859) To Pee or not to Pee ... !!

I think that William Shakespeare would have written it this way if he had a simple walk in the streets of Cairo, and had witnessed himself the view, smell, and feeling of "Pee" allover the walls, sidewalks, bushes, alleys, ...etc.

The scene of people peeing in the streets is becoming quite normal, something I almost see every other day. The last time I did was yesterday when a Taxi driver pulled over beside a 5 starts hotel and went to the other side of the car, opened the door, unzipped his pants, and simply peed between the passenger door and the car !

Although it seems disgusting, but insisting always to put myself in others shoes instead of framing or judging makes me think that most of the time people do that because there are no practical alternatives (
a decent or even functioning public toilet) specially if they are using public transportation or just walking. It gets even worse if you are a female.

I tried it myself, and walked for 2.5 kilometers thinking about something I wanna do work, and I had all that walk without finding one single public toilet, and wondered, what if I really cant hold it anymore during that walk, what should I have done?! So instead of thinking strategically about "being" or not "being", I turned out to be thinking about "peeing" or not "peeing".

M.O.H.@.L.Y

843) كن بسيطا ... ترى الوجود بسيطا !

قديما قال إيليا أبو ماضى : "كن جميلا ترى الوجود جميلا" .. و الاّن إسمحوا لى أن أضيف : "كن بسيطا ترى الوجود بسيطا". الإنسان دائما يضع لنفسه صعوبات وعواقب ولا يلتفت إلى ما هو بسيط في حياته. فحياة الإنسان تكون بسيطة بالتفكير البسيط فيها وتكون صعبة  عندما يستصعب الإنسان الحياة.

القصة الاّتيه تعبر عن هذا المعنى بوضوح

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أحد السجناء في عصر لويس الرابع عشر محكوم عليه بالإعدام ومسجون في جناح قلعة. هذا السجين لم يبق على موعد إعدامه سوى ليله واحده. ويروى عن لويس الرابع عشر ابتكاره لحيل وتصرفات غريبة.

وفي تلك الليلة فوجئ السجين بباب الزنزانة يفتح ولويس يدخل عليه مع حرسه ليقول له :أعطيك فرصة إن نجحت في استغلالها فبإمكانك إن تنجو ، هناك مخرج موجود في جناحك بدون حراسة إن تمكنت من العثور عليه يمكنك الخروج وان لم تتمكن فان الحراس سيأتون غدا مع شروق الشمس لأخذك لحكم الإعدام.

غادر الحراس الزنزانة مع الإمبراطوربعد أن فكوا سلاسله. وبدأت المحاولات وبدأ يفتش في الجناح الذي سجن فيه والذي يحتوي على عده غرف وزوايا ولاح له الأمل عندما اكتشف غطاء فتحة مغطاة بسجادة بالية على الأرض وما إن فتحها حتى وجدها تؤدّي إلى سلّم، نزل إلى سرداب سفلي ويليه سلم أخر يصعد مرة أخرى وظل يصعد إلى أن بدأ يحس بتسلل نسيم الهواء الخارجي مما بث في نفسه الأمل إلى أن وجد نفسه في النهاية في برج القلعة الشاهق والأرض لايكاد يراها

عاد أدراجه حزينا منهكا ولكنه واثق أن الامبراطور لايخدعه. وبينما هو ملقى على الأرض مهموم ومنهك ضرب بقدمه الحائط وإذابه يحس بالحجر الذي يضع عليه قدمه يتزحزح فقفز وبدأ يختبر الحجر فوجد بالإمكان تحريكه وما إن أزاحه وإذا به يجد سردابا ضيّقا لايكاد يتسع للزحف ، فبدأ يزحف الى ان بدأ يسمع صوت خرير مياه وأحس بالأمل لعلمه إن القلعة تطل على نهر لكنه في النهاية وجد نافذة مغلقة بالحديد أمكنه أن يرى النهر من خلالها

عاد يختبر كل حجر وبقعة في السجن ربما كان فيه مفتاح حجر آخر لكن كل محاولاته ضاعت سدى ، والليل يمضي واستمر يحاول ويفتش ، وفي كل مرة يكتشف أملا جديدا فمرة ينتهي إلى نافذة حديدية ومرة إلى سرداب طويل ذو تعرجات لا نهاية لها ليجد السرداب أعاده لنفس الزنزانة. وهكذا ظل طوال الليل يلهث في محاولات وبوادر أمل تلوح له مرة من هنا و مرة من هناك وكلها توحي له بالأمل في أول الأمر لكنها في النهاية تبوء بالفشل

وأخيرا انقضت ليلة السجين كلها ولاحت له الشمس من خلال النافذة ووجد وجه الإمبراطور يطل عليه من الباب

ويقول له : أراك لازلت هنا !!

