My name is Sherif Abaza. I am an Egyptian, born and raised in Dubai, UAE. I've been a nomad for the larger part of my adult life and will continue to be so. Come to my blog to know about my life or the movies. Sometimes they blend into one...
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Dan Ar Braz - A Gaelic Masterpiece
I'm inspired by music from all over the world. Many years ago I stumbled upon a Gaelic treasure that remains, to date, one of my favorite songs around. The music and instruments in this song are absolutely magnificent. The words, once you know what they mean, show the Celtic pride at its best and the vocals of the singer, although many might not know what she's saying, are still quite moving.
Dan Ar Braz puts together a masterpiece, in my opinion, of Celtic music.
In today's Bull Frog Sunday entry, you get the chance to chose which of these two clips is funnier. With the olympics recently concluded, I give homage to one of the world's most pointless, yet probably most difficult sports...
No, it's not the movie....This poem is an insider one that only some people (Matt, Anita, Annette) will understand.....
Twas a cold summer in the Scottish lands Winds blew, Rain poured and heat was scarce Adventurous we were, seeking good times But our adventure was incomplete for a while...
Plans were made Dreams and hopes were set and yet... Something was missing all the while....
We asked, we looked We searched and searched For our mission would not be completed Without our fifth friend found
It was a mission for 5 people One that four could not do and not just any 5 people only one lady would do!!!!
On the 5th day our prayers we answered... As we all held our breath waiting, anticipating... As she came to us in all her shine and glory....
Most of us who live in Dubai have to suffer with traffic on a day-to-day basis. This is primarily cause by some idots on the road who drive like the street is an extension of their house's driveway and 100's of other morons who slow down to see what happened. WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT? If there's something you can do, pull over to the side and help out, otherwise GET OUT OF THE WAY AND GET MOVING!!!!! In order to eliminate the rubber necking phenomenon, one must create a distraction!
Here's what I suggest.
THE BLACKOUT
What THE BLACKOUT does is it creates a blackout on the part of the street where an accident happens and projects an image of what the street would look like without the accident.
Upon arrival, the police car which is pre-equipped with the blackout device is positioned properly and at the push of a button, the effect takes place. A giant screen is made to surround the entire accident and shade it from view from either side of the road. this is like a quarantine. Only instead of a complete blockade, a projection or video on the screen, connected to the GPS of the police man's car identifies the location of the screen and generates an image of what the location looks like normally, when accident free. That way, it only looks like there's normal road works or something and people will continue to drive by, oblivious to the accident behind the screen!
Some of you may know that a few years ago I was lucky enough to live in Romania and particularly in the wonderful city of Cluj Napoca. I have the fondest memories of my time there, and amongst the many things I fell in love with in Romania was the music. Not just Manele (My romanian friends will not be too impressed that I like Manele, but I do...and yes, I do understand the words!) ... but also Romania pop and rock music. Of all the songs I heard there, one stands out as my absolute favourite. It's by a rock band called Cargo, and is called Daca Ploaia S-ar Opri. I don't want to translate it, because it will lose its essence, but I recommend that you hear it. Hear the chagrin in the singer's voice, hear the power in the music. Don't just listen to it, try to hear it. It's a very powerful song. I still have the CD which a good friend of mine, Lucky (Raluca Anghel) got me before I left Romania as a gift (Multumesc Foarte Mult!!!).....
Many a time in the Arab World, films that deal with prominent social issues are looked upon as controversial and usually are doomed to fail at the box office due to poor criticism by conservative viewers. In recent years the Egyptian cinema has produced serveral such filims and have all gotten very powerful reviews and good critical acclaim from some very objective critics. None more so in recent years than Khaled Youssef's Heena Maysara.
Set in the poorest parts of Cairo, and dealing with social classes that most people reading this will never interact with in their lives, the film deals with the following issues: - Homelessness - Homosexuality - Prostitution - Child Abandonment - Child Molestation - Poverty - Corruption - Did I miss anything? If it's not on this list, it's probably still in the movie anyways!!!!
I have not, in a long time, seen a movie as bold as this one in its interpretation of the current social situation in some of the poorer parts of Egypt. Nothing captures the essence of the movie like the director's statement "The story in this movie is true. Unfortunately though, the real life scenario is far worse than what this movie depicts". Not much I can say about this story will quite capture it, but I recommend that people watch it and see for themselves. What you have to look forward to is a very refreshing directorial and acting performance by almost every single person involved in this project, with the exception of one Somaya Khashab, who, in my opinion, is one of the worst actresses in Egypt if not the world today.
