Food for thoughts or thoughts for food

Khalas

2005-07-11T18:17:00.000+02:00

I guess time has come to close this blog.
It covered not only the last months but the first 37 years of my life.
Will stay online as memory of me though not really any interested i think.
A big super thank to all those who made my life wonderful til now: my family, friends in Italy, and friends in Arabia land.
This blog is specially dedicated to those who changed my life, saudis and omanis in primis.
God bless you all.

Da Queen al Sultanate

2005-05-04T13:05:00.000+02:00

Enthusiastically i left the UAE: maybe too few time to understand this monster machine whose heart is Dubia, maybe is me to love little warm atmospheres.
I realised i was at home when i heard a guy from Malta complaining about the fact that the guys at airport at his request about multiple visa answered it would take hours though is well illustrated on ROP site.
They changed the visa application form, don't ask about visitors religion anymore, maybe just interested in locals sect lol.
Tourism is really at maximum levels, which makes me happy, maybe something moving: not only russian girls now but also russian families and rich too.
Ohh i forgot, i urgently need an apartment in Qurum area, 200 OR, if any can help please email me.
Hmmm what else, walla today was really hot and infact dunno what to write, ah the trial maybe?
The terrorists are in jail lol and people protested twice, they were more than 2000: people minimise but i watched a video, was really cool: reminded the palestinians i saw in Bahrein, but multiplied and never thought it would ever happen here.
I don't think the Sultan really knows about all this, God knows what the CID tells him, but if he knew, the best move he should do is to come back al contact with his people, that contact who gave him the strength to build this beautiful country.

On Top of the Hills with Mohammed

2005-04-27T18:45:00.000+02:00

no worry i didn't change bf, am always madly in love with my omani poet Saleh
Mohammed is my taxi driver here lol i spend more time with taxies than with myself
So yesterday understood the only place i could visit around is Fujahirah and asked for a taxi, as i said am an hermit, don't like tours with others
Now taxi drivers are used to these balooney western ladies who go for gold or shopping, but am a queen i don't go for these useless things
'newayz Fuj is kinda near, nice town, also here lots of buildings but you still free to breathe, large spaces
and what i find here i don't find anywhere al oman? lulu centre lol so just to see how is in each country i went up: found a nice burqa for 80 dhirams and a scarf for 10, am not used yet to the change but maybe is 1/4 so i think i spent almost 25 euros, the problem here is that they're good in calculating dhir>euro but not ryals which i feel more comfortable with
it was not a burqa don't worry, was a nice jalabya but it was written burqa
so as i said to my fans before, i like talking with taxi drivers: Mohammed is a good guy, young and still not with the mind to marry but he'll do inshalah one day
obviously he finds strange that at 37 am not married yet and asks why
i turn my eyes to the sky, remembering the old good times when i used to chat with Aramco friends, and explain him that to find a hubby is not like going to supermarket, well i wish it was, and that maybe was God will for me
he asks if in italy we have big villas like those they have here, hmmm understand what he means and i explain that yes we do but not like traditional families here who have 3 or 4 flats together to stay when they marry
he is curious about marriage in italy and asks how it works there, what age, how many kids
i explain him that it depends on when they finish studies, find a house, money to survive, job
so again he asks how comes am not married, this time i answer that i was too busy with work
Mohammed doesn't like a working wife, well at least he says he can accept but will never allow her to spend money: all that she wants, he'll give her, he doesn't understand the need for her to buy things when he can do
I explain that maybe when you have a work and earn your money you wanna spend it just as a matter of pride, to see materially the results of your efforts, a sort of satisfaction
he agrees but from his eyes i understand he doesn't like the idea
understood that i like different things, he brings me up to this restaurant called Top of the Hills and the location is really wonderful: from there you can see the mountains of Oman and those of UAE.
Is Maghreb time too early to eat so i prefer a dew and ahhhhhhhhhhhhh my shesha, 6 months i don't smoke it: here they're not surprised about my request and is full of omanis also, maybe they don't care if a woman smokes or they don't show, while in mct all eyes on me :p
i invite Mohammed to sit with me and we go on talking: he shows me an implant, dunno if water or electricity which starts there and go to AD
"mashallah how comes they do all these great things while in Oman we barely have implants and investors" i ask
Mohamed has a logical explanation: sheik khalifa is very generous, for example he gives money for children births, while Sultan Qaboos just keeps money for himself and people are unhappy, not stimulated to work and create great things for their country
He says that in low voice cause of the omani guests i think, but if they're living there, i think, is probably cause of what he said...

Da italian queen is al emarat

2005-04-26T13:45:00.000+02:00

Sorry Lym to steal your title, am sure we'll find an agreement like Camilla and Lizzie :p
So after almost 6 hours, first time in 4 years i find a direct, Balqais lands on Dubai.
As soon as you enter the airport you realise you're not in bedo land: all those ads on cnn and bbc, showing the poor bedouin unders the sun with his falcon must be fairy tales.
Dubai international airport is THE airport: a city in the city, nothing to do with Seeb, Q8, Doha, or Manama. After 50 km walking on tapiroulant and stairs finally i get to the visa collection desk: the lady sees from passport that am italian and shouts "italiaan? go direct!!" I ask one more time in case am dreaming cause is almost 2am and cause am used to ROP, not that they're bad but quite punctilious when they want.
She confirms so i go al passport control, didn't count but at least 10 desks and all full, quick though and i understood why: my pass checker is a guy bin Laden style, no smile, long beard, bit tired maybe. I say "salam alaikum" he says something, i assume is a "w s"; checking deeply my pp he asks "where you from?" "Italy" da queen answers a bit upset
"Milan????"
da queen gets upset more, wtf she thinks, til a couple of years ago they asked if i came from Rome, maybe this alliance with Bossi spoiled us, also here they know that northern rocks
thanks God now we have a new ministry, supposed to represent south, next time they'll ask about Micciche' am sure lol
so after long search i find this Travco agent and the car too: going out from Dubai i realise that if i called city an airport, for sure i must call Dubai a continent.
At 2.30am there are girls with jeans and top around, and coffee shops still open!!!! Haraaaaam walla.
I think i passed through city centre, saw the big Mosque, great but how much you pay for electricity, too many light in the front....
Buildings are not all one on another like my mct, they're big and tall, but placed in order to leave some space and make you feel you're still in a place for humans, i hope...
I'll try to visit better in future but honestly don't like.
It takes 1 hour and 45 to get here, no one knows this place lol but is cool
Am not the resort type but prefer this to Dubia
Please don't tell to prince Mohammed cause am still dreaming to get married to him, i think the jordan gal is only the third right??

Messaggio per famiglia De Cesare

2005-04-25T17:30:00.000+02:00

Sono arrivata a Dubai Domenica notte, tutto a posto.
Mo sto in un resort a 1 ora mezzo di macchina, Al Aqah vicino Fujairah al confine con l'Oman.
Venerdi' notte mi sposto a Muscat.
Se avete messaggi usate lo shout box:
dove c'e' scritto anonymous, cancellate e mettete il vostro nome, Fede, papa' ecc
sulla terza riga scrivete il messaggio poi cliccate su post
ciaooooooo

Savvyyyyyyyyy

2005-04-23T13:20:00.000+02:00

So is time for me to turn Black Pearl direction to far east.
Tomorrow night inshalah the italian piratess will go to Al Aqah to relax a lil bit and then after weekend in her Sultanate.
God help me.
Will keep in touch, i hope...

Moi and the taxi drivers

2005-04-20T18:55:00.000+02:00

I noticed, flying through my fellow bloggers, that the taxi drivers issue is quite popular and there's a reason: is a tough job and i respect it, but some of the category are a big pain in the a$$.
I was obliged to take my driver licence here in Italy when i was 18, cause as mother and father told me, is a sign of indipendence and agree with them: with a car you are a free person indeed!!!
But it was clear from the first lessons that moi and the car have a good relation only if there's a driver for me.
Don't misunderstand, am not a brat, i accomplished things in my life that i never thought i'd do, but driving is not for me, and since i am smart, in few moments, but yes i am, i realised that driving is something that is dangerous not only for my life but for other people life above all.
That's why, the day after getting the licence, i put it aside and use just as document or to renew it.
It was not a big deal in the beginning cause i went to uni immediately, and in a college of nuns first of all, which means 9.30 pm back home, 11 if saturday.
Anyway when you live in a town where public services like bus work good, well you don't feel the need of a car, though you don't feel completely independent, not that my goal in life has ever been that, i think i've always been dependent on something uncounsciosly.
So, pardon my modesty, i think they created taxis appositively for me.
After few years of uni i started to use them more often cause they're faster and less crowded: am not a baba girl as many always accused me, not rich at all, but as many spend money in dresses or going to movies, then i used to spend my money in taxis, useful innit?
Plus if you are a solitary wolf like me, the taxi driver is like a bartender: suppose you happen to meet the same mostly, well they become your secret keepers, or at least the only persons you feel comfortable to talk to.
Well it happens sometimes that you meet weirdos also among them and if you're an unlucky gal like me then you travel in weirdo adventures.
Here in Italy the only time i had a big a$$ shaking was for my first travel to Oman in 2001: i arrived to Roma station and while waiting for a taxi, a guy called me saying "hey ma'am, need taxi?" in a low voice and quite odd; my mother had adviced me to be careful with "abusivi" in Rome, those without licence who make this job out of rules cause she had and her friends had met one once, but i didn't have the time to think about it, i was already in his car sigh.
When the guy told me to sit close to him and not behind cause their taxi service was peculiar, it was too late and i understood i was a chicken.
Spent 1 hour travel til Fiumicino hoping he was not a serial killer and thanks God he was not.
Being a good taxi driver is not enough if you don't have a good car: realised that during a travel in Russia with my cousins; one day we decided to go by ourselves out of the group, the guy had a taxi, a 125 Fiat if am not mistaken, a reliquia in Italy lol, but he started as if he was Senna around Crassivaia Plaza. My eldest cousin had an heart attack and since the driver didn't speak english either, not a problem for us italians, he made a move with hands we use to say "go slow"
Must be something international cause the guy understood.
The day i realised that the reason for i luv the Gulf so much is represented by his people and for their unpredictable actions, was while coming back from a visit at Manama towers: it was a thursday evening and at a certain point the traffic crowd became bigger, plus, for those who believe that there's no freedom of speech in arab countries, well not completely true cause the huge flow of cars was due to 2 events: young saudis coming from Dhaharan for weekend and some boys in the middle of the street screaming loud pro-Palestine.
The move that my driver made, and which got me close to a heart attack, was going with the whole car on the railway platform and running til the hotel like that.
Now you'll say "duh, as if italians are good drivers" Not at all, but in my poor life had seen some going with one maximum two wheels on the pavement but not with all 4 wheels!!!
As i said, i like talking to taxi drivers, when possible, cause they're normal people like me with a normal life: the night i arrived in Manama i found this guy very polite, i had learned from Oman that is not good to talk in public about Gulf rulers, you might risk jail if you say something bad, anyway as far as i knew, there is no gay in this Bahrein Royal family and even if, is none of my business, but what i found strange reading infos before coming, is that the king was Emir before, but now is King, i thought due to some special rule like that of Al Saud where the brother becomes king and not the son.
So this guy looked peaceful and i asked about the mistery, he smiled and said " yes king Hamad was emir some years ago, then decided that king was better so became king and this now a kingdom"
Kept on smiling and when i asked about Saudi Arabia he said "oh no madame, Saudi Arabia not good, no freedom, Bahrein is all free, people come here from everywhere, you will like"
Kuwaiti taxis are very well organised, well all in Q8 is organised, very modern, very western and with them no problem.
About omani taxies well what to say, i like city taxy cause honest but takes long time to come, i think they're 5 or 6 driving, probably they're more by now but they're very good.
The pain in the a$$ are the orange cabs: now i understand that life for them is not easy, i see sometimes the same driver in the same place for hours, while other lucky ones have direct service with hotels but you cannot ask me 30 ryals from Bustan to Carrefour and your collegue 25 or 20. You'll argue "if you have the money to stay in Bustan then you have also the 6 come 6 go" but i worked hard for that money, am not a specialist but when i said to my friends 30 ryals they said they'd come for less than the half leaving their offices also, rofl....
Last time, which was not a shock cause i like this way of life and learned to smile of everything, i was coming out of carrefour with 3 shop bags: the eldest, a guy with long white beard who doesn't know 1 word in english, came to me, i was not worried cause knew him, took the bags all of a sudden and put in his taxi.
Mamma mia!!! The young guy who had the taxi before him and probably the right to pick me, came and they started shouting, others came and tried to calm down: some tourists were bit shocked and didn't understand how i could stay calmly waiting and smiling observing the scene.
lol that's my Oman and i knew in the end it would solve, you just need to keep yourself sabr, sooner or later things come or go, doesn't matter, you cannot change them.
After 10 minutes the youngest infact surrendered and i went back to my hotel with the bags safe in the car.

