What are your plans for New Years Eve?

Nothing!

everyone calls and asks "haa mitzahba 7ag illaila?"

"ahh.. shino feeh?"

scanning itha kan 3indi obligation, "isteqbaal" (hate that word) naseeta aw shay..

Nope!

oooh and the things they say when I say nothing..

"Really?????" "wala 7atta gathering!?!?" ghareeba lol

"laish mo imsafra?"

well.. I say ma a7ib aza7im ilnas ib a3yadhom..

mithel illy yi7ej kel sina.. laish?!

(adri mako muqarana :P)

o 7ashra ma3a ilnas, 3indi, mo 3eed

so I wait lama yiredoon.. ana aroo7 3ala rawaa'..

"Oh.. " <-- LOL

New Year's eve.. Why is it so important to many?

I don't see it as the beginning nor the end of anything..

it won't solve your problems,

it will not make you prettier or sexier..

it won't change your misery and it won't make you happier (well if there's a party you might.. for the time)

but ra7at ilsakra o jat il fekra..

khala9 it's just another day..

with it's sunrise and sunset..

it's just the outstretched continuation of time ....

a push there and a shove there towards the plastic, obscure future..

events>> memories>> history

c'est la vie!

So ya nas la titwaggaf 7ayatkom 3ala speculations, anticipations and expectation..

life goes on.. and so should we..

Peace..

fine... Happy New Year :)

p.s. I like odd numbers so 2009 should be fantastic! :P

I've posted it before but it's been removed by youtube..

...انتي انفاسك دخون

مع البرد.. مع اني ما أحبه لاني مبراد

بس كل شي فيه يحلى

اللبس

البخور

العود

..

وأشياء وايده

..

كنا نسولف عن انواع البخور و العود

وسألني

من وين تجيبين بخورك؟

انا: من جدتي

والعود والطيب؟

..هم من جدتي

سألني: تبيع؟

(غشيت من الضحك)

!لأ طبعا

انزين.. من وين انحصل على هالعود وهالبخور؟

همم..مادري من وين اتحصله بس اجيبلك مو مشكله

تبي حق البيت ولا حقك؟

شالفرق؟

وايد فرق.. اذا حق البيت بخور عادي

واذا حقك مو عادي

ابجكم اللي مو عادي؟

your budget يعتمد على

(صفن)

شالفرق بين العادي واللي مو عادي؟

الفرق الله يسلمك بالنوعيه و الثقل و اللون والريحه

!كل شي

مال البيت وايد ارخص

من وين اجيبون احسن انواع البخور؟

احسن احسن؟

ايه

الهند

بس وايد نادر و هالايام هابين يغشون الناس

يجيبون كمبودي ولا بورمي يقولك هندي

!اوخ

(يستعبط)

شلون اعرف؟

من الريحه و الثقه باللي يبيعلك اكثر

..بس دير بالك.. يحطلك كسره تشمها وتقول يا سلام تقوم و تشتريه

ترى مرات يصبغونه لون بني غامق عشان يبين من النوع الطيب

ولا عشان يثقلونه, يرشونه ماي

او يحشونه اب قطع صغيره من الرصاص او الحديد

ولا تلقاه مخلوط اب مواد

ولين

ok.. فيه hints

عشان تعرف اذا مغشوش او لأ

اللي اهما؟

اولا لما تشب الكسره

اذا كان من النوع الزين

الدهن اللي عليها يبقبق و فقاعاته وايده

و ثاني شي.. لون الدخان يكون فيه زروقه شوي

!ولما تتبخر فيه عيونك ما تدمع

(عطست.. 3 مرات)

يرحمج الله! شهاده

يهدينا و يهديك الله

انزين

ليش الهندي اغلى و اندر؟

(تنهدت)

شوف.. البخور اصلا شجر قديم قديم مره بالحيل

(ضحك)

