Song: Save Room by John Legend

My new favourite song! The music is really nice and the guy's voice is very smooth! Enjoy!

Say that you'll stay a little
Don't say bye bye tonight
Say you'll be mine
Just a little bit of love is worth a moment of your time.

Knocking on your door just a little
So cold outside tonight
Let's get the fire burning
I know, I'll keep it burning bright
If you stay, won't you stay-stay

Save room for my love
Save room for a moment to be with me
Save room for my love save a little
Save a little for me
Won't you save a little
Save a little for me-ohh

This just might hurt a little
Love hurts sometimes when you do it right
Don't be afraid of a little bit of pain
Pleasure is just on the other side

Let down your guard just a little
I'll keep you safe in these arms of mine
Hold onto me-pretty baby
You will see I can be all you need
If you stay, won't you stay-stay

Save room for my love
Save room for a moment to be with me
Save room for my love save a little
Save a little for me
Won't you save a little
Save a little for me- ohh

Ohh come on

Make time to live a little
Don't let this moment slip by tonight
You never know what you are missing until you try
I'll keep you satisfied
If you stay, won't you stay-stay

Save room for my love
Save room for a moment to be with me
Save room for my love save a little
Save a little for me
Won't you save a little
Save a little for me-ohh

iio

Every couple of years I would hear really great songs by this band called iio. A couple of years back I heard "Rapture", then about a year ago I heard "At the End", and recently I heard "Is It Love". The songs are really good, the sort of relaxing songs you like to play really loud in your car and sing along to. One website described their songs as having "a haunting vocal hook" which is the best way to describe them for sure. I did a little research and turns out the lead singer is called Nadia Ali, so she seems to be Middle Eastern but has lived all her life in the States. The band seems to be doing very well for itself even without being all over magazines and entertainment news programs; I mean it did take me a few years to find out the band's name and to even make the connection that all 3 songs were sung by the same person to begin with! I would highly recommend them!

Victims...

Have you ever felt like playing the victim? Have you ever done it without even noticing? Being a victim gets you attention, gets most of the blame of the situation away from you, and definately gets you sympathy. Lately for some reason I have started to notice people who play victims and also people who are actual victims but hate the sympathy. Its pretty interesting how you see people who crave for attention play victims because they just miss their friends or family or the general attention. Its also interesting to see people who are victims but just hate the attention that's associated with that! It's like "GET AWAY! I'm not a victim!" I'm sure I must have played the victim a few times when I didnt need to...all for the sake of a little attention, and I am more than sure that I must have been a victim a few times and just totally ignored it coz I hate too much attention, too much attention reminds you you're a victim which I tend to want to forget. Its just fascinating how you can do that sometimes without even realizing it...human psychology always just amazes me!

Missing my girls...

Robbie Willams and his awesome lyrics!

I love Robbie Williams' songs. They have amazing lines and are so much fun to sing along to. Alot of the lyrics stay with you because they are just so true and so simple. I got my msn nick name "Amaze Me" from one of his unknown songs and it related to me so has stuck with me all these years. So I thought I'd post some of my favourite Robbie lyrics. If you guys have any of your own favourites add them!

"I'm not scared of dying, I just don't want to" - Come Undone

"I didn't lose my mind, it was mine to give away" - No Regrets

"I can't promise I will heal you, but if you want to I will try" - Eternity

"Let's pretend we never met, why dont we break up, I've got my eyes shut praying they won't stray" - Sexed Up

"Youth is wasted on the young" - Eternity

"If I ever hurt you your revenge will be so sweet because I'm scum" - Come Undone

"I got too much life, running through my veins, going to waste" - Feel

"She breathes flesh to my bones" - Angels

"Is there a tumour in your humour?" - Supreme

"Do another interview, sing a bunch of lies, tell about celebrities that I despise, and sing love songs, we sing love songs so sincere" - Come Undone

"If you're willing to change the world, let love be your energy" - Let Love Be Your Energy

"Come and hold my hand, I want to contact the living" - Feel

"I hope I'm old before I die, I hope I live to see the day the Pope gets high" - Old Before I Die

"Oprah Winfrey Ricki Lake, teach me things I don't need to know" - Strong

"You gotta get high before you taste the lows" - Let Me Entertain You

Song: Follow Through by Gavin DeGraw

Amal, you are totally right, this song is stuck in my head now and I just keep listening to it over and over again. Thanks for the tip and here are the lyrics for ya so you can sing along!

Oh, this is the start of something good
Don't you agree?
I haven't felt like this is so many moons
You know what I mean?
And we can build through this destruction
As we are standing on our feet

So, since you want to be with me
You'll have to follow through
With every word you say
And I, all I really want is you
You to stick around
I'll see you everyday
But you have to follow through
You have to follow through

These reeling emotions they just keep me alive
They keep me in tune
Oh, look what I'm holding here in my fire
This is for you
Am I too obvious to preach it?
You're so hypnotic on my heart

So, since you want to be with me
You'll have to follow through
With every word you say
And I, all I really want is you
You to sick around
I'll see you everyday
But you have to follow through
You have to follow through

The words you say to me are unlike anything
That's ever been said
And what you do to me is unlike anything
That's ever been
Am I too obvious to preach it?
You're so hypnotic on my heart

So, since you want to be with me
You'll have to follow through
With every word you say
And I, all I really want is you
You to stick around
I'll see you everyday
So, since you want to be with me
You'll have to follow through
With every word you say
And I, all I really want is you
You to stick around
I'll see you everyday
But you have to follow through
You have to follow through
You're gonna have to follow
Oh, this is the start of something good
Don't you agree?

