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HP & the HBP - Movie Review

The latest of the series, harry moves towards his 6th year at Hogwarts, read the NY Times move review on the below link: http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/movies/15harry.html?hp

"We aren't doing the talent section?"... Hilarious

Its like watching the LOTR movies all over again, each one just gets better...

most recent SNL sketch, this time, its a debate...



"We aren't doing the talent section?" LMAO, this is good comedy... (my tummy hurts!)
Read More 0 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

Make Me a Muslim

As i was ever so bored the other day i decided to check out whats been featured on youtube, and something did catch my attention; a British documentary/reality TV show entitled “Make Me a Muslim!”

Now i have to admit i was quite curios about the nature of the show, i streamed it and i was like, OMG, they truly are trying anything to get people’s attention,

I am a muslim, who is quite proud to be, but the thing that got to me is, you cannot force Islam on someone in 3 weeks, it’s pretty hard to digest all of the stuff that you have to digest in such a short notice.

To brief you up, it mainly is the “Experiment” of 4 Muslim British Scholars, who pick a town in the UK, and mainly audition and ask around for anyone who is interested to be ON the show, he/she is required to follow the teachings of Islam for a whole 3 weeks. At first i thought no one would be interested, but surprisingly alot of people actually signed up.

Now, if you take me out of my comfort zone, and ask me to give up mostly every fun activity that i’ve been doing for lets say, all my life, i can’t help but to feel resentment, whether it was drinking, sex, or even my everyday clothing, its a BIG change people, and it doesn’t come easy. Imagine this, for someone who spent most of her adult life as a model, a special kind of model lets say, is asked to cover up from head to toe for 3 weeks, without actually giving her the abitlity to adjust, to think, and to absorb the teachings and logic behind the act of covering up, i don’t expect anything but resentment, its the most logical reaction to someone who came along knocking down all my walls and baring me naked of my entire surrondings.

For me, the path to Islam should be from within, it shouldn’t be forced, even if you want someone to just get the grips of the relegion by experiencing it first hand, you have to give them time to let it sink in, which doesn’t happen over-night, so here comes the question that i’ve been trying to answer? What is the point of such a show, is it truly to get people to appreciate the nature of our wonderful relegion, or to make a media circus out of the whole thing and get higher reviews, because if it was the first, i would have said it failed miserably, instead of getting people to appreciate, and understand, the point of view of islam, it probably made them resent it, and if it was the latter, then its such a shame that we’ve reached an age were we actually Feist our love and need of intrusion to people’s lives to such an extent that we actually need to create this bubble of nonsense to get a grip of realtiy, which doesn’t even seem close to…

if you are interested in learning more about the topic, type “Make Me a Muslim” on http://www.youtube.com

I found this on my old blog and felt like sharing it again.
Read More 0 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

Another SNL Sketch, Tina Fey doest it again

This is just Hilarius, click below for the newest sketch of Sarah Palin (Tina Fey) and Katie Couric's (Amy Poehler) - SNL.

I can't stop laughing...

Read More 2 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

its like und und sunset & sunshine

I want to vent out...

btw, the title does not relate to the post, in case you were wondering...

Am usually a very helpful person, i go out of my way to do stuff for other people when they ask, and why would i do so? because i think people wouldn't have asked unless they really needed the help, as naive as that is, its how i look at it...

now for me, i do not usually turn and ask for people's help unless i really need it, most often that not for not having enough time to finish up, and for some reason, i always expect a firm "yes, i will" of people, and is often left with half a brain when that doesn't happen...

Being in such situations have taught me to put myself in other's shoes before i judge, vent, and decide to do sth that i might regret later, does that person even ask for my help? have i ever turned a cry of help before?... it helps keep things in perspective...

well, i don't really think i have a point here, just some conclusions that am figuring out as i write this down, but it will continue to bug me, asking for help is the first step, so step up and give it to me...
Read More 0 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL

Tina Fey must one of most entertaining comedians ever, specially in this spoof on SNL, (also starring Amy Poehler as Ms. Clinton)

Enjoy!


Read More 0 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

How to: Make an Apple Pie!

This blog has been in my mind for a while now, and should hopefully start a "How To" series of other blogs that i think you might find helpful. :), yay!

