On being human...

I've been good
I've been bad,
I've been happy,
I've been down,
I've made mistakes,
I've been a winner,
Cried my eyes out,
Laughed till I was in stiches,
I've had my share of luck,
Been very unfortunate sometimes,
I've been free,
I've been trapped,

I've loved,
and hated...

and lived ...

and that's what makes us human...

Freed at last

الحمد الله على سلامتك جمعة

...You now have hope: to come home from Saudi Arabia to your family and friends.
My thanks goes out to everyone who helped secure Juma Al-Dossary's release from the hell hole that is Gunatanamo Bay, Cuba.

Congratulations...

We will not forget Isa Al-Murbati either. He is now the last Bahraini detainee in the illegal and inhumane prison set up by "the land of the free".

Peace,

SoulSearch

...To be Fair & Lovely...

... To be Fair is to be Lovely...


I'm seriously sick of this advert being aired on all TV channels that I watch.


Has anyone seen the Fair & Lovely ad that promises to make you "fair" therefore "lovely"!!!!





What the hell are we teaching this generation? That its bad to be dark skinned and that darker girls are not destined for success? Why hasn't anyone pointed that out?





Basically, the advert rests on the same scenario, a girl goes into a salon or something to sell her herbs, clearly looking for a job, but she's turned away by a snoty fair woman. Then her mom tells her to "show them" and gives her the magical Fair & Lovely, that promises to make her just that Fair and thus Lovely. She goes back to the same salon and a guy now looks at her "transformed and fair and lovely, of course" and sweeps her off her feet and she becomes a star!!!!





WHAT???????





...I was stunned to watch the whole charade...




What kind of a message are we sending young girls: if you're dark, forget it, don't even bother studying and trying to be a successful individual, well, just because you're dark!!! Dah!!! But if you're fair, you can be a bimbo, cause there will always be a man (a rich one at that) who will take care of you, so why bother being a successful individual? Why even bother trying?



Race & skin colors become markers that indicate superiority and privilege, and that's what's being reflected through these commercials.

I wonder how that advert would be viewed in the US or the UK? Or are Arab countries and other thrid world countries that they can sell this crap to?





Peace,


SoulSearch :(

Lebanon...

The tears of a child, her blood stains the rocks of Qana, rockets and craters destroyed her playground, her home destroyed.

Remembering all the victims of the brutal Israeli war machine...

Thanks to Al-Jazeera News Channel (both English & Arabic) for their outstanding coverage and their insightful reports that clearly and realistically portray the destruction that Lebanon suffered last year... www.aljazeera.net/english

To Lebanon, with love.

peace,

soulsearch

The 7 wonders buzzzzz

Its official, there's a poll going around hoping to choose a new set of 7 wonders of the world...

News Agencies have been carrying the news:

Two millennia after the Greeks listed the sevenwonders of the ancient world, a
foundation created by a Swissmillionaire is to announce the seven sites elected
as the modernworld wonders in a global internet vote.

The announcement will be made tomorrow:

A glamourous gala event will be held at a huge Lisbon stadium Saturday to make
public the winners of a competition which has generated enthusiasm outside
the Western world, but came under criticism from art experts and the United
Nations.

Peace,

SoulSearch

Alan's dream of freedom

After more than 100 days of captivity, Alan Johnston is free...

People who dedicate their lives to keep us informed are the real heroes...

Instead of enforcing regulations that would guarantee their safety, they are constantly targeted by Terrorist Governments (a.k.a Israel)

Yesterday, a reporter from a Palestinian TV station was hit by Zionist forces, he's been in critical condition, and has already lost his leg.

Amazing silence from Arab governments, leaders...

I wonder how the world's reaction would be has this reporter been British or American...

We all dream of freedom, peace and security, just like Alan...

Peace,

SoulSearch...

In the Corporate World...

It never ceases to amaze me, the way people's attitudes change when promised better positions or more money...

Peace,

SoulSearch

Enya - Orinoco Flow

My Song of the day,

Enjoy!

