Please?

Wanted: Remote white beached palm treed island
Location: Doesn't matter
Population: 1 (me!)
When: Immediately
Price: Free!

Those Were the Days..

Over the past month, people from my past have suddenly resurfaced, thanks to technology. I've come into contact with people who graduated with me from high-school and it's been GREAT catching up with them. It's interesting because when you meet people from your life back then, it forces you to think back and remember what you were like.

I'm such a different person now. Some people I was friends with then, I would never be friends with today. People I never gave a chance in high-school, I'd love the opportunity to get to know them better now.

This forced look at the past makes us realize how what we've gone through in life has shaped us into the person we are. Had we not made those mistakes along the way, we would not be the person we are now. Our life, our personality, our outlook is nothing more than the sum of all we've gone through up until this moment.

So much has changed.. and so much more will. I wonder what I will say one day when I look back at the MSB I am today!

How Old?!

Although my birthday is tomorrow, June 4th, I have decided to start the celebrations now.. indefinitely! ;)

Age is a funny thing. I was so depressed when I turned 20 cuz I was no longer in my 'teens'. I kept saying that I was 'Twenteen'! Then 25 hit and that was horrible. Quarter of a century old. Yekh! 27-28 were blah years. 29 numb. 30, surprisingly, was amazing! I was no longer the oldest of the 20's. Overnight I became the youngest of the 30's!

Now, 34 has arrived. I must say, I don't recall anything after 30!

Enjoy the cake..

The Journey

Back in 1983-1984 I read some lyrics that stuck with me forever. The song is called "April 24, 1981" and it was written in honor of the singer, Rick Springfield's father who had passed away. Very short song with the following lyrics:

"I know all your life you wondered
About that step we all take alone
How far does the spirit travel on the journey
You must surely be near heaven
And it thrills me to the bone
To know Daddy knows the great unknown..."

This morning I woke up with those lyrics stuck in my head. Couldn't figure out why. It's been AGES! And then the phone rang at 7:30 to inform us that our neighbor had passed away.

She fought a battle against cancer for over 20 years. She was brave in her fight and never let it get to her. She had 5 sons to raise. I'm impressed and envious of how devout her and her husband were. Every dawn her husband would take their 5 sons and go to the mosque to pray Fajr. And no matter how many times the cancer came back, they fought it together just as hard.

This morning she will be laid to rest after a long battle. Allah Yer7amha.. o E9aber ahelha.

الزعل

A bit long, but worth the read:

نزعل ونتكبّــر … وحنا من الطيـــن …

والكل منا صــــدّ.. لا أقبل خويّــه .!

نفخر .. نقول إنا على الصد قاوين …

وهــــيّ علينا في الحقيقـــــة قــــويه.!

نشفق على الطيبة و كسب الكريمين..

وهذي بنا ؟؟ لاشك فعــــلة رديـــــــــه .!

ننسى نهايتنا وعلى وين ماشيــــن ..

وننسى الزمان اللي جمعنا ســـــــويه .!

المشكلة ماهي بـ حاجة لــ تخمين …

ولاهي بعد ياناس صعبـــــة القضيـــه .!

دق الرقم : كيفك .. هلا فيك .. وأهليــن …

أنــا الخـــوي ….اللـي مـــــزعّــل خويــــه .!

قلّه : تغيب وصـــورتك داخل العين ..

ويبقــى لـ حبك في خفـــوقي بقيـــــــــــــــه .!

أخوان حنا … لو يجي بيننا شيــن …

و مانفتـــــــــــرق دام المحبـــــــة نديــــه .!

خلك قــوي لاتحتــــكرك الشياطين …

قبل الفوات .. وقبل وقت المنيــــــــــــــــه .!

كلّم خويــك بـــ اطيب الهرج واللين …

وأعرف جميل الهرج يمســــح رديـــــــه .!

هذي هي الدنيا … من الحين لـ الحين …

لابد بين الناس تحصــــــل خطيـــــــــه .!

ومن لايقدّر غلطــــة أحبابه الحيــن …

يقـــــرأ حـــــروفي ويعتبرها هــديه .!

باكر .. تمر سنين وسنين وسنيـــــن …

والــــــكل يرحـــــــل في الدروب المـــــديـه .!

صدقني تندم .. وأذكر حروفنا زين …

تندم على خلك إذا غاب ضيّـــــــــــــه .!

دنيا غريبــــة .. وأكثر الناس ماشين …

وكم صــــاحبٍ والله دفنته بــ يديــــــه

قال تعالى (فمن عفا وأصلح فأجره على الله)

—–

* Source Unknown

Time: Friend or Foe?

When you're having fun, it flies away. Yet when you're hurting, it seems to help you heal. Time, depending on whether it's on your side or not, can either be your best friend.. or your worst enemy.

"Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road..
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go..
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why..
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time"

-Green Day

Don't Drive in Colorado!

You know how they say that you shouldn't speed towards the end of the month because Police try to meet their quota then? Well, in Colorado, I would suggest you don't drive at all!

Police in Colorado have issued a '16 tickets per shift' quota! That's 2 tickets per hour. And, for those officers who don't meet the quota, they are questioned to find out why they have been 'slacking'.

Read the full report here.

Don't Look Back

There are times where deep down inside we refuse to give up on that one thing.. Refuse to walk away from that one person. We know it'll never work out but a part of us keeps messing up our rationality meter, distorting its equilibrium.

A part of us refuses to give up hope even though on the outside we make even ourselves believe we're long past that something. I realized last night that a part of me was holding on to a past that's best left there. I realized that while it was more part of my subconscious, it was still pulling me back to an extent and a weight I didn't need to carry.

So instead of me giving you advice to break free from it all, I'm going to do that myself. Here's to leaving the past, in the past!

Ready or Not

Here I come... KUWAIT ! :D

(ok so not this very second but this weekend!)

Broken Hearts

So here’s the thing, no one really dies of a broken heart. I know it’s tough. You feel like you can’t breathe. Like something is literally pulling at you from the inside, squeezing your heart to the point that it makes it difficult to function.

Life is full of tests and obstacles. “Broken Hearts” are just one of them. Everyone at some point or another will feel the disappointment of being wrong about someone they thought would be around a lot longer than they were. Life goes on though. It has and it will and it will not stop for anyone.

So have a good cry. But then wipe off your tears, look out the window and smile. Know that you either keep walking or be left behind. And remember, at the end, we’re all leaving each other anyway!