Happy New Year !

I know I have not been able to blog as thought ,due to family commitments and other. I hope we say goodbye to 2009 with its ups and downs and wish you and your families a great year ahead !

I dedicate this poem ,which was sent to me by a good friend;and now I pass on to you my dear readers and fellow bloggers.....

Wishing you all a Happy New Year filled with Blessings,Prosperity,Health and Peace.


Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy.desiderata - Max Ehrmann - 1927

A good read. Superb article .......

"Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love."


Inspirational ! Power of Money, By Adam Khoo

( Singapore 's youngest millionaire at 26 yrs.)


Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia , Indonesia , Thailand and Suzhou ( China ). I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.

Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to Kuala Lumpur and looked rather shocked! . He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is traveling economy?' My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire. ' He still looked pretty confused.

This again confirms that greatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires') Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to ! wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit on first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the moment that earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster.

Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc. to support). Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their incom! e (if they are lucky).

I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama without thinking twice.

When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur's Orgn)a few years back (YEO) is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. &n! bsp;Many of them with net worth well over $5m,travelled economy class and some even drove Toyota 's and Nissans,not Audis, Mercedes's, BMWs.

I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow. Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation

Thank God my rich dad foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.

Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?' The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewellery or sittin! g first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while, it does not last.

Material happiness never lasts, it just gives you a quick fix. After a while you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life..

Instead, what makes me happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see my companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many more countries.

What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails about how my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone's life.

What makes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how this blog is inspiring you. This happiness makes me feel really good for a long time, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.

I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come from doing your life's work (be it teaching, building homes, designing, trading, winning tournaments etc.) and the money bbthat comes is only a by-product. If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make you happy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a meaningless life. Do give it a serious thought won't you?

Michou gay ??? hhmmmm.....

Michou,my cat.
Nicknamed ;Latin Lover lol

As usual my cat is always very friendly with the female cats but has taken care that no
males are visible nor ever shares food with them. He has fought, dealt with and gotten rid of all male cats in our garden. With the ladies he is such a gent that he lets them have their full and then eats. If ever a female came while he was eating, he’d stand back and wait till she finished.

I have nothing against gay people mind you, nor am I making fun of anybody; be they gay, straight or religious..

To get back to Michou’s new attitude or peculiar change in taste; at first the kids and I thought the young beautiful green eyed cat was a female ;but turned out we didn’t look well ! For the she turned out to be a he . What did catch our attention was the fact that he’d let him bite him and play rough all the time and stupid old me thinking come spring we’d have gorgeous kittens –hahahahaha .
Here are pics of our Latin lover and Michou who lets him have his way as always .He even lets him eat before him ,something he does for the Lady cats only. Never thought that male cats behaved like gents with their own kind , guess I wasn’t right and Michou proved me wrong!!

Rats YUCK !

From the side we can see the entrance of trap



The drain loaded with rubbish which was cleaned just last week -what a shame



As I was cooking lunch for the family ,my daughter came in and screamed : Mama we have rats in our street !" "What ???, said I, as she took me by surprise .

"Rats ?" I asked with great shock and disgust....

Here are pics of the trap set in our street Yuck !
The trap consists of poison and is open at both ends ;so when that the rat enters eats the stuff and runs out ; and dies within two hours .

I'm ok with most animals though not a wild love for them have pets but mice and rats aren't my favourite

I am Flying Out This Wednesday ....should I think again? hhmmmm

Sent to me by a dear friend........

Pilots on Food Stamps

By Michael Moore

October 12, 2009 --- We're on the descent from 20,000 feet in the air when the flight attendant leans over the elderly woman next to me and taps me on the shoulder.

"I'm listening to Lady Gaga," I say as I remove just one of the ear buds. I know not this Lady Gaga, but her performance last week on SNL was fascinating.

"The pilots would like to see you in the cockpit when we land," she says with a southern drawl.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No. They have something to show you." (The last time an employee of an airline wanted to show me something it was her written reprimand for eating an in-flight meal without paying for it. "Yes," she said, "we have to pay for our own meals on board now.")