So, lets start;

*Ingredients
  • For the filling, you will need;
    • 9 Apples (Granny Smith).
    • 4 Tbsp (tablespoon) of Apricot Jam.
    • 8 Tbsp of brown sugar.
    • 2 cups (200 ml) of water.
    • 3 Tsp (teaspoon) of cinnamon.
    • 1/4 of a Tsp lemon zest.
  • For the dough, you will need;
    • 200 grams of butter, unsalted.
    • 3 1/2 cups (200 ml) of regular flour.
    • 1 to 2 Tbsp COLD water.
*Preparation
  • Peal the apples, cut each as desired, for a better final presentation of pie cut into small pieces.
  • Heat the 2 cups of water, add the Apricot Jam, Brown Sugar and stir till ingredients are partially mixed with the water.
  • Add to the above mix the pealed and cut Apples, then add the Cinnamon and the lemon zest, mix all of the ingredients and leave covered on medium heat for approx. 20 minutes or till the apples are juicy and almost transparent. Please note here that cooking time depends on type of apples selected, Granny Smith apples take longer to cook than, lets say, Ginger Gold apples.
  • While the mix is cooking, add blocks of Butter to the Regular Flour, mixing should be done slowly, since you want the butter to milt within room temperature and mix with the flour, continue to add the butter to the mix.
  • Halfway through adding butter, add 1 Tbsp of COLD water, the water must be cold since it will be used to cool down the butter that now holds the dough.
  • Continue with the rest of the butter and finally add the second Tbsp of COLD water, if it is needed, you can add an additional Tbsp or two of COLD water depending no your mix and dough.
  • After finishing with the dough, refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  • Take the dough out of the fridge, divide into two parts, 2/3 to 1/3, the 2/3 will be used for the bottom and sides of the pie, the 1/3 for covering it.
  • Using a non-stick pan, spread the 2/3's of the dough to cover the bottom and the sides of the pan.
  • Add the cooked mix of the apples.
  • Cover with the 1/3 of the dough remaining.
  • Cook pie at 180 C, for 25 minutes.
  • Preferable, toast the pie's top for no more than 3 minutes.
Serve either hot with some vanilla ice cream, or refrigerate and serve alone.

Sa7tain!!!

Tip: if you are using different apples (other than Granny Smith), you may want to reconsider the amount of brown sugar used, depending on the apple's sweetness.
Read More 0 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

Action Alert | Ramadan Food Drive

Source

So it’s that time of the year again folks and hopefully we can rally together to make a difference in the lives of a few citizens. The Action Committee has started its food drive for Ramadan and your help is needed! The Ramadan food package is going to cost 20JDs and will contain:

3 kg Rice
3 kg Sugar
2 kg Beans
2 kg Lentils
6 Packs of Pasta
2 Cans Tomato Paste
1 kg Tea
2 A’mar Eldin
1 Oil
½ kg Dates
12 packs Maggie

The drive is underway and will last for the next week or so, depending on the donations. The Action Committee is targeting the last 10 days of Ramadan for distribution.

So tell a friend, tell a family member, tell the neighbor, tell the people at work, even the weird guy who sits in the corner of the office and who no one talks to; this could be your chance.

For bloggers: Forward this message. Post about it. Spread it. Mobilize!

Just like last time, when we went from this, to this. It’ll be interesting to see the extent to which blogs can make a social impact in Jordan.

You can contact Sara at 079-5154498

The Facebook Group

Read More 2 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

9/11, 7 Years and Counting

Exactly 7 years ago, i remember getting a call from my friend at school, telling me to urgently switch to CNN, one of the World Trade Centers was up in flames.

Back at that time, i did not what the WTC is in the first place, to me it was some couple of tall buildings that we regularly saw in movies, and till this day, it still is the same, but it transformed a whole lot, and not probably for the best.

I don't really care to talk about politics here, but what struck me is that it has been 7 YEARS, that, is a lot of time, but coming to think of it, is it?

A thought came to my mind; am sure most of us know someone, either closely or though friends and family, who is related, or connected, to someone who is terminally ill, how they are told that they have so and so years to live by, maybe even months, and worst; weeks.

If you were told today, that someone you hold dear to your heart is going to die in 7 years, what will you do differently?

We as humans are selfish beings, even in our feelings, we always want more, and most of the time we give less, take a time to look around you, who in your life deserves your attention today, and who are you wasting your time with;

Is your wife at home and you're spending way too much hours at the office, work can wait, she may can't.

Is your girlfriend still waiting for that special visit from your parents, will try to forgo the new car for now, and jump the wagon, you may be left with nothing but the fond memories of her.

cherish every moment you have with the people that you love as it is the last, remember, the past is gone, the future is yet to come, but the present is what you have at the moment, its your gift from the Universe, use it well.
Read More 2 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

thank you

I have been meaning to write this down for quite some time,

Ever since i lost my mother, which was exactly 2 months, 9 days ago, i, and our family, have been blessed with unlimited support from our families; aunts, uncles, friends, cousins, it was really overwhelming, to all of you, i say thank you.

