A piece of my mind

The intro : A good friend told me, "Yasmine, there are no winners here. Just cut the chase, go down with your boots on and get it over with". And he was right (and I am soooooo grateful). I did go down to the bottom of the matter, but with a smile and high heals. The upside: 1- I feel like a weight has been lifted off my chest 2- They feel happy and proud and flattered. It feels amazing to make a person you care about feel special, no? 3- We agreed to move beyond that point *somehow* 4- I was not a desperate (I hope) looser who sings zalmooh and cry themselves to sleep, I was me ; the fun, casual but caring me. 5- The conversation went smooth and fun; we even made jokes of it. No tension or pressure was built. 6- It was the right thing to do! The downside: 1- The conversation left lots of questions unanswered, for both parties. 2- Now I have to meet expectations of being "emotionally mature", so in other words, I lost my right to go girlie or emotional. 3- I'm...

Yesterday Nag introduced me to what google knows , which is pure fun. Reaching number 102, 103 and 104, I just found myself smiling, I do know these lines, I know they're definitely about poker (which I love by the way) but could not remember where I heard them in that order. Then today I remembered; I heard them in my dad's old records collection. See, my dad is a fan of Kenny Rogers and probably I heard this song so many times when I was younger that it just stuck to my head. Anyway... on youtube I found the muppet show version of "The Gambler" and I leave with these lines, not just about Poker, but about life.. You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, Know when to walk away and know when to run. You never count your money when you're sitting at the table. There'll be time enough for counting when the dealing is done.

In those rare moments when we bear our souls to each other, and still keep our smiles, I realize that friendship is indeed a miracle and that I have been blessed by having you!

I've been dying to see them ever since I was in London in 2004. They were starting their show perhaps a week or so after I leave back to Cairo so I didn't get the chance. They announced they were coming to Egypt around two months ago and I decided nothing will stop me from going, until I heard that the ticket prices start from 400LE. And that was the point when most the friends, who said they'll come, backed out. Then Meyo had assignments and Jaz had exams and definitely I won't go on my own so I doubted that maybe it just wasn't meant to be. Then Jiji came from the states and expressed interest and we were all set to go for Thursday. STOMP live in Cairo @ the Opera House. For some logistical reasons, we couldn't get tickets on Wednesday, and when we called the Opera House on Thursday they said they ran out of 400 and 600 LE tickets. I was so disappointed cause there was no way I could afford a more expensive ticket. But then Ji did the magic. Tab3an, those who ...

There are three levels of falling in "L"with someone; in love, in like and in lust. Almost the entire population of the earth, in my opinion , mix up things, or at least, overrate the word "love". You find this kid in highschool crying his eyes out on their latest cursh and claiming he loves her.I mean , seriously, how long have you known her and what do you know about love anyway. Anyhow, the way I see it, things work differently for guys and girls. Apparently, for guys, it goes in the following order: in lust -> in like -> in love while for girls, it goes; in like-> in lust- > in love. Some people are not capable of moving beyond the first level , and some people reach the last level faster than others. I personnaly ,till recently, thought that maybe the whole love thing is jut a state of mind where we delude* ourselves into thinking we are in love just because. You'd wonder why I put a * above! I just right now realized, that illusion does not ...

After looking at the stars for the last three minutes she looked at him and said, " Tell me 3 logical reasons why I should say yes " He replied without hesitation, " First of all, you love me.. " She interrupted, " that's not a logical reason, that's appealing to my emotions! " He sighed and said , " Well, I will answer your question only after you answer one of mine " Perplexed she said "S hoot! " He asked, " How come you ask me for logic when it has always been emotions that make sense to you? " She gave a sly smile and said, " The logic you'll say is not for me, it's what I'll tell everyone else "

Previously on soundtrack of life: intro , the ex , the workout , and friends . --- Going to work --- In the romantic comedy , the scene starts by her waking up , with a smile on her face, like she just had the most wonderful dream, then looks at the alarm clock and starts cursing and swearing that she woke up late for the millionth time. In a flash we see her all dressed , and ready to walk out the door. She walks to the tube station(call it subway, metro, underground ... whatever) where she meets one of her quirky friends and they take the tube . They talk while riding together till each of them reaches her stop. Leading girl then takes the bus for a couple of stops before reaching her office; it's the same bus everyday As soon as she steps out, she lights her cigarette and the driver (who happens to be the same everyday by pure coincidence) , always waves bye to her saying that she ought to quit smoking. She buys herself a cup of coffee from the cafe across the street from her ...

