From the land of Arabian Nights, comes a story teller of a different kind.
Friends ask me for dating advice all the time. “Should I call him back right away or wait for a few days?” an eager friend will inquire hoping for navigation in the turbulent seas of singlehood. “Call him right away” I might half-hazard a reply. “But then I might seem too eager” the angry reply [...]
I am ready to eat a strawberry by squeezing it between my fingers watch red juice flow drop by drop I am ready to jump up and down on Oprah’s couch declaring great love for others to ridicule I am ready I got it at last My chaos is my freedom This state of brokenness [...]
I remember the first time I heard the name of the author Rawi Hage. At a party, my friend Carol was eager to tell me about the Arab-Canadian author who had been nominated for the Giller (Canadian literary prize). My immediate reaction was “Dang! that is such a cool name”. Rawi means storyteller in Arabic [...]
It is such a dense burden – giving birth to a grown up woman. To spare polite society the affliction of observing this most unnatural of labours I feel compelled to retreat into a remote cave in the wilderness where I entered one day and got lost in labyrinth unable to find my way back [...]
My new found interest in graffiti is compelling me to notice it everywhere I go and I end up taking pictures. The text says “Laugh Now … One Day We’ll Be In Charge” This one seems inspired by banksy. I found it on 4th ave in kits. This one I [...]
I receive all sorts of things: Gifts, books, poems, death treats, lovely emails and pictures of all sorts. Today, however I received something I have never received before – A painting of myself. The artist’s name is Falah Hassan, he lives in Irbil Iraq where he teaches fine arts. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a webpage, [...]
felt pen on paper I was researching polka dots on the internet when I discovered a Japanese artist called Yayoi Kusama, who is obsessed with polka dots. My research moved from the internet to the public library and I managed to find a few books and event a movie made about her called “I love [...]
This video was inspired by the AnnoyingOrange. Only, I would argue that The Humble Humus is far more annoying than the orange because The Annoying Orange knows that it is annoying, whereas this sticky and mushy food item has no self awareness whatsoever. There is nothing more annoying that mock humbleness. All humus was consumed [...]
Music By JoJo Zawawi – used with permission by the artist Here are some words that JoJo used to describe herself: I’m a Classical & Jazz Pianist ! And some Flamenco, too ! I began playing piano when I was 18 months old. I never learned to read music (working on that now !), but [...]
My grandmother always started stories by saying “Long time ago, there was and there wasn’t”. My grandmother never said” in a faraway land”. Her stories were rooted in Iraqi folklore and to her they were an extension of her immediate identity. Stories from One Thousand and One Nights (Arabian Nights), stories of the Arabian prankster [...]
It starts out with Aristotle taking notes on his wife’s genitals as part of his study of nature and how things work. My thoughts are “O I hope I find the strength to spend the next 300 pages with this man.” I was reading The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon. I wish I could report [...]
The digital age is upon us and I say lets embrace the change. I was always a lover of books and I will continue to love books and good stories regardless of what format they come in. Another technology that I love is the pen. I love pens and the act of writing, moving [...]
Does the ocean care if a fish says:” I don’t believe in water, it doesn’t exist?” So how can we convince that fish that water does exit? “Pull the fish out of water” Ah! the near death experience. That is one way. I wonder if a fish can discover water without jeopardizing its life. [...]
I hate and loathe self-help books. I am embarrassed to confess that I read The Secret because many of my friends insisted that I must read it and found it to be a bunch of gobbledygook. The summery of its essence is that I should spend my time fantasizing about expensive luxuries that I [...]
At this point, I became qualified to write the anti-self-help book. A de-motivational manifesto to show the masses an easy to follow program on how to fail in everything. How to alienate your friends in 30 days, ruin your career, annoy your family, bust up your marriage, gain weight and be an all-out miserable person [...]
Everything in life is hard. Going to university is hard. Raising children is hard. Backing off when they grow up is hard as well. I imagine that not having children at all presents its own hardship. Being in a relationship is hard. Being lonely is also hard. Being lonely inside a relationship is even harder. [...]
When a man’s ego is too big for his own country you need to talk to him in a creative way
In the computer biz, people will frequently describe software as being usable, or being user friendly. That is like presenting me with a dish and telling me that the food is edible. I am glad that the food is edible, but I expect so much more from food. I expect it to look good, [...]
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