تجيله حشرات تاكل فيه

تقوم الشجره و تفرز ماده قويه عشان تذبحهم

ياخذله فتره process طبعا هال

(احاول اركز عشان ما اخوره)

و يتشرب الخشب من هذه الماده الدهنيه

هني يتكون البخور اللي نعرفه

كل ما طال عمر الشجره و تشربت اكثر

كل ما زاد سعرها

وكل ما كانت الشجره اعلى بالجبل و في مناخ معين

كل ما صارت احلى و اثقل

و بالهند بالذات

الجو والبيئه وايد يساعدون

آه اوكي.. يعني لو ما يو الحشرات و انبشوا جان ما عندنا بخور؟

(smile)

well.. if you put it this way

yes!

والعود؟

(نهده ثانيه)

اوكي.. ركز معاي

ok

لما يكسرون خشب العود اللي اهو البخور

وينظفونه من الاجزاء اللي مو حايشها الماده المفرزه

ok

يتم تجميع هذا الخشب

بعدين يدقونه, يطحنونه, اللي هو

powdery لما يصير

يحطونه بالماي لمدة شهر تقريبا لما يتخمر

ينشرب؟

(ضحكت و طالعته بنظره)

المهم

يقوم الدهن اللي بالخشب يطفح

oh

يسون له عملية تقطير على النار

details ما اعرف ال

آخرتها يصفون الدهن من الماي

ويطلعلك دهن العود

oh wow

yeah

(استرسلت)

عاد اذا استعملوا الخشب اللي متشرب حيل بالماده لصناعة دهن العود

سعره بيكون خيالي

و هذا احسن نوع

اما الانواع اللي بالسوق اغلبها من الخشب اللي مو متشرب وايد

والله السالفه طواله يبيلها و مقاقه

not really

اذا تعرف اللي تبيه

السالفه سهله جدااااا

انزين.. انا بروح ادورلي على بخور و عود

وبتفلسف شوي

can I borrow your nose for the day?

بس؟

couldn't we arrange to do both?

Late dinner at Grand Joseph..

Look of the Week: Sophisticated top, humble bottom

...Insomnia... (و ما تسوي)

لو قلتلك.. اني احبك اكثر من هموم البشر و كثر الجفا
و كثر السهر

واعدوني القمر.. و اثر القمر خلي

...سرى ليلي

..سهرت منه الليالي

حابسني برات النوم.. و تاركني سهرانه

..الناس نامت وانا عيني سهيره

..و عينيا مجافيها النوم.. يا مسهرني

..ما انام الليل من خوفي عليك

Philosophy of a Physicist

"Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy."

- Albert Einstein

It's a new Dawn.. it's a new Day..

VOLUME HIGH.. Enjoy your flight ;)

hole in the wall..

1. a small, natural hollow area or crease, permanent or transient, in some soft part of the human body, esp. one formed in the cheek in smiling.*

Caused by the shortening of the cheek muscle.

Doesn't sound so cute?

yet, everyone wants to have them

plastic surgeons offer them if you're not born with them:

they're called " DIMPLES"

why are they so darn adorable?

I have no clue why those indents are so attractive.

They complement every smile, like an accessory.

They just simply work for me, and take my breath away!

*dictionary.com

ba ba ba ba.. ba ba ba ba .. baby

80's Silhouette

Look of the week: Oversized boyfriend jacket

(thrown over a feminine mini dress)

ام سعود

تتكلم احسن من معظم الكويتيين حاليا

Quickly, name 5 Queens that first come to mind

Nefertiti

Cleopatra

Zenobia

Elizabeth

Victoria

and what about Rania? ... hmmm...

hmmmm....

I like her for promoting very important causes and I admire her commitment and dedication in doing so, just as I admire Angelina Jolie and Bono for their hard work..

The Jordanian Royal Court probably thought it's OK to do whatever it takes to raise awareness and expose Jordan to the rest of the world, through her.

They're also trying to change the image of a typical arabic muslim woman so that the world would conceive her as being intelligent, bright, well-spoken, uncovered, modern and fashionable.

