Favourites: Falling slowly from the movie "Once"

Favourites: Find Yourself (acoustic) - Sarah Howells

Where do we go...where do we go now?

Oh Slash...

From the furthest place...

Who can bring the old days, back from the furthest place?

The song is called "Abaad makan" i.e. furthest place, from the Egyptian indie movie "Microphone".

Favourites: Diana Krall - Just The Way You Are

Have you ever really tried doing that?

Balotelli :)

Credit to: Muhammad Ghaddar

If you need a good laugh, watch Alice Cooper's "frightening" looks in this video.

OK, here's the deal...I used to air drum to this song so much, sang my lungs out "POISOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOON"...that was before watching the music video.

It just makes me laugh hysterically now, especially the ending. I can't get over Cooper's stink eyes and the model's reaction when she drinks the poison...then Cooper proudly reveals the bottle of poison he used to kill her. What were they thinking? :D

Hush hush

Sometimes when I'm out, I follow the music in my head and do a little pirouette or a spin when nobody's looking.

Favourites: Liquid Tension Experiment - Biaxident

Favourites: Extreme - More Than Words

Very true!

Feel good: Joe Satriani - Crowd Chant

When your normal bathroom sing-along and air guitaring before an outing when nobody's home are combined into one track. This one makes me happy and jumpy. Enjoy!

Favourites: Pourtant by Vanessa Paradis

It wakes up the butterflies in my soul. They stretch and yawn sweetly. They dance.

Favourites: Debussy's Claire de lune

Tender music of love, longing and excitement of reunion.

Feel good: Koop - I See A Different You (OFFICIAL VIDEO) HQ

Feel good melody: Miss Li - Bourgeois Shangri-La

Hipster Josephine

I'm a hip-ster girl in a hip-ster world, it's not a hip-ster thing if you leaaaaaaaaaaaave me.
But I do do feel that my green green specs are just too much...a bit too much.

Pasárgada

I was introduced to this poem by my dear friend Anna Laura in November 2010. I hosted a poetry night at my place and asked everyone to bring a poem or two from their country or that are just dear to them.
Anna Laura started reading "Pasargada" by the Brasilian poet, Manuel Bandeira.
The poem spoke to me. It made me think of how my life was before making the move to Canada. Now, whenever I'm nostalgic or it's time to pack and go to Egypt, I read this poem.
Below is the English translation of the poem.

I’m leaving for Pasargada
There, I am the king’s friend
Have the woman I want
In the bed that I choose
I’m leaving for Pasargada
I am leaving because
Here I am not happy
Life there is adventure
And so very inconsequent, that
A queen of Spain, Joan the Mad
Becomes my relative, through
The daughter in law I never had
How I’ll do calisthenics
Cycle riding
Wild donkey taming
Climb greasy poles
Do some sea bathing!
When feeling tired
I’ll lie by the river bank
Send for a Siren
To retell the old tales
Those spun by Rose
When I was a child
I’m leaving for Pasargada
There, you have everything
Another civilization
With a safe-proof system
For the dangers of conception
Automatic phone booths
Alkaloids for the asking
Good looking harlots
With whom to romance
When, during the night
I am feeling sadder
Sad without hope
Wishing to kill myself
— There I am the king’s friend —
Have the woman I want
In the bed that I choose
I’m leaving for Pasargada

Favourites: Sufi-Flamenco fusion by Sheikh El Tuni from Egypt and Tomatito from Spain

Favourites: Minor Swing - Django Reinhardt & Stéphane Grappelli

I get goosebumps whenever I listen to this track

Why didn't it happen?

We were young, and I think we were in love but didn't really know it. My brain commanded me to examine a previous experience today, so I had to obey.

I don't even remember how we met the first time, through a friend? Maybe a best-friend? "Hi, so you're X whom she's been talking about. Nice to meet you.". "Music, oh I love music." "What? You play too....crazy!".

Then we got to chatting, then we got to talking on the phone, then we became best friends, then .... nothing.

I think at some point, we knew that it was more than just friendship, but we didn't know what to do with that.

He didn't want to wreck it and I expected him to make the first move, speak up you idiot!! Tell me you love me like there's no tomorrow. 

He didn't.

It got weirder, and at some point the inevitable question popped up..."what is this?". He threw the ball in my court and wanted me to decide. At the time, I was really furious at him for not telling me how he felt. I told him "we're friends", I knew we weren't and I knew we were not going to be for a while. 

I was mad at him. Couldn't be comfortable around him anymore. I always thought that that was cowardice on his part and felt hurt.

For all I know, we could have gotten married a couple of years later and had kids together. I would hate his cynicism and he would hate my "feminist independence". We would love each other for everything else.

The memories I shared with him, as innocent as they were, are memories I cherish and hold dearly. 

He taught me about a lot of things, including music. Just jamming with him someday was motive enough for me to practice on my piano, print out sheet music after sheet music. I learnt a lot. 

I remember one day when we got the phone bill and mom howed me his mobile number and asked me if I knew whose it was....I could feel every inch of me blushing. 

I remember before I travelled that night we went out with our friends then later we talked and talked and talked on the phone. I knew I was going to miss him and over those two weeks when I was away from Egypt, he was always on my mind..

I still don't know if that was love or hormones. All I know is that we didn't handle it well and it makes me feel better when I blame it all on him and consider him a coward for not taking matters into his own hands at the point of either-or. 

Regardless, a little piece of my heart always remains dedicated to him, my wonderful friend. I wish him sincerely all the best this life has to offer because he and his new family deserve it.

Roger Waters + David Gilmour: Comfortably Numb, Live, O2 Arena 2011

I stumbled upon this track by chance and was instantly drawn to listen to the rest of the tracks by this very talented, funny Jordanian artist...Yazan Al Rousan.

This track is called "3eyat fel matar" = crying/shouting at the airport.

Enjoy :)

قطة...للشاعرة المصرية ايمان مرسال

لابد أن العينين اللتين تحدقان بي في العتمة هما لقطة ، قرينتي وتوأمي في العالم الآخر.

تنشق الأرض وتلفظها لتتنفس قربي كلما جاء موعد تغيير أحد ملائكة الرحمة بأحد ملائكة الرحمة.

لأكثر من مرة اخترعت قطة أدبية؛ مرة كانت "قطة في المطار تخربش رائحة الراحلين،

لينفصلوا عن خطاهم ويتصلو بالحقائب والأحزمة"، ومرة كانت " قطة لها أصابع امرأة محبطة، تحاول بهستيريا قلب سلة المهملات المليئة ببقايا نهارنا معاً، سلة المهملات التي أتركها في أعلى السلم؛ لأثبت للجيران أن لدي عائلة آمنة". قطة هذه المصحة حقيقة لأنها لا تعرف بالضبط ما الذي يحدث؛ لا تفهم لماذا تحاول دولة حديثة أن تنقذ كائناً كان في الأصل قد فشل في أن يكون مواطناً في دولة غير حديثة من المنايا التي تمشي خلفه ، قطة هي توأمي الباطن، تتفرج.

El sour (The wall)