Strike of the garbage man

Ever since I've lived in Egypt, I've noticed the people's many bad habits, one of which is their method of dealing with garbage. It varies from place to place, however. For example, in Moharam Bek, a place somewhat at the bottom of the social ladder, it's nothing out of the ordinary to be standing under any given balcony, and find that someone had thrown a bag of fish guts, watermelon peelings, and chicken bones right on top of your head from the balcony! There is also the occasional spillage of buckets of dirty water, which was used for mopping dirty floors. Not to mention the all day long throwing of fingernail clippings, watermelon seeds, old cans, cartons and boxes at all hours of the day.

In the more civilized areas of Alexandria, like Roushdy, where I live. The behavior may differ, but the mentality is the same. Instead of throwing the garbage out of the balcony, they go all the way to dumpster at the entrance of the building and, from the gate, fling the bag with all their might towards the dumpster. It may fall into the dumpster, or around, or nowhere near, but in any case, the bag bursts on impact causing the garbage it contained to fly in any and every direction, leaving a mountain of filth all over the street. If you're lucky enough to have it land somewhere in one piece, then fear not, because in the late hours of the night, there is always a hungry homeless man who will open it to look for anything to eat!

Why have I chosen to talk about this subject?? I've chosen to do so because for the past two months, the garbage collecting company "ONYX" employees have been on strike due to low wages, and ever since, the garbage has been pilling in every corner. At least at first when people would throw their garbage, there was always someone to remove it from the middle of the street, but now, the garbage keeps on coming, while those who used to clean it up don't!

So now whenever I see a pile of garbage on my right while driving, I have to move to the far left to avoid it, and more often than not, there would be a car parked on the other side, so I would have to suffer the agonizing pain of having to squeeze between a car and a pile of crap, and sometimes even over the garbage itself. The stench has become intolerable, and the sight sickening, even in the most expensive areas of the city, the garbage has found its way there.

I'm sure that whatever the garbage collectors want is a small price to pay to have clean streets that smell like the trees in them, and the ability to actually see the side-walk and the borders of the metal dumpsters, which have been obscured by the mountains of garbage. I only dream of the day when I can walk in the street and not be attacked by a multitude of flies, which have made home of the ever-growing mountains of garbage which plague the city, and the country!

Ignorance is bliss

Time and time again, I am reminded of the infamous Egyptian ignorance. That which makes them say and do the most unbelievably idiotic things that wouldn't, in a million years, ever cross your mind had you been in their shoes.

Since the attitude towards education is the same as that towards food: (It won't matter tomorrow if I have nothing to eat today), the population simply does not give education the time of day, and don't know how enlightening it can be to know your A,B,Cs... as is the case of the woman this blog post will now discuss.

Just this morning I was in a taxi on my way to a friend's birthday, when suddenly a brand new Terios' rear end was shattered into shreds by a speeding taxi coming from behind. The fight which followed the incident is not the issue I intend to discuss, because I already know that people here will never change their ways, but what I'd like to comment on is what the woman riding in my taxi had to say about the matter.

She was a short woman of about 35 years. Her horribly conspicuous make-up indicated that she came from a lower class family, probably a simple civil servant, who had never seen larger than a 200 LE note in her life. All this woman had to say was:

"I don't know what that guy (driver of the Terios) is so pissed off about. He can fix that damage for like 100 pounds, and it wouldn't amount to one day out in a cafeteria!!"

Now in case you didn't notice the irony, I'll spell it out for you. There is no dent, no matter how small, that will cost less than 1000 pounds, and there's no decent middle or upper middle class citizen who would ever put himself in the position of having to pay more than 30 or 40 pounds in a cafeteria.

The point that I wish to make is simple: People are so jealous, and so incredibly bitter of being deprived the simplest luxuries, that they make out any person fortunate enough to have what they want into a blood sucking monster, who has more money than God, and who would shower the streets with 100 pound bills if he felt like doing so on a whim.

I concluded from today's experience that ignorance really is bliss, because if the bitter, envious people of this country knew the truth about he lives of those they envy so much, they would become even more bitter, and more loathing of the people they will always wish to be like.