In total denial...or totally lying!

Till today the government is denying the incidences that happened in the downtown area last Eid. And not only do they deny that incident, they are actually denying the existence of harrassments in the streets of Cairo to begin with! Don't Government officials have sisters, daughters, mothers, nieces, etc? They never HEARD of this happening?! They expect us to believe that?! Well if they have never seen it maybe they should watch this video, as well as roam the streets of the city they are working for once in a while instead of closing up streets so they can pass by in their cars on their way home.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeOF-9_HJRA

Maryooma's bday! Fusion: my new favourite restaurant

Happy Bday Professor Mariam! The bday outing was in Fusion, which I highly recommend, especially for anyone who wants a change from the normal cafes/restaurants that we go to too many times to admit. Its a chinese/japanese restaurant in Maadi where you could dress up and eat good food, including sushi, with great service, which is rare to find in Cairo these days. You also have the option to sit on tables and watch the Asian chefs cook your food right in front of you while doing little tricks as they cook. Very entertaining but be prepared to be smelling of food afterwards :) The bday itself was alot of fun just because of the people who showed up plus the fact that you didnt have to worry about bad food, bad service, nor finding your bill alot higher than you expected (all they add is the 10% service charge). It was a very nice evening and we had a lot of laughs! We ended up getting there at 9:30pm and leaving at 1am! We didnt feel the time fly at all.

Beeso's Engaged!

Last Saturday was Bassem and Maria's engagement party and what a day it was! For me, the day started out all WRONG! The day before I had woken up with a bad cold so I was sooo annoyed coz comeon, this is Bassem's engagement! I have to be full of energy! Plus, I go to Rasha's house the morning of the engagement and we wait for Lina, and we end up moving late from Zamalek and rushing to the church to catch the ceremony. We get to the church and its DESERTED. The door was bolted shut, no cars or people in sight, and the guy there was telling us "oh yes yes the engagement ended 30 mins ago, they are all gone." So Rasha and I turn to Lina and start yelling at her for delaying us! She felt so bad, but that sooooon changed when we realized we were at the wrong church to begin with and that the bride and groom hadn't even arrived to the church yet! Haha so Lina got a big kick out of that and we got a earful from her about it. Anyway, its VERY hot at this point and we were dying, but we find the church and end up entering with the bride, so we didnt miss anything at all. It all went well. Bassem was sooo shy it was the cutest thing we had ever seen. Then we all pack up into our cars to go to the party at Mohamed Aly club, and it starts to rain! We all start worrying but by the time we got to the place the rain had stopped, the heat had gone away, but it was COLD! Haha but the party was awesome. Bassem and Maria arrive on a boat, we had fireworks, we had the crazy family of Bassem's sing a song to the couple, we had everyone there and we hadnt seen each other for a long time...it was very nice. The only bad part was the fact that I was a little sick so I was not dancing as much as I usually did plus was borrowing jackets off all the guys all night, thanks guys for being so considerate as you always are! Bassem was his usual hyper self and so were all his cousins and sister whom I absolutely adore. Maria looked gorgeous and was smiling all night. Overall it was a great party for one of the cutest couple ever. Bassem was always the guy who stayed with me at all weddings and engagements dancing the night away. If we went to a party and found people sitting and being boring, we'd usually get up and just dance till we dropped! We'd do the sillest moves and just be totally childish! He's one of my favourite people in the world and I couldn't be happier for him. Keep the hyperness going buddy!

Harassments in Cairo get too physical

As a girl who has been living in Cairo since 1990 and who has never owned her own car so has made a habit of walking, taking cabs, taking trains, taking buses, etc I was not that shocked about the events that happened last Eid in the downtown area of Cairo. The fact that women in Egypt get harassed, touched, and looked at is not new news to me. What is new is the fact that it got THAT out of control! That is what frightened me initially because what I am used to is stupid guys in the street whispering words to you as you pass by or grabbing at your arm when noone is looking. That method of harassment left me believing that the harrassers were actually afraid to some extent; they didn't want others seeing what they were doing. On many occassions I would get harrassed and stop turn around and just look at the guy and he would look at the floor or to the sky so as not to draw attention to himself. This gave me a tiny level of security knowing that if the harrassment did at any point get out of control all I had to do was yell or shout and this guy would get into SO much trouble. But to have a big gang of guys bold enough to go around grabbing at girls and pulling at their clothes so shamelessly without a worry in the world...THIS is new and means that that small level of security I had, which allowed me to walk in the streets with my head held high, has dissappeared. Now if I screamed what would happen?