The plane landed and I stepped into the cockpit. "Read this," the first officer said. He handed me a letter from the airline to him. It was headlined "LETTER OF CONCERN." It seems this poor fellow had taken three sick days in the past year. The letter was a warning not to take another one -- or else.

"Great," I said. "Just what I want -- you coming to work sick, flying me up in the air and asking to borrow the barf bag from my seatback pocket."

He then showed me his pay stub. He took home $405 this week. My life was completely and totally in his hands for the past hour and he's paid less than the kid who delivers my pizza.

I told the guys that I have a whole section in my new movie about how pilots are treated (using pilots as only one example of how people's wages have been slashed and the middle class decimated). In the movie I interview a pilot for a major airline who made $17,000 last year. For four months he was eligible -- and received -- food stamps. Another pilot in the film has a second job as a dog walker.

"I have a second job!," the two pilots said in unison. One is a substitute teacher. The other works in a coffee shop. You know, maybe it's just me, but the two occupations whose workers shouldn't be humpin' a second job are brain surgeons and airline pilots. Call me crazy.

I told them about how Capt. "Sully" Sullenberger (the pilot who safely landed the jet in the Hudson River) had testified in Congress that no pilot he knows wants any of their children to become a pilot. Pilots, he said, are completely demoralized. He spoke of how his pay has been cut 40% and his own pension eliminated. Most of the TV news didn't cover his remarks and the congressmen quickly forgot them. They just wanted him to play the role of "HERO," but he was on a more important mission. He's in my movie.

"I hadn't heard anywhere that this stuff about the airlines is in this new movie," the pilot said.

"No, you wouldn't," I replied. "The press likes to talk about me, not the movie."

And it's true. I've been surprised (and slightly annoyed) that, with all that's been written and talked about "Capitalism: A Love Story," very little attention has been paid the mind-blowing stuff in the film: pilots on food stamps, companies secretly taking out life insurance policies on employees and hoping they die young so the company can collect, judges getting kickbacks from the private prison industry for sending innocent people (kids) to be locked up. The profit motive -- it's a killer.

Especially when your pilot started his day at 6am working at the local Starbucks.





If you had an idea that was going to outrage society, would you keep it to yourself?

A Libyan Woman cries out......

The Libyan Party ....


It has been and will continue to be Ghedaffi's party for still a long time.

We the Libyan people are mere spectators on a ride to God knows where!

When I was on my last on holiday as usual ,which is the norm I am asked for my nationality. As soon as I splurt out the fact of being Libyan "Gheddaffi "I hear is the shocking reply. I cant bargain ,buy or even comment without the label Mr. Gheddaffi has given me , which is untrue. I am not loaded and I have to work hard for a living nor I am related to any of his friends or relatives and I don't agree with any of his so called governmental strategies .Yet I get labeled a Gheddaffi !

Nobody ever speaks or writes about the Libyan people . This time they were uninvited to the "PARTY " which Gheddaffi held to show the world that hes changed.The people were told to stay at home and watch their party thorough a tv which emphasizes their freedom and monies spent on this so called THEIR PARTY.I mean really we have people who get by with salaries and a lot of debt at their neighboring food store pleading with the shop keeper to prolong the debt ...

Why the extravaganza? the glitter ? An air show,to top it all Italian planes flying up above in our blue skies, promoting the Italian flag , and our younger generation were brained washed in to thinking of them as the Fascists and enemy not a long while back. Libyan people are a bunch of sheep who will never leave the shepard who holds the stick and tells them where to go. But a life loving shepherd takes care and loves his sheep whereas with Gheddaffi it is not the case,and never was.

Whenever foreign policy hit Gheddaffi in the past ,through sanctions and other limitations to his and his family's huge accounts over all the world,it would back fire on us the Libyan people. Who will compensate us for the loss of the years living in deprivation and unknown expectancies of the future?