Abdullah and fair trials

2005-04-20T12:16:00.000+02:00

Abdullah al-Riyami,a human rights activist in Oman,is one of those
protesting at the fairness of the trial. "The relatives were not given enough notice regarding the date of the trial,"he told Gulf News. "The lawyer representing them has had only one meeting with the accused prior to the trial,"he added, saying that the whole trial was being treated like a state secret.

A wonderful analysis of the whole thing is on Muscati blog, just this piece captured my attention and brought me back to a near past where i wanted justice for some friends dead in mysterious circumstances involving also italian secret services probably, so the trial found its guilties cause the audience wants that, to feel in peace.With due respect to Abdullah, I've never seen a fair trial and even if, well i don't really care cause i quit believing in justice of earth long time ago.

White smoook New PoooP Black smoook No Dubia

2005-04-20T00:25:00.000+02:00

So i was fully immersed in my nap today, under the effects of my anti migrain medications when all of a sudden i hear mother running upstairs saying out loud "White smoke white smoke they elected the Pope"
There was just me on that floor so she knows am not much interested, but she probably was so emotional that she had to go to the toilet and her favourite bathroom is near my room.
In order not to miss anything while doing her natural duties, she switched on two televisions and that made me sure i was not dreaming, awake finally.
Gasp, about 6pm, i slept alot, my medicines are good but have a side effect like everything in this life.
Switched on the mobile, not that any calls or sms me, but you never know, and infact Dada my travel agent left a message: called her back, bad news; no hotel available in Dubai til 30 gasp.
She asked if i wanna wait or go straight to Muscat or somewhere else: still sleepy i think i need few days to stay alone, so ask about alternatives and she says that still must check but maybe Al Ain is possible. "Ok lemme know sweety"
Mother after pee is on her way back downstairs to the other tv, i scream "Hey who's the Pope??" She says, "for now is just the smoke, it will be known after some moments, don't you know?"
Gasp how can i not know, these fundamentals of life.
Check the mobile and shoot the news to some friends around the world.
Sms is my favourite sport.
Ok now am in great shape, what can i do? Let's go in front of tv and wait for the window to open, make some zapping and listen to the best pearls of shits that can be said from journalists while waiting. Something moves, no not yet, lots of rain, sigh here too, woaaaa it opens.
The cardinal makes the announcement in latin, sweet memories i had 9/10 in latin my passion: i hear Joseph and scream "e vaiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" translated "go go goooooooo"
Now why a Muslim should be happy about this extra conservative poooop?
Cause i think they need him (well i suggest he gets softer on some hooligans positions) same as we need to modernise ourselves, and both need dialogue, we all need peace.
lol as usual all tv programs tonite on this event, and about this interfaith stuff a senator said "sure we need dialogue with Muslims, but they don't have a pope so who should we talk to?"
Good Q: why not OBL, Balqis suggestion ...they both kick ass lol

Sex preferences around the world

2005-04-15T11:35:00.000+02:00

So Esquire made a poll on Bush sex appeal and he had 2/10.
He got the minimum from northern Europe (1.4) and a maximum from Indonesia women (2.2).
No comment though i doubt indonesians read this blog lol.
Now searching for a definition of sex appeal i found:

Physical attractiveness or personal qualities that arouse others sexually.

attractiveness to the opposite sex

That which appeals to the erotic or sexual senses that will arouse the libido through the senses

allure, attraction, attractiveness, beauty, charm, charmingness, engagingness, fascination, glamour, interestingness, pleasingness, seductiveness

Hmmmm well, George doesn't arouse my libido but i'd date him why not?

My sister Grace and the others

2005-04-13T11:24:00.000+02:00

Hello,I’m sorry for picking your private mail address.
Due I got it through my ernest research through google.com guestbook.
My name is Grace Abokan Akissi from Bouake Cote D’ Ivoire.
It was one bad night that MPCI Rebels invaded my husband’s house and killed
mytwo little children and my sweet husband.
And I recieved a bullet which mademe to loose my senses for three days.I
could only find myself in CHU General hospital Treichville Abidjan Cote
D’Ivoire.
Now I don’t have money for major operation the doctor said that I
have to passthrough so the bullet can be removed from my Belly.
Look, I thank God I’m still alive but no house, no health, no son, no
husband,nowork and no money! Please if I have to die let me see the face of my
husband andmy two sons before I die! Is this life? How can I bear
it?
My dear kindly assist me in any form you can and my good God who made me to
bealive today will surely bless you.

Thanks

Your sister
Grace
Am starting to read these spams cause most of them are funny, now i didn't understand here who's Belly

Taliban United F.C.

2005-04-12T14:25:00.000+02:00

Take care of your breast

2005-04-11T19:45:00.000+02:00

Listening today on the news how silicone breast implast are not that safe and have an expiring date , i remembered a surgery i went through some years ago, cause of a double benign angioma on my chest and left breast.
I don't remember the exact moment but in a couple of days realised that there were these red bumps growing day after day.
I was living alone in a flat that year, had left the nuns college cause fed up, and still some exams to get my uni degree.
I told my father by telephone and an old family friend, a doctor, suggested to put some Ichthyol Ointment , one of its properties is to help infective agents to come out, but didn't work cause that was not the problem.
My friend's brother, another doctor, probably understood immediately the problem but without scaring me so much, fixed an appointment at the oncologic center and there started a week i'll never forget: it was clear that there was an infection inside and they needed to do a cytologic exam of the bumping cells so the only way was to practice a needle aspiration in order to make an accurate blood exam.
The good news was that the infected cells were simply infected, no sign of a malign disease, and the bad news was that i repeated the exam 2 or 3 times in a week, so they took away a good amount of material but the morning after it grew again: the only way to know what it really was, was to open and remove to analize.
If that week passed by coming and going at the institute was a nightmare, i suspected the days to come would be worse.
As i imagined italian way showed up immediately: if i wanted to do normally in the hospital, i should have waited for 1 and half month, if immediately then i'd have to pay for a clinic and having understood my family could afford that's what they suggested.
Remember calling father from a public phone in a corridor of the oncology and telling him all this: he said that going to the clinic was the best solution, in August, as he understood following what it was going on, my bumps would have developed to 1 kilo weight.
So he came to Bologna and talked with the surgeon who fixed day and place for surgery.
Am not ashamed to admit that i started to cry every night and every day, stress more than fear probably, i had passed all those moments alone and am not pointing fingers against my family, they've done a lot for me to maintain my uni life.
After all anyway i always wanted to live the important moments of my existance alone, and so will be for the remaining years, am an hermit like Kaza says.
The key figure for the good result of a surgery is not really the professor but the anesthesiologist and i found one of the best around: i talked with him the week before and he explained what he'd do plus told me that there was no harm in taking some Lexotan to calm down cause that's what i wanted .
The good thing was that i entered the clinic the same day of the surgery: woke up round 6am, no coffee no nothing, waited for my driver, was a company i used in special occasions, they knew what was going on but were so sweet not to mention ever while talking during my travels from oncology to home to clinic, and finally got to my clinica .
I hate nuns, but that's another story...
They gave me a room and father arrived from home, sister would be later cause she had an exam.
Started routine exams like Xrays, mammography, ecg till afternoon came, and with no food got a big head ache but couldn't take anything cause already started giving a pre-anesthetic.
They brought me to the surgery room and all i remember is that was so coooold, the last image is that idiot of the assistant professor smiling and greeting saying "Hiii miss De Cesare how are you feeling?"
Thanks God they injected the main anesthetic mixture so i couldn't answer my way.
I think it has been the only 2 hours in my life i had a real sleep.
I woke up while they were bringing me back to my room, was starting to wake up and heard the surgeon telling to father and sister that the "surgery had technically succeeded": good news i thought, later i learned that means nothing, still had to wait for results of histologic exams , which were good anyway.
No one could really explain why this double contemporary angioma, i must thank God cause i avoided a double surgery probably, but there was a strange expressions in the eyes of doctors also later when i went for regular checks.
The worst had passed, just i had to fight with the fact that the wound remained opened for a couple of months, my skin is not that strong, so daily i had to clean it, still remember the grrrr sound of blood while inserting a cotton fioc with H2O2 in the 5 points breast hole: 2 of them had split so it closed after some time.
All felt disgusted while doing it and escaped, can't blame, well i was a sort of Rambo but before fall it finally closed.
Remained just big cheloids but honestly don't give a d@mn, thanks God all went good.
In future who knows...
Mother didn't come the day of surgery, she remained home praying with her sister but came few days later: is one of those persons who can stand her family sufference til a certain extent.
I can understand her, dunno if ever forgive her though.

