Smokin'

Went into the kitchen a couple of hours ago to fix myself something to eat, the result an hour later:

• A smokey burger in toast instead of a bun. With a burned patty, green/gray sauteed onions, cherry tomatoes, some sweet danish cheese, and sweet mustard. Sounds awful, and looked questionable, but didn't taste half bad.
• A kitchen with a huge cloud of smoke.
• Two stupid birds screeching for dear life at one in the morning.
• A list of groceries.
• And a good memory :)

This is by no means a reflection of my cooking skills lol

Boy, am I glad mom's not home for the weekend ;p

Go away

So I've decided I wont sit and wait for it to pass. It's just too much pain to take in. It has been one of those downs that scatter with it's fall, what seems to have already settled. It felt like I was pulled back into the past. I was never one to obsess about the past, I look at life as problems that need to be solved. Define it. Solve it. And if you can't solve it just accept it, or let it be and walk away. That's why this time I found myself in unfamiliar territory.. thinking about what is already done, grieving over what had already passed, and I can't change that. I realize I've been walking away a lot, and accepting so little. I need to figure it all out, come in terms with my past, and accept. But till I have done so, I refuse to keep on hurting. I'm not waiting for it to pass.

So pain, I'm washing you away. I'm wishing you away. I'm making you go away. You're not welcome here, so go away.

What The Duck: Duck & Dog

Duck & Dog

If I had a penny everytime I saw one of those.. lol no really, it's sad.

I love this strip. And I'm almost sure all photographers do/would. It's by Aaron Johnson check it out

I haven't been well for the past few days, and I've been wanting to share some thoughts, but i find myself shutting everyone out. So I'm waiting it out... it'll pass :)

Snow Patrol - Run

been playing in loop all day long

Journalism In The Age of Data

Was watching this film yesterday, it's about data visualization and storytelling

Journalism In The Age of Data 

enjoy

A quick update

Hello! Hope you all are doing well. I know I said this would be the place to keep you updated when I disappear, but I've been extremely busy what with juggling between my grandmother being hospitalized, working on the ezine to launch as planned, along with a thing or two on the side... so yeah, this is pretty much it... busy busy busy! Will try to write more often, take care for now.

My mini indoors garden

Sent using BlackBerry®

روحRoh is officially out there!

روح

.

 وهنا البداية

Roh is now a reality :)

Oh that haunting smell of antiseptics

This year I spent way too many days in hospitals... that is all.

Buddha, money, and happiness

Some time ago @tinybuddha asked a question that I answered instantly without a second thought, I still believe in my answer, but today I was reminded of it with the start of the @tinybuddhabook project. [BTW it looks like it's going to be an interesting book, so check it out and keep an eye out for it.] So anyway it got me thinking elaborately, beyond the tweet-long reply. The question posed was: Do you need money to be happy—and why? My reply was: I hear poverty isn't such a cozy place.
 
So, yes I need money to be happy. I need money to put a roof over my head, a meal on my table, and afford water and electricity that keep my place livable. I need money to be able to get the education that satisfies and enlightens me, the care that keeps me healthy and still living, I'm not talking hypothetically, if it weren't for that money I wouldn't have been here typing this. I need money to help someone desperately in need of it, to find and apply solutions that better the world I'm in. I need money that supports my passion as an artist. And finally, I need money for my caramel macchiato, because caramel and caffeine make me happy *grins* [sorry, I couldn't help it lol]
 
But you know, on the other hand I don't want to be filthy rich. I want to be comfortable, but be able to earn, there's no pleasure without earning. I believe it's a privilege to have it, it's healthy for the soul. I've been on either sides of the spectrum, and I choose to work and earn.

Roh: a sneak peek / 1

color pallet ~روح

There you have it, the final color pallet for روح [Soul/Essence, pronounced Roh.] Soon to follow is the logo rendered with the finalized color pallet, and I'd be done with the visual identity.

