\ Iman’s Constant Cravings… » 2006 » November

and Tango makes 3

Under: Books & Journals, Uncategorized @ 12:07 am on Monday, 11.20.06

A picture book written for children ages 4 to 8 is not getting a warm welcome at some Illinois schools. The book is based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City’s Central Park Zoo who adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own. Some parents of Illinois’ Shiloh Elementary School studnets are voicing concerns about the book’s homosexual undertones which tackles topics their children are not ready for.

The district attorney believes that moving the book and requiring paretnal permissin to be checked out is a form of censorship. She believes that a library is to serve an entire population, represting different families in a society, different religions, different beliefs.’ While this is true, I do believe that some form of censorship is a must. I believe the book should not be made available to 4-8 year olds for check out. I’m open to diversity, and I promote reading on a wide scale and I also see the importance of a large variety of topics that children should be exposed to, but teaching them about homosexuality at this young age in such a cute caring way is telling them that it’s a natural way of life… but it really isn’t.

From Ramallah to Beirut

Under: Art & Culture, Palestine, People & Places, Uncategorized, What I Love @ 11:33 pm on Sunday, 11.19.06

I just got back from El Funoun Palestinian Popular Dance Troupe - Dance freedom tour - From Ramallah to Beirut sponsored by the Arab American Action Network (AAAN). The AAAN was established in 1995 as “a non-profit, grassroots, community-based organization working to improve the social, economic, and political conditions of Arab immigrants and Arab Americans in the Chicago Metropolitan area. The AAAN does this through adult education, social services, mediation and crisis intervention, youth programs, cultural competency trainings, and working in coalitions with other like communities. All AAAN programs include community organizing, activism, and leadership development components.” I just wish that the AAAN and other established Arab Organizations in the Chicago area worked closer together…The results would be triple what they are now! Anyway, the event was amazing.

The program was beautiful and very inspiring. The group brought with them a breeze of back home, showing us the “Arab-Palestinian folklore and contemporary culture through unique combinations of traditional and stylized dance and music. The Troupe’s repertoire comprises folkloric dance forms, called “dabke”, in addition to more elaborate choreographed forms that embody El-Funoun’s own unique vision of Palestinian dance.”

Some of this evening’s performance included Salamat - a panoramic view of life and love under occupation, The Meadow Smiled - Folk tune, Tulbah - Marriage proposition, Flying - a Key folk dance reinterpreted, Oh the way he walks (Abu ghthaila)- folk tune, layya w layya - Challenging norms, Mare of Ramallah - Dancing dignity. Music by Rahabanis and was dedicated to Qana and Beit Hanoun), Freedom - music by Rahabani Brothers and was dedicated to Jerusalem and Bint Jbeil - (of South Lebanon). I didn’t take any pictures, but there are plenty here.

Gihad Ali, a volunteer with the AAAN and the author of the Outlandish’s song “Look into my eyes,” and my nephew and nieces’ auntie (my nieces and nephews have talented aunties from both sides) performed a poem called “I am not Palestinian.” Gihad is very talented when it comes to many things, especially slam poetry and massages. After she finished performing her poem, I sent her a text message asking her to meet me after the event so she can hand over the poem. She didn’t meet me, and she didn’t respond to my message. It’s alright, I understand that she’s busy with the dance troupe, and so I’m giving her till tomorrow to email me her poem…otherwise, I’ll just have to keep annoying her.

Very nice night, a large turn out, had the chance to run into people I haven’t seen in months and the chance to get yet another taste of Ramallah (which I miss so much despite its many downs) and Beirut, the city I long to visit!

impulse!

Under: Question of the Day, Random Thoughts, Uncategorized @ 5:42 pm on Sunday, 11.19.06

It was even very pointless to do it in the first place… don’t you sometimes do somethings to later realize that it was one of the most ridiculous things you’ve ever done?! why is it that we can act out of impulse sometimes,without really weighing the post effect!?

Men = silly (sometimes!)

Under: Uncategorized @ 10:53 pm on Saturday, 11.18.06

I was on my way home when I spotted this bumper sticker on someone’s car:

“Guys: No Shirt, No Service - Gals: No Shirt, No Charge.” How generous! :lol:

Which reminds me…I used to see this car on I-55 amost every single morning on my way to work with a license plate reading: Kimawi … I bet he’s a chemical engineer..

Feelings…

Under: Random Thoughts, Uncategorized @ 11:57 am on Saturday, 11.18.06

I feel tired…

I feel lazy…

I feel sick…

I feel frustrated…

I feel like smoking a cigarette…

I feel like beating the crap out of Maryam…

I feel fat!

I feel like being annoying…

I feel like…ugh…

and despite all that, I still feel good!

SO…

Under: Random Thoughts, Uncategorized @ 1:42 pm on Friday, 11.17.06

I did something I have always been against, again … Neva say neva, again! (Ranya, Beesan, Layla, I’ll share with you the details over dinner…who wants to invite me out? Lilian & Linda, I’ll call you guys! Hamzeh :x, I’ll wait to hear from you!)

