Monday, July 23, 2007

و لا بالمحبين مثلي

unread piles of papers remain untouched

that they became part of the furniture.

One of my worst habits is that I cannot easily finish reading a book. The books I have in my little library.. however I just can't finish reading any. I mean I did finish reading some, but life is a bitch. Long ago I used to have the time but I got easily bored and couldn't commit myself to do one thing. I had almost 2 years of practically doing nothing with my life.. and now that I've got a demanding time-consuming job... I regret every little minute I wasted not reading, not writing, not keeping in touch with old friends, not having any of the fun that I desperately need now.

I guess that I am better reading encyclopedias though. I've got many encyclopedias in addition to encyclopediac books in terms of content. I read on wikipedia almost anything and everything.. I click on "random article" and start reading. I remember long time ago when I would be looking for something in my father's old books, I'd accidently stop by an interesting line and read it and the line after... and thus forgetting what I was looking for in the first place when I realize I had a different reason for being there. I could spend hours doing that.

Dictionaries too, these days dictionaries are as interesting as encyclopedia if you're a big fan. I read an old copy of the American Heritage dictionary.. probably an early 80s edition or late 70s. The dictionary of literary terms is fun to read too.. its like a pocket literary encyclopedia... in your pocket.. like a pocketbook. But slightly bigger than a pocketbook; but relatively similar in size.
In relation to other pocketbooks.
Books are rottening by my bedside.. and I can't do anything about it. However I'm doing good reading "My Name is Red" by Orhan Pamuk.

I bought a book a couple of months ago. Its supposed to be in Arabic but its printed left to right; you rarely read a coherent sentence just jumbled words with lots of terrible spelling mistakes. I do not mention grammar for it does not exist there. However... the book is meant to document the massacres the PKK have committed against innocent defenseless Turkish villagers. Its mostly pictures of burned, deformed bodies or remains of bodies.
The beauty lies in the ability to see the human behind all deformities challenging everything to be simply human. It might be sick to some; but to me its sick to admire such pictures for the idea that they have been killed this way. To me I see it as a way to look into the vulnerability of the human kind; to see how extreme evil to contrast it with beauty.

I would've loved to share some pictures but I decided it wouldn't be appropriate... I wanted to though to show you how every dead body had one human look that is just soooooo human. They all looked up.

As much as it breaks my heart to watch war documentaries; as much as I like watching them for this idea. I love observing the "human" in every aspect.

I bought a book from Dar Dawoud for 250 fils. It was an old copy of a novel by Naguib Mahfouz... So I thought it might be the first edition of this novel. I was so excited, I got back home to check.. and true. The novel was published in the 40s under a title... then published again in 1953 under a different title. Thus I do have an antique book... to an extent. I'm thinking I should sell it on eBay.. but I'm attached to it already. I never let go of my father's old book... appreciating their value. Although I could get good money out of them.
I told almost everybody I know about this great find..






Dhahi bin Wulaid (1895 - 1941) ضاحي بن وليد


قالت وصالك
لا
فلا
عندي مُحال

ما يطيعو يبيحوني أهلي



غير لا يفهم أبوي و أهلي ذا المقال





شايهمّو بقتلك و قتلي؟







Sunday, July 22, 2007

يمكن

I was going through my old emails
I was into e-pals.. had lots of friends from all over the world and won many great friends that for some reason are now "old" friends. Fawn, an American well-read artist and photographer who used to complain about the dull life she was living in her parents house and how unappreciated are her gifts and talents. Last I talked to her was probably a year and a half ago, she was well into a good relationship with a Cuban guy who shares lots of her interests and is himself as I understood an artist... she was finally living the Bohemian life she dreamt of..





I have always picked the ones who show intelligence. Dull conversations don't attract me; especially those which start with questions about the weather and time difference. I befriended painters, photographers, musicians, writers, and one very talented Belgian girl who spoke many languages in addition to her astonishing musical and dramatic talents (a cellist, an actress, and a vocalist for a relatively small Metal band).


I now see them occassionally online.





I found this email dated


Fri 11/28/03








Dear ***** :P

I just have one question for you :P today..at 7:43 p.m,on the wooden chair,at the junction of ma7al called CHIPIE,LEGO,& on the back of HALL MARK,
i saw a guy,sitting there,on the chair:P that wooden chair,sar7an,eyti6ammash 3ala erray7een willi radeen,all by himself

if he only paid ATTENTION to the girl looking at him,he would've seen her face to face,& in real life,a girl he knew for more than a year:P a girl he teased over & over :P

bss ma77ad gallik sar7an :P,i looked,turned my head,then LOOKED again,:P

till i see you on-line,......:P:P:P:P:P

yalla salaaaam












**** censored, not to reveal my secret identity which 80% of my readers already know.. but oh well I like the sound of it.





I get to loathe mankind everyday.



I got back to the Quran-recitation circle. We meet every Tuesday in some mosque.. I like big mosques during the quiet hours.



A shot I took in rehearsals of the band.


In other news... I saw the video of Encounters, East meets West thingie.. I don't know what to call it really.. a poetry evening, or a performance.. whatever it is.. it was good in itself. However as I just said, when I saw the video I realized how sucky my movement was. Yes my voice was clear and only 2 others had such a good voice, probably due to some theatre training. Overall it was good and I got offers to do other works related to reading poetry.. or rather "dramatically" read poetry.





يا حية يم راسين
طبي بجدرهم
سمّي لي أهل البيت
خلي بنتهم
يمكن
يمكن
يمكن
يمكن
يمكن
منعوه هله
يمكن


منعوه هله