Epiphany...

I just got my driving lisence today (yes, I passed!) =D and I think that the few hours I spent there taught me some ver yvaluable lessons.

First and foremost, I've realized that the Egyptian public does not and will never actually grasp the concept of a simple, organized line. To get a simple form from the booth, I was squeezed between one man's testicles and another man's behind for almost ten minutes. The smell of sweat literally filled the air, and I had to cover my nose in order not to vomit on the man's head. People were shoving, kicking, swearing, cursing, shouting trying their best to get to the window first. It got so violent that two men beat each other to a pulp because one tried to take the other's turn! I of course took the opportunity and submitted my application while everyone was preoccupied with the fight.

If the people aren't enough, the actual employees are too lazy to even tell people to stand in a line, let alone actually do their job to get things moving! They simply sit on their ever widening asses sipping tea and dunking breadcrums into it at intervals, all the while talking about the latest in the world of underwear and bras with their fellow co-workers.

To top it all off was the perfect ending for the perfect day. As I entered the room where I was to be photographed, an ugly, grubby old man shouted at me, pointing at some official: "Move! Get out! Let the Pasha pass!" The Pasha and his two bitches, excuse the language, left the room quickly having cleared the path, only to bump into an old man also waiting his turn.
I, being annoyed by the entire experience, consolled the old man...

This experience taught me a lot of things, but the one most important piece of information I got from it all was simply this:
We're not called a third world country for nothing!

The ethics of the Rdad!

For someone who just learned to drive, every time s/he gets behind the wheel is a risk. Not knowing if one will get from point A to point B in one piece, it's only natural to feel insecure and drive like an old lady even in the busiest streets. But why do other drivers not recognize that? At one time or another, everyone on the road was new at it all, so why is it if a car is only 2 seconds late in moving once a traffic light opens that people honk their horns like there's no tomorrow?! Will waiting one extra second throw off their entire day? Then comes the hailstorm of swearing and insults that pour down onto you as if you're the cause of all the world's problems.

In my experience on the road, the people most patient and most willing to wait for you if your car stops and whatnot are women. Sometimes I feel sorry for them, having to go through such horrible treatment when they drive, and to be shouted at and insulted because they're just being cautious. So they know what it's like to be on the other end of: "If you can't drive then stay at home and clean the house, bitch!" and they're thus more willing to wait for you if you're having a hard time. Although, truth be told, sometimes a woman's driving can be incredibly annoying, but who am I to judge?

Also related to the issue are the actual traffic regulation, which seem to have become such an abstract concept for so many people nowadays. No one really bothers about the speed limit, directions, and general safety regulations to the point that they've made a new law that states: "Driving in the opposite direction of the natural flow of traffic in a one-way street is punishable by arrest" or something of the sort, that says you'll go to jail for going the wrong way. Is that reasonable?! Most of the streets around here have no signs anyway, so it's virtually impossible to go in the right direction - even if you wanted to!
I think there could have been a more reasonable solution for the problem (not sure exactly what it is, but it's there!)

So if I had the option, I'd stick to public transportation. However, the allure of being behind a wheel is pretty difficult to fight, and my driving exam is on Monday =D

A close call

With every passing day I come to realize how complicated we humans are. With all of our emotions, conflicts with one another, and almost everything else that we do. I'm not talking about the Gaza issue (that's a whole other post in the making). 

Four friends of mine were recently victims of a car accident. Three happened to come out in one piece with minor injuries while the driver spent two days in the ICU and is now stable. The doctors have a pretty optimistic outlook on the situation saying that he's going to have a full recovery.

As observant as I like to think of myself, I've been watching the other three's reactions to having been in such a difficult situation.

The one with the most extensive of the minor injuries seems justifiably concerned about his friend who is in the hospital and keeps thinking happy thoughts and is trying to make the best out of a bad situation. Not to mention that he's the easiest to deal with in terms of consoling and pep-talking, and the most willing to be sweet-talked into feeling better, despite his injuries and everything else.