Woulda, coulda, shoulda … pointless, just look forward !

You’d think that if someone contacted you requesting to set up an appointment to meet with you outside office hours concerning class AND you confirm stressing the fact that you’re going to make plans to be there just to accommodate their needs that they’d actually show up…right? No…not my students! Do they even care to take a few minutes to send an email apologizing for not showing up? Of course not…that would be considerate!

December 3rd is Final Exam day … I have not designed the exam yet… and I’m actually contemplating the format of it …do I include 10-25 multiple choice questions and a 3 page essay – topic given in class? OR do I just make it a 4 page essay – topic given in class? After all, it is a writing class… they’ll have 3 hours and 15 minutes to finish the exam. That’s plenty of time…

hmmm?! Some reliable sources suggest that Qwaider is behind JP’s database server connection issues…

An exciting weekend ahead! Enjoy yours…and watch for those shooting stars! …

Wishing upon a star…

Under: Palestine, Thought of The Day, Uncategorized, What I Love @ 11:16 am on Friday, 11.17.06

This weekend, if we’re lucky, we’ll get to witness a specatculary stunning scene…up to 150 shooting stars per hour…I’d be wishing for this anonymous author’s dream to come true:

That all our children can have a better childhood and future than that of ours.
To fly around and know exactly the meaning of being free.
To be able to roam in my own country with no fear or peril and be the one to choose where to go, and not the checkpoints.

To able to go with to the Mediterranean Sea with friends.
To be able to reach Akka.
To see the oranges of Jaffa, the beaches of Haifa, the mountains of Safad and the grapes of Hebron.
To taste the fish of Gaza, live the nature of Toolkarm, and visit the mosques [and churches] of Jerusalem.
To see Marj Ibn Amer green again.

To see children playing a game rather than Israelis and Palestinians.
To see one marrying another for pure love and not because they both have the same identity card.
To wake up calm and feel peace in the air.
To see a smile on an old man’s face.
To see smiles replacing frowns.
To see tears dry up, wounds clot and sorrows fade.

To see people in camps, places sweltering with the sun of injustice but cold of tragedy, flourish again.
That all prisoners living under the darkness of torture will be able to see sunlight again and return to their homes, so the yellow faces of their mothers would shine again!
The dream to see complete sunrise not blocked by the wall.
To see the wall, a gray gloomy monster filled with hatred and injustice, falling and torn apart like a piece of cloth.

That Eilat will be Um Rashrash, Tel Aviv will be Tal El Rabi and Shkeim will be Nablus again.
To see all refugees able to put their keys in their locks and get back to where they’re originally from.
To feel that our country does exist.
To see memories shared and a free Palestine declared.

What will you be wishing for…!?

When it becomes an addiction…

Under: Uncategorized @ 6:49 am on Thursday, 11.16.06

“[He]loves blogging. If only he had more time. And we are not talking euphemism here, people, blogging is a serious pursuit. It is shaping everything from little licorice candies to fertile American minds to kid-crazy surfboard design to scrappy nascent video content providers. As you will see, you should be blogging too. It is awesome.”

Are you a Phil?

 

On Time…

Under: Random Thoughts @ 3:41 pm on Wednesday, 11.15.06

“[Seriously] Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michael Angelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Iman and Albert Einstein.”

How do you make use of your time? Are you the type who is just so swamped that you dont’ have time to scratch your …head? Do you neglect yourself due to ‘lack of time’? your family? your friends? in other words, do you completely blow people of in the name of ‘no time’?

When I have a bit more time, I’ll have to look up Pasteur!

 

Masterpiece!

Under: Uncategorized, What I Love @ 9:46 pm on Tuesday, 11.14.06

;) Hot! Beautiful!
I was finally able to capture this billboard image on the way home from work yesterday…The picture is not that clear, I zoomed in as much as I can while holding my phone up trying to quickly capture it before Sayeda sped off! (7aywaneh… said so very lovingly!)

I am in love with beauty… beautiful people, beautiful shoes, beautiful poetry, beautiful music, beautiful places…I desire anything beautiful!

Ranya A calling:

Ranya: Why are you sending these types of messages, Iman?
Me: Did you see? Gorgeous. Beautiful. This is what you need to keep your eyes open for. Ranya, doesn’t this look fully compliment mine???
Ranay: You’re nuts…
Me: maybe, but I’m serious…keep those eyes of your open for hotties like that!
Ranya: aha…suure! (Read on …)

Tell me…

Under: Uncategorized @ 4:02 pm on Tuesday, 11.14.06

Can someone look both innocent and sexy simultaneously?

Your life…

Under: Question of the Day, Random Thoughts @ 6:42 am on Tuesday, 11.14.06

If your life were made into a television show, would it be a soap opera, a drama, or a sitcom? What would it be called?

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