Law of jungle.

The Following traffic laws in this country is starting to make me feel naive.

You stop front row at a red light, but by the time it turns green, you have at least three cars lurked in front of you.

It's extremely likely that you see people driving in the opposite direction in a public street with out any consequence. 

Just yesterday, a traffic officer was issuing a ticket for someone for double parking, while completely ignoring a huge truck driving backwards against the traffic, it's that irrelevant law enforcements have become here. 

This place doesn't reward the diligent, you come early to stand inline for a service, but who ever makes it to the counter once the door opens, gets served. 

No body pays the toll of all this except the decent citizen who just want to live peacefully, for the rules here are but of a jungle, if you are not wolf among sheep, you'll be eaten by wolves.

It's exhausting.

An hour after I wrote the post, this happened, embodying what I just said. 

He decided that a U-turn is due, but no need to reach the signal to make it, he just crossed the middle island.

What did I tell ya?

Project #365Photo : First Month

One of the goals i decided to work on this year is doing a photo a day project,which consists of taking a photo a day for an entire year,and submitting it online. as much fun as that sounds it turned out to be not a very easy thing to do,and i say this and i have been taking photographs since 2003.

i must admit i knew this is going to be a hard task,but reading this post made me go ahead and take the challenge, as mentioned in the post,use your iPhone,and instagram, that sounded easy enough for me to go ahead and do it, i managed to pull it out to the end of January.

The initial goal for me from this project was to train my self how to compose photographs that are not rectangular but rather square,which is used by instagram,the point from this goal is to give my self the ability to think outside of what i have learned from bigger cameras like My Nikon D300s, and the square frame by it self breaks many of the rules in photography that many consider fundamental in this hobby.

i will be posting a monthly digest including what i have learned from the journey so far,and share the photos that i took in that particular month.

What i realized so far includes:

- The Second you think of doing something as a duty,it becomes a burden.

- Deciding that i should use only iPhone camera in this project,was not the smartest idea,even though it sounded an easier way out in my head.

- At the Beginning, my plan was to gather ideas for the photo until the end of the day,and take it when i am sure i won't come up with any other.

-later through the month,i decided,if its a good photo,snap away and upload immediately,if you found another, and it can be taken another day,i can do that,if its not to be missed,then shoot it and upload it,it doesn't have to be part of the #365photo project.

-Instagram,even though it was intended to make photography through iPhone easier,after awhile you realize how restrictive it makes you,especially if you are an avid SLR user. don't get me wrong,its an awesome app that makes taken an artistically looking photo a breeze,but some times you can't help it but to think of what you would have done if it was more capable.

-the square frame,will definitely makes you think completely differently about you compose your photographs,its quite a challenge.

-it does take you in a beautiful journey in rediscovering your surroundings.

-if you wait until its really late in the day,you probably gonna end up with a horrible "let me just get it over with" kinda photo.

-i reached a point many days,where my main object was not the photo,but rather for it to be shot in the same calendar day as it supposed to be,which came many times on the expense of the quality and composition of the photo.

-Relax,take it easy,you will end up doing a lot better when you are.

Now for the photos!

#day1

#day2

#day3

#day4

#day5

#day6

#day7

#day8

#day9

#day10

#day11

#day12

#day13

#day14

#day15

#day16

#day17

#day18

#day19

#day20

#day21

#day22

#day23

#day24

#day25

#day26

#day27

#day28

#day29

#day30

#day31

-Another thing i learned from this very post, iPhone Digital Zoom Sucks.

i bet all of you who follow my photography think this is horrible compared to what i do with my Nikon,i can only say its a learning curve,and i hope with time things improve to better,so stay tuned!

Which one is your favorite? any tips,advice?


P.S. we are aware that this year is a leap year,the hashtag was intentionally made into 365 to correlate with the whole concept of the project which many might miss in case they forgot its a leap year,the totally outcome of this project will be 366 photos after all.

Enjoy 2012!

Parenting impacts : A Short story.

Reading through some parenting books,I've came across some advices that tell you how to treat your kid and how not.

One of the things that rang a bell with me was "Never address a kids mistakes or short comes with titles "bad boy" or "Naughty" or anything that addresses HIM, but to address his mistake,or behavior as wrong,or inappropriate, this way the kid will understand that the shortcoming is with his behavior,which can be corrected,and not with him, addressing him with for his behavior will build up with time for him to believe that the problem is something he is born with,he cannot be fixed,which might lead to catastrophic results.