Yet everybody in the world gets compensated but the Libyan people and the life they have been living which is no party !
now the latest is the IRA ,asking to be refunded for their loss !I mean really what have done ???

African leaders come and leave with God only knows how much money and presents are given them. We the Libyan people must stay put or else will never see the daylight s ever......

Now the world has accepted him and we still pay for the atrocities and bad reputation he rewarded us .Its simply a no win game where nobody but Mr. Gheddaffi and his clan profit.
And the Libyan People ? What Libyans, Gheddaffis you mean ?? Here the saying of money talks is to be the quote of choice..... sigh


Desert Rose

lying ? well, weather permitting.....

Even the ones who state they have never lied,do so unknowingly.

WHY ? You might ask,to which the answer is as simple and straightforward as the question . And what has the weather to do with lying you may think?

I will leave you to think for a moment .....

I can actually hear you thinking Luna has gone overboard this time shes over done it.She's a cracker .To which I'd reply a cracker I'd eat but have chosen to not become one as it would be too crowded with the many weirdoes I encounter on a daily basis through the net and first hand!

What does lying have in common with the weather?

Ok ,so we do blame the weather on everything ,do we not ? This time its with a twist, that of lying about the weather -now youre going ,huh ?

I bet you still can't get it !

Here goes:

When we are enjoying our seasons,to which you are lucky if you still have them,as in Libya we tend to have them nearly all in a day most times, actually leaving us to say that we have two seasons ie winter and spring.

When winter sets in and we have to face the cold weather we promise that we'd never complain about the great summer and its heat even though we feel like we'd be roasting in an on going ,never ending oven !

To which some of our complaints would be ;"Give me summer anyday ; let the heat kill me .""Ah but not the cold. How many clothes are needed to keep us warm ?"

Yes,in summer we dont need such an abbundance of clothes,true,.For we can chose to be as light as our social status alows us ie bare little or all,or dont bare ,last one is for the conservatives !

Come summer brining the Ghibli(hot ,sandy ,wind) continues to blow dry us till our saliva is no more,making us litterally living under showers ,in bathtubs or for the ones who can afford it, swimming pools.

Cool you might think -then boredrom sets in and we wish we were in winter with a never ending blizzard leaving us freezing ,so what ,hence convincing ourselves we'd just cover up very well ,anything but the heat...


So ,is this not lying ,or have we gotten into thinking that lying is another matter. The subject is that we can call them , white lies or sweet lies but they are LIES at the end of the day ,because when promises are made ,they are to be kept otherwise lying takes place which can become a hard habbit to break,even if it started out with the weather!


Salam

Libyan Bloggers...

Why do people who claim to be open minded are actually the best hypocrites in the world???

In the past months while reading the Libyan blogs I have come across a lot of vulgar comments that could have been avoided as there is no cause for such distasteful uncreative scornful low class vulgar comments that take any topic personally.

In my point of view, a blogger like any other writer can spell out whatever he or she feels is in his /her own frame of mind and concern to be true. Whether we agree or not is a different story and should by no way be taken seriously or personally.

As always the blame lies in our people though sad to say are supposedly professionals and not ignorant but to which the opposite is true.

Why can’t we accept the facts as seen from a different angle and try to figure out what can be done to resolve the problem or info posted. There are means and ways of communicating that are motivating and creative. Why the personal agenda as if we're all traitors of some sort???

Libyan Bloggers are either Libyans or ex pats married to Libyans who live either in the homeland or abroad. Can we not benefit from sharing our honest experiences without putting ourselves down after a battlefield of words, which is a no win game that leaves us hurt and full of resentment.

Many Libyan Bloggers have stopped altogether due to pressured comments, leaving them to wonder in a yo yo phase. Expecting great blogging feedback is also wrong for the joy of writing and sharing cannot be compared or measured in any which way or form.


So please do encourage each other for we all belong to one country one way or another and have a relatively good cause to be labeled Libyan Bloggers!

