Silence your tongue

from "A Thief in The Night" By Jalaluddin Rumi

And He is with you*
       with you
in your search
       when you seek Him
look for Him
       in your looking
closer to you
       than yourself
              to yourself:
Why run outside?
       Melt like snow.
wash yourself
       with yourself:
urged by Love
       tongues sprout
from the soul
       like stamens
              from the lily...

But learn
       this custom
from the flower:
       silence
              your tongue.

*Qur'an 4:57
Diwan-e Shams, v.V.ED. FURUZANFAR, P., 2172
(translated by Peter Lamborn Wilson)
The Rumi Collection, edited by Kabir Helminski

لما تشتي...

لما تشتي
لما تشتي ... دنيا بتبكي
تبكي شو فينا و ما فينا ...
و قديش كان في غالي فينا...


قهوة و دخان ...و راديو خربان...و في فيروز عم بتغني فينا ...و سيارة عم تمشي فينا

بتمنى أبكي... لما تشتي ... تغسلنا من شو وجع فينا ... نتذكر مين من ماضينا ...

نفسي أبكي... بحالي أبكي ...
لو بنحس شو صاير فينا ...الغالي صار اسمو ماضينا... كنا نسينا

دنيا بتحكي... لما بتشتي ... عصدرو شو ياما غفينا ... دفينا وقد دنيا تنسانا
انتي تشتي ... نحنا نبكي.. نبكي شو فينا و ما فينا ... دنيا بتعرف كيف تواسينا...

لولا بتشتي انت انت ... بتقدر تبكي ... لو بكون الشتا ماضينا ...
ما في حب رح بيكون فينا ... كنا نسينا

نفسي أبكي... حالي أبكي ...
لو بتحس شو صاير فينا ...الغالي صار اسمو ماضينا...

جرب تبكي ... يمكن تحكي ...
جواتك شوف حكايات روحك
بلكي الدنيا تشكي جواك ... حب ... كنا نسينا

فرقه رم

摄影

For one reason or another all my friends and sister thought of getting me books for my birthday... and most of the books were about photography!
But this book is different... and I couldn't have expected less from my good friend Sandra...
She got me a book... and about photography... but it is in Chinese!!!!
And no... I don't read Chinese... so now I can admire the images and visual impact of the Chinese letters without having to read and understand the text they placed...
I love the book... don't you think it is a great gift?


p.s. Thanks a million Sandra for keeping it flavored... ;-)

The Narratives* | 10

10

“WHY ARE YOU DIFFERENT?”
“WHY CAN’T YOU BE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE?”
“WHY AREN’T YOU NORMAL?”
“WHY CAN’T YOU DO THINGS THE WAY EVERYBODY ELSE DO THEM?”

“WHY… WHY… WHY…?”
They shouted…


The crimson willow stood silently… for no matter what the willow will do or say… it will be [crimson]…

* The Narratives: stories, events, and scenes that happen[ed] inside and around my head…

Can't take less....

[[`Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

`I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone, `so I can't take more.'

`You mean you can't take less,' said the Hatter: `it's very easy to take more than nothing.' ]]

Alice's Advernture in Wonderland, Ch. VII, Lewis Carroll

On the Nature of Daylight...

by: Max Richter

Hail for Security...

via [Subzero blue]

Visuals of Valentine's Day

Every year as Valentine’s Day approaches the world seem to flood with the same visuals all over... a pretty girl [better blondish]... the girl barely dressed in black or red... red boxes of chocolate [shaped like a heart]... red roses...[long stemmed] teddy bears... [saying I love you]… white sheets... etc....
What bugs me about that... is how these same images, illustrations or even objects are limited... and in a way they invoke a preset of emotions, expectations and feelings in the people who do celebrate the day... These constrained visuals lack creativity... and as I said trap the meaning of the day in one aspect or direction... let alone that the day become a commercialized event than anything..
We all heard stories about the origin of the day and I know that it is a day for romantic love... but... what other symbols or visuals can be used to let the day free of preconceptions and presets?