A Memory that lives within me,a personal experience that was of affect on me for a long time.

it was one of those big family barbecues, everyone is enjoying his shish kabob and basmati rice,everyone is socializing and having a good time, dinner is over, people are sitting and chitchatting,watching TV and enjoying dessert.
my father called my name,and asked me to pour water on the burning charcoal used for the grill.
his words were "pour the water on the charcoal and extinguish the flame"
i was 13-14 years old at that time,i nodded and brought a water filled jug and started to pour the water on the charcoal.

A Shout : "NOT LIKE THAT YOU DUMB", a wave of cracking laughter followed,my father came and snatched the jug from my hand angrily and with a disappointed yet pissed tone he said,"i don't know when will you learn to do something right!"

i was very embarrassed and stunned,i was wondering what did i do so wrongly,to deserve to be humiliated this way.

my father holding the jug now,poured the water on the open palm of his left hand so that water gets dispersed fanned out with the fingers pattern so it covers all the charcoals while the water pours,and not as a single stream of water like we pour into a cup.

looking at him,i understood what he meant,the charcoaled is no longer burning, and a teenage kid is wondering how the hell was i supposed to know this if i was not taught before?

Sure,i know my father wants whats best for me,i love my father,he is the reason why i am who i am as we speak now,i bet dear dad doesn't even remembers that incident and probably will think i am making all this up.

yet,what happened that day never left my memory,it became of those moments that perpetually came back to me to remind me of things i was not supposed to remember,it flashed in front of me the second i read that paragraph in the book,it was not an easily forgettable incident,especially when you are surrounded by a family that loves sarcasm,and roasting someone makes their day.

its tiny moments like these,that you,parents (and i stand among you) do, without even thinking it would sink this deep into your kids mind,that shapes his emotional health.

remember that,folks,and please think before you speak to your kid.

The Sweetest Fruit

been listening to this song a lot lately,this part always catches my attention,very touching and meaningful.

Inspiring how you're proud of your scars.

Dark as night,you look out for the stars

Beautiful,and you are proud of your flaws.

you don't ask for an approval or a round of applause

but my heart claps in rhythm and all

and my eyes cooled by what they saw

beautiful just the way that you are,

and when i see you i remember Allah

who else could have been known but you.

like a pillar standing firm in truth

a tree with the deepest roots

the darkest berries and the sweetest juices

and the proof of your labor is your baring fruits

submission to the wind cause you graceful moves

and you are humble in your modest ways,

the arrogance stopped,the lower gaze,

you over speaks of the darker day

you made it through,

you are the proof we are gonna be okay

cause only struggle can produce strength

and your eyes i see it taking shape

like a current curves the river banks

once winding like a snake

so over time it will always take

the path that is truly straight

over time it will always make,

the river carved till the path is straight..

the Poet/rapper is Baraka Blue,a Sufi Muslim from Seattle,with his roots originally from Yemen, he has this interesting way of blending rap and hip hop in a genre that he calls spiritual hip hop.

The Song on Youtube...those lines start at about 3:11

The Curious Case of Baby Eloise and Emma Di Silva

The Curious case of Emma Di Silva...who was announced brain dead after a car accident,but with her husband insisting to keep her on life support and letting her 19 days old baby sleep on her chest daily for skin to skin time,she woke up and came back to life.

On the 14th of March 2011, Emma De Silva and her 19-day-old daughter Eloise set out for their daily afternoon walk. Only metres from home, a car mounted the curb knocking Emma into the air, before colliding with Eloise in her pram.

Baby Eloise suffered head and shoulder injuries and was in hospital for a week. Emma suffered catastrophic brain injuries and her husband, Yoshi, was advised to turn off her life-support machines. He refused, but Emma was so severely brain damaged she was not expected to recover.

Once Eloise was discharged from hospital, Yoshi was determined to ensure mother and baby had the chance to bond. He began a daily ritual of taking Eloise into the hospital and placing the tiny newborn, skin-to-skin, on the chest of her deeply unconscious mother.

At first there was nothing, but what happened next defied all medical expectations. When Eloise was placed on her mother, Emma began to move: first a fluttering of the eyes, then a finger. Finally, after being in a coma for 84 days, Emma woke up holding her baby daughter in her arms.

Both Yoshi and Emma’s doctors are convinced that skin-to-skin contact with Eloise played a vital role in Emma’s miraculous recovery. Dr. Graham Reynolds, a leading Australian Paediatrician, Neonatologist, and Ambassador of IAIM says this makes sense. “It is not exaggerating to say that touch is probably one of the most important aspects of healthy development for both parents and a baby.”