Deep down we Libyans can do better and gain experiences by sharing our own without labeling each other, for at the end of the day we all belong not only as Libyans but as decent human beings in need of peace, love and respect .

Hugs and kisses !

Have you ever had that uncomfortable situation where another person went in for a hug while you extended your hand to shake? Sometimes it’s hard to gauge the appropriate level of physicality to share with another person, so here are a few thoughts on the shake, kiss, or hug dilemma.

In work settings, it is fine to be more formal when you are in either familiar or foreign settings, but be aware of your local hosts when you travel and follow their lead. Remember that people in many other countries are more physical than we are in the US, so don’t be afraid when you visit a colleague in another land and they kiss you on the cheek or give you a handshake and hug. Rebuffing someone’s locally appropriate but physical greeting can make you seem more distant at best, or even culturally ignorant and cold. While there is nothing wrong with being more formal with business colleagues, remember that the interpersonal ties we form with one another are often very important in getting things done.

With friends and family overseas, I strongly suggest a “When in Rome” approach. Kiss your French friend on each cheek, give three kisses to your Dutch cousin, and a good, strong hug for your Russian kin. Of course even the two-kiss greeting varies from country to country, so check with your local hosts about the appropriate starting cheek and the general guidelines for greetings.

This all brings me to a funny story that I actually experienced with my trainees when discussing the Libyan relationships with foreigners, Islamic values and plain Libyan minded cultural dryness!

French ,and the people who lived under their rule kiss a lot as many Libyans who are part Tunisian ,Moroccan or Algerian to name a few. All true Libyans ,if there are any tend to be dryer in being brought up in the that manner, than their Arab neighbors,who can sweet talk so nicely.

Now this Libyan trainee of mine,said that his friend heard that Libyans were very dry towards their wives and decided to prove his friends wrong and do something about it. So one day ,after a tiring day at work he went home and upon his wife opening the door hugged very strongly. She being a devoted Libyan wife, not used to such tenderness, was so scared and hugged him back stating :

“ Oh my God my mother or yours ????”

My secret admirer and rantings!

Every week my desk has been topped with a fresh bunch of beautifully colored roses. I haven't been myself lately with the girls' leaving and adjusting to a new system and all.The house which was quite an active one has become so quiet .And I have always asked for peace and quiet but somehow it's not the same ,now that they have gone.

But the subject of the matter is that I am exhausted though happy at the same time. What a weird feeling.. There came a point to which Id pass out and thought Id not make it through both weddings!

So the person who places the flowers feels this and knows of what I'm going through. I love flowers and receiving them is an added bonus!

Working as a teacher in my secret wonderful world where I can at most comfort gives me the energy and motivation I need hence I pass it on to my trainees. But these last few weeks wasn't enough and my admirer sensed that and thought of cheering me up a bit knowing Ive been through a lot besides the girls' weddings.

Have you guessed who my admirer is ?

Yes ,none other than my mother though not well still makes sure I'm happy no matter what and delegates to all,in her bossy way which has come to be the norm.

Love you Mama and I'm sorry for not being patient enough at times.....

Khadijateri kicks ass and has my full support!

Being a Libyan Blogger ,my dear friend Khadijateri ;I am ashamed of the comments that were posted on your blog,and am sorry.

Shame on you dear Libyan Bloggers !

I thank Happymoi for the guts in not following most Libyan Bloggers like a herd of sheep .We supposedly want freedom of speech and when getting it we refuse to accept what is evident and live in self denial,or one could call it the coward's way out! This fellow readers and bloggers is what keeps us from ever emancipating or having trust and self confidence in ourselves. Being extremely bias to anything that comes our way and not accepting different opinionated views is a sign of weakness.


I have known Khadijateri for a couple of years before we actually became good friends and I must admit that she is even more Libyan and Muslim than many Libyans,myself included!
Why do we consider her a foreigner when she criticizes our beloved Libya or its people ?Our we not forgetting that her children are Libyans and so is her husband to say the least???