A story goes that a guy was walking with a girl… then he asked her “why God has created the hand with 5 fingers shaped exactly the way they are!?”… She tried answering… but it wasn’t the right answer… finally he said, “So that when we walk together we can hold each other hands perfectly”…

Australia's new day

It was when I began reading "The New Rulers of the World" by John Pilger that I began to realize a new reality about the dream land of Austeralia... in the last chapter of the book titled "The Chosen Ones" Pilger unfolds realities and truths about his own hometown of Sidney and the other face of it's aboriginal habitants...
[[ "If there was a race between democratic nations to see who could best address the violation of the human rights [of its original people], Austeralia would be coming stone motherless last." Professor Colin Tatz, Genocide Studies Centre, Sydney]] The New Rulers of the World, John Pilger

[[Some years ago, I met the Aboriginal leader Bob Riley, an unforgettable man with a broad, wry smile, thick black beard and horn-rimmed glasses. Eloquent and witty, he spoke hard truths with a gentle voice. Despairing of having to 'climb into the gutter with the politicians', he later took his own life, like so many of his people. We had talked about the constant celebration of Australian 'nationhood' in historical anniversaries, the republican campaign and great sporing events. 'But it's simple', he said. 'Unless you give us back our nationhood, you can never claim your own.']] The New Rulers of the World, John Pilger

But today is a new day... for Austeralia says sorry... at last... the Australian government made a formal apology for all the wrong deeds done against its own Aboriginal popluation....
And though some say this is not enough... I think at least it is a good start [[hopefully]]... and history must find a way to give people all their natural human rights...

27

The Narratives* | 9

9

They were…

One was a coward…

The other was in denial…

They… no more…

Now…

She becomes he…

* The Narratives: stories, events, and scenes that happen[ed] inside and around my head…

Acquired...

The first Acquiring deal I heard about which made me really angry was when Autodesk the creator of AutoCAD acquired Maya from Alias. But before that 3D Max was acquired also by Audtodesk... Adobe acquired Macromedia... and now... Microsoft is planning to buy Yahoo engine!
I'm sure the list of these acquiring businesses are more...
What I find irritating about them is:
:: It's a capitalist move... where the rich are getting richer... and I'm anti-Capitalism to the bones.
:: It strangles the scope of choices and of competitions...
:: It limits variety... for example if we think of Adobe programs, certain sets of icons, flow, interfaces come to our mind which are different than those of Macromedia. Each company or brand had it's own identity but by merging... one identity will have to give up for another.
:: It creates giant bodies... that would make those already established even more established as apposed to those new comers...
:: It puts the user second after making MORE money!!
:: I >heart< open source mentality.

Back!

So... I've been away for awhile trying to listen to my inner voice... shutting myself from everyone even my family... but eventually I had to come back...
And while I was away some interesting things happened...
= Finally I was added to toot blogger community. .. =)
= The weather in Amman had been completely crazy... it had snowed like never before... and since I live in one of the highest areas of western-northern-Amman... we had extra snow!!! There nothing that can beat Whiteness for me...
= Microsoft thinks of buying Yahoo search engine to compete with Google... I better save my take on these acquiring business to some other post... But one of my colleagues simply commented "MAFIA!"...
= I finished the first book of The Lord of The Rings... WHY I didn't read them before? Amazing book... Can't wait to finish the other two books...
= University is resuming next Sunday... and I've been baking some new ideas for this course... which might be my last at this University... at least I'm excited about that...
= I'm learning C++... just for the sake of it... if anyone knows good tutorial sites... please recommend...

Uhh... it is good to be back...

My favorite Arab-based websites

:: iToot: is a network of Arab blogs. It saves me the time of visiting all the blogs I check by listing their latest posts and giving you a glimpse of what to expect. The bloggers featured are Arabs from all over the world. Up till now they have around 150 blogs. You can submit your blog there to be reviewed and maybe added to the network.

:: Ikbis: is the place where you go to upload your photos and videos and share them with the rest of the world. You can search and explore the shots uploaded and link or embed them inside your blog or website. You can also contact people, make your own favorites selection and comment on others videos and photos. Visually I like the look of Ikbis. Any one can sign-up and have an account there. Me there.

:: Questler: is a network where you connect with other people on an intellectual level. After you sign up you can share your discoveries, ask questions and answer others questions. It is truly a website where minds connect. People with a wide range of interests discuss issues related to them and their lives. Me there.

Another two website which I liked the idea but I'm not a user there:

:: Yamli: It is where you can put your Arabizi into use and turned it into a real Arabic text so that you can search and use on-line. Here is how it works.