Also through her.

Which is not bad after all.

We get it.

BUT

She can still do so in a Queenly manner.

There are certain royal etiquettes and protocols that tag along with the label "Queen".

Sadly, in HM Queen Rania, I only see a pretty celebrity..

Pet Peeve 1

Black rappers constantly licking their lips

...What a wicked game...

How to talk to girls?

A complicated question, answered by one of the world's least complicated minds..

Alec Greven, 9-years old, had to chose a topic for his school assignment, and he chose girls.

His assignment was an instant best seller in the school's book fair, and captured the attention of many adults as well..

Alec now shares all his dating tips and advice in a newly published bestseller!

Tips:
"Comb your hair and don't wear sweats"

"Control your hyperness (cut down on the sugar if you have to)"

"Don't act desperate"

I highly recommend some of those tips to boys of all ages,

for most never get past 8-years of age.

My thoughts:

I don't know how he got Harper Collins to publish this,

probably too cute to reject?

Dating advice from a single 9 year old? (or is he dating?)

“pretty girls are like cars that need a lot of oil”? (are you F'in kidding me?!)

Opportunistic parents? (he's also on a book tour)

9-year old womanizer? (NOT cute)

why not let children be children? (Dr. Seuss is furious!)

heck.. what do I know

at least I don't need his advice ;) (or Do I?)

How dare you compare..it's a SIN!

Fancy some Cop-en-Hagen?

Choosing the right hotel is a big deal for me since I do loads of travelling.
I used to love experiencing boutique hotels with different styles and themes when I was "younger", but now ,for me, a hotel represents comfort, optimum service, clean white sheets and towels(cleaniness in general), great concierge, roomy rooms, superb breakfast, promptness, amongst other basic necessities.
The Danish capital is a city that thrives on creativity and innovation, it's a hub for truely talented designers.
Hotel Fox, in Copenhagen, started as a special project by volkswagen. They've commissioned 21 international artists from all over the world to participate in creating a unique experience, in which 61 rooms were anomalously painted/designed for no room is like the other.
Designs range from Art Deco, flamboyant pop art, wild wild west to Japanese Manga!
They refused to be part of the hotel classification system

(No shining stars, thus no service!)
Upon arrival, guests get to choose between a wide range of "do not disturb" signs that appeals the most to them, and have thereby chosen their room. (hmmm)
The mini bar: each guest gets an empty cooler bag and fills it individually with their choice of snacks and drinks

(at this moment.. I'll be gladly walking out of the door)
It would be an experience, I assure you, but would it be a pleasant one?

for kids and pot heads? definately!

The Hotel Foxs' concept slightly reminded me of the acclaimed 5 star Hotel Puerta América in Madrid. That's a total different classification altogether. World-renowned architects have designed 12 luxurious floors to be their first collaboration in a project, which gives it an instant WOW factor.
For me, it works great as a design museum, nothing more.
As for both hotels.. undoubtedly special and wonderful to have in this humorless world..
I just can't..

re-enact the following..

The only 2 music videos I wish I was in..

Diamond Damon

I don't know why I'm fascinated by Matt Damon

ever since Good will Hunting.. he grabbed my attention

not Ben Affleck

as all the girls were into him cuz of his obvious good looks

but hmm.. this guy has it,

something..

can't quite put my finger on it

maybe he's so translucent

natural smile

easy going

not so obvious good looks kinda thing

I don't know

although he was voted People's Sexiest Man Alive!

which truely shocked me to be honest

and relieved me somehow..

I'm not that weird after all!

I would have posted a video from

Talented Mr. Ripley*

but couldn't find a decent one

*all time fav

...عوده.. يا عوده

يا عين و يا عين صبرج على الفرقا

ليش مو موجوده؟

المهم.. لقيت اللي احلى

خماري.. للي يفهمون بس

and the OSCAR goes to..