Overall, my rating is a solid 9/10. What's yours?
This is what the BBC had to say about it! BBC LINK!
This one Ladie's Tuesday Night post is gonna make me real popular with the girls reading this blog. Going through the Urban Dictionary, where I get most of my vocabulary, I found this posting about what is a HEARTLESS BITCH.
One of the extracts is as follows:
Heartless Bitch: n. The kind of girl who would rip your still beating heart from your chest cavity, impale it with forks and meat tenderizers, and then proceed to stomp on it repeatidly with a golf cleat...
Interesting way of putting it. What's your definition of a heartless bitch?
Welcome to Monday Madness. Today's news is very interesting for the HR industry.
A multinational company, which chose not to have it's name mentioned [actually I chose so I don't get sued] has found a way to cut costs on buying letter openers. "Stationary is always getting misplaced, lost, stolen, or misused" said one official of the MNC. "Our purchasing division have come to us with a break through proposal that will forever change the shape of the company, see for yourselves":
The rabbits will cut the costs of the company an approximate $357.95 per annum, which constitutes a 0.0000012% saving. Purchasing manager, Mr. XXX, has received commendation for his creative suggestion which would only cost them two rabbits and some rabbit food (since rabbits will breed regularly therefore not requiring purchase of more rabbits).
*Please note that the above is a figment of my imagination. Any similarities to real life scenarios is a complete coincidence, but should this case exist, please contact me so I can laugh my head off....
I've received a couple of emails from people who said from the entire weekly program,Sensual Saturdays is the one they'd be looking forward the most. I think it may have something to do with people never really seeing this side of me in real life. Anyways, not one to disappoint, at first I thought I'd put up one of the older ones I'd written before, but then decided a new start to the blog deserves a new poem. So I wrote this. I'm trying something new with the patterns and the rhythm, I hope it works....Enjoy (or don't, like I care!)
I think of love I think of you I think my heart is torn in two
I think I'm home I think I'm free I think, I know, I feel, I see
I see your face I see your eyes I see a pain that's in disguise
I see a dream I see a sky Too far to reach, I don't know why
Why risk the hurt? Why live in fear? Why won't you ever again be near?
For me to love For me to hold For me to shelter from the cold
The coldest world In which we live Is one in which, I would give
My heart and soul I'd give my all To once again, play the role
Of the one who holds you dear Of the one for you my dear Of the one who's love you boast Of the one whom you love most
In what used to be a fan favourite, the edition of Crazy Entrepreneurial Ideas takes place every Friday. This week, I've decided to dedicate it to laziness.
I'm sure we've all faced days (particularly the females amongst us) where they're at a loss for what to wear. Well, one need not worry about that any more. Programmed by joining together the selective powers of three of the world's most famous stylists and designers, we've created for you the brand new "MINTENDO OUTIFIT SELECTOR". The useage of the product is quite simple.
The selector is a closet that comes in various sizes depending on your needs and will help you customize your outfit selection for any occasion.
How Does It Work?
Step 1: When first purchased, the user inserts all their clothes into pre-allocated areas for each type of clothing. As they are inserted the items are scanned and stored by picture and attributes in a data bank. As so:
Step 2: All scanned items are stored in the memory of the device within their categories. On the side of the device is a mouse that allows the user to input the parameters of their outfit requirements. These parameters are:
- Destination - Time of Day - Weather Conditions - Occasion (Date, Meeting, Sports Meet, Party, etc...) - Durationg of the occasion - Importance - Overall Look Requirement (Sexy/Casual/Formal/Non-chalant/Dress to Impress, etc...)
Step 3: Based on the parameters, the built in computer then formulates them and takes them through the selection process on each item in its data bank. The ensemble is then selected based on the given parameters and the tastes of the world's top stylists.
Step 4: On the side of the device is a large mirror with a projetion screen. The user stands in front of the mirror with a clicker. Three outfit selections are then displayed onto the mirror in sequence giving the user the opportunity to see what they would look like in them. Once the outfit is selected, the storage coordinates are displayed and all the user has to do is go to the specified racks and get the clothes and enjoy their outing!!!!
