Darkness in Gaza...

RUM …. Life… live….

On Thursday night, more than two thousand people gathered downtown Amman. It felt like a magical hand opened the cage which people living in Amman were locked in… a brief invitation in the newspaper gave the key for people to breathe fresh air… enjoy a lovely night… in an ancient magnificent roman theatre …. Where what's remainder of the moon was invited too… all of that fabulous setting with a great concert RUM.. playing on the background…



The segmentation of those interested in such a divine concert arrangement is too wide… the segmentation is not about those who are into art.. it's not about those who can afford the ticket.. Since the show is for free.. Its not about those who are subscribed to the email list of a certain "art entity" and would attend after getting the email notification or a facebook event invitation….. The segmentation is much wider… much more humane..



The segmentation is about citizens… all citizens.. a real representative sample of the society… .. because the place is real the show is real.. the human interaction is natural… it is art.. it's not faked art… or tried out hard art….. that's why normal people can relate to it… the location itself with the atmosphere is a heavenly statement on its own…



This concert, unlike other art related shows taking place.. where you go and feel so alien.. not to the place.. but to the people and different energies.. and you can't really stop wondering have I fallen from space… or did all of these people just came for a visit from another country.. . people you have never met before… people you don’t imagine them to be your neighbors…. Unfamiliar faces… unfamiliar expressions… your heart finds it hard to synchronize with that vibe….


Coming to such a concert… even if you don’t know anyone there.. you would never feel out casted… you would never feel that you don’t belong… the faces will always look familiar… they will look like the people you live with.. your neighbors… the people you know… the groups you belong to… people you meet at grocery stores… people you might as well fall in love with one day….




Biographies of people who came… have love in common to all of them… they were either in love with Rum as a band, or the music… or songs names… or Amman… or Jordan.. … or fresh air.. or the ancient theatre…… or with the people they came with… or just in love with watching the moon playing hide and seek with the clouds…


A combination of culture.. human factor… nice weather…… passion… need for fresh air…. Free entrance………. good energy.. brings everyone together... to create the divine atmosphere..


The concert had great music pieces played…. And the uniqueness of such concerts is that when you listen to a song about Jordan… New Amman… Jerash… the piece doesn’t' necessary say that Jordan is green…. Wordless music is so powerful… . no words that raises opinions of agree or disagree … a musical piece that sounds good… and has enough harmony and is alive for us to embrace it as a song called Jordan… a song played on instruments with so much passion… with so much love… which makes us admire calling it Jordan…






Before the end of the concert… when the audience excitement and joy level rose… The crowd comes in and dances… those are my favorite people… those are the people who take the initiative to entertain others… who take the initiative to express their joy through their bodies…. As unprofessional as it may seem.. as horrible as they may dance.. You get entertained by viewing their bodies expressing joy…… they draw smiles on faces (serious people) and create loud laughter on others ( the more extroverts). In a country known for its national "Kashra" these people make you feel "Lessa eldenia b5air" ….


Let's hope the magical hand will always free Ammani's from the cage through coming summer nights… even if they just want to come and socialize with their families and beloved ones in such a great place… even if they are not interested in the music… and they just want to come and enjoy the glorious space… and socialize with the background of whatever concert is playing…. Let's hope the cage will be left open….

A Whisper Heard

Silence slips between words
Silence secretly slides…
Broken letters of a child
Slips between overflowing words
Within mature sentences…
A child is just learning words..
Like a hidden smile…
The child slips between the words..
Like the underground seed arises…
Like a divine heart prayer… said out loud…
A child that has grown…
Between the words ..
Is now shown…
Between silence and words…
A hidden child was found…
Between the words…
I heard whispers…..
Of an innocent child…
Singing…

Airports....

Different faces…. Each heading to a different destination… for a different reason… Faces loaded with feelings, questions, thoughts and wonders…..Features of hope… expressions of worry…fake interactions…love.. various scents…work….. quick judgments… sincere conversations……beauty….diverse opinions… coincidence…genuine eyes…. chance …. Accidents… stories … legends … fairy tales.…… endless number of motives…. Make us pack and move…… Endless reasons… makes me love observing faces at airports…… Makes me love to pack and move…

Her Fairy Tale Dream....

She rouse from the comfy Barbie bed…. Expecting the fairy tale imagery to continue… expecting a perfect image of what getting married and living away from family would be like… would feel like …
Part of her, was always not ready to know that life isn't perfect… part of her lives endlessly in a fairy tale… and seeing that Barbie bed, made the possibility for a fairy tale story build in her mind…..