Look of the week: Modernly Classic

A deserted desert..

Since we have a surplus of it..

I can't help but think of spending my winters in the desert

and I don't mean the traditional sort "mukhayam"

I wanna take it up a notch..

I only wish for a simple, elegant, modern desert house..

far away from everything..

anything..

secluded in the naked fields..

No TV

No Cell phones

Nothing superficial.. but me..

I can be whoever I want

invite whoever I want

uninvite whoever I want..

I'm free!

pretty horses trotting at the break of dawn..

no frawn

just a pinch of bitter cold

enveloping my soul in a wornout cloak

warm cup of tea in hand

birds sway with the delicate wind..

sun rays transcend

through my vulnerable eyes..

a piano concerto in the background..

shunning all disguise..

emptiness all around..

This is how I like it..

Ultimate hypocrisy

Thank YOU.. Really..

Totally..

J'étais assise avec ma cigarette à la main

et je me suis rendu compte que je préférerais

t'avoir toi dans la main...

My New Year's Resolution

Hello,

My name is Miznah

And I'm a liPickaholic

(crowd)

Hello Miznah..

I pick my lip all the time, day and night. I've been an avid lip picker for as long as I can remember. I extremely despise the fact that I have extra skin on my lip. throughout the day, I constantly run my fingers on my (lower) lip in hopes of finding something to pick on. Anything. And I sometimes dig into perfectly smooth skin just to try and find something!

obsessive-compulsive? (I just realized! Ooh my..lol)

It's like I'm on a constant never-ending mission. I do it when I'm watching TV, reading a book, listening to someone, bored, nervous, stressed, driving, concentrating, or for no apparent reason.

It completely takes me into a trance or trance drives me into doing it. Either or.. it's bad.

I tried distracting my hands, but guess what, I'm picking my lip with my teeth as I'm typing this blog entry! (how sad)

I couldn't believe how common it was and how serious it can get until I researched about it. I also did not realize it was a disorder until I googled "lip picking." There's also hypnotherapy for lip pickers! (now I'm a bit scared)

So, as for my 2009 new year's resolution, I'll try my very best to stop this savage habit, Inshallah!

Back to Black..

Look of the week.. effortless..

ya Wardity ya nidiyyah..

Warda is scheduled to perform in Hala Febrayer 2009

I'm so in!!

hope she doesn't lipsync like Fairouz..