The second seems to have a rebellious attitude, and feels resentful of the fact that it hapened to them. He doesn't talk about the incident, keeps to himself, and doesn't try to be at least pleasant with people who try to console him. He's the kind of person who says something like: "Why the hell did this happen to me, God?" perhaps trying to put blame onto someone other than himself, or someone who can't speak in his own defence.

Then again, this is his attitude towards anything that happens to him.

Last but not least, minor injury number three is a moderate of the other two. Quietly drifting away in his own thoughts of what happened, why it happened, and what could have been done to prevent it. He's the kind of person who actually stopped to think about how this could affect his life in the future - will he have learned his lesson and not drive at double the speed limit, or not? - This usually perky and joyful personality now ends every sentence with a long, painfully depressing sigh, which says a whole lot more about what he's feeling that hours of pep-talking would. All the while having complete faith in God's plan for them and that they lived to see another day for a divine reason.

Perhaps you might think that I'm over-thinking things, but I tend to do so, especially when I have a bird's-eye-view of an issue, or a more objective one. As for myself, I find myself quite willing to le go of month-long tiffs and disagreements or everyday problems and pick up the phone and see how they are doing, all the while knowing that I'll regret it with every fiber of my being later on. I find myself asking: Why does it take a life or death situation to bring people closer, and sometimes it takes an actual death to do so? Why to people remember to pray when they're in trouble, and not when the same person they are praying to for help is giving them all that they've ever wanted in life?

I apologize for using this blog for something outside its general theme, but I had a few humble thoughts with nowehre to put them, since no one really cares about this when someone is laying in a hospital bed between life and death.

My only hope is that my friend actually learns something from this and stops trying to impress people by fast driving or cool manoeuvres with his car.

Internet impotence

Once again, the Middle East and South-east Asia have come to a stand-still because of "technical difficulties" with the internet connections. Earlier this year, January of '08, marked the first of the two internet black-outs so far, where everything from top businesses to household PCs were left without any internet access for nearly two weeks. Once again, people's everyday affairs were abruptly interrupted because six underwater cables were apparently severed on Friday.

Just as bad news travels fast, theories as to why it happened travel faster. Ranging from the typical: " ship anchor getting caught between them..." to the infamous: "A fish ate them by mistake!" Whatever the cause, almost everyone was affected by the french-owned managing company's impotence, and its even more desperate attempts to solve the problem.

As I sit on the edge of my seat now, hoping that this brief breath of connectivity does not fail me before I finish this post, I cannot help but think of how incompetent everything around me seems to be. Everything from everyday ettiquette with my fellow man all the way to large-scale malfunctions such as the one we face now - AGAIN!

What amazes me more is not the fact that this happened for the second time, but those who were affected by it. One would be tempted to think that banks, stock markets, and other large and fundemental businesses would be the ones to complain about this incident, however, one would be misaken in thinking so. For the most part, it was the casual PC user who was affected, and not the large enterprises. People ceased to function because they couldn't log onto their facebook accounts to say "Happy Birthday" to their friends or check their notifications to see who had sent them an invitation to the 'Are you gay or lesbian?' quiz! Life as we know it will have to be put on hold till December 31st when the cables are finally 100% functional once more.

I leave you now in hope that Egyptians youth can hold themselves together just a little while longer before they can finally discover their true sexual orientation, or bid farewell or happy birthday to people they will probably never see face-to-face in their lives.

May God forgive the goldfish that was greedy enough to eat six internet cables...

talk about leaving with a BANG!

Yes, I'm referring to the pair of shoes that were thrown in president George Bush's face earlier this week!

Exactly how something like that can happen twice in a row without anyone doing anything about it until it was over is simply beyond me. If the simple fact that it actually happened is not baffling enough, the shoe that was thrown is now being auctioned with bids up to 10 million dollars!

