Of Coffee, Cigarettes and The Sands Of Time.

Time, man's immortal foe, and god's spokesman on earth. Despite the luxurious life style today's technology can offer us, humanity yet fails to control and defy time, the fourth dimension as some would call it. Hours spent behind pages, black boards, and computers have only managed to help us organize what we wish we could deem chaotic and random. After all, a certain eerie type of order does lurk inside the most chaotic events. I, myself with no proper knowledge or prior preparation, tried to defy its rules and hopefully reach a state where I no longer cared for the regulations it imposed. Of course some might question or even ridicule my impotent attempts to fight the ultimate factor in this world we live in. But I think I have suffered enough to be able to talk about my experience. I have been cursed by the chaotic trait, in other words I never managed to present myself as an organized human being. Things or objects seem to have the ability to reproduce around me, in a one day span what seemed to be normal house hold properties can multiply or even quadruple in my presence. And just last week I discovered I had a huge TV box that was being occupied by things I've never used in three years and will never either.   

But my debate is far more focused than the physical results of my greatest rivals. Two years ago, I was passing through a certain psychological and social phase, which severely affected my education and other aspects of my life. The only reasonable and sensible resolution at that moment seemed to be the ability to escape time and its limitations. As hectic and crazed as it seems, I blamed the master of disguise for all of my problems, and sought asylum beyond its doors. After all desperate men take desperate counter measures. For weeks if not months I used to lock myself in my room reading all the books they said would work, from cheap soft covers to huge encyclopedic volumes dealing with the subject; both from a physical point of view and a philosophical one. For hours I would force my hand and brain to splatter insane theories, phrases and sometimes drawings to accelerate the arrival of the long awaited stratagem. So I was plotting a hideous device that would bring me closer to a god-like nature. Little did I know at that time, that I was on my way to self destruction, and instead of salvation I only reached annihilation. As far as I know I was doing something superior, on a secret mission to join the ubber genus. But others seemed to digress, and before I know it people around me started to sense a feel of insanity raging in my head, I will not deny it either; for when I remember myself back then, I deem that person foreign and rather bizarre.

So, as the days went by, I was confronted by some of my friend and they expressed deep worries about my state, emotional, intellectual and even physical. Lack of sleep started to affect my body, my motor skills and even memory. Fatigue started to crawl slowly and my short term memory seemed to be immobilized. Swift and sudden anger, hostility against others that at certain part started to take a physical form. And then one day it came to me, but it was far more than what was expected. I remember that winter day, it was snowing, I was looking outside when the curtain caught my attention. Up to this day I have no idea why it related, but suicide seemed to be the only possible way to defeat time. It was in death that I found the answer to all of my questions. It didn't last for more than three seconds, I was looking at the corner where the cold steel bar and the curtain rings perfectly met. And in that small piece of metal that hardly required any craft I saw the answer and the remedy. The only way to defy the fourth dimension was by suicide or some other form of self inflicted death.

It took me a couple of hours to snap out of that dark dim mood and realize I was wasting time instead of saving it. I had to manipulate and bend time to my own desires instead of running away from it. For its laws apply to every single act we take, no matter how insignificant or minute. That very obvious and evident sense of purpose was lying around me; sometimes laughing too, awaiting to be revealed. We can't simply ignore the fact that if it wasn't for this force we would've all been deemed gods if we were able to control it.

LiveJournal Tags: Time,Time Management,Order,Chaos,Insanity

Of Survival, Endurance And Kebab

It doesn't take you long to feel and embrace the warmth and affection you receive once you set foot on the Iranian soil; let it be the ever smiling ground staff at the airport , the taxi driver who will gladly share you the tiniest and most private aspects of his life ( even if you didn't even ask ) and all the way to the hotel where the bell boy is more than willing to help you with your small shoulder laptop bag hoping to make you realize how hospitable the Iranians are and of course a generous tip. So in other words, there's another side for Persia, a side the biased media doesn't bother to uncover and reveal to the masses.