Research

Info

Don't be scared

Fired

2005-04-11T00:35:00.000+02:00

New York Times foreign correspondent Susan Sachs, who lost her job for allegedly sending anonymous e-mails to the wives of Times reporters in Baghdad commenting on their sexual behavior, contends she is innocent and will fight the charges against her.“I am completely absolutely innocent of the accusations made by The Times,” Sachs said in an e-mail to E&P late Friday. “To underline that fact, I have taken a polygraph test administered by a competent and independent expert, during which I repeated that I am innocent of these accusations, and I passed the polygraph test with flying colors.”

Ok i'll give her the benefit of doubt and hope she didn't do but if she did...

well they shouldn't have fired, they should have closed her in a room with a couple of men and throw the key away, cause this white heart lady seems not to know life, though correspondent since long time.

Am not justifying her collegues, nor blaming, but is none of her business and telling wives by email what they did is simply pathetic.

Or maybe the lady needed a f@ck and she got a big no.

I hate to admit it, but we women can act incredibly stupid when we want.

Also the old man from Texas is part of the gang

2005-04-08T18:59:00.000+02:00

Am talking of Jack for who's familiar with that trouble maker, and the gang of bloggers has a new member whoa.
Checking my stats i noticed his visit and went to see what he's doing: neat and simple technically, well organised, and not only about politics but there's a bit of everything.
Enjoy:

Jack new crime

Scaring jokes

2005-04-07T01:15:00.000+02:00

Rome - Italy's leading news agency has denied reporting that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden would attend Pope John Paul II's funeral on Friday after a story attributed to it circulated widely on the Internet."Some people just won't stop even at a time of mourning for the pope: among the deluge of false emails, viruses and spam, a false item attributed to Ansa is circulating about Osama bin Laden attending the funeral of John Paul II," the Ansa agency said.In a dispatch issued late on Tuesday, Ansa noted that the prankster, who specified bin Laden would be flying to Rome from Pakistan, had accurately imitated the agency's sign-off style - a series of letters and numbers at the end of every item.The Saudi-born bin Laden, whose al-Qaeda militant group is blamed by United States authorities for the September 11, 2001 attacks on American cities, is thought to be hiding on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Q&A

2005-04-07T00:50:00.000+02:00

Kindly stop few seconds and answer the questions (inspired by Warda )

1) Who are you?

2) How long have you known me?

3) When, where, how did we meet?

4) Describe me in one word.

5) What's your best memory of me?

6) How well do you think you know me?

7) How well do you think i know you?

8) What was your first impression about me?

9) When was the last time you saw me?

10) Do you find me attractive?

11) Am i easy to talk to?

12) Do you love me?

13) Do you miss me?

14) Who would play me in a movie?

15) What song would you dedicate to me?

16) How long do you think we'll be friends?

17) Ever wanted to tell me something but couldn't?

18) Are you gonna post this in a blog so i can fill it out about you?

I hate

2005-04-07T00:10:00.000+02:00

I am a human being
probably a bad one
I have feelings
probably bad ones too
I have a heart
half white half black
I have thoughts
some good some bad
Hate is a feeling like another
just the opposite of love
same intensity

I hate people with double face
i hate stupid people
i hate people who shoot you with a smile
i hate brainwashed people
i hate arrogant people
i hate overconfident people
i hate i hate i hate...

HEY YOU FEMALE POLI MODERATOR
am talking about you sweety
I HATE YOU SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU ARE ON THIS EARTH
ops forgot GO N F@CK YOURSELF

My parallel lives

2005-04-06T11:25:00.000+02:00

While having breakfast this morning, was reading Calkoon's reviews on omani blogs and noticed that he stopped by my revert's story while skipped this blog, saying that if people wanted to know about my parallel life well they could visit this.
Probably tired, or probably this blog is not very omani, not my business to comment his work but his words woke up my meditations: when i decided that i wanted to blog some months ago, was just cause many did and cause most of the arguments in which am interested, are not interesting for others so useless to post in a forum if no one reads or if a moderator moves it or deletes. Writing a blog gives me the chance to say whatever i want about anything and even if i make it public i don't expect it to be a big hit like some i have on my list of favourites but any visit or comment is welcome.
Back to my first blog, it was a confused storm of thoughts, reviews, news, which i myself found awful after some time and decided to delete.
So i thought to start another, but not just one, multiples since my fields of interests are various, from politics to gossips to religion to poetry to personal life and so on but when i started to make a scheme i realised that they would be at least 10 and for sure i'd leave them after a couple of posts.
In the end i decided to keep at least a separation between that in which i wanted to talk about my story of Muslim revert and another in which i'd write anything coming to my mind by observing the world i live in, my parallel life to cut it short as Calk said.
Now what i'd like to know from myself, is it really a parallel life and do i have just one or more? Or is just a fragmentary of the ego that each one of us has?
The answer maybe stays in the second question: re-reading some of the posts i wrote in this blog, i don't see it as parallel to the other but just complementary, sometimes in opposition but i never claimed to have a perfect life nor i think i'll ever have and want, cause the purpose of this earthly life is the continuous research without getting an exact answer, just a mix of possible answers and this is the natural course of human sphere according to my view: if tomorrow i find the answer to each single pain and doubt which consume my soul then my road would be at its end.
Judge Giovanni Falcone, talking about mafia before being massacred, used to say "all human things have a start and an end": personally for now i started and am walking on my way, dunno when the end comes, is not in my power, but i know that am not living parallel lives, simply a rainbow of emotions, facts, issues, are living in me, sometimes in harmony, most of times fighting, but they are all part of one: Balqis, the italian queen

Cheap comments, cheap people

2005-04-04T14:20:00.000+02:00

The successor will be Cardinal Tettamanzi, a sort of bring home
As Muslim i cannot bless the soul of a christian, cause it would contradict my belief

In my other blog Calkoon said "don't judge Islam by Muslims"
Am not judging any, not the religion nor those who practice, just observing how much of evil these guys like the above i quoted, are doing to their religion and to themselves plus they consider themselves as deities.
That's why i wrote "This is not my Islam"

Totus Tuus

2005-04-04T12:01:00.000+02:00

Now i assume that people will find this pic posted by a Muslim, a reverted, quite strange and exaggerated.
And i admit that i felt somehow guilty when i found myself crying like a baby the first time they gave news on tv that his situation was about to worsen.
It was two days of media bombing us with the history of his pontificate, images, speeches, memories of those who met him.
Til now i don't think i ever understood how to cope with this half life lived as christian and this other as Muslim: i've always thought that the concept of rebirth after embracing Islam should have deleted my past entirely.
I was wrong and this death made me finally understand it: re-living my past belief through the words of the Pope helped me to find points of contact and points of difference. And the points of contact built my path towards Islam, i feel like i've lived two lives, and the fact that this is my second one doesn't mean the previous is nullified: is all part of a same road.
I'm a lucky person, or better God blessed me really.
I met the Pope just once during one of his tours around Italy: he came to Bologna, my uni town, and it was a working day plus rainy also, and add that Bologna is communist by tradition, so there were not many people that morning.
I was guest of a college of nuns at that time and they told us that they'd go at least 3 hours before to pick the first row but we girls were too lazy so we went later.
Not a big deal cause as i said that morning the main square was not really full, and that was a shame for a town like Bologna to welcome the Pope, used to thousands of people but he was a strong man, such a thing would never discourage him.
Started talking, as always interrupting serious issues with humorous things, don't remember exactly but i think he made fun of the rain which came with few drops, and pigeons flying in the sky.
It took some days to write this but now i feel better and encouraged to live my life as best as i can and know i must do.

Time for MoOm

2005-03-31T01:09:00.000+02:00

As the nytimes critic observed, the era of Museum of Modern Art has almost ended and that of Online art has just started.
The Museum of Online Museums contains a huge list of exhibitions online and not: a bit of everything.
Good or bad?
As stated several times, art for me must be spread as much as possible, cause is food for soul and which better way than the net?
Purists will disagree maybe, but they're just a bunch of mass haters.

The Boss is back

2005-03-29T00:25:00.000+02:00

Never liked his music, apart the same old hits, anyway his dual disc will be available in all shops on the 26th of April.
For today the first single can be listened on AOL music.
Nothing special, my humble opinion, ballad atmosphere, same themes lyrics, no band.
In the end will be a super hit as always.

Devils&Dust

Friends Without A Face

2005-03-28T17:33:00.000+02:00

Reading a comment left from Masquerade, i remembered this poem which was a famous email forward some years ago, and its words very true and nice.
I was lucky anyway, met many of the people i chatted or interacted with, online: some were same as i imagined, some others just fake, many didn't want to meet up or just invented excuses. Most of them, though showing their face, didn't show their true one.
Hope to keep on meeting them while travelling, there are some, very dear to me, i'd like to, we'll see, who knows...

I’ve heard of many friendships,
That are all so very fine,
But none over ride the ones I’ve found,
Especially the ones on line.

The people that have never seen me
But I always know are there,
I just have to touch the buttons on my PC
And see how much they care.

How much they bring sunshine,
Into this dreary little place,
All these friends of mine,
All without a face.

I don’t know what a lot of them look like,
I don’t think I really care,
As long as I turn on my PC
And know that all of you are there!

While listening to...I just keep loving her

2005-03-28T14:55:00.000+02:00

1 thing that people should know about me is that...i don't have 100 things that they should know about me.
Or maybe i have, and find difficult or useless to write them down: don't i know maself ? Am i that arrogant ? No, just tired to explain myself to others.
Am here, come and ask if you're so interested, or leave me alone if not.
Remember some years ago, talking with the husband of a dear friend, old army general, he complained that my love life was a disaster and it was bad to waste feelings both for me and for those who couldn't benefit of my love: i listened to him as always, am a few words person, prefer to listen, and he said smiling " the secret is all in your eyes, you don't talk but meditate a lot: one day you'll find your love, a man who'll deeply fall in love with you and will try to understand what's behind your enigmatic eyes and...maybe he'll never succeed in catching your secret"

and luv also Women be wise, Bonnie Raitt

Dubai-Ascot

2005-03-27T00:40:00.000+01:00

With due respect to H.R.H. Prince Muhammed, who's doing a great job for Emirates economy and international relations, but when i see such trash, i prefer Oman billion times.