كان ياما كان

مو من قديم الزمان

كان فيه وحده مع زوجها

عايشين بسلام

والحياه حلوه و ماشيه تمام

والحمد لله

في يوم من الأيام

جايه الزوجه تطلع من البيت

سألها الزوج: يا فلانه وين رايحه؟

الزوجه: رايحه عند رفيجاتي فلانه و فلانه

الزوج: الله معاج

طلع الزوج من بعد ما طلعت مرته عنده كم شغله بيخلصها

وهو بالشارع راكب سيارته

ويلمح سياره تشبه سيارة زوجته

دقق أكثر في لوحة السياره ولا اهيه فعلا سيارة زوجته

قام الأخ من حسن نيه و دق عليها

يرن يرن يرن التليفون

بس ما ترد

مره.. مرتين..ثلاثه

محد يرد

قعد يحاتيها الريال و من فضوله لحقها

وراها وراها

لين وصلت و اسفطت عند بيت ما قط مر عليه

نزلت الزوجه و دخلت هالبيت

الزوج استغرب.. بس تعوذ من ابليس و مشا

كلمته عقب ساعتين

الزوجه: هلا حبيبي.. ها وينك؟

الزوج: بالبيت

الزوجه: أوكي انا بالطريج يايه

وصلت الزوجه البيت، سلمت عليه و دشت الحمام

الزوج مو قادر يصبر

قوم و فتش جنطتها

لقى شيك بإسمها

بمبلغ مش بطال

موقع من قبل واحد

من أكبر رجالات البلد

و أكثرهم مال و صيت

استغرب الزوج و حس بضيقه في صدره

قام يقلب الامور في راسه

و كونها اهيا كذبت عليه

وما كانت ترد عليه

و شافها بعيونه تدخل بيت غريب

ما لقى لهذا الشيك إلا تفسير واحد

وهو الخيانه

وبفلوس

قام الزوج و حصل رقم زوجة فلان آل فلاني

دق عليها

الزوج: آلو.. انا فلان

ودي اكلمج بموضوع مهم

قالتله تفضل تكلم

قال لها الزوج: لا هذا شي ما ينقال على التليفون

ولازم اشوفج الحين

المهم وافقت بعد اقناع

راح لها الزوج و قال لها السالفه من طقطق ل سلام عليكم

و انا ما ابي مشاكل و ودي بالستر و.. و.. و

الزوج يدري ان زوجة فلان آل فلاني مو هينه أبداً أبداً

وراح تتصرف بطريقتها الخاصه

المهم

اصبحنا يوم ثاني

والزوجه رايحه الدوام

ما تواعي إلا المدير مناديها

راحت و لقت صدمة عمرها

زوجة فلان آل فلاني جدامها

حاطه ريل على ريل

تنطرها والشر بعينها

عاد ياها كلام ما يسر من سب و تهديد

بالعربي هزأتها

جدام اللي يسوى واللي ما يسوى

الزوجه انهارت

ردت البيت و وجهها معتفس

وعيونها مغورقه

سألها الزوج: شفيج؟؟

قالتله: ما فيني شي.. بس تعبانه من الدوام و مشاكل الشغل

عقب ساعه

شافها الزوج مره ثانيه

متضايقه و عيونها حمر

سأل مره ثانيه.. شفيييييج؟

قالت: لا سلامتك حبيبي بس ارهاق بسيط

قال الزوج: اللللللللله.. كل هذا عشان ما راح تشوفين فلان آل فلاني مره ثانيه!!؟

تتوقعون ضاق خلقها و حست على عمرها و نزلت عيونها خجلانه من الفضيحه؟

لاااااااا

يا ... ما يهزك ريح

بققت عيونها على زوجها

جان تنهد عليه

بصراخ وتنزر

الزوجه: يوم انك تدري ليش ما واجهتني و فكيتني!!! افففففففف

........ايا بنت ال

عاد مادري شسوى اهو فيها

بلوه هالحريم

!!!!الله لا يبلينا

القصه 99% واقعيه

Good will Hunting..

The days of "ladies in waiting" could be over when it comes to marriage proposals.

It's very hard to accept the idea of a woman proposing to a man in our society. Well, If you look at it from a traditional point of view it wouldn't work, for we still have arranged marriages so that idea is completely out.

But what if we focus on the not-so-traditional kinds of marriages. Woman and men are more exposed to each other nowadays and so their innocent relationships could evolve into something more intimate. What if the woman felt that she found the mythical "perfect man" and would love to spend the rest of her living days with him. Why should she wait and play games to try to manipulate him into proposing? What if by doing so she pushes him so hard by constantly hinting that it makes him shrug and leave?

Its very hypocritical of us to judge women who propose to men based on traditional values and beliefs, but on the other hand praise our open mindedness and liberal way of living. At the end it's a personal issue.

Women today take on larger leadership roles at home, the workplace and in society in general. They control finances, raise the kids, run businesses and even run for president. It's only natural that they've begun to assume these roles in the realm of romance, as well.

I can understand that traditionally men feel obliged to pop the question, and probably would feel awkward or even offended if the woman beat him to the punchline. But there are many ways that women can smoothly bring up marriage issues to test the waters. To me, the same applies vice versa.

So why could a woman not propose?

I personally cannot do it if I wanted to but If a friend has guts to do it, I say why not, GO for it! even if its not a Leap Year.. :)

Mama, life had just begun..

Good Luck Gone Bad..