I remember a sparkle in her eyes, she used to talk passionately, i like to think that i have that too, am not sure if i do, or is it me just being a pain in the ass, her idealism sometimes triggered the same in me, ill owe it to her.

But during this whole time, one person in particular really shown out to remind me of her, it wasn't that she did anything that much different than the others, who did more than i ever could imagine, but it was something i could see in the soft wrinkles around her eyes, how they used to come out beautifully whenever she smiled, her eyes shown, her sweet smile, and her infectious laugh, to you amto Wedad, i love, and i thank god for having you in my life.

To the others, who really touched my life in ways i may never be able to pay back, i also want to thank you for making this difficult time as easy as it could be.

Happy Ramadan to you all, we'll be having fotoor soon i guess,

love
ahmad
Read More 2 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

the magical powers of Organization

Ever since some couple of years, i tend to fall into trances were the focus is all negative, all worrisome, and all in an endless loop that leads to lots of takeouts, will & grace, and sleepless nights.

I have grown to figure out the symptoms of these kinds of mood swings from far away, and knowing how once i get into one, am in the whirl, i still do drag myself into it, i thought extensively of this, of why do i do it? is it because i feel that by doing it i can rise back up again? and somehow stir up my routine? Or do i do it because somewhere, deep down, i like the feeling, sort of a love-hate relationship? This and many other explanations that i came up through the years that regularly failed to sum up the logic of my delimma.

Very recently, during one of those "swings", and while enjoying an unusual posture, i was flipping through a book that I've been putting on hold for a while now, but one section that day caught my attention, it spoke so honestly of the things that i have been going through. Now i know this is really used up, but i felt that most, if not all, of the stuff i was reading perfectly summed up my feelings in such trances; the sleepless nights, the sickening feeling of emptiness, the over indulgence in much of the stuff that i would be doing and so on,

and then it hit me; Organization!

Can this be somehow be traced back to my bad sense of organization?

Can it be solved if i was more organized?

To further explain more, i tried the concept that was presented within this book to see if it actually works;

It suggests filling up one's day, planning it from start to finish, even if it was roughly, your wake up call, your breakfast, lunch, and dinner, when approximately will i be leaving work that day, what did i need to do at work (and actually writing a "To Do List"), what will i be doing when i get home, what am i having for lunch, when will i be going to bed ...etc.

What did amaze me, is that most of the stuff (just regular stuff), that i have been wanting to do for along time, filled in nicely within my schedule; Morning Walk, Neat Breakfast, Work (and Work and Work), Lunch, Reading, Exercise, some Will & Grace, and and and...

this brings me back to the reason i started all of this; Organizing my day did NOT leave a chance for those empty thoughts to crawl back into my head, it also did NOT leave a chance for any "negative" acts of self deprivation, and got me totally EXHAUSTED by the end of the day, which brings us to the finale of 5 S's; Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu & Shitsuke (translated to: Sorting, Setting in Order, Sweeping, Standardizing, Sustaining); a Japanese Methodology that best translates my actions, thanks Jamal!
Read More 2 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

Enjoyig it for what it is

It comes around that lots of the people that we come across in our everyday lives are possible friends, girlfriends, boyfriends, workmates, playmates, workout buddies and so on, but what do you do when you have a crush on someone that you know it can never happen, she may be your friend's sister, your workmate, your boss, or for whatever reason someone you cannot be with!

There will always be that tiny ray of hope that maybe, maybe, someday it will come true, or you may get over your crush sooner than you think, but my question is: would you give up your relationship with that person to crush out?

If you believe that what you share with that someone is worth working for, why don't we enjoy the relationship for what it is, if we cannot have all of what we want, does that mean we have to leave the rest? probably one of the best pieces of advice i ever recieved.

i agree that it can be hard sometimes to move on from the place you want to be to were reality is taking you, but if you take the leap, it can sometimes lead to a better place that you first imagined.

This comes in as yet another way to start looking for the best in your life, living it to its fullest, and remember, if you can't have the cake, you might as well try the icing...

Enjoy!
Read More 5 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

Yepeee! smoke your way into a cancer infested Jordan

As we went down to the parking, were most of the employees enjoy a break with a cigarette or a cup of coffee, I go down to get a wisp of fresh air (if any).