One of Mario Luzi latest poems

2005-03-26T11:24:00.000+01:00

Il sonno e la donna

Dorme e sente nel suo sangue notturno
transitare il tempo, le ere,
facimento e sfacimento,
del mondo, creato e increato,
sente un dolore insensato
per se' non esistente,
ma ecco, d'improvviso
lei è, le è fatta
grazia e croce,
di un attimo,
di se'.
Per un attimo lei è,
oh gloria,
oh sgomento.
Lei è, figlia
di che sterminio
di tempi, casi,
eventi, genitrice
di quante infinita',
ha e non ha
il destro a domandarlo.
S'acquatta, e' portata via, si perde,
nella sua santa nullita'-
lei dorme.
Sa e non sa.

The sleep and the woman

She sleeps and feels in her nocturnal blood,
time, eras flowing,
causing and uncausing
of the world, created and uncreated,
she feels a senseless pain,
not really existing by itself,
but now, all of a sudden,
she is,
she becomes
a moment of grace and pain for herself.
For a moment she is,
oh glory,
oh discouragement.
She is,
daughter of which massacre
of times, coincidences,
events, mother
of which infinities,
she has and she doesn't have,
the chance to question.
She crouches, taken away,
lost in her sacred nullity-
she's sleeping.
She knows and doesn't know.

translated by Balqis De Cesare

Elaine rocks

2005-03-25T00:20:00.000+01:00

Knowing her boring hubby i wonder how she's so energetic and cool lady, but opposites attract so they say, infact my luv is an artist too, a poet, but with a completely different attitude: according to him, his poetry should be kept closed and secret somewhere far from public eyes.
And infact is his life, i can't complain.
Back to El, i luved her works when i saw them on one of those sites cured from mr.LeBlanc and now reading this interview, admire her will to work on a community project.

Interview

Her art

Texas Artists Museum Society

A salary gone with the wind

2005-03-23T11:42:00.000+01:00

Had planned my departure from here on 27, destination Dubai for few days of deserved relax and then Muscat to start working on my new projects.
Had planned cause had been told documents to sign in front of our legal staff would be ready for this week.
Had planned cause i have faith that people are smart and fast like me.
I had planned wrong, infact it will take more time, 2 or 3 weeks hopefully.
Planned travel, flights, hotels, drivers, and confirmed through travel agency for a total amount of 6500 euros.
Un-planning will cost me a penalty.
Wanna know how much? Ok will tell you: just 3160 euros, which translated in terms of my working life, is one month salary.
Am i angry? Yes and no, but nothing to do, just take a chill pill and be cautious for the future.
Lesson of the week: never plan anything, nor count on anybody but yourself.

What mobile users want...

2005-03-20T15:10:00.000+01:00

Mobile phone users around the world spent $400 million on pornographic pictures and video in 2004, an amount that is expected to rise to $5 billion by 2010, despite the tiny screen sizes, a survey found on Thursday.

The adult entertainment sector was one of the first media industries to take advantage of the World Wide Web, and its customers were the among the first to get high-speed Internet access for downloading X-rated films.
In mobile communications, however, pornography might not do as well as on the fixed-line Internet, because the screens are small and download prices charged by telecoms operators are high, research group Strategy Analytics said in a report.
"In 2010 we estimate that expenditure on mobile adult content will represent just 5 percent of total end-user spend on mobile content services," said analyst Nitesh Patel.
"We expect services that are built around sports, music and media to perform better, because they appeal to a wider audience of users," he added. In addition, there is value in offering news bulletins or a recently scored goal on a mobile screen.
Still, the $5 billion in porn revenues by 2010 is $4 billion more than Strategy Analytics had forecast until recently. It has upgraded its estimates, because adult entertainment businesses are aggressively building services, and customers are buying.

Now my question is: if with one hand, or with both, and in the traffic, what....

Strategy Analytics

Happy Holi to my indian friends

2005-03-20T00:42:00.000+01:00

Originally, Holi was a festival to celebrate good harvests and fertility of the land. There are many legends concerning the origin of this spring festival. The most popular among these concerns Prince Prahlad, the god-fearing son of the evil King Hiranyakashyapa. Prahlad did not give up worshipping the god Vishnu in spite of fearful persecution by his father and his demon aunt Holika, who was deputed by her brother to kill young Prahlad. Ultimately, when Holika who was immune to death by fire, took Prahlad and entered a blazing furnace built for his destruction, it was the wicked Holika who was burnt to ashes by divine intervention, while Prahlad came out unscathed. Before she died, she realised her follies and begged the boy's forgiveness. As his gesture of forgiveness, Prahlad deemed that her name would be remembered at least one day in the year.

Holi commemorates this event from mythology, and huge bonfires are burnt on the eve of Holi as its symbolic representation.

holi

My friend Keith will be in tears

2005-03-19T15:45:00.000+01:00

Oh well no, he's kinda old and has a cute wife, but like all men, specially at his stage, watching some hot moving butt from time to time definitely is a pleasure innit???
Personally i do not agree with the guy who wants to ban these shows cause i don't think that families going to matches are so shocked by semi-naked dancing gals, is part of the game by now.
And most important: this and other stuff sorrounding sport events in USA, in my opinion, help not to have all the violence going on in our stadiums.
But please don't say this to Blatter, or he'll say that a dancing a$$ is blasphemous lol.

Cheerleaders and band majorettes in Texas could soon be barred from performing bump-and-grind routines in an effort to make Friday night football games more "family friendly".

A bill to bar "sexually oriented" performances is working its way through the state legislature.

Representative Al Edwards of Houston proposed last week to bar such performances during sporting events at Texas high schools, middle schools and elementary schools.

"The way they're moving their bodies, it's not twirling or doing the splits," he said.

"Those majorettes are doing things that are sexual.

"The legislation said we don't want to see that any more or we might cut your funding later."

Mr Edwards says the sexually suggestive routines send the wrong message to teenagers.

Article

Neo is in good mood

2005-03-17T16:10:00.000+01:00

Not something so important to publish on Times of Oman or on the Observer but is good news after all cause, though i don't know him well, a person in bad mood is always a pain in the a$$, so they say.
The funny thing of our short conversation this morning, is that when i asked him "how's things", he answered he was happy cause he was in good mood and he associated this wonderful state of mind to the fact that he's enjoying a lot The Sopranos .
What really amazed me is that a person admits to be moody: usually people who know me superficially, accuse me to be gloomy or moody, without being worried to investigate more or without trying to be closer to me to understand who i really am and i always strongly deny this fact.
They just see switches of moods as a being happy now and going crazy through weird outbursts after five minutes. Is not so simple nor very complicate: is just that life brings you in front of a series of events and people all different one from another and all of a sudden. I don't scream like crazy cause of nothing but cause the situation requires it and i don't become so sweet cause am moody or girlish but cause is the right behaviour to have in the right moment in the right place.
Obviously sometimes doesn't work so perfectly and the switches are wrong but who's perfect on earth?
The second issue which made me meditate is the tv series stuff: personally never liked much sopranos, but some others, always coming from Fox family , CSI , 24 , Crossing Jordan , Desperate Housewives and so on.
What's the secret of the success of these? Probably, well at least for me, surfing in another world, which apparently is different than ours, but in the reality has many little things in common with our lives, and the secret pleasure, or maybe hope, that we're not alone.

Crazy poet

2005-03-16T01:15:00.000+01:00

Dreaming Mohammed

This is the quick name i had given him some time ago on my Incredimail address book, and still, when i think of him, a smile powders my face, cause definitely he's crazy.
Am talking about my friend Mohammed Al Harthi obviously, the most controversial person i ever knew in my life, after me.
Last night i posted those verses and some other links from Sargon Boulus while surfing within some of my favourites web sites and his face appeared on Kikah , which reminded me that if i know an artist like the iraqi one and many others, well i owe this to my crazy poet, cause with patience and passion he introduced me to the world of soul and to a different world, that of eastern artists, teaching me that there's no wall between east and west, between Todorov and Youssef: what counts is feeling a passion, expressing that passion, be it for a country or for a woman; what really counts in life is having a goal, something to reach, and to dedicate all our efforts to our goal, whether we succeed in the end or not.
The first time i met this cute chubby man was in fall 2002: it was my second visit to Oman and we had a friend in common who introduced me to him in one of those places i hate really while he likes too much, a club, where music and alcohol become your master and probably give you an illusion of freedom from boring reality of sunny hours.
We exchanged few common words of introduction, but doubt he was really interested, just when our friend told him i am a revert he turned his face twice towards me exclaiming "Oh you muslim, you are kidding me right?!?!?"
I explained him i was serious, and he just kept on looking at me as if he had met OBL .
Didn't have the chance to meet him again cause my visit was short that year, wanted to add Salalah to my tour of Oman but when i came back home, i found his personal page on Geocities and read some of his poems, few in english: left a greeting on his Guest Book and kept in touch through email, so i discovered that those poems had been translated by Boulus.
Mohammed is a busy person: you can add him to your messenger or call him by phone or pass to his house, he is always polite, but difficult to talk with him for more than 10 minutes, cause for sure soon someone from the other side of the globe is searching for him, and he's not the type who says no.
You ask him what he's busy with, and he tells you all his stuff: can be a book, a battle, an article, his garden (forgot to ask him if he completed it), anything is good to keep his eyes, tongue, hands, always at work; here we have the stereotype of the arab similar to the italian, lazy and slow: mr. Harthi is not a stereotype at all, trust me.

He feels taller on a jeep in Thailand

I met him in some other occasions during my visits to my adored Sultanate, but the biggest chance i had to spend some good time with him was more than one year ago when he kindly hosted me in his house since i needed to stay more for a private matter, and he moved to his step mother house.
One of the most beautiful memories i have, is that of small trip outside Muscat, in a huge field owned by one of his friends, a heavenly place.
First we went to Seeb to find something to eat, and being Friday we were lucky if found a big fish, some bread and water. Then we moved to this guy villa, and while waiting for him to wake up, we started our lunch: no five start restaurant can give you the pleasure of eating a big yummi fish with your own hands accompaining it with arab bread and Tanuf water.
Obviously Moh must smoke his damn cigarettes but what to do, don't dare to slap his hands to try to stop him.
We started walking through the fields around til we got to a small wooden house: stopped there talking about past, present, future, ours and that of people who sorrounded our life.