To know where this post comes from, read the intro , the ex and the workout . ---- Friends ---- In the romantic comedy , the friends are the core of the girls life. She's on the phone with them while at work , goes out with them after work, they represent her alternative family; giving her advise, cheering her up while she's down, and go love her regardless of her awkwardness. In fact, they are equally as awkward as she is; the gay small time fashion designer by day Broadway dancer by night, the acupuncture therapist and her husband who writes crossword puzzles for a local newspaper and her best friend, the nail spa owner who is as hopeless in relationships as she is. The usually meet after a situation, on a round table, with drinks, hilariously making fun of their problems. And when she (leading girl) has the core crisis of the movie, they play the inevitable role of the selfless friends and gather all their savings to send her on the trip of her lifetime touring Italy to...

Following the intro and part 1 , I present you with: ----The Workout---- In the romantic comedy we always see a scene of her working out. It will usually follow a transformation point when she decided to make herself a better person , loose weight, quite smoking, dump the lame boyfriend, move to a better job, pursue her dream of being an actress/dancer/fashion designer/ Cello Player or something. She's determined, charged and well prepared; damn, she even brought a new training outfit. As soon as she enters the gym hall, all proud of herself, she sees all the beautiful well built people in the room and as she keeps staring at this good looking hunk at the back she walks right into a wall. But, she's still all filled with energy; she stands up, still head up and goes straight to the treadmill. The next scene, we see her on the elliptical-cross-trainer and we see a quick flash back how she always avoided/feared/had a miserable childhood memory with that particular machine, but...

After we stated the facts here , I'll just do a little comparison, (1) if my life was a romantic comedy, (2) if it was drama movie, and (3) the documentary or in other words..real life. I'll take a few scenes and compare a little bit in each case.. ----The Ex ---- In the romantic comedy , we'll always have the pleasure and peace of mind in knowing that the ex was a complete @$$&0!* who didn't deserve her in the first place. He only shows up in the movie as a clumsy drunk who is obviously miserable because he misses her in his life and we can tell how screwed up he is. She sees him , perhaps before the leading man asks her out on a date. He makes a laughing stock out of himself and she feels sorry for herself yet does not show it in front of the leading man. The scene changes to later that night; when she is eating lots and lots of ice cream to cheer herself up and while she is singing out loud " I will survive" and cutting out her ex's face from ol...

Ok, that was going to be a long long post so I split it into several shorter ones I don't think anyone can deny the effect of the endless movies we've seen on our lives. I mean, I know I'm not the only one to say that sometimes I feel like today is just another scene in a movie. So, yesterday in the workout , it occurred to me; what if my life is in fact a movie?! What would it be like? What soundtrack will be playing in the background? Who would be the leading man? What kind of movie will it be? I took those thoughts and explored them further later through the day and decided, well, probably no one would be interested to know what my life would be like as a movie, but then again it's a piece of my mind, I get to blog whatever I want. No? Firstly, some facts: In a movie, any movie, she is the star, the one who the whole story goes on and on about. In real life, I am just another random person of the countless souls that roam this earth. In a movie, the right soundtrack...