قال السجين : كنت أتوقع انك صادق معي أيها الإمبراطور

قال له الإمبراطور : لقد كنت صادقا

سأله السجين : لم اترك بقعة في الجناح لم أحاول فيها ، فأين المخرج الذي قلت لي!!

قال له الإمبراطور : لقدكان باب الزنزانة مفتوحا وغير مغلق!!

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إعرف أولوياتك و بسط الحياة فهى كما قال الشعراوى: " أهم من أن تنسى و لكنها أتفه من أن تكون غابة."

M.O.H.@.L.Y

720) Being Positive ::: Yes We Can... Save Lives !

Accidents in Egypt specially Cairo has reached a scary limit. We are loosing thousands of lives each year most of which are young people. I lost my dear cousin in an accident, and some of my friends too.. May be it is not the first time I talk about this but it is dramatically increasing and I think we must be working in parallel with the government (if they do anything about it aslan) to size it down.

For example, the driving licence requires a test but it is a fake one. Why don't we make sure that we really can drive before driving not for the sake of issuing the license but for the sake of our and others safety.

Why don't we teach our younger siblings and kids to respect the ambulance and stop to the nearest right when we hear its alarm.

Why don't we exert some more effort and have some patience to cross the street from its intersections and when the traffic light is red (now the new monitored lights are really respected by cars).

Why don't we drive on the right when we are moving slowly so that we don't get hit by someone driving fast on the left lane?

Why don't we stop holding the mobile with one hand and driving with the other?

Why don't we place the children in the back seats?

And many other stuff that we can do without a need for regulation or law, even if this will make a 10% difference, it is enough to motivate us to do it, we are talking about lives here...

I still miss my cousin and I wanna be a reason for saving someone else's cousin..

Mohaly

325) City Stars ... Stay Safe!

After the City Stars fire, we need to be more cautious. I have got the following in my email this morning and thought of sharing it with you:

Early reports collected suggest thatthe use of oil-based paints were at least one of the reasons why the firecaught and spread so rapidly. Water-based paints of course are much safer than the oil-based variety. Another report suggested that some insulation in that area of the mall had been sealed by the use of a flammable tar mix. If so, perhaps this was not the best choice of materials.

Please be advised that most of the injuries were a result of two factors;smoke inhalation and panic.

1. If you are caught in a fire, stay low and make your way to the nearest exit. Stay low. Smoke rises because it is hotter than ambient air. If the opportunity presents itself, cover your mouth and nose with a damp cloth.

2. Frightened patrons injured others in the mad dash to get out of the building. Remember that panic kills. Keep your head. Remain calm. Walk or crawl to the nearest exit. Do not use elevators in a fire.

Stay safe!

Mohaly

309) Suggestion ::: New National Anthem!

The national anthem is something that should make a direct connection with your heart, and directly relate to your mind. I don't think that Beladi Beladi is valid anymore, and I strongly recommend the following song to be our new national anthem for our generation!
If you read the lyrics carefully (specially the highlited parts) and compare it with Life in Egypt, its people, and government in your mind, you will find it the best song that can replace our national anthem lyrics (but keeping the same tune of beladi beladi 3ashan bas ne7es eno nasheed watani!).

za7ma ya donya za7ma ... za7ma we taho el 7abayeb
za7ma wala 3adsh ra7ma ... mowled we sa7bo ghaeb!

agy men hena, za7ma
aro7 hena, za7ma
hena aw hena, za7ma!

za7ma wana raye7lo ... wana fe west el ze7am
3ayezo yesma3 wa a2olo ... mabyewsalsh el Kalam!

za7ma we ma3atalani ... wen ro7t we mal2toush
akhaf aro7lo tani ... fe me3adi we mal2ahoush!

keteer el nas keteer ... wana 3ayez arkab wa 2ateer

el sa3a 2ela telt ... we ma3adi me3ah tamanya
la mel seka di ro7t ... wala la2ee seka tanya!

agy men hena, za7ma
aro7 hena, za7ma
hena aw hena, za7ma!

za7ma ya donya za7ma!