Fixing his harem in the desert lol

He's an endless source of food for mind and soul, but sometimes can be also a big pain in the a$$:
remember once we were on his car and all of a sudden he started yelling in arabic at a bearded guy close to us; i asked him what was wrong, and he explained that the man had made a bad manouvre on the street, and since he was one of those stupid preachers who tell to people during
Friday kutbah, what to do and what not to, then his behaviour should be coherent and on straight path in every action of his life.
For sure he had all the reason but wallahi, during those five minutes he had been screaming , i thought the third WW was about to start.
He has lots of friends but when you are a pain in the a$$ then you are also a trouble maker most of times, and infact he had a fight with his friend Abdullah one afternoon, didn't understand much also in that occasion, i was put in the middle of a series of mobile calls, and spanked also from another friend, God only knows what was going on.
So i was not very surprised to know that some months ago he had really exaggerated: said in a live broadcast on Oman tv that there's no freedom of speech in the Sultanate, no freedom at all.
Well he said something all people there know, and have learned to survive with, but obviously saying such a thing in public means being banned from all activities and that is what Ministry of Information did.
As i said in another article i wrote time ago on this blog, the main problem of this wonderful country, is the corruption at high levels, and low too, but particularly those in power, being worried just of stealing money, sooner or later will bring this country to a complete disaster, if not already, and then it will be too late...
Hope Mohammed and guys like him will never give up hope, like many who left the country: regardless of the result, striving for our goals, that is what counts in life.
Thanks for being my friend crazy poet.

Mohammed, Abdullah and their battle against the winds of evil
With Abdullah al Ryami, another great omani talent

The story will be told

2005-03-14T12:06:00.000+01:00

On the highest deck --
in the lowest dump as well --
there's always a storyteller.
The story will be told.
Whose story: mine or yours?
Perhaps . . . his? No matter from whose
point of view, it will
be told: you, making up a story
full of gaps about me.
I, narrating your
tragi-comical tale?
Perhaps, he, the one ignorant
of all our days?
It will be told.
Even the language of metaphor
hoarded like pulp in a giant sponge,
even the secrets of the tribe
hidden in the moth-eaten saddlebags
of time, shall find a haven in words
with a slip from the storyteller's
tongue, a mere stroke of the pen.
So are the tales spun from nothing
for a world that is nothing in the end
but a tale paring its fingernails
like James Joyce's god, waiting to be told.
And though it loses its shine with the passage of days,
yet like a record without a needle, it will recite
what details there are: those worthy
of being recited
to whoever has a pair of ears.

Sargon Boulus

Passion in his words

Other beautiful poems

Translations:
Wadih Sa'adeh
Zaqtan
Darwish

Two willies is really tooooooo much!!!

2005-03-13T11:25:00.000+01:00

A German man who lost his penis in a motorcycle accident ended up getting two new ones. But instead his wife being thrilled about the erotic possibilities, she up and left him.

Michael Gruber loved his bike, until an accident on it eight years ago cost him his manhood, literally. He lost the penis he was born with in the smashup, but thanks to modern science doctors were able to keep him from living the life of a monk.

They reconstructed the organ using a mixture of skin, bone and other tissues from his own body and from all accounts, it was a smashing success. Gruber even fathered a child with his wife, Bianca, using the new appendage.

But Gruber began complaining that the prosthetic was frequently infected and it became almost impossible for he and his wife to have sex. He asked doctors to build him a new one, which they did in a Berlin clinic.

However, doctors left the first reconstruction attached, just to make sure the new one took and was properly supplied with blood. Suddenly, Gruber was the proud owner of two willies. One might think he'd be the envy of every male on the planet.

But when wife Bianca got a look at the duo, she packed her backs and left, taking son Etienne with her.
"I've got two penises, but no wife, but I am hoping when I get rid of the one of the penises I will get her back," Gruber said from his hospital bed.

Personally i'd give it a try, why not?

Running naked on the grass

2005-03-12T23:48:00.000+01:00

Not that am against the idea, am quite an openminded person, too much arab friends think, but what's wrong with being naked: didn't we come to life like this after all?
Well not exactly like this, cause both genders have some organs more developed when grown, but remains the fact that naked is natural innit?
So i don't mind watching nude people, just difficult to have a complete view that what makes me angry.
But what really i don't understand is this phenomena, started many years ago, of persons who feel the need to run across a cricket or soccer field completely naked, and not even completely: as you see in the pic, the guy covers the zeb, too little maybe, or i remember a girl running through a tennis court to show her beauty to Agassi but covering boobs with hands.
Shy people? Looking for glory? Killing time?
Is a weird weird world walla!!!

3 million dollars scare your a$$ and make you choose gaysh pigiama :p

2005-03-11T00:26:00.000+01:00

The real face of Dante

2005-03-08T00:43:00.000+01:00

What you see in the photograph is the earliest confirmed portrait of Dante. Obviously, it is very different from the face that Renaissance iconography in particular has imposed. Restorers have just finished work on it, and on a major fresco cycle discovered on the premises of the Guild of Judges and Notaries in Florence’s Via del Proconsolo, a stone’s throw from the Bargello. But what relationship does this portrait have to the other one painted about 1336-37 by Giotto’s workshop, and discovered in the 19th century, which is itself in the Bargello’s Maddalena chapel? Monica Donato was right when she identified and published the representation 20 years ago, before restoration, along with the facing portrait of Boccaccio.
The documents Donato found confirm that the dark-skinned figure with the long, but not curving, nose is Dante. As Boccaccio wrote in his Short Treatise in Praise of Dante, “His face was long, the nose aquiline, the eyes larger rather than smaller, the jaw massive and the upper lip protruded over the lower”. In short, Dante cannot have been good-looking. Again according to Boccaccio, “his colour was brown, his hair and beard thick, dark and curly, and his expression ever melancholy and pensive”.
To understand why a portrait of Dante should have ended up in the great hall of the Guild of Judges and Notaries in Florence, we have to bear in mind two stories. One regards a cultural programme, born not in the Guild but in the minds of the humanists, that saw Florence as a new Rome. The second story is that of the building, where a sophisticated cycle has come to light and will soon be on view to the public. First of all, let’s consider the site. The premises of the Guild of Judges and Notaries were built or established in the early 14th century next to an 11th-century tower that was incorporated into the new edifice.

...Full article

Just in the name of a flag

2005-03-06T00:15:00.000+01:00

Ok Ok i translate, is a song written from this italian group to honour the memory of all men and women working in police, civil or military, who die in the name of the promise made to their nation and sometimes they die in a cruel way

Am here for the law, or better we're the escort,
i protect an important man, open and close the door of his car,
this job has chosen me, well at least it's a job,
i have a wife and a child, i must think about the future,
til i have a future,
i hear a snatch sound in this saturday night,
rocks and asphalt up in the sky made of red fire and sheet metal,
i don't feel pain, all is happening just in a moment,
but now that future is only a foolish illusion,
and all this for nothing, only in the name of a flag

I know what's good and what's bad,
i can distinguish white from black
and if sometimes i feel afraid
is because i feel like a foreigner
in a country which is watching,
which is part of the conspiracy,
or maybe powerless
and most of times prefers to stay silent
and to keep the head down
Is sad to die for nothing
without a reason,
this way...

i hear a snatch sound in this saturday night
rocks and asphalt up in the sky made of red fire and sheet metal
i don't feel pain all is happening just in a moment
but now that future is just a foolish illusion
and all this for nothing, only in the name of a flag

Car's running fast between the oleanders in the fields
i feel the smell so strong
but it breaks all in those flashes
i cannoth feel the sun rays anymore
feel cold
i wanna touch a soul which caresses sea waves and then goes up
who knows...

Sicilia

Mafia

Falcone, Borsellino and their escorts

Omerta'

Grazie Nicola

2005-03-05T23:46:00.000+01:00

Io sono qui per la legge o meglio noi siamo la scorta proteggo un uomo importante gli apro e chiudo la porta questo mestiere mi ha scelto almeno ho un lavoro sicuro perche' ho una moglie ed un figlio e devo pensare al futuro, almeno finche' ne avro' ... Sento uno strappo di tuono in questo sabato sera sassi ed asfalto nel cielo di fuoco rosso e lamiera non sento male e' un istante ma ora il futuro e' chimera e tutto questo per niente solo per una bandiera ... Conosco il bene ed il male distinguere il bianco dal nero e se ogni tanto ho paura e' perche' mi sento straniero in un paese che guarda che e' complice od impotente che tace e piega la testa e' triste morire per niente, senza motivo, cosi' ... Sento uno strappo di tuono in questo sabato sera sassi ed asfalto nel cielo di fuoco rosso e lamiera non sento male e' un istante ma ora il futuro e' chimera e tutto questo per niente solo per una bandiera ... L'auto cammina veloce fra gli oleandri dei campi l'odore mi arriva forte si spacca tutto in quei lampi sembra che il sole non scaldi ho freddo lo voglio toccare un'anima che va a sfiorare la schiuma delle onde del mare e poi s'innalza e chissa' ...

Mario Luzi died

2005-02-28T23:25:00.000+01:00

La giovane ebrea al suo amato musulmano
C’è una pozza di sangue tra te e me.
Mio Dio, chi l’ha versato?
chiunque sia stato,
caro, è sangue sprecato.
Ma io so che l’amoremio,
se mi aprirai le braccia,
potrà vederlo asciugato.
Vieni, non tardare.

The young hebrew to her beloved Muslim
There's a pond of blood between you and me
My God, who spilled it?
whoever was,
dear, is wasted blood,
But i know that my
love, if you open your arms,
will have the chance to see it dry.
Come, don't be late.

translated by me

Rings of bone

2005-02-28T23:05:00.000+01:00

During that procedure, an extra sliver of bone can be sliced from the jaw to yield bone cells. These cells will be grown on a ring-shaped scaffold structure, which will slowly dissolve as the cells colonise it.
The rough bone circles will then be given to the designers, who will consult with the couple and shape the bone into customised rings. Each partner will give the other the ring grown from their cells.
One possibility is that the rings could be used as wedding bands. "There is nothing in law that states what a wedding ring can or cannot be made of," says a spokesperson for the Office of National Statistics, the body that enforces the UK's marriage guidelines.

Interested couples can apply here

BRB

2005-02-25T00:30:00.000+01:00

Dunno what's wrong these days or maybe i know and hope it will pass soon.
Not that i have fans of this or of my other blog, anyway i just don't feel to write for now.

Another day is over ups and downs

2005-02-19T00:35:00.000+01:00

Started good: i received an email from Gmail, they finally gave me an account; had asked for it almost one year ago, now i have 1000 don't remember what, bytes, kilo, mega.
You'll think: walla how much she writes? Not much nor i receive, but was trendy and all had an account but not me, plus am too proud to ask to those who had invitations, so i waited and i got.
Was reading a blog today, "if it is meant to be for you, it will be sooner or later" now i can say i agree.
Raed is renewing his soul or something, sorry sweety don't remember exactly how you defined your stop phase, anyway cool as usual: normally i don't even realise or stop and think that am going on with my soul, probably cause am going back. Ok we'll wait for him, he's a weirdo like me, but good guy, that's most important.
Before going to sleep, i read M.Jackson zob is black and white during erection, very important as evidence to bring at his trial : i hate the guy, not cause of the paedophile stuff, the world is full of criminals, one more one less doesn't matter, but he refused his niggerity and prefered changing to white. Being ashamed of being black, shame on him.
Duhhh am supposed to wake up for fasting after few hours, good nite all.

ps: i don't think he can have an erection?!?!?!?

