of love & hate
(of you & me)
So today is Valentine's Day. After all that happened yesterday, the inhabitants of this planet still choose to celebrate love today. I, too, made a choice a few days back to fill this blog with a few love songs today. But, after all that happened yesterday, I have finally decided against it. I have chosen to fill this blog with news, instead.
(It's been so long since I've done this kind of thing. I kinda miss it.)
A few days back, I felt like sharing these two songs with the reader of this lil blog of mine. So, how do you know that Valentine's is approaching Egypt? This is a very easy question. The answer is; when you start seeing red everywhere. As I was walking back home yesterday, I saw red teddy bears, red love pillows, red clocks, red notebooks, red boxes, red rabbits, red pencils, red cards...you name it! Hearts are everywhere; on the table, on the chair, on the wall, on the paper, on the banner, on the road, in taxis, in shops, in libraries, in restaurants...Egypt is sooo full of lurrve! I'm telling you. Huh. All in all, here are the two songs that I felt like sharing the other day:
Bethany Dillon - When You Love Someone
Alicia Keys - When You Really Love Someone
***
of freedom & war
(of speaking & listening)
You know how some people are always saying to you those sentences that consist of only two words and one of them is 'up'. For instance, "Cheer up!" or "Wake up!" or "Grow up!" and finally, "Speak up!" The whole of the world is being told to "Stand up, speak up & be heard!" But, in reality, is it true? Is it true that when you speak up, you will be heard? Because, at some instances, you have been standing up speaking for the longest time but nobody seems to be hearing you. Unbelievable? Here is one example you can never deny: the Palestinians. They have been standing up, speaking up, hollering and calling out to all of the world but how many of us are really hearing them? They say it's a 'war on terrorism'. But, how can it be a war on 'terrorism' when it is them who are 'terrorising' and spreading 'terror' to all of the nation. Seriously, they must have been trying to make a bad joke when they were making that statement. Honestly.
Here is a story of speaking up and not being heard: "I once heard a story about a distinguished preacher who was sent, much to his disgust, to an ignorant and remote desert community. There he would thunder from his pulpit in a pure and ancient Arabic, to the evident bafflement of the sea of faces before him. Yet one day, he noticed that one of his listeners was in tears. After the sermon, delighted that his eloquence had at last found an admirer, he went up to the man and congratulated him on his responsiveness to God. "I'm not quite sure what you mean," the simple Bedouin replied. "But while you were talking, I watched your beard going up and down. That reminded me of my favourite goat, which died this morning. That's why I burst into tears." " - Abdal Hakim Murad, BBC - Thought of the Day, 8 July 2004
So somebody killed Imad Mughniyeh. MP Danny Yatom called it "a big achievement for the free world against terrorist organisations."
So Danish papers reprint Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) cartoons, saying that they are doing this "to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend." But, this 'freedom of speech', that they are forever preaching about...is to what extent? Is this a freedom without any limits? From the past, human beings should have realized that freedom without a limit has always brought destruction and trouble. There should always be a limit to everything. A limit to speech, a limit to actions and a limit to freedom. CNN reports, "However, many in the Muslim world interpreted the drawing as depicting their prophet as a terrorist." However else are we supposed to interpret it? Duh. So, you don't worship your religion. That's fine, it is your choice and you have to live with its conscequences. BUT, don't expect that the whole world should follow your footsteps and don't label the ones who have chosen to worship their religion, and put it at their highest priority, as 'extremist'.
So Australia apologizes to Aborigines. Nice. At last, some love.
So Steven Spielberg boycotts the Olympics in China. "While China's representatives have conveyed to me that they are working to end the terrible tragedy in Darfur, the grim realities of the suffering continue unabated," he said.
***
Have you ever heard this song:
Bee Gees - I Started A Joke
***
Found this in the lecture hall today:
(of you & me)
So today is Valentine's Day. After all that happened yesterday, the inhabitants of this planet still choose to celebrate love today. I, too, made a choice a few days back to fill this blog with a few love songs today. But, after all that happened yesterday, I have finally decided against it. I have chosen to fill this blog with news, instead.
(It's been so long since I've done this kind of thing. I kinda miss it.)
A few days back, I felt like sharing these two songs with the reader of this lil blog of mine. So, how do you know that Valentine's is approaching Egypt? This is a very easy question. The answer is; when you start seeing red everywhere. As I was walking back home yesterday, I saw red teddy bears, red love pillows, red clocks, red notebooks, red boxes, red rabbits, red pencils, red cards...you name it! Hearts are everywhere; on the table, on the chair, on the wall, on the paper, on the banner, on the road, in taxis, in shops, in libraries, in restaurants...Egypt is sooo full of lurrve! I'm telling you. Huh. All in all, here are the two songs that I felt like sharing the other day:
Bethany Dillon - When You Love Someone
Alicia Keys - When You Really Love Someone
***
of freedom & war
(of speaking & listening)
You know how some people are always saying to you those sentences that consist of only two words and one of them is 'up'. For instance, "Cheer up!" or "Wake up!" or "Grow up!" and finally, "Speak up!" The whole of the world is being told to "Stand up, speak up & be heard!" But, in reality, is it true? Is it true that when you speak up, you will be heard? Because, at some instances, you have been standing up speaking for the longest time but nobody seems to be hearing you. Unbelievable? Here is one example you can never deny: the Palestinians. They have been standing up, speaking up, hollering and calling out to all of the world but how many of us are really hearing them? They say it's a 'war on terrorism'. But, how can it be a war on 'terrorism' when it is them who are 'terrorising' and spreading 'terror' to all of the nation. Seriously, they must have been trying to make a bad joke when they were making that statement. Honestly.
Here is a story of speaking up and not being heard: "I once heard a story about a distinguished preacher who was sent, much to his disgust, to an ignorant and remote desert community. There he would thunder from his pulpit in a pure and ancient Arabic, to the evident bafflement of the sea of faces before him. Yet one day, he noticed that one of his listeners was in tears. After the sermon, delighted that his eloquence had at last found an admirer, he went up to the man and congratulated him on his responsiveness to God. "I'm not quite sure what you mean," the simple Bedouin replied. "But while you were talking, I watched your beard going up and down. That reminded me of my favourite goat, which died this morning. That's why I burst into tears." " - Abdal Hakim Murad, BBC - Thought of the Day, 8 July 2004
So somebody killed Imad Mughniyeh. MP Danny Yatom called it "a big achievement for the free world against terrorist organisations."
So Danish papers reprint Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) cartoons, saying that they are doing this "to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend." But, this 'freedom of speech', that they are forever preaching about...is to what extent? Is this a freedom without any limits? From the past, human beings should have realized that freedom without a limit has always brought destruction and trouble. There should always be a limit to everything. A limit to speech, a limit to actions and a limit to freedom. CNN reports, "However, many in the Muslim world interpreted the drawing as depicting their prophet as a terrorist." However else are we supposed to interpret it? Duh. So, you don't worship your religion. That's fine, it is your choice and you have to live with its conscequences. BUT, don't expect that the whole world should follow your footsteps and don't label the ones who have chosen to worship their religion, and put it at their highest priority, as 'extremist'.
So Australia apologizes to Aborigines. Nice. At last, some love.
So Steven Spielberg boycotts the Olympics in China. "While China's representatives have conveyed to me that they are working to end the terrible tragedy in Darfur, the grim realities of the suffering continue unabated," he said.
***
Have you ever heard this song:
Bee Gees - I Started A Joke
***
Found this in the lecture hall today:
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