Another thing that I've been wrapping my mind around since first seeing this on the news was why people kept saying that what the man did was "considered an insult in Arab culture..." In what culture is it not frowned upon to throw two shoes at the leader of the free world at a live, international press conference? Or am I over thinking it? But I'd assume that having a shoe thrown in your face would result in some sort of hurt feelings no matter what culture you're from. Sure, it's exceptionally insulting to Arabs because to be "hit with a shoe" is engraved in our culture as being the second most emasculating act to have done to you (after #1: Being hit on the back of your neck...)

Next on my mind was a moral dilemma. Was the young man within his rights to express himself (freedom of expression, etc...) or did he cross any line? Of course, this is a special case because the "victim" was the most powerful man on Earth, literally. However, in any other case, where the victim is a less authoritative figure who is disliked by the masses, would it be okay? Would the felon receive just a slap on he wrist or would there be criminal court and trals and so on...?

After prolonged contemplation, I can't say that the young man was wrong in what he did. Naturally, it was disrespectful and quite stupid to tell you the truth, but Bush pretty much had it coming! Sometimes words are not enough, and since actions speak louder than words, an action such as this was in order long before this moment in time. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the Arab World, as well as the rest of the world seem to think the same way as I.

President George W. Bush has now compiled the most elaborate list of goof-ups,

Has there been anyone in your life who simply annoyed the hell out of you? someone so dumb that every time he or she breathed, it struck a nerve and made you want to peel off your own skin and eat it! Of course no one is immune to the idiocy of his fellow man, but how much are some people wiling to put up with for certain perks that this irritating friendship has to offer?

Let us consider the figment of my imagination (derived from reality), Mark! Mark happens to have a gigantic belly, and smalls of something so bad at all hours of the day, they still haven't discovered a name for it. Mark is also very low in the IQ, annoying, and has nex to no sense of humor and/or intellect whatsoever! Despite his many flaws, Mark hapens to have the one thing that separates us from the primates - MONEY! Or a very comfy, and expensive set of wheels to be more precise. Now don't get me wrong; I try my best to walk he walk and not just talk the talk, so being friends with a guy just because he has a car is something I find apalling to een consider. However, this is my argument:

Despite the fact that his idea of a joke is so lame that I have to keep my genitals from falling off after hearing it, he's not a bad guy - he's kind and doesn't go out of his way to hurt anyone. So he's pretty decent, but sometimes that's just NOT enough. I find myself, and my friends included, calling him only because he has a car and we like to go to places that are pretty far away. And what makes me okay with the whole arrangement is the fact that he seems to be okay with it. He pretty much has a good idea of what's going on and doesn't object, and sometimes even begs us to go out with his saying: "Don't worry, I have the car today!"

I'm sure you can relate wo this situation, who hasn't been where I've been at one point or another?

First of all, allow me to apologize for the long absence. My internet connection hasn't been at its best lately, and I'm in the middle of midterms.

As always, the events of my life or events of those around me have always been the inspiration behind most of my posts...this post is no different.

Let me ask you a question: What line must someone cross in order for his behaviour to be considered sexual harrassment? Is there an acceptable limit to physical contact or not? if so, what is it?

I ask this because I didn't actually witness the following situation happen and would like a second oppinion. In short, a professor walked past a female student (note that this particular professor is both incredibly horny and sexually deprived - a dangerous combination of course) and slapped her on the thigh saying: "hey there pretty lady!" or anything similar...it's difficult to translate :)

Naturally, the dumbfounded young student burst into tears and ran out of the classroom screaming. After we calmed her down, I asked why she didn't take any official action against him, and was surprised to hear this: "He's my professor and controls my grades! I can't do that!"
Of course, we are all used to the whole concept of 'the college professor is God', but aren't there limits even for an all powerful God? In any other country, would this even be an issue?

Another common instance is when a man can grope any random woman on a bus with the excuse of "she wanted it! Look at how she's dressed!" and have everyone actually agree with his point of view and congratulate him for his act!
Or for instance, when a man can grab a woman by the crotch and recieve a standing ovation from the people sitting at the nearby coffeeshop.

All of the previous examples clearly exemplify sexual harrassment, but my question is quite simple: Why is it so common and accepted and what is the limit at which you have to stop and say to yourself: "that was inappropriate."?