Don't drive drunk

2005-02-17T12:37:00.000+01:00

Always liked this breath test it happens to be seen in police american movies and hoped one day it would become obligatory also in Italy though browsing the net i just discovered that the individual has the right to refuse .
Driving drunk is a great danger for the person him/herself but for others above all so i think such a check is a positive thing: this story might sound funny though useful to meditate on the importance of making appropriate laws using technicians and not politicians and on how easy one can go close to addiction.
Alcohol contained in Listerine is about 20% and its presence after 3 glasses was revealed from a simple breathalyzer.
There are many other mouthwash without alcohol anyway, my favourite is Meridol .

Giuliana still alive

2005-02-16T17:05:00.000+01:00

Appeared on a video, almost crying, asking for all troops to be retired cause her life depends on that.
In the second part she directly called on her life partner, reminding him of her articles and photos always against occupation.
Family was shocked, we all watching the video were, secret services said is a positive thing.
Inshallah.

Video

A strange allergy

2005-02-16T11:30:00.000+01:00

One morning Mr Baines, 26, woke up with large red blotches all over his chest and arm. At first the accounts manager dismissed it as a bad reaction to a shower gel.
After changing detergents, deodorants, moisturisers, shower gel and soap, Mr Baines went to his GP - only to be told he was allergic to his girlfriend. It is thought that his skin has a sensitive reaction to the monthly change in Cloe's hormones.

Really weird thing, i knew about being allergic to some clothes components, plants, cats but this very strange. Curious to know when they find a scientific explanation.
In the meanwhile i liked the guy reaction, so sweet:

'But Matt is really down to earth and he just laughed it off.
'He says,"I've got to go out with friends because I'm allergic to you".'

Full story
Allergies

That's why i luv ketchup

2005-02-14T11:07:00.000+01:00

Stockholm - A Swedish woman said on Sunday that she had found a penis in a bottle of ketchup.Viktoria Ed said she was lucky enough to discover the organ before putting the sauce on her bread rolls, unlike her husband Stefan and their children, Madeleine and Simon."It looked like a penis, of an adult if it's human, and medium sized," she said."It's disgusting. The top of the bottle was intact, as if it had just left the factory. We would like to know how this thing ended up in a ketchup bottle."The Godegaarden brand ketchup was made in Turkey and distributed in Sweden by the company Axfood. The shop where the ketchup was bought on Friday has thrown out the rest of its stock."I will never buy this brand again, it's finished," vowed Ed.Police have taken the object for analysis.

AFP

Many many many moons ago

2005-02-13T16:02:00.000+01:00

The Queen is on her throne

Nonna Maria

Under the sun with mamma

Papa' girl

Selling bodies

2005-02-13T10:00:00.000+01:00

Is something going on since many years now and everywhere but reading this story got me really pissed off:

DURING 15 years of confinement in psychiatric institutions in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, Dimitri Gerasimenko was starved and repeatedly beaten. The indignities did not end with his death five years ago at the age of 30.
Staff at the ramshackle asylum 50 miles from Bishkek, the capital, have never told his mother Raisa, 65, how he died. All her attempts to retrieve his remains have been met with prevarication, compounding her grief.
NI_MPU('middle');
“First I was asked for money if I wanted the body back,” she said. “Then I was told Dimitri had been sent to a medical academy. When I went there I was shown a forged document that claimed I and my husband, who had already passed away, did not want our son’s remains. I was promised his bones, at least, but to this day I am still waiting. The truth is that they stole his corpse.”

Full article

70 romantic ways to have fun

2005-02-13T00:35:00.000+01:00

On rainy days
1. Clear out the garage, attic, cupboards or wardrobes* - it really doesn't matter as long as you do it together.
2. Go charity shopping. While away the hours browsing for books, CDs, games, retro clothing, bric-a-brac. You could try a carboot sale or trawl round some antique shops.
3. Get some exercise. Go swimming or ice skating, or enjoy a walk in the rain.
4. Enjoy a movie marathon.* Visit the video shop, stack up on snacks and spend the day being film critics. And if you're stuck for inspiration, take a look at bbc.co.uk/films to find out which new releases should be top of your list!
5. Visit an art gallery. Take a look at our what's on guide to choose an exhibition in your area.
6. Step back in time and visit a museum. Many of the buildings themselves deserve a look and you never know you might learn something at the same time!
7. Improve your memory. Try our online memory test then spend the day testing each other's powers of recall.
8. Discover yourself. Bookshops and the internet offer a wealth of personal-profiling tools, which can help you find out your personality type, your IQ or your relationship style.
9. Make something,* such as a coffee table, some shelves, a bird table, pottery dishes, vases, face sculpture, candles or soap. Craft shops are full of ideas. Check out the Blue Peter archive for some ideas to take you back to your childhood!
10. Go to the football or rugby.* Even if you're not into the sport, you'll find the atmosphere electric. Especially if your team is playing their arch rivals! Take a look at the fixture list before you go.
11. Have an evening of pick'n'mix. Take a look at the TV listings and create a night of entertainment.
On sunny days
12. Go for a stroll* - anywhere you like.
13. Take a hike. Find a nice big hill and see who can fall into an exhausted heap at the top first.
14. Go for a bike ride.* Like walking, cycling can be energetic or gentle - it's up to you. But either way it's sure to give your health a boost!
15. Hire a boat. Choose from an energetic canoe ride, a romantic row down the river or a leisurely cruise on a motor boat.
16. Visit the park.* Spend the day on the swings or play a game of tennis. If you're really adventurous, you could even try out your skateboarding skills on the half-pipe.
17. Take to horseback. Look in your local directory for places that offer riding lessons (you may need to book in advance). Or better still, along a beautiful beach!
18. Be risky. Try some exptreme sports - skydiving, rock climbing, potholing, ballooning, motor racing... the list is endless. (You'll definitely need to book ahead, though.)
19. Visit a stately home.* You might even get some inspiration for your own love nest!
20. Obey your animal instincts by visiting a zoo or farm.* Relax as you wander round the park. And if you don't like spiders you can always go and talk to the monkeys!.
21. Remember the picnic.* To make all the above even more enjoyable, don't forget to pack some gorgeous food and wine. Let BBC Food help you choose the perfect tipple!
At the weekend
22. Walk this way - the Pennine Way, the Cotswold Way, the South Downs Way, the Milky Way...
23. Go youth hostelling.* There are more than 100 youth hostels around the UK catering for individuals, couples and families - and they're cheap. And believe it or not there is one five-star hostel in the UK. Can you guess where?
24. Take a city break. Look at UK options as well as those in Europe and the US.
25. Book a themed weekend break. There are plenty of options, from murder mystery tours to salsa dancing to yoga.
26. Go camping,* either in your own back garden or at one of the hundreds of specialised sites around the country. Staying put will give your children the chance to learn more about their surroundings...
27. Visit friends or relatives.* Take the chance to spend time with people in another part of the country. If they can't put you up for the night, book into a B&B.
28. Indulge and pamper yourself at a health farm.
29. Pick any room in your house and give it a complete makeover.
30. Spring clean the house or give your garden a serious sort out. Make sure you take regular breaks and treat yourself to a delicious takeaway or meal out in the evening.
When the children are in bed
31. Play games, whether they're board games, computer games, card games or naughty games...
32. Work your mind with brain-teasers, jigsaw puzzles, crosswords or quiz books. See how your IQ rates against the rest of the nation!
33. Pamper each other. Give your partner a massage, manicure and pedicure. We all need a little pampering sometimes!
34. Rent a film to suit your mood, be it a comedy, weepy, romance or horror movie.
35. Star gaze. Lie in the garden and see if you can name the constellations.
36. Have a blind food tasting.
37. Enjoy a romantic dinner for two: light those candles, put on some soft music and get out the posh crockery. As if you needed an excuse to indulge!
38. Have a picnic in the garden.
39. Put on a themed evening. Try a little Eastern promise or a sushi night.
40. Drag out the duvet, make two cups of hot chocolate and snuggle up on the sofa or in front of the fire.
41. Read the same book and compare notes. If you're stuck for inspiration, why not see what everyone else is reading?
42. Dig out the photos and enjoy a night of nostalgia. Or if you want to get more involved, why not take some of your own portraits? You could be the next icon!
43. Try a new recipe together. Have a go at Thai, Indian, Greek - whatever tickles your taste buds.
44. Learn a language. With a BBC language course you can be confident in no time!
45. Go internet shopping.Why not treat each other to a surprise? Buy online and then wait for it to arrive!
46. Compose something: a poem, a story or - if you're feeling musical - a song.
For an evening out
47. Go to the theatre. It could be the Palladium or, if the budget's tight, your local am-dram group. Find out what's near you or pack your overnight bag and make a weekend of it!
48. Get some exercise. Go swimming or to the gym, or play a game of badminton or squash.
49. Have an evening of ten-pin bowling.* Or join your local bowling club. Many are opening their doors to a wider range of participants!
50. Attend a concert. Try something different, such as jazz, classical or rock.
51. Go to the dogs* - but agree before you go how much you're willing to lose in bets.
52. Enjoy a few drinks at your local pub, and keep a look out for quiz nights and local bands. They say music is the food of love!
53. Join an evening class. There's a huge range available, from poetry and dancing, to local history, cooking and wine tasting.
54. Have a leisurely dinner. Whether it's cheap and cheerful or top-class nosh, enjoy the chance for uninterrupted conversation.
55. Go to the cinema. Slip into the back row and enjoy the latest blockbuster. Find out what's on in your area.
When you've only got an hour to spare
56. Have a fight* - with balloons or pillows rather than words. Or if you're worried to be more loving, why not indulge in some sensual touching...
57. Have a bath with oodles of bubbles.
58. Eat in bed, whether it's breakfast time or not. Make it all the more special by preparing an aphrodisiac meal!
59. Use your limited time to plan what you'll do when you have a whole evening to yourselves.
60. Start researching your family tree, then add to it every time you have an hour to spare.
61. Bake a cake* or anything you'll enjoy eating together.
62. Do a fitness video together, whether it's aerobics, Pilates or yoga.
63. Do an online quiz - bbc.co.uk/games is full of them.
Romantic gestures
64. Say "I love you"
65. Give each other a hug
66. Leave a love note, in a briefcase or on the TV screen. Or request a love song on the radio.
67. Blow a kiss - or just start flirting outrageously!
68. Give flowers.
69. Keep in touch. When you're apart, send a text or email, or pick up the phone.
70. Write "I love you" in lipstick on the mirror or in glow-in-the-dark chalk on the front wall.
* Child-compatible activities (depending on the age of the child)

BBC relationships

To all those celebrating love on Valentine day

2005-02-12T15:21:00.000+01:00

In Napoli where love is king
When boy meets girl here's what they say

When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore

When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore
Lucky fella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore,
That's amore

Dean Martin

News in pictures

2005-02-12T11:25:00.000+01:00

Cuban drag queens

As every year, there was a competition and, as usual, the winner was the one who captured the most peculiar expression of a big event, and was a pic of Tsunami if am not mistaken.
My favourite intead, was this shot taken from Marcello Bonfanti, in the Stories section: gesture, hands, skin, black on black, this what gives me a feeling between magic and tragic.
Telling the news with photos is like when you can get a person from her eyes, no need for billions words, a shot to the heart says everything.