Love,
SoulSearch

The Forgotten Battlefield

There's nothing more disturbing than hearing of 7 children killed in a military raid. Afghanistan is now the forgotten battlefield. With Iraq dominating the news, Afghanistan sinks deeper into an abyss of poverty, ignorance, destruction and ultimate death.

How long do the Americans plan on staying there? How long will the public be fooled into believing that these crimes are being purpetrated in the name of their freedom and their beliefs?

Peace,

SoulSearch

Dear Arabi

Dear Arabi,

Get well soon. Wishing you a speedy recovery...

... Take care of your health ...

Peace,

SoulSearch

The Bumpy Road to Peace...

The region is on fire, to whose benefit is that? Iraq, Palestine, Lebanon? People are dying, children torn apart by bombs, death, hunger and disease, what's happening?
Is there any hope for the future, how long will this fighting continue?
While the Arab leaders work to attract as much investments into their countries and subsequent pockets, people in these sorry situations continue to die, and cry.

... We watch in silence ...

... Hopelessness ...

... Despair ...

...Insecurity...

...Crimes ...

... What a Sorry Arab Situation ...

Peace,
SoulSearch

...Al-Naksa, 40 years on...

It was 40 years ago this month, when another black day is marked on the Arab History calendar. It was 40 years ago when millions of Arabs were kicked out of their homes to be replaced by Jews from all over the world. It was 40 sorry years ago, when the Arab conscience was shaken so badly, it has refused to wake up.

And to this day, millions of Palestinians still live in squalid, crowded refugee camps and have no official identities. No UN resolution, no Arab League decision, no other human justice ever looked over the Palestinian refugee crisis. They just continue to live as refugees around the world while everyone goes home and sleeps soundly.

40 years on, Palestinians still live as refugees on their own land.

Wikipedia's explanation:

Naksa Day (6 June) (Arabic: يوم النكسة)
commemorates the Naksa ("setback"), the mass displacement and dispossession of
Palestinians during and after the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Syria. The first mass
displacement, known as the Nakba, took place
during and after the 1947-1949 Palestinian Civil War and the 1948 Arab-Israeli
War. This exodus is marked on Nakba Day.

Remember the day of the Naksa (the setback), don't let the memory of the Jewish land theft die. Don't be a nation without a memory. Palestinians have suffered, for us all.

Peace,

SoulSearch

Gee,uuuuhhh, let me guess!!!

Here's a quiz we should all be able to have the answers to:

*TERRORISM QUIZ*

1) Which is the only country in the world to have dropped bombs on over twenty different countries since 1945?

2) Which is the only country to have used nuclear weapons?

3) Which country was responsible for a car bomb which killed 80 civilians in Beirutin 1985, in a botched assassination attempt, thereby making it the most lethal terrorist bombing in modern Middle East history?

4) Which country's illegal bombing of Libya in 1986 was described by the UN Legal Committee as a "classic case" of terrorism?

5) Which country rejected the order of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to terminate its "unlawful use of force" against Nicaraguain 1986, and then vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling on all states to observe international law?

6) Which country was accused by a UN-sponsored truth commission of providing "direct and indirect support" for "acts of genocide" against the Mayan Indians in Guatemala during the 1980s?

7) Which country unilaterally withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty in December 2001?

8) Which country renounced the efforts to negotiate a verification process for the Biological Weapons Convention and brought an international conference on the matter to a halt in July 2001?

9) Which country prevented the United Nations from curbing the gun trade at a small arms conference in July 2001?

10) Aside from Somalia, which is the only other country in the world to have refused to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child?

11) Which is the only Western country which allows the death penalty to be applied to children?

12) Which is the only G7 country to have refused to sign the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, forbidding the use of landmines?

13) Which is the only G7 country to have voted against the creation of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 1998?

14) Which was the only other country to join with Israelin opposing a 1987 General Assembly resolution condemning international terrorism?

15) Which country refuses to fully pay its debts to the United Nations yet reserves its right to veto United Nations resolutions?

Ironic, isn't it? To pretend to be the beacon of freedom and liberty and be the sole perpetrator of terrorism and misery in the world?