I have been living in Iran for the past 4 years, upon arrival my sole purpose was studying the unquestionably marvelous art of this land, where every corner holds a memory, and every street speaks of history. By time, my needs grew stronger and fiercer, I realized there's more than meets the eye in this country, it's not as once probably imagined a place raging with strict rules and laws, dress and behavior codes, and most important of all Anti Arab or Western patriotism, and I use such a word for I've realized that one cannot simply doubt the patriotism of a nation that is willing to defend its land down to the last child and man, regardless of the cause. Any normal one month trip would probably leave the casual tourist  astonished, amazed and unfortunately confused. For one cannot simply understand the nature of such a huge country on such a short notice. It takes a lot of time to adapt and adopt the life style, which will seem enforced upon you even if you didn't show a gesture; you simply have to blend in and live it the Iranian way. That and the nature and pattern of each Iranian city changes by year depending on domestic and some times remote events. Four years spent on the streets on Tehran , Ghazvin , Isfahan And Shiraz and still no sign of any nukes aimed towards the States, or suicidal bombing fanatics running to blast through the clusters of foreign tourists you encounter on a daily basis. And if there was something the Iranians should be accused for, it would be extreme and sometimes over exaggerated hospitality. Even though I know this might sound biased but in the lands of Cyrus, feasts are being held everyday in the streets where everyone shares the joy.

Ramin , a 22 years old Iranian majoring in Computer Science at The Amir Kabir University Of Technology ( Polytechnic Tehran ) says: " It's not really about the nuclear weapons or any other weapon, we're not as half dangerous as they claim, we never attacked any other country. It's simple, they just want to tame and harness the Persian lion, but little did they know that even circus lions revolt and fight back if irritated or abused. We've always stood by the righteous side and it's our natural born right to benefit from nuclear power for the right reasons. If the west wants to pillage our country I suggest they start doing so by reading poems of Ferdowsi, Moulana and Others. That's our most valued treasure, a message of love and passion. Who knows, perhaps they might change their mind if they chose to see Iran the other way and not follow some Idiot's fetish for killing and slaughter. "

Modern day Tehran never ceases to confirm Ramin's words, and sometimes if needed, repeating them. Despite what the media is suggesting, a young man's face under the flickering candle light (due to recent black outs ) at the bakery doesn't pose a threat to humanity as some psycho might claim. And between Ramin's poetry books and the sound of Andy blasting through the taxi's CD player, I think there's more than just a nuclear bomb in the making, for a history is being revived everyday and in every house in this country.

Technorati Tags: Iran,Middle East,Nuclear,Energy,War,USA,US,Tehran,Conflict

Of Knights, Dragons, And Microwave Dinners

As proud Lebanese we might as well start burning our passports and find ourselves some other citizenship to claim. it never occurred to me before , how huge the gap between every rivaling Lebanese party, sect and soon to become neighborhood is. Just to explain my outrage to the minions; I was the unfortunate witness of a fight breaking out between two close Lebanese friends which was soon followed by a volley of insults and another hideous quarrel that probably put an end to their 12 years old friendship. Needless to say the main agent that triggered such a horrid scene was nothing but a political debate on whether Samir Al Quntar should have been kept behind bars for being a cold blooded murderer ( as one part mentioned ) or put on a pedestal for being a national hero as the other one suggested. So after I had time to gather my senses and awaken from such a horrendous trauma I realized how pathetic we are to let political debates and religious conflicts control us in such a way that a marionette would pity us. After decades of civil and international struggle we Lebanese still remain uneducated when it comes to unity and the true essence that this country was built upon; Democracy. Some might go on and say that we do realize that we are heading down hill but we just chose to turn the other way and ignore or simply avoid such a crucial element that helped shape the Lebanese society since the old days. Determined, and vicious the typical Lebanese is willing to ride his fully rigged war machine into the very fine borders of respect, friendship and trust. Not only he will threaten the existence of such imaginary lines but he will also cross them just to support and defend what he deemed just and politically correct and even ideologically righteous. And so the majority of the nation still finds itself stuck between the rock and the hard case as it is forced to choose between the rivaling foes on a daily basis. Intimidated by techniques known to every one from the civil war days, we always seem to hit that intersection where you are forced to succumb to the will of one or more of the adversaries, and staying in the middle would just mean dying in vain. Call it a warning or a scornful tone, but the truth remains that we lost the only thing we were once so proud of and fought so fiercely for. And in my own humble opinion I don't really find it advantageous for any Lebanese not even those who defend him themselves, to debate about the state Samir Al Quntar should be addressed with, since it is clearly nothing but a political argument that is going to be utilized in such an obvious and disgusting way, that the above mentioned person would regret the day he ever demanded freedom.

Technorati Tags: Lebanon,Samir Al Quntar,War,Israel,Palestine,Debate,Politics,Hassan Nasrullah,Hizbullah

Are We That Awful?

It never occurred to me before, but as lebanese do we have one or a few important and famous blogs where one can join and discuss without the need to cuss other political and religious groups? This is a shout out for any lebanese blogger who would come across my page , please let me know if such a site exists....