Regulars light up like pros, talk some, it’s okay right? They have been smoking for a couple of months/years now, they’re past the time were they probably feel weird and self conscious whenever they light up, maybe a friend is passing by that doesn’t know yet, they haven’t got that unspoken approval of their friends and families “its okay to smoke, we don’t have to talk about it, you know it can kill you, but hey, it’s your life”.

I understand that smoking is extremely addictive, everyone of us have his additive, mine might just be eating, but then again, there are things that you can go through life without (regrettable eating is not one of them J), but smoking is one of those things that you can, they why do you do it?

My parents are/were both smokers, thankfully I have a brother and a sister that were smart enough not to fall into that pit, maybe it is the awareness that we had through seeing what smoking really is, I tend to notice that usually parents who smoke have children who doesn’t (statistically the exact opposite is true, but I don’t speak statistics at the moment, but rather my own observations), and I think we most agree that public awareness towards smoking and its affects is now very widespread if compared to a couple of decades ago, when our parents started to, its not an excuse, but rather an explanation, and this is what I don’t understand: knowing what you know today, why, and WHY, would you smoke?????

Am talking to those of you who haven’t lit a cigarette ever, or probably tried it once or twice and thought; “Eh, maybe I like it!” or whatever, you haven’t yet fallen, they why drag yourself there.

My own reasoning of this is the social acceptance of smoking, it is considered among teens as being “hip” and “trendy”, maybe even “manly”, but we are past those years now, do you still feel the need to do so? Do you really feel that you need to smoke to be socially acceptable?

Others may disagree, and I get a lot of those, “oh yeah I don’t smoke, I just light up once in a while”, oh wake up! You either smoke or you don’t, if you feel it’s okay, and you do it, then why the hell do you go off saying that you don’t, own it, don’t go around pretending you’re not doing it, you cannot please both sides, it’s a fact, there are people who will find it socially acceptable, even a preference, and there are those who won’t, pick a side.

Some of the people I know, who are starting to smoke (you know who you are), can get irritated by my constant nagging about it, well I don’t like to nag, but it bugs me because I do give a rats ass about their health, just like people constantly telling me I should lose weight (and I know I have a problem, am facing it), it’s the same thing.

And one last thing, to friends who offer friends a smoke, I mean what the **** is wrong with u? you know it’s bad, you want to quit like crazy (I don’t think in a million years I will ever be convinced that you don’t want to), why the hell do you want him/her to be addicted? Are you that selfish? Can’t you handle the fact that you have fallen into it and you want them to fall with you? Be a man and take responsibility for your actions.

Read More 0 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

a panoramic view

Last week, and as a fruitful result of my friends hard working efforts to group us all together, we went down to have some late lunch, and enjoy the sunset at the dead sea, up through the mountains at an isolated outing called Panorama!

Am usually not a fan of such places, I’ve been there once before, and although it was a peaceful and pleasant, I couldn’t help but wonder that the sunny skies, and extreme humidity of the place would ruin the atmosphere...

How wrong was I!

I probably haven’t stressed this point enough to my friends, but the view is SPECTACULAR, the last time (and actually the only time) that I went there was after dark, and although you could sense the beauty of the sea at night, you couldn’t see it right, but this time it was different, up from the sides of the mountains were the restaurant/museum (yes there is one) resides we enjoyed a slight breeze while staring at the sea that managed to flow effortlessly.

There is something about the sea that grips you, it’s one of those places where you can easily site, stare, and get lost in your own thoughts, I guess I understood the “talking to the sea” part.
This brings me back to a conversation I had with a friend of mine the other day,

We were discussing Jordan, Palestine and the complex relationship that they have, I can say that I have a neutral view on the subject (I didn’t have a grip on the reality of the conflicts that were between the two till my early university years, my world consisted of my semi exclusive circassian school that didn’t help much!), anyho, the conversation did lead up to further talks about the nature of the people of our country, and you cannot disagree, we are grumpy most of the time, and hardly smile.

Can that be traced back to the rough nature of our country, I mean think of it this way, the Lebanese have their share of the sea and natural resources, same goes for Syria & Egypt, while if you look at our country, we mostly come from Bedouin tribes that roamed the country looking for resources, mainly water, and that must have toughened their life styles, because the surroundings were also rough, they had to be.

I know there are exceptions to this, but I can’t help but see it relating directly to this.

Can a multi hundred years of a rough style change who you are? Tell me what do you think...

Read More 0 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

a bubbled Jordan?

as i was driving back from the movies tonight, i had an interesting conversation with a friend of mine.

