Sorry...no can do...its chronic!

That is what I have been hearing from doctors for a year now. "You have IBS, its chronic, nothing we can really do about it in terms of treatment but please do try not to stress out, eat healthy and at regular times every day, try to exercise, and sleep well"...Easy right?? GRRRRRRR

Egypt: The Place to Be

I came to realize something this summer, I wanted to take a vacation and go abroad and have a good time like I always do every year, and of course in the summer you want to go somewhere that has nice beaches so I naturally started thinking Greece, Cyprus, and Spain. But then I realized something...if I really want beautiful beaches why do I even need to leave Egypt? You want waves and the most beautiful shades of blue, go to the North Coast. You want calm soothing waters, go to Basata. You want diving, snorkelling, partying, and the like, go to Sharm! The options are just endless! Hurghada, Gouna, Ras Sedr, Dahab, and more. So I realized that now Egypt has become one of the main countries you would go to if you are searching for a nice summer resort kinda place. No more is Egypt just a place to visit for its historical sights; you can choose to come here now purely to take advantage of the beach and not even pass by Cairo. It was a cool realization to make and it made me feel lucky to be able to live in a place where I could have beach time all year round!

Song: The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel

This song means alot to me because its my dad's favourite song and Simon and Garfunkel are one of his favourite bands so I was brought up on their music. A good friend, Coco, revived my love for the band by singing this song on his guitar for us in Gouna in our last vacation. Its an excellent song...and very soothing.

Hello darkness, my old friend,
I've come to talk with you again,
Because a vision softly creeping,
Left its seeds while I was sleeping,
And the vision that was planted in my brain
Still remains
Within the sound of silence.

In restless dreams I walked alone
Narrow streets of cobblestone,
neath the halo of a street lamp,
I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of
A neon light
That split the night
And touched the sound of silence.

And in the naked light I saw
Ten thousand people, maybe more.
People talking without speaking,
People hearing without listening,
People writing songs that voices never share
And no one dared
Disturb the sound of silence.

Fools said ai,you do not know
Silence like a cancer grows.
Hear my words that might teach you,
Take my arms that might reach you.
But my words like silent raindrops fell,
And echoed
In the wells of silence

And the people bowed and prayed
To the neon God they made.
And the sign flashed out its warning,
In the words that it was forming.
And the signs said, the words of the prophets
Are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls.
And whispered in the sounds of silence.

The first new life in the group

Last Saturday I finally met the new addition to our old university group of friends, little Eddie, Marian's 10 month old baby. I couldn't believe that this friend of mine whom I used to sit gossiping with in the AUC library the first semester of university, the friend I used to go shopping with, the friend I used to do the silliest things with, was now a mummy! Marian is exactly the same as she always was, the same hyperness, the same supportive nature, and the same HILARIOUS comments that come out of nowhere, but with a baby now who worships her and whom she is a role model to. He was the cutest thing I had ever seen and didnt shed a single tear when I held him close to me. He smiled at me a few times, made cute sounds, and pulled anything on me that was within his reach. His smile is to die for and his eyes were the most gorgeous shade of brown...I just LOVED him and couldn't believe that now I am at the age where I could have friends who had babies! We have come a long way since our first semester in AUC ya Marzzzzz!!!

Reunion Weekend!

This weekend you had a group of 20 something year olds all excited like little kids because we were finally all reuniting in the North Coast with one of my closest friends Salma! Everything about the weekend was sooooo familiar from Lina and I spending the weekend in Salma's family place with her family, from us all asking Abbassi not to speed, from us never being able to decide where to go out, from having Lina and Salma start falling asleep much earlier than expected, and the list could go on! And that is exactly what made these bunch of 20 something year olds all excited early thursday morning and in a hurry to rush out of work to get on the road! It was Lina, Tamer, Bassem, Abbassi, and I in the car driving to the North Coast while being incredibly hyper in a way that we only are when being TOGETHER! Tamer dancing funnily, Lina saying random stuff, Bassem and I making up dance sequences, Abbassi's car beeping from the speed. It just all brought back a rush of sweet university memories that we were all really keen to relive. We were joined by Salma, Sarah Youssef, Amira, and Sara Zarif in sahel and the only people who were missing were Tarek Ga3ly, Hany Seif, and Marian to make the group complete. These were MY group of friends during my university years...the gang I used to do EVERYTHING with. It was great to find us still exactly the same on the trip even though alot of us have moved abroad, gotten married, and even gave birth! I just loved how familiar it all was and how cool it was that we all REALLY wanted to be in the same place together again. We spent the weekend eating, playing board games, bonding, singing, riding waves like children, going for walks, and even teaching each other to salsa on the sandy beach. It was sweet and renewed the bond we all have.