorts of topics. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that in one scene of this movie, the hero realizes he's dreaming but he still continues with his dream and starts manipulating the dream to make it go his own way. I got interested in this and checked the website of the movie and I made an amazing discovery. This scene referred to something called lucid dreaming. A lucid dream is a dream where you know that you are dreaming during the actual dream itself, which usually enables you to have direct control over the content of the dream. Can you believe that? Having the ability to control your own dreams? Writing their script? Experimenting with your fantasies? Turns out that inducing lucid dreams has almost become a science. It is scientifically verified that you can do it, and there are many methods to do so. One of the methods (which was used in Waking Life) is to try to flick on a light switch in your dream. If it doesn’t work, then you’re dreaming (apparently light switches don’t work in dreams). Once you realize that you’re dreaming, then you can control what happens in it.
Those who have experienced lucid dreams describe them as
“exciting, colourful, and fantastic. Many compare it to a spiritual experience and say that it changed their lives or their perception of the world. Some have even reported lucid dreams that take on a hyperreality, seemingly "more real than real", where all the elements of reality are amplified. Lucid dreams are prodigiously more memorable than other kinds of dreaming, even nightmares, which may be why they are often prescribed as a means of ridding one's self of troubling dreams.”
Can you imagine the possibilities?
Funny thing is, what do most people do when they experience lucid dreams? They either fly or have sex.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
Flip-Flops Flipped Over
I was sitting in my living room the other day, doing nothing in particular, just thinking and staring away, when I noticed that my flip flops were upside down. I immediately went to them and returned them back to their normal position. Thought about this for a second, and realized why I did this.
It was one of those things that stays with you from your childhood: we were taught never to leave flip flops or shoes upside down. And why is that? Because it would be disrespectful to God. You shouldn’t put the sole of your shoes heading upwards towards our Lord in the skies! What absolute rubbish. Then I remembered that how as a kid, I was obsessed with keeping all the shoes, sandals, and flip flops of the household in their God-respecting positions. And to think that such a thing goes around spreading between people and people taking the time and effort to implement such a thing. As if God had nothing better to do than sit there getting offended from the soles of flip flops facing him around the world.
It got me to thinking about other bullshit that you’re told as a kid and how you take it and believe it then. I remembered that we had this nanny that would tell us that God came and gave a choice to Muslims and Christians: The choice was between faith and beauty. Muslims (naturally) choose faith, and Christians chose beauty. And that is why (she explained) most Christians are beautiful. But not to worry, because it will all be sorted out in the after life, where we will go to heaven, and get rewarded for putting up with our ugliness. Not to worry at all. Thank God our parents corrected this crap when we told them about it.
Indoctrination is such a powerful tool. Once you imprint something in the impressionable mind of an innocent child, it will most likely stay there forever. This is something that’s always s in the back of my head when dealing with my child.
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