I love when someone has the courage to admit something embarrassing about him/herself infront of the whole world. But sometimes there are certian things left that should be left unsaid. Sometimes that thing can be common knowledge yet people choose not to speak of it because it's just not discussion material.
One such insance is the things that American new anchors seem compelled to say...
It was two days after Obama was announced the new president of the free world, after America's image had just stared to improve in the eyes of the international community and the prospect of change began to flood the minds of millions that a news anchor on CBS News decided to speak:

"Now matter how hard she tries and how much she talks about serious stuff like poverty, war, and human rights, all people really care about the first lady Michelle Obama, is what she's wearing!!"

Correct me if I'm wrong, but despite the fact that the statement is perfectly true, is that something you have to spell out so bluntly to the entire world on international television like that? Am I over-reacting to the unbeleivably stupid remark that the nice anchor made?

The eloquent young woman went on to run a nicely edited reportage of all the first lady's clothes throughout the two years of campaigning.
After the world had finally begun to take the American public seriously, she has to go say something as stupid as that! What is a regular person watching CBS supposed to think about the general American public after watching a "news" report such as that?

Another similar situation is the fact that ALL channels, satellite or otherwise, are talking about nothing but The Obamas' new puppy for the white house...picking out the perfect breed and color all the way down to the length of its nose hair! Forget the crumbling economy, forget Iraq and Palestine/Israel, all that doesn't even compare to the gravity of the choice of dog that the Obama family is now faced with!

Is it too much to ask that people at least try to pretend that they're even the slightest bit intellectual? It doesn't hurt to pretend that you care about something of meaning, really!

He who has never made a mistake, has never done anything new...

How many times have you encountered a person who thinks s/he's better than you are? Someone who mocks your efforts and sugarcoats it as brotherly advice? ...Especially when the critisizm happens to be in one particular subject.

The Muslim Brotherhood (a political party in Egypt, and more considered to be some peole's lifestyle - which is the aspect discussed in this post) represents that annoying individual that no one seems to like, but tolerates because there is no way to get rid of them. My argument concern those who folow an overly religious and sometimes downright exstreme lifestyle only - not the political party or anything to do with it.

Simply put, the bearded young men have a bird's eye view of all those who choose not to follow in their path. Every once in a while one may approach you and try to save you from eternal damnation which will be the result of your blasphemous behavior in life. When it is your misfortune to encounter such an individual, it's not uncommon to realize that the brotherly advice you're being given is actually critisizm of your satanic behavior and more of a condescending glance of pitty upon your lost soul. Whether the subject of your defiance is mingling with the opposite sex, use of lousy language, or simply making mistakes during the ritual prayers, you shall never escape the all-seeing eye of the 'Ikhwanjy'.

My mistake was the last of the three. I was approached by such an individual who seemed to derive pleasure from telling me how I've wroged. Try as I might, I couldn't shake him off despite all my attempts. Finally I said: "He who has never made a mistake, has never tried something new!" and politely excused myself, still feeling uneasy because of the demeaningly condescending glances he gave me even as I left the mosque.

What should come first? Friendship or your reputation?...A trick question that I was faced with today. Briefly as possible, this is what happened:

The reputation of one particular female member of our group of friends is under fire. Meaning that she was seen simply standing with members of the opposite sex, including myself. Her parents found out and made a huge deal out of the issue after the entire campus starting to talk about her blasphemous behavior.
The solution to this problem to savw what's left of her reputation is to sever all connections with her male aquantances.

My question is this: despite the obvious fact that the problem from its core is rediculous and should not even be an issue, what should be done. It is the unfortunate fact of life that girls are under this kind of pressure from society, however, should they put their reputations before their friendships with the people they are about to ignore? Of course, a person's reputation amoung his or her peers is of utmost importance, but is it so wrong for people to defy the norm and simply continue with their actions despite the horrible things that would be aid about them behind their backs or even to their very faces?