Are we living in a bubble? or should i say; are we living in tiny little bubbles? is the society simply a group of separate bubbles that manage to, somehow, exist in a weird set of harmony?

the topic, was, and is, the situation of Jordan's society, its culture; we seem to be heading toward an end were we are now being faced with extremes; taken from a religious point of view (one of many), you see people following strict teachings of their faiths, mostly Muslims, and others who are living their lives with no regard to a spiritual presence,
doing so, people of the latter group tend to cross most, if not all, of the first group's lines, which regularly leads to tantrums that we witness either in the news, written articles, violent outbreaks, or even the Friday prayers...

if we are living in separate bubbles, and these bubbles, being indifferent of the others' presence, are living up in that harmony, why are witnessing excessive levels of hate crimes and honor killings, just to name a few?

somehow, your actions, whether you go out of your way to keep a secret, or express freely to the world, will end up existing in another bubble were the people there are, putting it slightly, not so understanding of your actions and opinions, which when they voice out, stirs the mix of the so called harmony that we like to believe exists...

the point of this nonsense is quite simple; our actions are regularly mirrored in ways we do not usually tend to forecast, and living in a relatively reserved, small society like ours will eventually have one end or another blow up in our faces...

just a heads up... tell me what do you think?
Read More 2 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post

smile

today i got a visit from an old friend

he have been studying abroad for some time now, and i remember him vividly, he was the one who would say the most outrageous things, that me, as the younger one, were always amazed by, but as time went on, i started to realize how naive i have been,

but i couldn't be happier of the way the experience have brought him up, he's a changed man, i could sense it in his tone, the way he perceived the world, and talked about life,

the thing that was so true, was his view of our population, "when you are in a park out there, you run across mothers and babies strolling through, were you casually play along with the little baby, while he smiles that biggish smile of his and makes your way", "i don't think you can have that in Jordan, you will most probably start a fight if you do so",

maybe the baby thing is not the best example, but we are known for being really unpleasant most of the time, passing by the street, if you smile in the faces of the people, you will most probably be laughed at (not with).

yet again, change doesn't happen overnight, but it isn't that hard, all it needs are the gestures and the work of the little people, Us, maybe next time we're passing down one of our streets, we'll smile once or twice, or maybe say "Ya3teek El 3afieh" to the Egyptian who's sweeping the street, am sure you will make someone's day!

Keep Smiling People! :D
Read More 1 Comment | Posted by hamatosha edit post

my closure

It was on the way to the hospital that I got my closure

I was setting in the back of the van, holding a hand over her cold hands,

Trying to remember her face from yesterday, I remember when we sat talking, I held that image in my head, and I stared her in the eyes, half crying, half smiling, but she wasn’t her usual self, she was crying,

“No you won’t cry” I said, “Smile your big smile with me now, this is important, and this would be my last opportunity to talk to you, we don't have much time”

“remember how much he loves you, he loves you more than I do”, “and you remember the days when you used to say, he comes first, and then us, your own children”

“how can I be sad to leave you, I wil miss you, but you are going to meet him at last, remember how you always said you wanted to go strong as you always were, and now your wish came true”

just remember when you’re asked; “Allah is my god, Islam is my religion”, “Ashhad Anna La Elaha Ella Allah, Wa Ashhad Anna Mohammadon Rasool Allah”,

I said it over and over and over again,
But she was smiling now
She got me

I asked her, “Sho Betwasene?”,

How silly of me, asking a question I know the answer to,

Take care of Baba, taimour and tamara, keep on your prayers.

“you will always be in m heart mama”, “I will never forget you”, “you will be as proud of me as you always were”…

the van rolled its roar to a halt, I remember carrying her body in…




you might have gone, but in my heart you will live forever…

goodbye

your loving son,
Read More 7 comments | Posted by hamatosha edit post
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my thoughts of the world

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      I find it difficult to introduce myself in a couple of sentences, attributes and habits are ever-changing. I can say that at the moment, I am fascinated by two things: People, and Cooking! Enjoy the Blog, and drop me a comment...
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      • ▼  October (3)
        • "We aren't doing the talent section?"... Hilarious
        • Make Me a Muslim
        • Another SNL Sketch, Tina Fey doest it again
      • ►  September (6)
        • its like und und sunset & sunshine
        • Tina Fey as Sarah Palin on SNL
        • How to: Make an Apple Pie!
        • Action Alert | Ramadan Food Drive
        • 9/11, 7 Years and Counting
        • thank you
      • ►  August (4)
        • the magical powers of Organization
        • Enjoyig it for what it is
        • Yepeee! smoke your way into a cancer infested Jordan
        • a panoramic view
      • ►  July (3)
        • a bubbled Jordan?
        • smile
        • my closure

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