4 Simple Steps to Easy Dressing!!!!!
What else does the device offer? Some of the quirks of the MOS is the fact that it's algorithms are so carefully designed that an outfit will only be re-offered to the user after all the possible permutations of the outfits within the device have been exhausted, thus ensuring that you will surely almost never wear the same thing twice! Also, The MOS comes with special reminders for special occasions such as birthdays and anniversaries. It also has the ability to point out shortages in certain outfits with reminders and suggestions on what to buy to complete your wardrobe.
All for the very affordable price of $3,499.99/- [Including Shipping and Installation]
Day 2 of my weekly program continues with "Good Thursday Music. The story of the week is a song I came across while browsing the Internet. Take a look at this:
Guillermo, this one's for you!!!!
Performer : Dj Kicken Title: Ain't no party (Like an alcoholic party)
C’mon, c’mon, c’mon I get drunk, when I strumble to my phone, to gorgeous at my girl. To bone when i'm alone, oh no she's drunk too , I only got to kiss. Only when i'm drunk I sing a song like this, this, this, this, this, …
cause there aint, aint, aint, aint, aint cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party aint no party like an alcoholic party cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party aint no party like an alcoholic party
cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party
ho white girl, you gotta show me some vibes, c'mon
feel the vibes, feel the vibes trough your body feel the alcohol tonight, feel the vibes feel the vibes trough your body, feel the vibes feel the vibes trough your body, feel the alcohol tonight
because there aint, because there aint because there aint no party like an alcoholic party
feel the vibes trough your body, feel the alcohol tonight alcohol tonight, alcohol tonight, alcohol tonight c'mon.
Cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party aint no party like an alcoholic party cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party aint no party like an alcoholic party
cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party
Only when i’m drunk, I sing a song like this Only when i’m drunk, I sing a song like this Only when i’m drunk, I sing a song like this Only when i’m drunk, I sing a song like this
i get drunk, when I strumble to my phone, to gorgeous at my girl. To bone when i'm alone, oh no she's drunk too , I only got to kiss. Only when i'm drunk I sing a song like this, this, this, this, this, ...
Cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party aint no party like an alcoholic party cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party aint no party like an alcoholic party
cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party
you gotta show me some vibes, c'mon
feel the vibes, feel the vibes trough your body feel the alcohol tonight, feel the vibes . Feel the vibes trough your body, feel the vibes . Feel the vibes trough your body, feel the alcohol tonight alcohol tonight… Cause there aint no party like an alcoholic party aint no party like an alcoholic party
Welcome to the first edition of Wednesday Film Frenzy. As we approach September 11th, that morbid day that will forever be etched in our minds and hearts for its catastrophic occurences, I feel it is appropritate to review a film that deals with that topic. The film, some of you may have seen it, some not, is a Channel 4 production in the UK and does not feature any big name actors or actresses. It is a film about the mental struggle. It is a dilemma.
The film is: The Hamburg Cell - By Antonia Bird
Set in Germany, the film explores the life of a young man of Arab origin who's daily rituals and habits are all about the simple joys of life. His pleasures come from things that please all men alike. He is a simple man with no real aspirations or goals, trodding along a path he did not chose. Perhaps that sets the tone for the following occurences in the film.
One of the things I like most about this film is that it does not go out of its way to demonize the actions or talk too much about the actual incident. It's more about the build up. Not to say that this action in any way was justifiable, but it was refreshing to watch a perspective that did not take on a Tom Clancy novel approach to things and turn it into a block buster type film. Instead, we look at the psyche of the people involved. I think it helped me undestand a bit more how these individuals are chosen. My question about this was always this "How do you get someone so convinced of this cause, that they spend every day of the rest of their lives waking up knowing that every single thing they're doing, that their purpose in life is to eventually kill themselves because someone told them it's the right thing to do?". I can't say that this film single handedly answered that question for me, but what it did do is leave me with a little more of an insight and slightly more to ponder that before.
Some of the questions that arose from this film were:
"How can someone be so lost, and find their salvation in such a cause?" "Are these people so good and well trained at sniffing the potential in their surrounding crouds?"
and many more.....
I will not ruin the film for you, that not my objective. I would like you to watch it and form your own opinion of it. I'm waiting that you watch it and let me know what you think. We can discuss this for a week, until next week's movie...
My name is Sherif Abaza. I am an Egyptian, born and raised in Dubai, UAE. I've been a nomad for the larger part of my adult life and will continue to be so. Come to my blog to know about my life or the movies. Sometimes they blend into one...
About Me
Name: sabaza
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
I live day by day, not knowing what tomorrow will bring. That's the best way. Don't get too attached to today, once you get used to it, along comes tomorrow.