In 2005, my eyes came across the most beautiful painting of Egyptian icons. I didn't know the name of the artist or any information about it. I just simply fell in love with it.
On October 30th 2008, Christies' Dubai catalogue falls straight onto my lap without introduction. Wrapped in plastic, I quickly tore it out of it's bondage and looked through its crisp pages.

Surprise Surprise! There it is.. staring at me.. popping right in front of my eyes to the point that I could almost touch it. Overjoyed like a child who's just got a PlayStation. or something..
"I WANT IT" I thought, loudly.
Little that I know that the auction was over.. checked out the date, it was today.. the painting is gone..
It was sold slightly above the lowest estimated price!!! (yi7errr)




Chant Avedissia

so.. anyone who is slightly interested in pleasing the hell out of me, please consider this painting as a gift lol.. THANK YOU!

عاتب الوقت.. لا تعاتبني أنا

..طول عمرنا أهل طرب

..ربينا على سماع الفن الأصيل

..والتلذذ فيه

..والرقص عليه

سامري، بحري، نقازي، أصوات، خبيتي، خماري، و و و ..

وكنا نصنع الكلمه واللحن بضمير

من كثر ما كان عندنا إبداع فني، قمنا نصدره للدول المجاوره

شصااااار؟

غزانا نشاز فكري متطرف

حقنه دينيه قبل و بعد كل وجبه

تدهور الحال

باي باي ابداع

باي باي فن

و سلمولي على اللي سم حالي فراقه

وسلمولي على الخرفان

تم تا را را رم.. تم تم

بس سؤال جد جد

..

ودي أعرف عن مستقبلنا الفني

منو راح يجي عقب هالثلاثه ؟

(سؤال مبهم، و ماله رد، تقدر تطرحه على أكثر من جهه بالدوله)

الحمد لك يا عظيم الشان... يا عالم السر والجهر

What if.....

To solve parking problems in Kuwait, why don't we (as government, since we have billions in surplus and don't know what to do with it) dig up a huge hole under all the areas. This acts as a shared garage.

Each house has the area below it. Determining how many parking spots each house gets basically depends on how big the house is.

Each house pays X amount of money to the government per car per year.

Each house gets a private lift for their cars, straight to the streets! If houses are too small and can't afford an area for the lift, they can share the lift with neighboring houses. This lift is not as conventient as the other one. It comes up in the nearest "bara7a" or public government land. But you pay less for it!

Think the container store.. on a massive scale.. Voila!

This solves the problem of fugly outdated car garages/shades. And also solves issue il "ta3adiyat".. walla ya khoafi yagleboonha diwaniyah bil garage!

Fabulous.. it's Lacroix!!

...عين الحسود فيها

حسد، عين، حقد، غيره،،، ما الفرق؟
الصراحه ما راح افتي و اختلق فرق. كل من الخصال البشعه المذكوره اعلاه تقول "الزود عندي". بس اعتقد ان المسأله اول شي تبدي بالغيره