I have lived abroad in the west for many years and have always criticized what I observed which wasn’t to my liking and and still do so till this day.This does not make me a lesser person or of what I stand for nor does it in any way shape or form hinder my love for the west or any culture while still respecting them at the same time.


If we are to emancipate as a people we have to accept criticism to improve on what and where we can. But taking it out on a decent ,down to earth ,kind, loving woman who encouraged us all to start blogging is outrageously disgusting and in poor taste!


Our people are dirty and so are our streets . They don’t wash everyday and stink. I am in constant contact with university students and trainees in my own center,so I know what Im talking about.We dump everywhere and then blame our government to clean after us.

I always when lecturing or teaching try to emphasise the will of a people to love ones country is in caring and keeping it trash free. We lack patriotic values. We are not there by a long shot but would be if we concentrated more on improving our country and people by awareness programmes. If the literate Bloggers think and behave as they did with KT what expectations are we to expect from the illiterate??

To my daughter......

To My Special Daughter,

I got something special to say,

I wish you the happiness,

On this your special day.



The first time that I saw you,

My heart was filled with Love,

But now that you're 30,

You'll need a little shove.



I'd never change a thing in you,

I thank Allah/God you are so fine,

Even when your at your worst,

I'm proud that you are mine.



I know I'm not the perfect Mum,

But It's the best that I can do,

For everyday, I thank Allah/God,

For a Daughter as special as You!

Rantings....

I have been so tired lately . My health is not as before but I must push forward . I always count my blessing for the family and trustful friends I have for without them I don't know where Id be today.

Really am happy to have a married daughter and two still to go.When I see them packing and with such excitement a feeling of hurt gets me,and put on a good show of hiding it . As if they couldn't wait to leave. I did my best as a mother and sacrificed a lot for them;but this guilt feeling wont let me be.

Friends of mine say its the norm. I don't know.I am happy and sad at the same time;for a part of my life is over and I'm pushed aside due to the nest opening up . Not that Im whining . I just have to get used to another way of living.

Life is short and we never know when our time will be up ;so we must make the best of it and live each day as if it were our last.I no longer shed tears or get mad as I used to ,for have come to terms with that everything happens for a reason.We are here for a purpose and must make the best of it.

I suddenly remembered a friend of mine who was in love with blues and when dying he had asked his family to play the blues for him while they lowered the coffin into the ground at the cemetery.At the the time I was quite young and thought it a strange request now I have come to believe it a great idea leaving the world with music .

Haram Id been told I was an infidel. I don't have to prove my religion to anyone . It is solely mine and personal. I was attacked (by way of mouth) in having the zimzamat at my daughter's wedding,who were a blast, as they smoked and I was being nice to them. I couldn't care less. If I was nice to them its my doing .And why shouldn't I ?And what If they smoked? So what?

The hypocrisy of the fact is that the same women who made a big deal about the zimzamats smoking, smoke themselves!This I know for a fact.They objected to them smoking in public. What the heck ?
What is the difference ? At the end of the day its women who smoke which I personally don't agree with nevertheless don't hold it against them.

Smoking like any other habit is a personal choice and should be left at that .What things they do in their personal lives is no concern of mine. Many of these women have become zimzamats not due to choice but mostly due to not having a supportive family,school drop outs, born out of wedlock,single mothers etc. Some have lovers others are married and they have kids and families .Their husbands if married are drunks or drug users. They are very similar to gypsies ,yet they wear hejab have their own taxi driver who they share their income with ( a modern Islamic version of a clean cut pimp ). I am not being sarcastic but simply stating the matter of fact as all know it to be but wont write about it nor accept it.

At the end of the day they enjoy playing the darbuka and singing. Its their sole income.When you look at them you tend to feel so sorry for them that they have had a very hectic and harsh life ;living in a vicious circle that is nearly impossible to get out of.