World Press Photo

Oman future

2005-02-11T23:30:00.000+01:00

Is very common these days to talk about this issue:
who'll be the next Sultan, how to relaunch economy, is Imamate a way and so on.
Easy to find people in the bars or in little circles to think and debate about Oman future not only at an international level, worried about US next moves, but also at a more internal one, worried about the earthquake that Sultan Qaboos succession might take cause.
Is not my task here to talk about this since am not very familiar with the Sultanate internal affairs, and i mean not those which can be read on press, few to tell the truth, but those happening in the big buildings and spread about the population, but some points of H.M. speech during his annual tour, Shinas in this case, rang an alert bell:

1 Young people must be committed to their work and to their duty, whether in Oman or abroad, cause they must learn how to deal with a future of uncertainty. Tomorrow they might not easily find a job.
2 The importance of family in teaching them this value is great, same as is very important to understand that is not possible anymore to have such big families as before. To expand family beyond its limits would not be a benefit at all.
3 Most important duty is supporting the private sector giving priority to the national product, without forgetting the importance of liberal market.
4 Sohar port will soon become great source of work for young Omanis.
5 Unemployement is an odd word, better using "job seekers".

Will start my comment from this last point which can sound funny to the majority but is not: the young Omani, in my opinion, is partly lazy, partly discouraged on how things are going though the omanisation policy efforts; these young people need to understand that is time to move up and start taking the useful things from western world, not only fashion or movies, they must start to think and to act with more vigor, enthusiasm and versatility.
The dream of a country, pearl of the Middle East has ended since long time: baba Qaboos gave them the means, now is time to quit to put their hope just on wasta and start to make their revolution, same as the Sultan did. So is better to be "seekers" rather than "un-".
I liked the part about privileging national product specially when people go to supermarket or buy dresses, but at the same time he's desperately trying to attract foreign investors to play an active role in the liberal market so i don't see how these two can match.
Preparing youngsters to the eventuality of a life abroad cause of work: this has started, and honestly omanisation has not given concrete results yet, but starting to give people the idea not to build big families, which already happens nowadays, well this really surprised me.

This man accomplished many goals for his country, no wonder that the majority adores him, but this same majority sees the limits and the failures of some policies and attitudes: no freedom of expressing what they think, having first enclosed his power totally in his hands, and then given slowly slowly to his collaborators who just think of their own benefits, lost touch with reality of his country.
He should take power back like good old times and work for his people, getting rid of those useless crows fond of power and money. He should do all this before the succession, whose time will come inshallah after 10 or 20 years, but being in a era of passage for the whole ME, is time to change within each country first, and this can be done only by baba Qaboos.

Killed one more time

2005-02-10T17:59:00.000+01:00

Her story is that of a little girl, walking through the gardens happened to enter in a game bigger than she could ever have imaged.
She went out from her fairy tale soon, too soon maybe.
Lots of enemies and dragons were around and she tried to fight them with all her strength and courage, but once decided she had to go out of the games, then the train of her life suddenly stopped .
Her story is the story of each one of us: sometimes the dragons win, some other time we win, that what they call life.

2005-02-09T00:50:00.000+01:00

LET PEACE FREE

Some search for the truth.
Few tell the truth.
Truth needs voices like hers.
Let peace free.

Kidnapped

2005-02-09T00:46:00.000+01:00

ألعراق, إطلقوا سراح ألإيطالية جوليانا
نتوجه للرجال ألدين إحتجزوا زميلتنا جوليانا سكرينا لكي نطلب منهم إطلاق سراحها ليس فقط لكون دلك فعل كريم و متمثل بالرحمة لكن جوليانا كانت دائما صحفية دافعت عن ألسلام و بالنتيجة كانت حليفة طبيعية للشعب ألعراقى.إن مقالاتها على صحف جريدتنا أبدت دائما معاداتها لحرب ألإحتلال ألممارسة من قبل ألولايات ألمتحدة ألإمريكية و قوى ألتحالف ألعالمية ألتى ساندت هده ألحرب.إن سجنها و معاملتها بالسوء تعنى إيقاع ألضرر ألشديد لقضية ألعراق و ألعراقين فى أعين ألمعمورة و تعطى ألفرصة لمن يدافع عن ضرورة " تصديرألديمقراطية و ألحرية" للعالم ألعربي و ألإسلامى بالمحراب .إن جريدتنا لا تؤمن و لن تؤمن أبدا بهدا الطرح، إن "ألمانيفيستو" جريدة مستقلة و محبة للسلام و قد وقفت بقوة ضد "ألحرب ألوقائية" لبوش.من خلال عيون جوليانا شاهدنا و نشاهد معانات أبناء ألعراق تحت ألإحتلال و بالخصوص معانات أطفاله، نساءه. إنها بالفعل لمهمة صعبة فى ظل جنون الحرب ألدى يبدو كونه إستملك ألعالم. لكن لو إنطوت قضية جوليانا لمنعطف سلبى لغدت مهمتنا أكثر صعوبتا.و ألعراق سيبقى لوحده أكثر مما هو عليه أليوم.إستعجلوا بإطلاق سراح جوليانا سكرينا، نترجاكم بإسم ألشعب ألعراقى ألدى تريدون ألدفاع غنه.إطلقوا سراح واحده من ألأصوات الحرة بوصف ألواقع ألعراقى كما هو عليه .. الا هو مقاومة كل

Video and other infos in arabic

Afraid of Being Alone

2005-02-06T23:59:00.000+01:00

First times you start thinking time is decreasing and chances to remain alone are increasing, you go panic.
Then you try to find how life can be beautiful in other ways.
Then you learn to live with it, sometimes ghosts and tears come back, but everything passes, also loneliness feelings.

personal small meditation inspired by Enigma thread in Sabla

Zoya and the others

2005-02-04T16:55:00.000+01:00

As you can see in the pictures we had a tough week here, full of snow and no electricity for almost four days; before light came back i started going psyco really, too cold.
Then yesterday when finally we could go out, i went and bought some books: the first i started was the story of an Afghan girl, Zoya, born during the russian occupation in a very strong and openminded family.
Already watched some movies and documentaries about the situation post taliban, and read on net how life was, and still is, during their terror ruling period but a book is different: with a book you have time and pleasure to stop and think, to read again, to deeply meditate on how this world is hard sometimes.
Describing her childhood, Zoya told about afghan winters, when the whole family had just a lamp as only mean to get warmer: at night they sat down around this light pointing feet to it, then started sleeping, then woke up to turn their bodies, then slept again til morning, not really a wonderful picture.
While reading i felt really ashamed of myself and of how much i had complained and screamed against all and everything, just for 36 hours without termo, while there are people out there who are suffering for real.

Afghan women courage

Mobiles for pets

2005-02-01T23:59:00.000+01:00

Personally am pro-modernity, pro-technology, pro-anything new, to cut it short.
The problem is post, i mean with how it is used later from human beings, those same beings who create the monsters.
The only useful feature i see in this mob done appositively for dogs and similars, is the chip functionality, in case they get lost. All the rest, staying always with them through voice contact, honestly is quite annoying.
See pet therapy or trained dogs are good stuff, but when egoism prevails then is a big damage for both.

Pets mobility

2005-01-31T21:41:00.000+01:00

Zagor all ears to keep things under control :p

2005-01-31T21:40:00.000+01:00

No road, no customers, no work yayyy

2005-01-31T21:38:00.000+01:00

Neither for my father's car lol

2005-01-31T21:36:00.000+01:00

Not for this poor tree :/

2005-01-31T21:35:00.000+01:00

Good morning?!?

My beautiful Oman

2005-01-29T11:36:00.000+01:00

My first long distance travel was there, in the Sultanate of Oman, though it was not my real target: i had saved some money from salaries plus my sister was about to buy a house so my parents gave her some money to help and same amount to me to be fair.
It was a couple of years i was in contact with Arab people through chat and i was fascinated day after day so when i had to chose my destination, rather than the ordinary ones where Italians go like Egypt, Tunisia, etc., my aim was to visit Yemen, the cradle of Arab culture: unfortunately, or maybe lucky coincidence, due to dangers, travel agencies require two or four people at least to go cause is not very safe. Being impossible for me cause have no friends nor i like to join strangers, i was tempted to go to UAE, famous place to go, but the idea i had of it, at least of Dubai, is that of a eastern London or New York, exactly what i was escaping from.
So i chose what was in between: unknown Oman. Am not the type who moves a lot in general, specially in vacation, so i chose to stay for a week just in the capital, Muscat and i must say i really enjoyed. It was October 2001, Afghan war in full action, and while watching tv, parents started asking me to change, but am stubborn what to do, no way, i wanted to go there.
I was amazed from the place, so calm and safe, the people, so warm and friendly: their attitude really went straight to my heart and i decided that i'd be back, didn't know how cause hotels were expensive but was worth for sure.
In spring 2002 anyway, decided to visit another gulf country to know more but definitely it was not like Oman, kinda boring: Bahrain is a business oriented country, probably didn't go much out of my hotel and that's why i didn't like it at all. But i went back to Oman in late summer: this time i added some days in Salalah, the second major city, and i felt a totally different taste.
Have a friend there, a doctor, and he was so nice: in his free time he drove me around showing me how much more natural and less contaminated was from Muscat, less banks, hotels, more plants, more nature, mountains near.
Now this will sound funny but still remember the joy to eat a banana taken in loco and not in shop. He took me to his village in his mother's house: i knew this is not very common, yes omanis are very friendly, but rarely a married man, brings you to visit his village of origin.
The two ladies observed me, expressed their happiness in knowing that i had reverted, the mother focused on the fact that the sooner i'd cover the better it would be, then she started talking to her son and daughter: dunno what she was saying, but was amazing how they both, grown up and independent, listened to her without complaining nor interrupting, simply remained quiet.
At the end my friend told me that the ladies wanted to give me a gift, the dhofari dress, so they started dressing me, put natural perfume on my face and hands and you can see the result in the pictures. Still i have the dress with me, the mask and the perfume, i know how precious they are and was so moved from that gesture.
Another place i enjoyed with friends, is a village in the northern, Shenas, a taste of desert: we went there to spend a night in the valley, they use to do it in weekends some time, i luved staying with them but around 2am, i made clear that i had no intention to sleep under the moon, so they brought me to a house and stayed there til the morning after when they came back for brunch.
I don't know why, but is in my blood, i belong to Oman.