راح ابدي افتي شوي ok lol
كل شخص غار من احد في يوم من اللأيام، سواً كان على شي يسوى او ما يسوى ...احلى مني، اضعف مني، عندها عيال
هالتفكير يمر على ذهن الانسان بدون ما يحس أو يشعر
مو معناته ان اللي حس بالغيره شخص مو زين او شي من هذا القبيل. فيه غيره بريئه خارج عن ارادتنا و تتوقف عند حد الامنيات و هذي ما تأذي
اما ان بدأ الشخص بالتمادي و الدخول بالتفكير المضر لغيره هنا يدخل في دائرة الحسد. الحاسد برأيي انه انسان حقود اناني يتمنى زوال النعمه من غيره ويتمناها له وحده... رغبة في الارتفاع علي حطام الغير
الحسد قد يؤدي الى النميمه و ال"حش" في المحسود لكي يضر سمعته بالمجتمع و تأليف القصص والروايات الباطله عن هذا الشخص. وفيه درجه هم أعلى بالحسد والحقد اللي تخلي الحاسد ينفعل و يقوم بأفعال تضر المحسود جسدياً!! يا أخي سو مثله و فكنا
تمناله الخير و حط راسك و نام مرتاح! لا ما يجوز.. شلون أنام و فلان مسوي أحسن مني بالبورصه! خل أدعمه يمكن نفتك..
ولا شلون تنام و توها راده من عرس و مادحين فيه وحده صايره تجنن و اهي كانت معاي بالثنويه متينه و جيكره ولا كنت شايله همها انها تنافسني!! لازم أطرش صورها باجر لما كانت مو شي.. كود يغيرون رايهم..
ليس من الضروره ان يكون الحاسد اقل من المحسود، بل يكون احياناً افضل منه في المال.. في الولد.. في العمل.. و هذي بلوه أكبر
!
أما العين.. من وين ابدي.. صار الخوف من العين شغل الشاغل في مجتمعنا المتخلف، لدرجه انه اصبح فيه شي او مرض اسمه الوسواس من العين! قامت الشاطره تطلع من الامتحان تبكي و تذرف الدموع كأن أحد مكوفنها.. يسألونها شفييييج؟ تقول ما جاوبت كل الاسأله والوقت ما كفى.. عقب كم يوم تطلع النتائج ولا اهيا الثانيه على الكويت
LOL كل هذا خوف من العين
يعني مو مشكله تكذبين في سبيل أجتناب العين والحسد؟ دخلنا موضوع ثاني أعظم..
!كل مسأله، مصيبه تحصل في حياة هذا المهلوس يقول عين
بوكي ضاع.. عين! مو اهمال
سيارتي اوقفت.. عين! مو لأن خلص البانزين
!طلعتلي نفره.. عين! شعري حت.. عين! خدامتنا انحاشت.. عين! عين عين عين! عفيا عين
وين القضاء والقدر؟
!العين صارت شماعه الكل يرمي اغلاطه و الأشياء اللي مالها تفسير عليها

انا أقول
لن يصيبنا إلا ما كتب الله لنا

خدا حافظ

Atomic IRAN!

Unfortunately, the first thing that pops into people's minds when they hear the word Iran is nuclear power. Recently, Iran has been grabbing much of the world's attention for the possession and the development of nuclear power plants.

Let's drift away from political stereotypes for a moment and concentrate on Iran, the mysterious and mesmerizing Iran.

When I think of Iran, I think of beauty and creativity. Throughout history, Persia was the melting pot of civilizations and has contributed in the creation of some of the world's most beautiful work that has ever been created. Constant wars and invasions have enabled the blend of many influences to create a rich diversity of arts, styles, and techniques. Persian art is particularly noted for its architecture and production of magnificent miniatures, although perhaps best known today for ornate Persian carpets.

A generation of artist caught in the crossfire of the Iranian Revolution have sprung to hide away from all the political misery and confided in their own canvases as means of expressing their bottled emotions. Suppression and anger usually gives birth to creativity. This is exactly what happened in the middle east and especially in Iran. Young blood started to emerge behind the ridged walls of conservative societies.

No doubt that contemporary Iranian artists nowadays are living their golden age. Thanks to the interest of western media, art galleries, collectors and auction houses who are constantly and vigorously promoting middle eastern art throughout the art world.

One of my favourite Iranian artists is Farhad Moshiri. He is one of the most celebrated artist of his generation in this region, and is best known for bold and poetic repetitions of numbers and letters in modern calligraphy on aged-like fragmented surfaces. It's amazing how his cracked surfaces are so random yet so controlled.

Some of his recent work grapples with issues of identity and reflects his attempts to point out westernism and cope with the changes in his country. It is the juxtaposition of conflicting and varying elements such as the veil and the gun that makes Iranian artists' work so compelling. Metaphors of spiritual "forbidden" subjects and violence are ever so prominent in their work.