Beirut Burning again...

I weep for Beirut, my lovely country. I weep for the destruction that evil has bestowed upon it last night and the last few days.

Some wackos calling themselves- Fateh Al-Islam, who are basically a bunch of criminals released into Lebanon as part of a bigger plot to destroy Lebanon, have been sent to wreak havoc in the country by planting bombs and terrorizing and killing innocent people. Check out the BBC news on the latest fighting in Lebanon here.

What is worse is the number of army personnel killed by these supposed "Palestinian Refugees" who placed snipers everywhere and killed 31 Lebanese soldiers in 2 days?!!! That is astounding!!!

That would only point to one thing that these people are trained army personnel or ex-soldiers who have recieved army training and have a purpose in destroying a country that has had enough of their reign of terror!

One thing that amazes me is that there is so much speculation about whether these guys are Al-Qaeda and about who is their main instigator, whereby the truth is blatantly out there. That instigator is otherwise known as Syria!!!

What is going to happen? Do more innocent people have to die to prove that Syria reins powerful over the whole region? Does the country have to fall back into the abyss of civil war to appease everyone's anger?

People needs to come together and understand that they eventually have to live together, whether they were Sunnis, Shiites, Christians, Maronites, Druze, etc. etc,

I pray for peace, and for evil to lift its grip off Lebanon.

Peace,

SoulSearch

Labor Rights

Have you heard of the phrase: "A slave to the job", well, that's how I feel right now. I'm at a point where I have had it with work. I feel I have come to a breaking point, where I'm seriously thinking of making greeting cards for a living or something kinky like that!

People rant and rave about Labor Rights, what about Children's Rights, when a mother works every single day from 8am to 5pm and by the time she gets home its 5.30 or 5.45pm, her kids are getting ready to call it a day. What do I say to my 2 year-old son, who asks me why I leave him every single day? What do I say to my daughter when she tells me she wants to color a rainbow with her? Do I tell them I'm beat, my mind is clouded with all the tasks and responsibilities that I have at work? Would they understand that I'm doing all this for them, so I would never have to compromise their education, their lives, etc...

I miss my kids, my life is passing by and I'm in the office worrying about other trivialities while I'm missing out on wonderful moments with my children. I love you A & S.

Love,

SoulSearch, the mother!

A Woman's agony

What is it that makes them do it? Why do women stay, when men decide to treat them as a punching bag? I just don't get it.

I was reading this morning's paper when I stumbled upon this article from the GDN, about a woman who has been abused and regularly beaten by her husband. She even had to have her upper lip stiched after his highness probably blew a punch at her or threw something at her.

Nothing infuriates me more than a man using his muscles to show he's a man. To me he's just an animal. Morever, he's probably an animal with issues, major ones. For him to use force to keep "his woman" in line just sickens me.

And she still refuses to press charges!!!! I say sue his sorry a*s, let him rot in jail or get deported or something. The law must be on her side, right? Right?

Its sad that people can just continue to swallow their pride, and their tears just so they would not cause a commotion, and that is probably one of the reasons this poor woman and many others in her situation prefer to do. Its probably becasue of the kids as well, for fear that she would be separated from them by the vicious monster of a dad that they have. Does he ever stop and think what this does to the children? How they would grow up in fear of what is happening to their mother, and when they become men and women themselves won't they feel that this is the normal way of treating their own spouses, or feel its normal to be treated this way? It just scares me.

From what I've heard there is a family violence shelter or center here in Bahrain. Its sponsored by Batelco and is somewhere in Budaiya but I'm not sure. Anyone who knows more about it, their contact no.s, or anything, please do let us know.

I hope this woman gets her mind set straight and sues this guy for both the physical and emotional abuse that has tormented her and her children for years and years.

Peace,

SoulSearch

Its me, Its music

Music does something to my soul. It takes me away from my troubles, my sorrow, my pain. Music is a treasure. I love music.

As the weight of the world gets heavier and heavier on my shoulders, my only valve, is my 15 or 20 minutes a day in my car, where I'm by myself, I just listen to all the music I want, starting from my favorite rockers - Nickleback - to Annie Lenox - to any 80s music I can put my hands on.