2005-01-29T01:05:00.000+01:00

Simply happy guest of some friends in a village near Salalah

2005-01-29T01:02:00.000+01:00

In Talibania???

2005-01-29T01:00:00.000+01:00

Secret admirer

2005-01-29T00:58:00.000+01:00

Magic Salalah

2005-01-29T00:55:00.000+01:00

In between the mountains and the sky

2005-01-29T00:52:00.000+01:00

Omani dream

Walking Away

2005-01-27T21:48:00.000+01:00

I’m walking away from the troubles in my life
I’m walking away oh to find a better day
I’m walking away from the troubles in my life
I’m walking away oh to find a better day
I’m walking away

Sometimes some people get me wrong
When it’s something I’ve said or done
Sometimes you feel there is no fun
That’s why you turn and run
But now I truly realise
Some people don’t wanna compromise
Well I saw them with my own eyes spreading those lies
And well I don’t wanna live my life too many sleepless nights
Not mentioning the fights I’m sorry to say lady

I’m walking away from the troubles in my life
I’m walking away oh to find a better day
I’m walking away from the troubles in my life
I’m walking away oh to find a better day
I’m walking away

Well I’m so tired baby
Things you say you’re driving me away
Whispers in the powder room baby
Don’t listen to the games they play
Girl I thought you’d realise
I’m not like them other guys
Coz I saw them with my own eyes
You should’ve been more wise
And well I don’t wanna live my life too many sleepless nights
Not mentioning the fights I’m sorry to say lady

I’m walking away from the troubles in my life
I’m walking away oh to find a better day
I’m walking away from the troubles in my life
I’m walking away oh to find a better day
I’m walking away

Craig David

Geo tests

2005-01-27T20:59:00.000+01:00

This afternoon i relaxed with these tests posted from a nice english member of my forums.
Try:

USA

Euroland

What a life

2005-01-27T13:51:00.000+01:00

Yesterday our accountant communicated that finally all documents to break the society with my father and sister are ready, so next week God willing we'll go to him to sign and finally i'll be free.
Soon after i will have fixed my things here, i'm gonna go and dunno when i'll be back, need to concentrate on my project in Oman.
We had talked about it more than one month ago and mother knew: she's not part of the agreement but she's a mother and perhaps, feeling close to the moment of my departure, she's reacting her own way, screaming, yelling at me, offending.
I know is just an expression of her love pain, but is the whole life she behaves like this, she never learned how to be a mother. Am not being harsh here, is simply the truth, and part of the reasons am going away: am sorry, couldn't do else.
Hopefully i'll be going round mid February so i suppose all this stress will go on till then, differently than in past occasions am not reacting back, just listen without commenting.
Quran says to respect parents always unless they prevent you from practicing the religion.
God help me.

A special dog

2005-01-25T00:31:00.000+01:00

Yes definitely he is!!! And you know why? Simple: cause he is like me
When our previous dog died we were not sure to take another, specially our parents, cause we were old enough now and not students anymore so father had no intention to care of another big dog, but i think that the real reason was they still couldn't forget how Mickey died: he had a tumor and too late when they realized so he died suffering a lot in a couple of weeks.
Luckily i was in Oman for a vacation, so i didn't participate and as my sister told me later, cancer destroyed him: definitely sufferance is one of those things that makes persons and animals very similar.
We found a trick to try to convince father to take another with us insisting on the defense subject: unless he wanted to spend a fortune for a security system, a dog is surely needed in our place; not only we live in a village but also not really in a crowded zone.
So we did it and talking with two of our customers, Giuseppe and Paola, who we knew to have a lot, we discovered they also sold them when had newborns. Great coincidence, they were waiting for some new puppies in December: price was good, only problem the agreement between me and sister about features. Well it was solved quickly cause after two black dogs i just wanted a blonde one, sort of Rex or Rin Tin Tin and she chose the name.
When the puppies were born, we went to their house to see them and were lovely but we had to wait cause still few days young and needed to stay with their mother. I used to go to UK for Xmas time so i missed the welcome party for Zagor but i spent more than a 100 pounds in Harrods : pets store there is cool, expensive though.
Remember when i came back and entered the garden, this little devil coming to me half crying half screaming: i tested him immediately, no caresses but letting him play like an adult dog, and i noticed he was very tough one.
Tough personality is not helped if you treat someone like a prince, and infact we damaged more than benefiting him, but a new dog is always an event for us.
All the traits in him reminded me, the way i had grown up and developed my personality: his mum had kicked him off after few weeks, that's a natural law and he cried too much at night; i tried to teach him simple things like jumping, running, not putting his mouth everywhere.
One night i put him on the table and ordered to jump: no way, he started screaming, i told him he could trust me and showed how simple and little the jump space was. At a certain point i got impatient and before pushing him down, yelled at him saying that life is tough and no one really cares of us so we have to survive by ourselves. I think i was talking more to myself than to Zagor: in the end he jumped but the shock had been so big that he did a big...pooo poo.
He enjoyed anyway cause nextly he did it easily.
Growing up, a bit for genetic reasons, we later discovered most of his bros and sisters had been killed cause too violent, a bit cause we really had no time to educate him, we realised it was him ruling us and not the opposite. He had become so stubborn that really needed an instructor and we found a guy for 1000 euros walla!!! It was useful anyway, cause he learned to control his instincts, and to behave properly with us and others.
Zagor is like me: feels refused, enjoys a hug when he wants, refuses when he doesn't need, gets wild when necessary, has a big heart but no one really wants it.
Probably will be the only one i'll miss when i go away, and the only who really will care of my parents.

2005-01-23T20:27:00.000+01:00

Sweet as 3asal Crazy like Balqis

Zagor mum died

2005-01-23T16:28:00.000+01:00

Well the guy in the pic is Zagor and today we knew that his mum died but is not a tragedy, i mean is not what am gonna talk about obviously, though am kinda weird.
My eyes burning now so i'll come back later hopefully .

Children of war or war of children

2005-01-23T14:43:00.000+01:00

Whatever the correct title should be, one thing is sure: the two words, children and war, should never be matched but sadly it often happens.
I never passed through war time, the only things i know are from what my parents used to tell me and still i see wet eyes on their faces when there's some anniversary they lived during WW2.
Now reading about these iraqi children helping the resistance by attacking our troops with grenades, and thinking of palestinian boys trained to death, i ask to myself which right we have to involve them in something dirty we ourselves created, we adults.
Are we really the adults or just kids who don't know other mean else than killing to solve problems?
Why do we oblige them to grow up before time comes and in a wrong way?
Children have rights same and more than any other human being but they're not respected in any part of the world.
Here are some organisations who dedicate their efforts to them:

human rights watch

UNICEF

crin

children's rights council

children's rights

Donald did it again

2005-01-23T10:55:00.000+01:00

I mean mr.Trump and i mean he got married for the third time: nothing new under the sun as we say here. Just a reminder for me to meditate on the fact that am 36 years old and never been married.
What's wrong with it some will say, each one has his/her own destiny and you achieved other things in life. Very true but the fact that when i was younger, i always disliked the idea of an ordinary life, with a hubby, kids, family life, thinking that is better the wild life, and infact Mick Jagger was my hero, while now i feel am missing something and that something is surely an ordinary life, well this makes me think a lot.
Who's been changed or what? Me, circumstances, life, value, world around?
A bit of all the above i'd say, so useless now to cry on the thrown milk (another italian saying): would be appropriate to live my life as best as i can with the help of God.
Since more than a year i made the choice to change location and am not going really near, quite far i'd say, the Middle East, but that is not a problem: am doing cause i wanna live in a Muslim country and cause the one i chose is good for me, active but peaceful.
What's waiting for me there? A project to develope with a friend and being a hard worker, i must say this will help me. On personal life not much i'd say: there's a person in my life and he lives there but is not a bed of roses. For how strong our love is, the relation has lots of question marks: he doesn't believe in marriage cause of his previous failure, he says papers trouble love; he is a poet, has his moments of ups and downs like anybody else but when he's down, then is really tough; in general he lives his life as he was always alone, never sees the two of us as a couple, rather as two passers by in this world who met and share part of their life.
Have never been loved before, never like he does at least, but the more time passes the more i feel is something incomplete. Dunno how much all this will last.
So the conclusion is...no one as always, but stay tuned am full of resources!!!

Hope dies sometimes

2005-01-22T23:45:00.000+01:00

I was reading this story on my newspaper in the morning, of a man who committed suicide and the story which he will bring with him is very sad: some months ago his wife fell into a coma after an ictus and the man, who was also part of the hospital staff when young, was always at her bed, taking care of her, praying, crying, hoping.
Day after day, he never left her: they were married since many years and though without children, their love was deep and strong.
After all these months, some days ago he decided to cut his life cause he had become desperate and hopeless to see her opening her eyes again, as he explained in a letter to their parish priest .
Four days after his death, the wife woke from the coma and no one had the courage to answer to her request of talking to him.
When i look back to my past or read these stories, my faith strengthens, cause though difficult to accept, there must a design behind everything, and only God can be the author.
Some call it fate and this fate is so strange sometimes, difficult to interpret, or maybe not necessary. Is not possible, at least this is what i prefer, to place everything under the umbrella of reason: some things happen just cause they must happen, simple as that.
I was into a discussion some days ago, about suiciders: is common opinion that those who make this choice are weak and not good to stand life difficulties. On the contrary my position is that only a person with great strength comes to the resolution of self killing.
So many times have been desperate in my life but never thought of it probably cause my problems were not so big but also because i'd never find the courage to do it. True that living a life fully, requires lots of courage, am not saying that one's choice is better than another, just both sides of the coin have their own value and deserve respect.

Another Italian soldier died in Iraq yesterday cause of a bullet hitting him in the weirdest and only unprotected place of body where it can be shot: the armpit.
Also this fate, also this a dieing hope, both must be accepted nothing much to do.

OMG!!!

2005-01-22T21:10:00.000+01:00

What's wrong with me and what's this insane passion for blogs?
This is the second i publish and no idea about what this else will be!
Well we'll see, life is all a surprise, so they say