Reality was never as perfect as her dreams… at a certain point… she had to listen and know.. that life isn't perfect… that it is hard to live away… away from the first human bonds created, away from family… sister.. brother… parents…

Having a sense of physical distance…. Detachment….. '3orbeh…. was painful.... as sad as imperfect as it seems.. it's reality that started to destruct the mental fairy tale expected… For a girl who made a decision to always witness reality from her angel.. .. in a room next to the barbie room…. watching tears tell a story of pain… of longing… was difficult… but yet… with every tear… they both would hear the laughter of the most adorable children… which makes it all.. worthwhile … in her eyes… that's what made life PERFECT… that laughter was always the echo of cries…. that longing's shadow is certianly true love…

On the other Hand, DUBAI…. A unique experience of exceptional souls…

In an attempt to experience Dubai…. All images & expectations on what Dubai is, and how a week in Dubai would be like....failed. And a more real, lively, image was drawn. I failed to observe All the fakeness described by those who visited Dubai. I'm so glad that my Dubai's first trip was such a rich experience of human interactions in a wonderful way.

I'm glad , that if I'm asked what is Dubai today…. For me … It's a walk on the beach barefoot with inspirational people, talking about how we can make a change…. It's a sleepless night in the lobby, enjoying Egyptians sense of humor on everything and anything….. It's a sincere conversation with exceptional thinkers… who are young… but will make the change… It's a desert, full moon heart to heart conversation… It's a think outside the box experience….It's taking a step forward... into the future... It's an observation of transformation… it's seeing artistic ways of sleeping ( Lina )…. It's listening to your thoughts in a different voice…. It's sharing….. it's talking and walking and not being judged… it's tolerance… It's laughing and crying with people you have never met before, but deep within you , it feels as if we never really lived away…. It's a hot topic discussed in the bus…… it's being sleepy all the time, but yet try hard and THINK and try to be CREATIVE… it's checking in and opening the apartment door, and hearing someone calling "bring a fork and come share the delicious chocolate cake!" . That's how the trip started…. And that's how it continued… it was very similar to the first chocolate cake which Mohar and Areen made me share as soon as I Arrived, before knowing my name…. Dubai was that spontaneous, that real, loving, Sharing, and the cake was so delicious. It's unbelievable…..

Reading a person is not like meeting the person- Personality VS Character

What truly never stops astonishing me after human emotions development is the character VS personality aspect of humans. And I can never and will never use both interchangeably.
People can have an amazing personality which you can easily feel drawn to but once the character is revealed a different impression may be created which usually over covers any impression made on personality. But the opposite is not true. What's interesting is that personality as a word is derived from "Persona" a Latin word meaning "Theatrical Mask"! Which absolutely proves my point. I would care less of a personality which is trustworthy, witty and has so much citizenship and honesty represented by a shy character which doesn’t take initiative to show that trait of citizenship or responsibility , who finds it hard to say jokes in public to reveal his/her personality in real life .
Character is a combination of social and cultural acquired acts, habits, qualities and attributes. Character is the real you, the personality traits along with how they were developed and presented by you. We often say he/ she has a character, which implies uniqueness.
Online, a personality can be easily exposed, whether a person is funny, caring, fair, and responsible or sweet is easily shown. You can read someone's blog, work virtually together online, or chat with him/her and come up with conclusions on such personality traits. A false assumption would be that you think meeting that person face to face would bring a similar judgment. In reality character is what attracts us. Character is what makes a person unique. In theater, stories or film the characterization of characters is what makes us get emotional, feel with them or be able to fully imagine the person. When reading a book, you cannot be fully involved and living the scene with full imagination if the characterization of characters is not clear and detailed. How they walk, dress, behave, act, what made them act the way they are acting. And a series of disappointments that may come out of a book made into a movie is related to how each one of us imagined the character, not the personality. Personality cannot be imagined. Personality can have flows and can be judged, but character cannot be blamed, judged or mistaken. It’s a chosen way of being!
In short, I am interested in the offline part of you. The part which I can see the reflection of your soul through your eyes. And where I can see you walk, imitating your dad. And talk imitating your mom. And speak imitating a role model you have. And dream of a character you wanna be. I am interested in this socio- cultural context that caries these personality traits and expose them in a unique character. A character which I cannot compare to another, A character that is complete by being itself, and doesn't need a check list to evaluate. A character that developed through living…. Socializing…. Crying…. Laughing….dancing….. I am interested in the real you....