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Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

بعيد ميلادي ال23 (من يومين)
ما لقيت عندي شي إتمناه زيادة أنا وعم بطفي الشمع

ما كنت متوقعة أوصل لهالمرحلة بكير هالقد
:)

...or more likely Nightmares.
I didn't care much when I knew about the Gmail outage. I was at work with hundreds of stuff to do...

10 minutes later, I started to freak out, I thought about every web-application, account, subscription and contacts I use..Most of them (if not All) depend on my Gmail account. I even use Gmail for online file storage :$. I would literally die 'virtually' without it.*

Although the idea of Google owning us all (what I concluded from the freakig out) may annoy some, I still like Google. At least it united the world for a couple of hours for a good cause: Communication. That's what we all humans are here for **...right?

* (I know only the Web Interface was down and it wasn't that bad. I tend to dramatize things).
**(And we suck at it).

كرهي لعيد الحب ماكان لأنه كنت وحيدة
هلأ أنا مع أحسن شخص ممكن كون معه
بس بعدني مابحب عيد الحب
حتى ماجبنا لبعض هدايا

حبوا بعض...كل يوم

If you're into web design, then you definitely heard about 'CSS Zen Garden'.According to the Zen Garden it's:

A demonstration of what can be accomplished visually through CSS-based design.

In short it's a place where web designers can show off their skills and designs. You take the plain HTML markup they give you, work on a design, style the HTML you took with CSS without changing a single bit in the HTML. It's pretty challenging and that's why you see wonderful submissions from around the world...

My favorite was the "Retro Theatre" theme. Until I saw the "Geocities 1996" one. Watch out before viewing it...It can hurt your eyes :P The author said he was nostalgic when he decided to create this beautifull mess, I mean design :D. He's brilliant!

I hope this motivates you to submit your own Zen Garden CSS Design.

Lasto-Adri tagged me with the toughest tag ever..I suffer from the lack-of-favorites syndrome so listing my favorite things isn't an easy thing to do at all..But I'll try...


Favorite color: Well I'm choosing black alot these days...but still it's not a favorite yet.
Favorite perfume (guys): I don't know...they all smell the same..
Favorite perfume (girls): YAY I know this one..Ralph-Ralph Lauren..I'll get my fifth bottle soon.
Favorite pj brand: I don't know.
Favorite clothes brand in general: I don't know. Affordable brands?
Favorite person in the entire world: Him, Parents and Sisters.
Favorite country: Despite all the corruption and the sick society...Lebanon..that's why I came back and I'm not planning to leave anytime soon.
Favorite car: I don't know...
Favorite sport: I don't know..Yoga?? I prefer the stretch-your-muscle school over the make-it-big one.
Favorite sport player: I don't know..I don't even care to know :)
Favorite spot in the World: A Beach?
Favorite animal: Dogs maybe...they're loyal.
Favorite movie: I don't know
Favorite singer: I don't know either..!
Favorite day in the week: I don't know..
Favorite time of the day: Early morning..when it's very calm.
Favorite holiday season: All..
Favorite number: 3
Favorite food: Anything..I'm not very picky..I just can't stand Bananas...And I don't like chocolate and sweets in general
Favorite chocolate: I don't like chocolate.
Favorite cartoon: I don't know..but I like cartoons
Favorite blogger: I don't know...they're so many...
Favorite Flavor Ice Cream: Vanilla
Favorite Mobile Brand: I don't know
Favorite name: Hmmm...I like Layal :)
Favorite hobby: I'm very moody when it comes to hobbies...But in general: Playing Guitar and Reading.
Favorite room in my house: Bedroom.
Favorite Fruit: I don't know...I like all fruits..except for Bananas..
Favorite flower: I don't know..
Favorite Quran Reciter: I don't know
Favorite Ayah: I don't know
Favorite Website: :D Okay I know this one, they're not actually "websites" anymore:
Google and all of its products (I know it's evil..but I'm addicted) Google Reader, GMail , Jaiku, Twitter, Flickr, Blogger, Wordpress(I'm moving soon), and actually anything that has to do with online social networking, except for Facebook!! I never liked it!!

There's also the websites I follow that covers every inch in Web Design/Development:
nettuts, psdtuts, Smashing Magasine, Web Designer Wall, Noupe....I can go forever...

Feel free to be tagged :)

Yalla...back to work!

I can't believe I live in a society where
 many excuses can be found for a sexual harasser
 and a gay or lesbian person wouldn't be looked at as a human being!

It's been a while..I don't know why I never thought of quitting blogging. Sometimes I forget I have a blog but I never thought of deleting it.
The past 6 months were crazy. New job, new life, new people, new everything. Everything around me changed. I almost changed myself.
I worked hard to impress special people. I worked so hard that I almost lost my identity, I became a person who says sorry alot (can you believe that?). I was happy and sad because I was scared of losing this happiness, or that's what I thought.