Let's leave the words for the long long blogsposts I'm writing these day.. Additions to Ji's fashion line.. Roosha wanted a card for congratulating on a special occasion, so I made those below for her to choose from: A new experiment by Ji Cards which I'm really proud of.. both quality-wise and photo-wise :D (zeww is not so humble anymore )

I am loving this month.... seriously! I don't really remember how November used to be in the past but this November is a really good one. I mean, beside the fact that it's the concerts/ballet/cultural events season. It's the 2008 Zeww blossoming season (3ala ra2i Mekks ;)). I'm back on track with my weight control plan. I'm exercising regularly (akheeran). Back to blogging (and even to writing down my secret project which I haven't been writing for over 4 months now), yet still working on the cards hobby (which is looking promising , ya rab insha2allah). I went with Jaz and Meyo to the Opera House last Friday. We attended a brillient remake of ' Carmen ' by the Antonio Gades Company. It was SPLENDID; a fusion between ballet and flamenco. All the show's music was produced by three flamenco guitars, and the clapping and taping of the preformers, except for three scenes where they played the well known peices of music from the origional opera, which wa...

Love that movie, both parts... They're actually my kind of funny movies; not the dump, slip-over-banana ,type of funny, but the sarcastic, dark, funny-in-a-sad-way kind of funny. Added to that, a happy ending to touch the naive girl in me. Thinking about the movie, after a smart conversation (with za pest friend) I realized that perhaps I just need to acknowledge the difference between Mr. Perfect and Mr. Right (for lack of a better terminology). Mr. Right, is the good CV, the rich guy, with the expensive car, th e house in the suburbs and the family name(النسب الى يشرف). Your mother loves him because well, he's right for her daughter. Your dad trusts him and can spend hours talking to him. And your siblings show him off to their friends. And then there is Mr.Perfect . Mr. Perfect is the guy you always fall for, he proves the type theory ( that each of us has a type that we fall for every single time). Usually, your parents can't stand Mr. Perfect and you can't bl...

It's music season; Autumn has always been music season in Cairo. Actually, not just music, but all cultural events. Which is definitely a good thing.. I always love that stuff, except that, why just in Autumn? I mean the rest of the year is boring, why cram everything in just one season. Anyway.. I went to the SOS last Friday, which was so cool really. For the first time I heard Cairokee ; I've been wanting to listen to their songs for ages.. they're cool, as in really cool. I also heard The Percussion Show , and like WOW! begad WOW. And most importantly Nagham Masry , whom I absolutely adore..guys... you rock! But the coolest part was when the bands were fusing together. Even the worst ones were good when they played with others. Apparently, I like fusion music, along the lines of the latest awarness campaigns (حملات التوعية) that have been taking over Egypt since Ramadan, I say "نغني مع بعضنا , نتبسط كلنا" Yesterday evening, went to one of the Jazz Factory...

"And when you look in my eyes please know my heart is in your hands It's nothing that I understand, but when in your arms you have complete power over me " ----- Near You Always by Jewel "I've looked at love from both sides now From give and take, and still somehow Its loves illusions I recall I really dont know love at all" ---Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchel "I know I can't resist I never wanna fall asleep I'll only wanna dive in deep And I’ve tried and I’ve tried and tried to walk away I am scared of what I missed But don't you know it taste so sweet I'll only want to dive in deep And I’ve tried and I’ve tried and tried to walk away" ---Can't Resist Texas " I let the day go by I always say goodbye I watch the stars from my window sill The whole world is moving and I'm standing still" ---World Spins Madly On by The weepies " I'll say come on, come on, come on, come on, yeah take it! Take another little pi...

There's this annoying little something that always pisses me off, but I never talk about, cause it makes me feel mean and evil (which I sort of am but don't like to admit it). But then, Ji called and she had the very same problem (including the guilt of feeling mean and evil) and I decided, well.. this is worth blogging. You know how some "friends" only call you when they are depressed; as in, when something good happens in their life, you're the last to know, but you're always the first person that comes to their mind when they want to cry their heart out. Naturally, it's a good thing that friend know I'm there for them, and that I will always be there to lift them up when they fall. And I'm happy to know that they trust my opinions but let's just think: - So you are depressed, your life sucks, everything is falling out of place,.. I'm hear to listen, until! Until you bring up the fact that you talk to me cause I've had a shitty life s...