Mohaly

197) Why are Egyptians so Noisy?!

I got this on my mail and thought of sharing it with you guys...I think it is worth reading and discussing...
Mohaly

Away from stereotypes and generalizations, why are we –Egyptians- so noisy? Why are we loud?
Down the street, at home, in a train, in a cinema, in the opera house, even in the desert!
When I say we, I don’t exclude myself and I don’t mean all Egyptians. The beeping horns, the loud music, the f__ mobile phone tones…what is it? Did we develop a “culture of noise”? Or has it always been the case?
I’m trying a naïve synopsis, and you are all invited to disagree, agree, and comment, to the end of the list:

First: Freedom & Ignorance
Given the high rate of illiteracy (let alone the decay of ethics), many Egyptians don’t even know what freedom means. They don’t know what it means enjoying their lives (sometimes, through very noisy practices) without offending or annoying others. None of us was spared a noisy street wedding or a funeral’s loudspeakers next door.

Second: Despair & Selfishness
I think there are millions of Egyptians who feel that “we’re going nowhere, we stand no chance”. If the ship is sinking anyway, then at least let’s enjoy our last hour! We will do it selfishly and noisily!

Third: Passiveness
A legacy of oppression, ignorance and absence of basic human rights fermented into a passive attitude towards everything and everyone, including those idiots who play their music at loudest, those who talk and laugh loud down every street and corner, to the end of the list.

Fourth: Heritage & the Big City
Since day one, a newborn is exposed to every form of noise that there is! Zaghareet, seboo3, loud birthdays…they grow up into a city of 18 million plus…a city of over a million cars…a city that never sleeps.

Fifth: Attention
A guy wants to impress a girl, and because he (and probably she) knows no other means to impress a lady other than money, muscle and property, he draws her attention using the common language of noise (honking, latest song, mobile ring tones, etc! You only need one train ride to experience the entire range of the mobile phone ring tones on earth…
And because I’m not a money and muscle guy, I come to realize that I am “only a voice in a city of noise” as Chris de Burgh once said! But no…Templars: We are all responsible…be positive…don’t be noisy…don’t let noise rule.

180) Honna Al Kahira - Part VIII

Actually, I never understood why the Mini and Micro buses find it sooo tempting to stop at the ramp ups and downs of the bridges?!!

P.S. Ya tara el ragel hayseeb el set tetla3 el 2awel?

Mohaly

Wanna waste more than 2300 years in a month?!

Of Course I am not surprized to see Cairo on the top of the clogged cities in the world...official numbers say Cairo's population is 15 Million - not including 3ashwa2eyat and some new area if added it will reach 20 Million + people coming or commuting in the daytime...

I am afraid to just think what is Cairo gonna be after 10 years (that is not much...same distance between now and 1997!!)...According to studies Cairo will be a completely clogged city by 2020 where the average ride will be around 2 hours!!! Imagine how much time you need to go from Heliopolis to Tahrir!!! I guess you need to rent an apartment somewhere midway....

The problem other than hot weather, crowd stress...etc..is the time of the people commuting...if you multiply the hours wasted everyday by the no. of people stuck, you will be shocked...if only 1 million commute everyday (government employees only are 5 Million by the way) in cairo and they waste only 1 hour, then we have 1 million hour wasted everyday...in other words on this minimized assumption, we will be wasting about 2300 Years of production every month!!!!

M O H @ L Y

Cairo, Egypt
Population: 15.2 million (official 2nd city) / 25 million (unofficial 1st city)
Density: 36,618 persons per square kilometer.
Egypt's capital also happens to be the cultural capital of the Arab world and the largest city in Africa. Its traffic is overwhelming. It has to be seen to be believed. Compounding the ever more horrendous noise is the variety of vehicles: autos, buses, bikes, vans and trucks on narrow streets with the use of the sidewalk almost a must. The traffic rarely stays in lanes, instead weaving its own tapestry. It is an elemental force.


(c) --Forbers