“For unwell and premature babies, touch can literally mean the difference between life and death. Skin-to-skin contact reduces the time these fragile babies are in hospital and it improves their development in the long-term. Even for healthy babies, touch affects all aspects of a child’s development – such as sleep, settling and even their long term mental health and their behavioural, cognitive and social development.”

“Skin-to-skin contact with their baby also affects the brain activity of mothers. It reduces anxiety and improves brain wave patterns. Controlled trials have shown mothers who attended a baby massage course with the International Association of Infant Massage experienced reductions in symptoms of postnatal depression, and their babies developed much better over the long-term too. Yoshi’s instincts to bring Emma and Eloise together were spot on.”

Emma is now looking forward to a long and happy life being a mum to Eloise. With help, Emma is able to feed her baby and care for her in ways that most parents take for granted. But both Emma and Yoshi have a punishing road ahead with an unrelenting physical therapy program, and the need for specialist equipment and ongoing supports.

The IAIM classes are open to all families with a baby up to 12 months old, and are suitable for healthy babies as well as those with additional needs. Dr Reynolds says, “This is a wonderful way ordinary parents can help out the DeSilva family, while at the same time bringing a part of Eloise’s magic touch into their own lives”

From The international association of infant massage

Follow up on Emma here

This Video is not to be missed!

#JedBlueDay : Remembrance of Nov 25th

November 25h, marked the second anniversary of #JeddahRain tragedy that happened back in 2009, a historical rainstorm that marked a day of unforgotten tragedy to all the residents of the city, with a death toll of 120 lives (reported) and more than 350 people missing.

No one who lived in jeddah can deny the damage that affected every house in jeddah that day,if you were safe,someone who is related to you,your friend or coworker,must got affected,either by his house getting flooded,or his car,or at least got stranded in the streets that were at that day nothing but a catastrophic scene of chaos.

of course media and social networks rage followed,a famous hashtag was created #jeddahRain and everyone is blaming the other on why this happened,some said the rain was the heaviest in 27 years and the cities infrastructure was not built to withstand such soaking rain, others blamed the flooding to the corruption and negligence of certain officials and government sectors who were responsible to foresee such events and prepare for it long term and short term.

City residents demanded a public prosecution of all the officials who were responsible for the tragedy, and as we all know, an investigation was initiated,however up until this second, no one have been condemned or found guilty.

Stories are a lot,scars are even more,memories are stuck in everyones minds, sadly in a city that rarely sees rain like jeddah,its population does not get excited when they see the dark clouds like they used to anymore,it immediately puts the city under alert and the families hold their kids from going to schools and everyone gets ready for a scene that they pray for it not to occur.

its 2011 now and the rain season is upon us once again,on the anniversary of that tragic day,a group of jeddah youth were gathered in the district that was one of the worst victims of that day,and in an act of solidarity to everyone who was affected by the tragedy they did a field visit to all the houses and families that the volunteers helped during those dark days and as a reminder of the tragedy so that it will never be forgotten.

you can see a youtube of the event here :

it ended with the saying "We will never forget,We will never forgive".

Shoura Council Member Mr.Najeeb alZamil wrote in AlEqtisadiya newspaper about this youtube sharing his sentiments with the youth.

What is your memory of that day? where were you? do you know anyone who got affected by the rain? share your experience.

8 Parentings best kept secrets

Kids are a blessing,they fill your life with joy,laughter and unreasonable happiness,but everything comes with a price,some are fun,and some are just meant to be remembered after its all said and done..so i am giving you inside info about what you might face in the future so you know that you have been warned! here it goes:

-your vacuum will go out of the job, you son will suck everything before the vacuum does

-the last place to find your bookmark in, is your book, and if you were lucky, it's never on the page you were reading.

-your hair brush becomes you kids favorite fork for spaghetti,and some times if she was a girl she might experiment hair style using spaghetti and noodles.

-your ten minute naps are always full of surprises waiting for you when you wake up.

-diaper rash cream is your kids favorite shaving cream,and some times, hair gel too.

-your kids can give you a live demonstration of how destructive a nuclear bomb can be, just leave them in a room for ten minutes while you shower, it's more than enough for the disaster to happen.

-Morning Alarms will become history,you will always hear "mama" when its time to wake up,give it ten more minutes of extra sleep and you will get a vibration function with too little hands shaking you to wake up.

-finding your belongings where you left them will be a thing of the past, it will be so forgotten you will tell your kids bed time stories about how once upon a time there was a man called daddy,and he used to leave his wrist watch on a coffee table,and comes back and find it right where he left it!

Yet,you will still be very happy for all the things they do,and you can never be thankful enough for having them.. :)

Are you a parent? share some of your hidden gems!