:: Watwet: a social network where you connect with your friends, make new friends, upload photos and put your mobile connectivity into use. Till now is only invitation based. And here is more about it.

Hai

I can't remember the first time I've heard the story of Hai bi Yaqazan... it was for me like the fairytale of Cinderella... we all know the story but never read it...
The clearest version of the story of Hai came upon me when I saw an animation of it on TV... and I fell in love with the idea of this kid stranded on an island... discovering it and trying to figure out a meaning to his life...
Recently I advised a friend to read it when I realized that I never did... so I found the book, started reading it... and I finished it yesterday....
The translated version I read was titled "The Journey of The Soul, The Story of Hai bin Yaqzan", written originally by Ibn Tufail or as known in the West Abubacer.
The story of Hai is narrated through his mind and inner thoughts.... how he from his early age started thinking about everything around him... he was the only human being in an island, brought up by a doe... which he witnessed her death... and that triggered him to search and discover the world...
The story takes you through a journey of how a human can acquire knowledge through using his senses, his body, his mind and then his soul....
Hai started with the physical world and ended with the 'other' world.
The story shows you how Hai believed that there must be a Truth, a Creator... a Supreme being... and how Hai embarked to find that Truth... and then find a way to communicate and 'worship' this Divine being...
The story at some point gets very heavy on the mind and the author suggests that we try and do like Hai did and maybe then we can start to experience what he did when his soul soared in the 'other' world.
It is an interesting book to read and would recommend anyone to read it...

لأهل غزة...

لاتَسَـــل عَـن سَلامَته رُوحُـهُ فَــوقَ راحَتـِـــه

بَــدَّلتـــــــهُ هُمُـــومُـــه کَفنَــــاً مِــن وِسادَتِــه

يَرقُــبُ السَّــــاعَةَ التی بَعــدَها هَـولُ ساعَتـِه

شاغِلٌ فِکرُ مَن يَراه بإطــراقِ هــامَتـِــــه

بَيــنَ جَنبـــــــهِ خافِـقٌ يَتَـلَظَّـــی بِـغــايتِــــــه

مَن رَأی فَحمَةَ الدُّجی أُضـرمَت مِن شَرارتِــه

حَمَّـــلَتـهُ جَهَــنَّــــــــمٌ طَــرَفا مِـــن رِسالَتـــه

هُـوَ بِالبــابِ واقِـــــفٌ وَ الــرَّدی مِنـهُ خــائِف

فَاهدَأی يا عَواصِـــفُ خَجَـــلاً مِن جَراءَتِـــــه

صــامِتٌ لَو تَکَلَّــــــما لَفَــظَ النَّــارَ وَ الـــدَّمــا

قُـل لِمَن عابَ صَمتَه خُـلِقَ الحَـــزمُ أبکَـــما

وَ أخُــو الحَزمِ لَم تَزل يـَده تَسبـِــقُ الفَــــما

لاتَلــــوموه، قـَـد رَأی مَنــهَجَ الحَــقِّ مُظلــما

وَ بـِـــلادَاً أحَبـَّــــــــها رُکنـُــها قَــد تَهَــدَّمَـــــا

وَ خُصُـــوماً بِبَغيــهِم ضَجَّتِ الارضُ وَ السَّـما

مَرَّ حينٌ، فَکــادَ يقتــله اليـــأسُ، إنَّمــــا .

هُــوَ بِالبــابِ واقِــــفٌ وَ الرَّدی مِنــــهُ خـــائف

فَاهــدَأی يا عَواصِـفُ خَجـــلاً مِـن جَـراءَتِــــه
...........
الشاعر : إبراهيم طوقان

Snowing in Amman

Finally it is snowing in Amman...
The white mercy-full blanket is descending upon the needy souls...

White...

taken 9:10 am... excuse the quality of my webcam... but my good old camera is dead...

:: This is my 200th post...

I am elegantly frightened*

* from a poem by Jessica Peeples

Thin as air...

Another masterpiece by Apple Mac... iWant...

Don't ask me why....!

:: 17 Palestinians killed...

:: Mr Bush is awarded the Saudi Order of Merit

:: The True Legacy of George. W. Bush

:: Britney Spears to become a Muslim...


.... and it never stops...