Personally, I think that her course of action is the easy way out. To simply comply with society's demands without a fight to preserve her reputation as a respectable girl. On the other hand, to defy society is to sign your own death dertificate - meaning that if she does so, she could kiss marriage and a normal life goodbye!

So what is to be done in this situation? Put yourself in her shoes and think of what your course of action would be.

It's a GLOBAL economic crisis!

Just the other day I took a taxi to the medical campus because I was running late. As is the habit of most drivers, this one struck a conversation with me out of thin air. Therefore I decided to write this post as a response to his nonsense because I know better than to start a debate with someone as uneducated and as small minded as an Egyptian taxi driver.

The first putrid breath he uttered was: "America's gonna be broke! niahahaha!" which I later learned was a reference to the economic crisis, the 'great bailout' and whatnot. Ahmed the taxi driver has a theory saying that the 700 million dollars (I decided not to correct the sum) of the bailout would do nothing to save the American economy and that the treasury would become depleted and America would cease to be a world power, etc...

What is the appropriate response to a theory as ridiculous as that? Seeing it best not to aggravate the situation, I simply agreed with the theory while my insides boiled with anger and disgust. Has hunger driven people to become THAT stupid? What is this person's excuse to actually believe beyond any reasonable doubt that the lunacy that is his economic theory is anywhere near reality? What he, as well as flocks of Egyptians, seem to have missed is that this is a GLOBAL economic crisis which has affected and will continue to effect all corners of the globe. This young unsuspecting taxi driver doesn't seem to comprehend that as the situation continues to deteriorate in the US, the already on-the-verge-of-crumbling Egyptian economy will be directly affected as a result.

Instead of arguing I simply nodded and agreed with how "what goes around comes around" and comforted myself with the fact that his idiocy would eventually get the better of him. And sure it did...

Yesterday, the world witnessed a 27% increase in prices. Everything from the wheat we plant to the coca cola cans have increased in price. That includes, as I was kind enough to point out to the taxi I took, gas prices! To my surprise, I was not at all upset that the fare from my house to the campus had almost doubled. All I wanted was to see the look on that driver's face when he went to fill his tank at the gas station. Apparently, America wasn't the only one affected by the crisis :)

Catching the wrong train.

This post was inspired by a comment I received for a previous post on my blog, because I thought this was an issue worth mentioning.

Globalization has come to hold so many meanings in today's society. For most it means modernization of a country's industrial projects, or even switching from an agricultural economy to an industrial one. In many cases it may mean the transfer of different technological advances from their place of origin to the rest of the world. However, for the third world, and Egypt in particular, globalization holds a whole new meaning for its people.

The introduction of satellite television, courtesy of France, in Egypt in 1998 marked the beginning of a new era for Egyptian society. Music channels exploded into the public eye; celebrity fashion, gossip, and propaganda became the very center of people's lives. All that was new in the world of nothing was on the minds and tongues of the entire population...
If you walk in the streets of Cairo or Alexandria today, you will be amazed how low a waistline can go. With boy's crotches at their knees and girls skirts lifted as high as their necks, the influence of western Civilization becomes crystal clear. Nowadays, a celebrity's single whim can in a few days become the latest fad - like our very own Tamer Hosny and his barnyard chest hair, or Mekki and his mushroom-cloud haircut.
As far as I'm concerned, there has not been a single worthwhile achievement in the third world as a result of their so-called globalization. People today know more about Britney Spears' anti-psychotic medication than they do about the global economic crisis.

So as I continue to be forced to look at people's boxers and panties wherever I go in the street, and listen to the never ending fads, I bid farewell to any glimmer of hope of modernization, if there really ever was one to speak of. As a fitting end to this post, I'd like to say that I leave my computer now under a cloud of shame to go watch "Match the celeb to their cellulite!" since the TV has nothing of value to offer me!

With the month of Ramadan over, things seem to be coming back to what they were 30 days ago. The spiritual cloud which had hovered so obviously above our heads for this long month has suddenly vanished. Mosques have been deserted, as well as good manners and decency. The utopia which this Islamic World becomes in this short time every year has quickly dwindles into what it is so accustomed to being.