So what's Roh? I'll introduce it pretty soon! *excited*

Untitled

Your presence lingers at my every thought, 

leaving behind a touch of you in my every word. 

Haunting my senses, you've left me but a relic 

that remains from the hopes of you... your voice... touch... 

With burning desire, I close my eyes in faith of a new day 

that brings closer the promise of you.

afra // May 14th 2010 

This was a feeling provoked by a piece written by the Emirati poet Ateeq Al Qubaisi titled Sarab [Mirage] I should dig around for his poem, now that is a must-read.

Amir Blumenfeld: Ooh Saya Hey Ya [Official Music Video]

aaah it's stuck in my head!

gotta love Amir ;p lol

What's your favorite type of flower?

tulips, tulips, and more tulips! I just love tulips <3

knock yourself out

What inspires you?

In work, the object in question inspires me... I get a feel for it, through it's form / function / association. One word : Brainstorm! Though in other works where I'm miraculously inspired and compelled to create something, it is intense feelings, usually suffering. I believe that creativity and suffering are connected somehow.

knock yourself out

Soul searching? No, not quite yet

After much thought I've decided soul searching wasn't exactly what I needed at the time being. See when you soul search you're kind of improving and building upon what's there, but what if what's there is battered? Well, you need to fix it and patch it up, and that's my plan for the rest of this year. I've spent some time trying to figure out what's wrong, and what the issues really are. I've defined a few, tackling some, others I have no idea how to approach. But that's not a problem, I don't want to overwhelm myself anyway.

And so far I have put down a plan on how to overcome one of the major obstacles, I feel it is what's going to make or break me... so fingers crossed! And I started reading Eric Maisel's book Brainstorm, which couldn't have been a better choice for me at this time! And from what I'm reading, I know I'm on the right track *beams* By the way, it's a great read. I'm almost done with it, my thoughts on it and excerpts will soon follow.

I present you with Constellate

Well, here's a list compiled by Amir, I liked the idea.. got me thinking..
a list of questions for you to ponder:

1)      If you had a country, how would the flag look like?
hmm will draw it one day and share
 
2)      What will your country be called?
Constellate
 
3)      Where will it be located?
On the Mediterranean
 
4)      What would be the country’s main source of income?
World trade and exports of a cultural, industrial and agricultural economy
 
5)      What would be your country’s national symbol?
A dot
 
6)      What political system will you run? (Monarchy, socialism, capitalism, etc…)

Noocracy
 
7)      What would you *NOT* want in your country? (as an object, don’t say like disease/war/poverty/crooks etc, I mean an object, mathalan I don’t like broccoli, so I would not want broccoli in my country)
Clip art lol
 
8)      What would be your national monument?
A huge sphere. I know it needs to be elaborated on.. I'll design it one day
 
9)      What would be your main attraction for people to come to your country? (something like Burj Khalifa or Yas Island/F1 mathalan, in that sense)
A "design world." A center that would include a design museum,  an institute that offers degrees or specific classes and would finance research, library, community studios and resources for everyone's use, and  hold exhibits and conventions year long. A designer's haven really.

And there you got it, my brief idea of a country... So, anyone in?

so umm.. I'll be here

So to those of you wondering about my where abouts? (haha we know that's always an issue) What I'm up to? What I'm thinking? Reading? Doing? Eating? (you'd be amazed how much i get asked that *sighs*) Well anyway, this is to you. To keep you lot updated on well.. me.

My reading retreat kind of triggered this, since many of you wanted me to share excerpts with you, i was going to start a blog where i shared my journey of soul searching in all the wisdom humanity mustered </drama> but then i changed my mind and decided it would be part of a general blog that holds the many entities of me. So if you're one of the peeps who's in for the books, bear with me and keep an eye on the labels.

So there you have it, a blog that will hold bits and pieces of my crazy world, yes you heard me, just bits and pieces. nothing could hold all my craziness.. just my mind, and thats a miracle.