I ended up being a totally different person. And when you change your inner self, it doesn't matter if you're better or worse now. It's just not you anymore, and it's always bad! Because you'll never be you.

I don't make any sense, all I know is that I should stop whatever I'm doing and be the old stubborn, mean and rude me again. I might work on my attitude a bit to be a better "social" person but that's it. I can't handle losing the people I almost ruined myself for.

Oh, Happy New Year!

مش لازم غيّر بحالي لكون أحسن بنظر حدا
يمكن هالشخص عاجبه حالي هيك

وإذا لازم غيّر حالي..لازم كون أحسن بنظري أنا قبل أيّا حدا

Every time it happens, we get busy blaming ourselves!

Zionists hit Lebanon, everyone get busy blaming Hezbollah.
Zionists hit Gaza, everyone get busy blaming Hamas, then everyone get busy blaming Egypt, and then everyone get busy blaming everyone for blaming Egypt, then everyone get busy blaming everyone for blaming Hamas...And ofcourse, everyone get busy blaming Iran as well..(I can go forever here).

It's not wrong to make a statement or say what you stand for out loud to everyone. But it's wrong to forget the main goal for all of this: to end the suffering caused by the Zionists. Stop wasting your whole time on blaming everyone because it won't change anything. Yes it won't! It's not like Mubarak will suddenly open his borders, and it's not like Nasrallah will praise Egypt in his next speeches. The Arabs will remain puppets, more Children will die, more Arabs will watch them die and blame Egypt/Hamas/Iran/Hezbollah.....etc.

Have no faith in your leaders.
Have no faith in your people to get rid of your leaders.
Do something to end the suffering: Donate, support Gaza with your heart before your money.

I haven't visited this blog for a while now but I had to say something about this. TFEH

What's hilarious about the incident is that he missed !! It wouldn't have been this funny if the shoes landed on his face!!

What's more hilarious is Angry Arab's reaction posts.

What's even more hilarious is this. (What's your score guys?)

Emergency Shelter, originally uploaded by orvaratli.

Nature is amazing..
But this...I have never seen anything like this before..
this is more than amazing!!!
Someday, I'll go and see them for real!
I will..

What is Aurora Borealis(Wiki)

إذا مواطن لبناني حاول يتذاكى ويقول إنو لا مع المعارضة ولا مع الموالاة

وبلّش يتفلسف ويبعبع بالوحدة الوطنية والعيش المشترك

فيك تكمشه لما تجي سيرة وئام وهّاب

مهضوم؟ معارض

&*(#$@!*؟ موالي

Email from Maha Taki:

Hello bloggers

I'm currently doing  exploratory research on blogging for my PhD degree at the University of Westminster, UK.  I would really appreciate it if you could take a few minutes of your time to fill out this questionnaire in order to help me find out more about blogging in Lebanon and Syria. Your replies are crucial to helping in my evaluation. Most people are able to complete the questionnaire in less than 8 minutes.

Please note that your responses and any comments will be treated with the utmost confidentiality and your annonymity will be granted throughout my analysis. If you have questions at any time about the survey or the procedures, please do not hesitate to contact me at mahataki@gmail.com.

Thank you very much for your time and valuable input and please pass on the link to other bloggers and put it on your blog if possible.

I have two versions: One in english and one in Arabic. Please only fill out the one of your language choice, they are identical.

English version:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ga_2f1i2evTudF5QgJDGWXow_3d_3d

Arabic version:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XxEzT1inehCPe3BKOqjYDw_3d_3d

حضرة المدوِّن

أنا أُجري حالياً، ولغايات تتعلق برسالة الدكتوراه التي أُعدُّها في جامعة ويستمنستر، بحثاً استفتائياً يتناول المدوِّنين ونشاطهم. مشاركتكم قيمة جدا لملء هذا الاستبيان لكي أكسب معلومات إضافية حول المدوِّنين ونشاطهم في لبنان وسورية. سأستند في تقييمي إلى إجاباتك التي أعتبرها جد مهمة. أؤكد لك أنّ معظم الأشخاص تمكّنوا من ملء هذا الاستبيان في أقل من 8 دقائق.

كُن على ثقة في أنّي سأعالج أجوبتك وتعليقاتك بسرية تامة. إن كان لديك أي سؤال حول الاستبيان أو الإجراءات المتبعة، فلا تتردد في الاتصال بي على البريد الإلكتروني التالي:

mahataki@gmail.com.