I was beginning to miss the sound of swearing in the early morning traffic, the stench of cigarettes burning away the fresh morning air, and last but not least, the sight of my fellow man gluttonously engulfing insane amounts of food in an unhealthy amount of time. There is one thing I will NOT miss, however. The infuriating nucance of having some comlete stranger come up to me and tell me to listen to verses of the Qu'ran rather than music, or to wear jockies instead of boxers, or to simply give away religious advice which I would personally rather do without.

Once again, women have removed their veils and wide dresses and exchanged them for miniskirts and push-up-bras. Personally, I don't see how this makes a person religious, but it's not for me to judge how people act - even though I think they should stick to one type of clothing instead of swtiching around in that hypocritical fashion.

When I look back, I find that I haven't made use of the Holy Month as well as I would have liked, while others did, and other pretended to do so. However, all in all, I don't think I'll be losing any sleep over the matter. In short, all is well and back to its old self again...

Back to School :'(

In just four days I shall embark on the first day of my second year at university (college of dentistry to be exact). What makes this year more significant than the last is simply that now I'll be going to the actual medical/dental campus instead of being a freeloader at the college of Science. This is when I can actually become a part of the so-called dental community that I'm supposed to become a part of eventually.

As exciting as the academic part of my transition is, there is a reason more compelling for me which makes this transition all the more exiting. In the past year, I've come across some of the older classes and gotten an idea of what the next years of my college life will be like in terms of both academia and socially as well. I'm looking forward most to meeting the older classes whom I've been told are a lot more open that my own class in terms of who they allow themselves to mingle with/talk to, etc...in other words: people who are more "free" than my own class [refer to previous post with the title "free" for more information..lol]

Now allow me to be sarcastic...can it be that there are female members of my society out there who willingly shake hand and look into the eyes of the opposite sex? Do they dress so provocatively as to allow one to imagine what they would look like under suck clothes which still cover every inch of their bodies?? Is this all possible?...

Anyway, I'm simply hoping to find people with a higher level of sophistication and intelligence than the people to whose company I've been unwillingly subjected to for the past year.

Ramadan: A month of worship?

It's been nearly a month since my last post, therefore I apologize. But in my defense, I've been quite busy (that and the fact that I had begun to run out of material.)
However, with the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan (during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset) I've found myself with more spare time than I would have liked. As always, one would expect that during this month that society become a utopia, since people should (the keyword here being: should) refrain from cursing or swearing of any kind, sex in any way shape or form, or any action that would be considered sinful or wrong in any way. Although it may sound good on paper, the reality of the matter is that as hard as people might try, it never works. In other words, people just don't practice what they preach. In fact, I hear more swearing and derogatory secual remarks during fasting times than any other time of the year, and when you tell that person what they're doing wrong, a typical answer is: "well, if she cared about religion then she wouldn't dress like that in front of a man." or anything similar.
Then of course there's the issue of praying in the mosque. People who are supposedly going to the mosque in order to worship a holy God simply go there to get into fist fights with other worshipers to get to stand in the places closest to the Imam.
Ramadan has become a sales pitch for many businesses nowadays, where a casino that offers prostitues and wine on one night will offer you a copy of the Holy Quran on the next. Not to mention the endless parade of cheap soap-operas that flood the satellite television during the month of purity and fasting.
In the end I just wanted to ask you a question. Is Ramadan actually the month of worship, or has it simply become the month of hypocracy? you decide...

Update

About the whole message from the girl thing...

At first I thought it was some kind of moral dilemma she was going through, since she's known to make such a big deal out of absolutely nothing at all, but now I realized the reason was far more pathetic than that, if it can actually get any more pathetic.

A few days ago, a mutual friends, who happened to be male, made a few sarcastic comments on her photos in retaliation for a few comments that she had posted on his (The fact that she posted pictures of herself on her profile is enough to make me think she's not as simple minded as the rest of the girls I know, which I soon found to be completely false.)
After reading the comments, the girl posted this on his wall:

"Why don't you just stop commenting on my photos because I'm not amused, and I'm starting to get sick of you!"

note: in my opinion, the comments were perfectly respectable, and didn't deserve such a post.