Another important thing that scared me about that event was that the point of no return which I have been worried about for years has actually arrived. In all my years here I have known, as you have all known, that Egypt's laws are not enforced and in most cases not followed. That always made me wonder as to how Egypt can be so safe yet so lawless! I chose to believe that we always felt safe here because at some level people had their morals whether they got it through the fact that Egyptians are generally very religious, and very family-oriented. People who are in close contact with their families and peers tend to be brought up with stronger values, and also scared of how they'd look in front of others if they did something wrong. This seemed to be enough at some time but I always kept fearing the day that the general public would realize "oh wow, I can do whatever I want and the police will do nothing about it...as long as its not against the government that is." This event to me made me think...oh oh has that day come? Have people realized that raping girls, grabbing them, stealing things, etc are not things they will be persecuted for? or at least not easily persecuted for?

I also wonder when did I get to the point where I could say "harrassment, yea I'm used to it" ? I would have never thought that anyone could ever get USED to harrassment...and why should anyone get used to it! Bottomline is girls dont get used to it, keep letting it annoy you so that you can feel the urge to do something about it, so you can have the courage to go to the police and report it instead of brushing it off as something that happens every day. Yes, these sick men are a major part of the problem but the fact that those girls who got attacked never reported it, the fact that none of us ever report it, is also a BIG part of the problem. And guys, keep your eyes open because I cannot tell you how many guys got sooooo shocked that this happened in Egypt, as if its the first time they have ever heard of such a thing...you cant imagine how irritating it is to realize that so many people dont even see this happening. IT IS NOT NEW!

6 Things You Didnt Know About Me!

This is for you Tom! I couldn't come up with 10 things so here are 6!

1. I was born in Kuwait, lived there till the Gulf War, and came to Egypt in a car with my whole family. It was the first time I had ever seen my dad cry and I remember it to this day. He packed us all up in his car with enough food to last the 4-5 day trip and we left everything else behind. I remember we weren't travelling alone. One of my dad's friends had packed his family in my mum's car, and there were other families as well, and we all had a pink sticker on our windshields so that we didn't lose each other. I remember that on this trip we'd sleep in our cars at night, and my youngest brother was less than a year old so was crying alot. We passed through quite a number of countries but I can only remember passing through Iraq because I had never seen my parents so tense in my life. I was 6 at the time and really couldn't comprehend that we were in a war zone. We used to hear bombs while sitting at home and my dad would put us under tables and all I could think about was how I was interrupted while watching my favourite cartoon!
2. My dad has one brother and my mum has 6 sisters! And I have never met all 6 of my aunts; they are scattered all over the globe. Its quite strange when I think about the fact that I could be sitting next to one of my aunts or one of their children and wouldnt know them!
3. I spoke English before I spoke Arabic, which is why sometimes my Arabic sounds a little strange. I only started feeling comfortable about talking to my parents in Arabic when I was 10 or 11!
4. I have known Lina Haddad for about 16 years now! We were in the same class in school, lived on the same street till fairly recently, took the same bus to school every morning, were in the same university, got into AIESEC in the same year, have similar friends, and still are the best of friends.
5. I have 5 piercings. You would think that this would be something noticeable but I have had them for over 6 years and till today people ask me "did you just pierce your ears?".
6. I have never tried cigarettes nor alcohol, I was simply never interested, and still am not.

Bye Bye :(

In the past month, 3 of the most important people to me at my company left. Sherif Beblawi, who was my second boss when I came to ARPU+ and who was always looking out for me even when I was no longer in his team. He was the first person who made me feel welcome at the company, and the first one who I considered as a friend and not a work colleague. His answer to all questions is GOOGLE IT, and he was always a source of laughter at the company whether through the funny videos he'd send us or through his creative office pranks! Noha Ramadan, who was my current boss and who was here when ARPU+ was just starting out. She has really never made me feel like she was the boss and I was the junior; we were always involved in all our projects together. Her favourite word was always "enti naughty!" and she had a cute obsession with butterflies so she had them drawn on her stamping card and her notebooks. Noha El Sweedy, she's the reason I'm in ARPU+! She's the one who called me to come for an interview. She's hilarious, can always make all the people around her laugh, and is extremely supportive. The main reason why I love where I work is the people...the people I have my cup of tea in the morning with, the people who always make it a point to celebrate each other's bdays, the people who always make it a point to pray and eat and laugh together. They are seriously the reason we all wake up in the morning and dont mind the idea of going to work! These 3 people who left were a big part of that fun group at work and they are already dearly missed. I am really glad to be able to call them my friends. Was very blessed to have been able to work closely with every single one of them and Sherif and Noha have both allowed me to learn so much while working with them that I worry if my next boss could ever impress me as much as they have. Both of them were selfless when it came to giving me tasks, they allowed me to lead projects from start to finish, recognized the importance of learning, and they both always stood up for me in front of any issues that happened with upper management. They both have set such high standards for me in terms of how a boss should behave with his/her subordinates. Will miss you Bebz, Nou, and Sweedy!