أشكرك جزيل الشكر على وقتك ومساهمتك القيّمة. أرجو منك أن ترسل هذا الرابط إلى مدوِّنين اآخرين

الاستبيان متوافر باللغتين الإنكليزية والعربية. رجاءً إختر اللغة التي تفضلها أدنا

الإنجليزي
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ga_2f1i2evTudF5QgJDGWXow_3d_3d

عربي
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=XxEzT1inehCPe3BKOqjYDw_3d_3d

الموظّف الجديد عنّا شكله مش عاجبه إنو المسؤولة عنه بنت
:D
ما بعرف ليه بس كتير مستمتعة بالموضوع...شماتة؟

أنا كتير ظالمة

A friend of mine sent me the book with this message in August 08:

Have an amazing time reading it, but I want you to do something for me!
Read upto page 44 at once (or at least in a two reading session period) and when you reach and finish upto page 44, sms me ur comments.
Ill reply with something depending on what you sms/how u feel about what you read!

I've read like he said. And the moment I read the last word at page 44 I turned off the computer and stared into nothing for a while. I can't finish the book. I haven't still processed the idea..hehehe..Oh and my reply to my friend's message isn't appropriate to display here ~blushes~

It's a weird book. To me, I was reading my deepest thoughts about everything in life which I don't dare to talk about even to myself. And page 44 was the thing that removed the dead end I had before to find many others ofcourse..

It's a thought experiment just as the author mentioned in his very interesting introduction. It's meant to be fun and you should think of it as if you're training your brain for a while. The author made it clear that he doesn't agree with the ideas and theories presented in the book.

 I haven't finished the book yet. I might this weekend. So this blog post isn't a book review (I don't believe in reviews). I just want to share the experience with anyone who might read this. But I have to warn you, read about the book first and think well before deciding to read it. Because once you do, it will change the way you think and live forever, no matter what your beliefs are. And if you're an extremely religious person or an extremely atheist one, do NOT read it.

Here's the book synopsis:

Imagine that you meet a very old man who -- you eventually realize -- knows literally everything. Imagine that he explains for you the great mysteries of life -- quantum physics, evolution, God, gravity, light, psychic phenomenon, and probability -- in a way so simple, so novel, and so compelling that it all fits together and makes perfect sense. What does it feel like to suddenly understand everything? God's Debris isn't the final answer to the Big Questions. But it might be the most compelling vision of reality you will ever read. The thought experiment is this: Try to figure out what's wrong with the old man's explanation of reality. Share the book with your smart friends then discuss it later while enjoying a beverage.

*It's the book's title. Written by Scott Adams . The author of the famous Dilbert's comics.
It's available for free to download on the internet. Try here.
Wikipedia Page

If you read it. Please let me know your opinion, I'm interested to know :)

So tomorrow marks Laila's third anniversary. I was going to say the Egyptian Laila but I personally believe she comes from every Arab country or any male-dominant society. I've been in her shoes in some occassions and I know MANY Laila's to feel her pain. After all I'm a female and proud of it, so I guess this makes me Laila by default :)

I've never participated and wrote anything in Laila's day but I make sure every time that I read all of the posts. I'm even following Lasto Adri's delicious bookmarks this time to keep me updated even before it starts :D(Sorry ~blushes~). I really want to participate this time even if it's a very small and humble particpation.

What I look forward to more is the reactions; the negative ones to be specific. You see when a so-called "man" mocks Laila (and many will tomorrow), it's only because he'll feel threatened and maybe for the first time in his life someone will tell him what a very silly human being he is. I feel sorry for them, for they don't know any other way to deal with Laila. They attack her at work, they attack her at home, they attack her in the street, they attack her in the stores, they attack her when she tries to claim her rights, they attack her when she tries to defend herself, they attack her when she wants to be herself, they attack her everywhere and all the time. So I won't be surprised when they attack her on her day.

I also feel sorry for those men who think that Laila is trying to be like them or Laila is against men. She's not!! Laila is about Laila's life. Sometimes her problems are caused be women not men. So dear -Laila is against men- "man", you're not the center of the universe this time.

I'm looking forward to see Laila's posts tomorrow. I will agree with some posts and I will disagree with others. But it won't change on whose side I am: Definitely hers.

So today is the Blog Action Day for the year 2008. It's about poverty this time. In my opinion it's useless to talk about any kind of poverty in Lebanon except for one: "Brain Poverty".

People in Lebanon are poor in their brains. And it is what causing every form of poverty to invade their lives. You see when a person lacks a brain, s/he'll re-elect the same people who killed her/his family (you'll see in the coming elections) couple of decades ago with guns. And these elected people will continue to kill her/his family by stripping her/him her/his minimum rights as a human being.

So in order to think about fighting poverty in Lebanon, give the Lebanese some brains, and they'll be able to move on to think about having a decent life.

That's all what I have to say.

I shouldn't have used this campaign to say this but watch the Lebanese News and you'll be frustrated as I am right now! They make me sick!