The mutual friend then posted on her wall:

"Thank you very much for your decency. I wouldn't have expected anything else from a girl like you!"

Then he blocked her. After that, she sent us all the message that I posted below.
Knowing how petty and incredibly childish she is, I came to a conclusion: She did it simply to save face. To say that she deleted all the boys from her profile, instead of saying she had a fight with one and he blocked her first.

What surprised me most wasn't how stupidly ridiculous this quarrel is, but the fact that exactly two months ago, the same girl went absolutely ballistic when another mutual friends "embarrassed" her by posting in public that he disapproved of her posting his picture without his knowledge. If it was such a big deal then, then why did she post on the guy's wall like that? I don't get it.

I'm glad I found out what was going on because frankly it was driving me nuts, haha! But there's no way in hell that I'm getting between these two after all those fights I've seen from the sidelines. I'm definitely sitting this one out (Which is going to drag on all the way to the next academic year because we won't see her till then).

I recently received this message on my facebook account:

"el msg di lkol el shabab elly homma dmn my friends 3al facebook
ana karart ykon profily "GIRLS ONLYYYYYY"
ana msh 3yza 7ad yz3al mnni,di ra3'bty w wallahy msh waraha dafe3 sha5sy 2tgah 2y 7ad fikom
ento fe3lan kolokom nas mo7taramien w kan sharaf lya enny 2t3araf 3alikom..
w blnsba lzamayly fil college ana 3'ayart el privacy w t2daro tb3atoly msgs low fi 7aga b5sos el drasa
ana bgd 2sfa :(
bs ana shaifa enno da 27san lya
nice to know u all w salam :) "

roughly translated:

"This message is to all the boys who are on My Friends on facebook. I've decided to make my profile GIRLS ONLY. I don't want any of you to get upset, and I want you to know that it's what I want and that I harbor no animosity towards any of you. You're all very respectable people and it's been an honor knowing you.
As for those of you who go to college with me, I've changed the privacy setting to allow you to send me messages about anything concerning our studies.
I'm really sorry but I think it's better this way, nice to know you and salam!"

I have one question. What's up with that?!!! I mean, this is the same girl who deactivated her facebook account a few months ago for the same reason. If it's such a big deal then why keep making new accounts? I just don't get it. And she also said that we're all "very respectable" so why the sudden change of heart? Plus, her profile is visible only to friends, so I don't see how any "unrespectable" guys could do anything.

I'm just at a loss of what to think, haha. This was the last person I thought would do something as weird as this. I don't even want to ask why the hell she did that because I know she'll turn it into this huge dramatic, moral dilemma. So if anyone knows what that was, please tell me.

Fighting Temptation

Totally changing gears here, but I wrote this poem a while back, and wanted some opinions.

When you're feeling down; when you're feeling sad, there's nothing you can do but continuously frown. You've hit rock-bottom, become depressed; you feel that you're tired of that never-ending quest. 'What shall I do?' you ask yourself. 'Shall I repress? Put it up on a shelf?'

Life is a dark room from which you can't escape. You're trapped, confined. Nowhere to run. You tried to scream, but no sound came out. No one can hear. You live in fear.

'What shall I do? you ask again. Then out of nowhere, some men appeared! 'What is this place? Where are you taking me?'

It's too bright. You cannot see. There's no reason to fight. You'll never flee. You screamed so loud, and when you cried with utter grief, they all stared with disbelief. Your life flashes before your eyes. It's all so clear, you're discovering all the lies. It's all coming back, you're mind is now clear. You remember your life that was, to you, so dear.

The room is dark for only one reason. Those men will take you to only one place. Remember that gun in the suitcase? The trigger was so enchanting, the temptation could not be fought. You admired how well it was molded, but forgot that it was loaded!

Now you are six feet under, because of that one tiny blunder. Now you'll never know the sensation...the one you get...from fighting temptation.

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There you have it! So what do you think?