I want to sleep, to feel free, to run like the wind, to be happy.

Peace,

SoulSearch

My Knefe Recipe

There's nothing like a taste of Lebanon every once in a while, and no other desert is more representative of Lebanese cuisine as Kunafeh, or Knefe as the Lebanese say it. To those who asked for my special Knefe recipe, well, here it is, I hope you enjoy it :)

Ingredients:
The Knefe dough (from supermarkets) (separated as best you can)
2 cups of sweetened milk or 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 a cup of cornflour
1 cup of room-temperature water
5 tbs of Ghee

For the sugar syrup:

2 cups of sugar
1 cup water
a squeeze of lemon
2 tsp of orange blossom water (mai zaher)

First, you will need to separate the kunafa dough and place it in pyrex pan or a non-stick pan.
Separately in a small saucepan add the milk (whichever you choose) and add the cornflour, stirring constantly, add the water and continue to stir until the mixture is firm and boiling.
This will be your cream between the two layers of the Knefe.
Then sprinkle some ghee (or butter) over the dough, spread the cream over it and add another layer of dough on top of the cream. sprinkle more ghee over your knefe and place it in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until it is slightly golden.

For the syrup:

Place the 2 cups of sugar and one cup of water in another saucepan. Bring to the boil. Allow to cool slightly then add a squeeze of lemon juice and some orange blossom water (mai zaher) and pour over the hot Knefe.

For Decoration: Sprinkle some ground pistachio in any pattern you like!

And Voila! you are almost a Lebanese chef.

If any one tries my recipe, be sure to come back and tell us about the taste ;)

Peace,
SoulSearch

On Terrorism and Virginia Tech

Its been a while now since the Virginia Tech Massacre by the estranged Cho, who chose to take his own life and the lives of 32 other people with an unclear motive.

The attacker is being described by everyone including the media as an unstable, young man. He seemed to be angry, depressed and basically with a few screws loose in his head. That I can comprehend. But what I fail to understand is the lack of questions being posed by the same media that make a fuss about Islamic fundemtalism and Jihad.

Not one of the many TV stations or other media outlets ever made a connection to the words he uttered in his "video". The dude actually said: "Thanks to you I die like Jesus Christ" and many other references he made to Christian fellowship and the church... Why isn't anyone making a connection to this act as an act of religious terrorism, as is the case with other acts of terrorism that have been blatantly linked to Islam simply because the attackers were Muslim! Why is a connection not made between his act and his "inspiration"? Could he have been reading the Bible perhaps? Where there are many references to martyrdom and killing your enemy, and other similar statements? Why is that only applied to Muslims?

Can these same standards be applied to Israeli soldiers who choose to open fire on Palestinian unarmed civilians who try to cross the border to go to work, simply because they are not of the Jewish Faith? Or the collective punishment bestowed upon the Palestinians because they are Muslims or Christians and not Jewish?

There are many questions that need to be answered. So many issues that are so obviously wrong and we choose to turn a blind eye to injustice...

Do I see double standards here? Or is this rule applied only to Muslim "terrorists"? If someone chooses to act in a certain manner, is his religion the only factor to blame? Or can we also blame anti-depressants?

Weekend Desert

Because my dad is a chef and specialized in Lebanese cuisine, I've always taken it for granted that we have tabouleh, stuffed vine leaves, chicken fata for lunch, and kunafah, baqlawa, and basboosa for desert.

However, I went into a lebanese cooking frenzy in the past few months, and decided to cook all things Lebanese, that have always been there on the table but very difficult to attempt cooking.

I made tabouleh the other day, and the last weekend I made Kunafah. My dad was all smiles, proud of his offspring, at her first attempt at real Kunafah. And it was a major hit, my husband loved it, my brothers downed it, my cousin almost finished it, and of course my dad and mom were like proud parents at their eldest child's graduation.

I'll leave you with my Kunafah!

p.s. the little bite on the side was Amoona. She couldn't resist but take a bite!! =)