Khadija Teri

Last time I saw Teri was Thursday at my daughters wedding and she admitted to having a good time !
Today I heard of her loss, and I was deeply shocked .So sad when a young man dies so suddenly.

Teri was the first to start me blogging and her continuous support is one I will never forget.

To Khadija and her wonderful family,my heart goes out you all;

I send my deepest condolences and a prayer.

"God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can and Wisdom to know the difference"

May your brother rest in peace my dear Teri and may Allah grant you and your family the patience to move on. I am here for you anytime.

You are in my prayers.....

to my first born daughter....

The time has passed so quickly by
where have the years flown to-
since I heard your very first cry,
and also was the first to hold you.

As I look back on childhood days,
and then to teenage years-
I remember sharing in many ways,
your thoughts, ambitions, joys and tears.

But now it is time to let you go,
soon now you will be a bride-
and this time when you leave I know,
you’ll have a husband at your side.

and so on this your day of days,
I wish you joy and happiness-
and pray Allah/God be with you always,
and your marriage forever bless.

Mama

Aerobics a la Libeeya !

Aerobic clubs are booming here in Tripoli. In the past many young men would join nowadays many women young and old do aerobics. We are so delighted to have all these clubs and choices are made according not to taste but the trainer who gives us most hell and sweats the daylights out of us !

I have been doing aerobics since going on a weight loss programme about two years ago; I found myself to be less stressed and better poised with the added fact of my asthma attacks diminishing to a minimum. Now having my daughters wedding one after the other I find myself leaving the chaotic house and running full speed to my blessed place.

The one thing that I have found to be quite unique is that all these young women and not so young like myself share one common factor; that of being pear shaped or should I say being heavy seated. They tend to lose weight a lot from the upper body, due to restriction of food then pigging out; but form waist downwards its another story altogether. Yep ,aha you got it !

Pear shaped is supposedly feminine one might say . Or men usually enjoy sexy ladies more than the skinny ones. But then again, what we have here is different, as always . Libyan women are small to medium frames and when you add a big lower part of body they tend to look shorter still ..One time they put on a song ,which had a good beat to it but the words were something I just couldn’t get out of my mind:"You and me baby are nothing but mammals ,so lets……".by Bloodhound Gang ,the sullen issue is that of the ladies with me know little or no English so they hum it along and make do with what they hear and repeat it! One day I had had enough and told the trainer, of the language used in the song and she was so embarrassed, so now I have the task of choosing the songs which is better at least I don’t get the stupid song in my head going on and on….

When doing my work out, I am faced with all these big a…s jiggling to all kinds of tunes that sometimes drive me nuts. So what do I do? I join forces with younger and healthier ones leaving the big a….s to huff puff their way to their target. I know I sound mean ,but I m not ;just hope I never go back to that huffing and puffing away like a balloon about to explode at any given minute! I was there, and hope I never go back because being with the fatsos gives me a kind of comfort that I dread feeling . For then, I know I will go back to my old eating habits and become a big fat woman again .

To Anglo- Good old memories !

the biggest calamar ever !

from a distance

demolition .....

old fishing boats no longer in use

seems like cemetery for boats......

Hag. Mustafa with morning catch of mughzil( white and blue fish )
!

fishermans son Mahmoud
wild Al rayes( son of head of fishermen)

fishermen just coming in if you click the pic enlarge

the cars that you in the distance are all fishermen's cars parked ;them being still at sea

this how the calimar is caught ie the bait

fishing net

old unused boats and garbage

freshly caught calamar

with mochiata in one hand and the cigarette in the other young fishermen -typical of all young Libyans

crushed ice for the catch

Al :

This ones for you as its near the old Underwater Club where you used to live or in fact just behind it.

Do you remember ????


I go for long walks in the mornings and during my walk I sometimes buy fish from none other than the Gergarish fishermen !The site has been demolished all around them yet they still continue to strive and go fishing some as a hobby others to make a living. I like to buy from them cause they are nearby and I get to see them come in with their catch of the day.
The Gergarish Fishermen get up very early before Fejer (dawn ,sunrise)and come in at around 9.30 10 .00 am.