Another artists I adore is Ramin Haerizadeh. His photographic work is so controversial and like no other. In his 'Men of Allah' series, he sarcastically depicts semi-naked cross-dressed bearded men who are cheerful and dressed in joyous colors. While the dark background and gruesome torsos and body parts might suggest depressive conditions, which makes the image playfully contradicts itself. He might be also hinting to secret sexual desires due to the position of the figures. The artist's mischievous irony and comical approach makes his work appeal more friendly than horrid.

The visual language of such art depict how these new talents are breaking away the traditional moulds in creating art that challenges their everyday ideologies and social norm. BRAVO!

p.s. Artists mentioned live and work in Iran.

To forgive or not to forgive..

The question is: am I willing to forgive?

By nature, every person is capable of forgetting, or pretending to forget. But forgetting by itself doesn't make the problem go away. It'll still be there. Unless we forgive and truly let go.

I'm a forgetful kind of person. For instance, if I fought with someone, I can barely remember all the tiny details the next day. I would surely remember the main points but totally forget the rest. Some say it's a blessing, and it is! but where is my dear memory when I'm calm and can rationally talk this thing through?! gone.. Puff..

I have experienced a lovely childhood with some painful memories along the way. And I'm at peace with myself now. Not only because I forgot, but because I sincerely forgave. Life taught me that blaming and pointing pointless fingers at others will never solve my tiny problems. Nor will it put my restless soul at ease. Learning how to let go and move on is an art form by itself.In my humble opinion, forgiveness doesn't come naturally. It's a discipline, therefore its acquired.

It's ok to be angry and cry and moan sometimes, break a vase if it makes you feel relieved, but never let anger consume you to the point that you find yourself lost in endless dwelling. Revenge, anger and resentment will soon overcome your life if you don't forgive and tend to take control of your emotions, making you constantly thinking of ill ways to get back at a certain person instead of focusing your energy on positive living. At the end, These repressed feeling will only harm yourself and others around you by emitting negative vibes.

What if I could never let go?

We are likely to think that forgiveness is some kind of weakness and disrespect to our holly person. Quite the contrary. Forgiveness is the niche of emotional and psychological maturity and contentness. You must tame your mind, let down your guard and face your darkest fears. You will then have supreme authority over your righteous being. Isn't that what we all want? The ultimate goal?

Bloody Beautiful!!

My passion for red started since I graduated from high school. Black was my color. I was so into black that I had a different black outfit in my wardrobe to wear if there was a funeral everyday! Thank God that phase was over long before I graduated from high school. As my personality changed so did my wardrobe, color suddenly appeared and started to replace black worn-out clothes. Red became my color, and amazingly it still is! I feel that red emanates warmth and a strong sense of life. Red is also the colour of Ruby, which is spontaneously associate with love and vividness. Then my hidden interest in jewelry started to surface along with designing them. Named for it's color (Latin Rubeus).
Ruby is the birth-stone of the month of July. The color can range from "pigeon-blood" to brownish. In order for a ruby to be truly valuable, it has to be red. Not dark pink. Not light pink. Not purple in any shade...but red. The best color is pigeon blood red. The Burmese have traditionally referred to the finest hue of ruby as pigeon's blood (ko-twe), a term which may be of Chinese or Arab origin. Some have compared this color to the center of a live pigeon’s eye. Others have defined this still further as the color of the first two drops of blood from the nose of a freshly slain Burmese pigeon. Al-Afkani described the top variety of ruby as: Rummani (has the color of the fresh seed of pomegranate) or of a drop of blood (drawn from an artery) on a highly polished silver plate. al-Akfani, ca. 1348 AD. Ruby is also known as a " stone of nobility", gathering and amplifying energy while promoting and stimulating mental stimulation. It is said that it can improve ones success in controversies and disputes, encouraging gentleness and discouraging violence. It is also an excellent shielding stone protecting on all levels and safe guarding ones consciousness from psychic attack!