We have a great fish market just recently made near where the old one used to be in the Tripoli harbour but its so crowded and I just detest crowds !
Here its so peaceful and everyone knows me though I'm the only lady that buys from them !Many people are scared from the Gergarish people due everything being available in the area from any liquor to drugs. But the fishermen are another story they are real gentlemen and are so kind. Sometimes they wont even take any money from me. So what do I do ? I cant refuse as it would be rude . Next time I come I bring them a flask of Libyan strong sweetened tea cake and caak( Libyan cookies).

Some of them are old and grouchy while others are neat and clean ,but they all share and have one thing in common that of the sea....and that folks is what I share with them . I love our sea side as it brings back old memories. I remember my father when I used to go fishing with him on Fridays, as he loved the sea so much ; guess I inherited it from him . Once he told me ,he wished he could die in the sea so the fish would eat him little by little . I never quite figured out why he'd say that, and it used to scare me stiff. My father taught me how to swim ;by throwing me into the sea yep he'd throw me in and jump in after me after having gulped so much sea water and crying for him to come to me,he'd say "Come on L stop being a baby,you're a fisherman's daughter and my first born and I cant have you not knowing how to swim !"

Chit Chat....

Since doing the Lasik I still haven’t been able to get my distance sight in order . I have now become farsighted. All well you may say as I no longer need specs for reading or using the computer.. Halleluiah …….Ah but the doctors said it wont last and to not get discouraged when all comes to an end and the need for glasses to read with will be another trip down memory lane.

Now with this nearsightedness came a very serious option that Id really had no idea of it occurring and thought it to be the norm;but it wasn’t.

I have come to see very minute things which I hadn’t before. Like the other day I was paying my respects to a friend who’d lost her uncle and I simply couldn’t take my eyes of her black spots and pimples with the sudden urge of wanting so desperately to squeeze them for her had she conceited to it ! I just cant stand anyone with blocked noses ,nose hairs sticking out growing like in a jungle of their noses, pimples that are about to blast or black spots needing to be popped open.

My brain keeps ringing; pimple needing opening,cleaned pus and disinfect. Black spots needing squeezing with steam and disinfect nose hairs needing plucking ..pluck pluck pluck……finding myself searching desperately on another focus instead of looking at the person with mentioned faults, which is somewhat rude but what can I do ? My option would be that ,or Id finding myself asking is the nicest way to help them take care of the darn pimple which as staring at me !

I get this feeling; the pimples and other in question want me to handle them. I may sound weird and may even be so, but this tendency has increased after doing Lasik.

I used a magnifying mirror in the past, to put my make-up on and now no longer in need, which is great. Driving also tends to be quite hectic especially at night, so I’ve opted to not drive late in the evenings.

Another experience was that of realizing how many people looked different .I had never quite seen them so vividly clear before and I was using two spectacles ;one for reading and the other for distance. Some had such big teeth that I thought needed extraction or maybe should’ve pulled them all out and used dentures instead ,here I only had the urge to keep smiling and doing my best to not focus on the abnormalities people have.It kind of reminded me of reading old novels about the Britannia Era when,women, were told to think of England during the wedding night !

Think of England ,my dear daughter !as if to her mind at ease. No way, do I see myself telling my daughters on their wedding nights,to think of Libya or the Arab world at that !

My ,oh my, times, have changed …

Before doing Lasik I literally learned where all the pot holes were on my usual daily trips to work and other…..my kids’ brand named cars and colours so that should they encounter me Id recognize them immediately.The other day, while I was driving with my youngest daughter, my big baby, a handsome clean cut young man gave me the widest smile ever while waving to me ,I didn't recognize the car,as it wasn't ours,so I ,naturally smiled back commenting to my daughter that he’s so good looking and young wondering why he waved ,to which she replied : "Mama he’s your son ,my brother !”

That’s how bad my eyesight was .