I picked this one up from AD’s Suicide Hotline blog…. You’re all tagged!

Do you love yourself more than the person your with?
My weakness is to give my all to the person I am with, so no – I never love myself more than the person (friend or oherwise) I am with.

Is there someone who when they call you drop what your doing to see them?
There are one or two… they know who they are…

What’s your favorite song right now?
Lealy Nahary [Amr Diab] – this is an all time fave (Arabic music)

Is it your favorite song because it reminds you of someone?
Not really…

Tell us your favorite lyric of that song.
The whole song is really awesome – click on the last link – it has the translations…

Do you believe in marriage?
Yes – big time!

What’s your favorite kind of music?
Metal, rock, classical (ghazals, Qawali, sufi, modern classics), accoustic – My interest covers the spectrum (The Ruler – still waiting for the Japanese tracks! )

Do you ever hear a song and think it was written to explain your situation?
Too often at the moment…. but it’s all good…

Do you have kids, what are their names, or what will their names be?
Not as yet, but I love the names Huda, Misbah, Safah, Marwa, Abyad, and Ayman – it may be one of these….

Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Barcelona, Spain and Izmir, Turkey have been highlights so far…

Have you ever dated someone who was married?
I’m not into that AT ALL!

Do you feel like you’re the one who gives the most in your relationship?
I don’t think something like that can be measured – each one gives their best…

Do you go to school, if so where, and what are you studying?
Should really be studying 2 courses from home… but both courses have gone off the track. Probably won’t complete them…

What do you think serenity means?
Peace of heart, and peace of mind…

Do you often think you would be better off alone?
Why would I do that now?….

Is there someone in your life you know you couldn’t live without?
I don’t know at the moment…

What do you do when you’re bored?
Ha! I am NEVER bored!

Is there someone that you think about more that 10 times a day?
Real person – Yes…

“Conceptual” person – Yes – God…

What’s your favorite kind of shampoo?
Anything that is easy on the hair…

Favorite bodywash?
Anything Citrus…

What kind of perfume do you wear?
Depending on my mood – Knowledge or Deep Blue by Rasasi; Allure Homme Sport by Channel; Red by Kangol; or Santos by Cartier…

Do you like your hair? What color and style is it?
YESS!!! I have stubborn wavey black hair which curls into awesome locks when longer… I like my hair short though

If you could tell someone something right now what would it be?
That’s for me to know… and the person to find out…

Who would you tell that to?
The person from the last question – jeez Loise, keep up! …

Do you think you will be successful in what you want to do with your life?
Success is continuously measured in life by the level of trust and belief that you have in yourself, as well as trust by others in your decisions. My progress has been good so far; my success will be measured when I kick that bucket one day – ask me then…

What’s something that keeps you going when you feel like you’re falling apart?
Something which I haven’t put into words, until a buddy tweeted it recently – “whenever you are at your worst, remember- God won’t put you through this if you couldn’t handle it.” – THIS is the reason I crave awesome friends!

Do you have a close relationship with your parents?
Yes…

About how long does it take you to get ready in the mornings?
It takes me 2 hours from getting out of bed to getting out of the front door.

How long have you lived where you live now?
5 years in London, this September…

If you were granted one wish what would you ask for?
To have greater inner peace… it’s a struggle too often…

If you want something bad enough do you believe it will happen?
If I know I can’t have something – I don’t crave it one bit! I am realistic in my expectations

How often do you get what you want?
Almost always… although there has been the odd blip…

Do you like name brand things?
I don’t go looking for them…

What do you put on when you want to feel beautiful?
When I make an effort – I look good; it’s nothing specific…

What are your favorite kind of shoes?
Italian shoes with wooden soles – best.shoes.ever.PERIOD!

Do you get compliments alot?
Dunno – I don’t notice them much…

Do you believe in yourself, do other people believe in you?
Existence in this life is based on self belief – I believe in myself at every level!

As for other people – that’s for you to ask and find out….

What did you want to be when you were a child?
A political or sports journalist, then a football player (‘cos I was ACTUALLY that good)…

What do you want to be now?
I am working my way up the ladder of my dream career; I am lucky to have grabbed the opportunity 5-7 years before people generally reach where I am now. There are a lot of prayers and wishes behind that!

Is there something that means more to you than anything in the world?
I almost always make people smile…. that means a lot to me…

If you missed it, I was guest posting over at HanniePants’ blog a couple of days ago; do check out and comment on the post there!

What do you do when you want to help a good friend…. but they maybe don’t see what you are trying to do. Maybe they do know that you want to lend them that set of ears, but they just need that little bit of space to think things through. This is where a friendship become challenging.

How well do you know your friend to find you and trust you in their moment of need?

A huge part of this comes down to the strength of trust between your friend and yourself. You may have the best of friendships with somebody, have all the trust in the world in that person, but the strength of that trust may be fragile. It may well be that the “issue” which is bothering your friend may be unrelated to you. It could be that you or nobody is the best person to give an opinion.

[source]

Whatever it is, one hopes and prays that at the end of it all, your friend gets back to their fighting best knowing well that they were always in your thoughts, and you were always that one step away from them if they looked your way.

Thanks for hosting me H, you certainly DO rock, and hope to see you in action soon!!

I have been the Cookie Monster, and I have kept is short for a change! You can find my crumbs on It’s as simple as putting the biscuit in the basket.

Saturday was a family day up north. It’s been a while since I had attended a big family get together; infact when we had one last year, I decided to skip it and get out of town for a while. The setting of the get together is always awesome. First requirement -- there is always a barbecue; there is just something else in the taste of the food which is cooked on a coal fire! Then, there is the company; I love spending time with the oldies -- there are always stories to tell and listen to, always the political arguments, sports, more politics, stories from yesteryear (they just never get too old).

However, the greatest time during these occasions is the gathering of all the kids in the family. At almost 27, I am the oldest of all in the UK; but just as when I was 12 or 13, I have my group of people around me and we do our thing. The thing is… as I have grown older… my company hasn’t. The age range of the people I hang out with is between zero to 10 years old.

One can spend umpteen hours in the company of the grey haired ones, and come close to understanding the meaning of life, but when I hang around the kids, I SEE life. I LOVE the energy that they maintain through the day. I love listening to their stories, their experiences, what they did at school, the time that they fell down last week; I love playing the games that they made up, answering their umpteen questions. I love asking my kiddos questions and then watching them exercise their imagination and make up an answer, I love teaching them new things, and experience them actually remember them so many months down the line -- the feeling is just awesome! (Pics on TwitPic)

I love the length of day that summer brings us in the UK; for those who don’t know -- sunset is round about 2130 in London on the longest day of the year (21st June). I don’t know about you, but I love the satisfaction of spending creative time with so many energetic people. All in all there were 12 of them under the age of 10, and it is very interesting to see how each one acts as a role model to another, and how they look up to each other -- it’s a promising sign for this generation.

As we wrapped up the day and headed back into London village late at night, I realised once again why I love driving…. driving long distances… it gives me that chance to think, contemplate, converse with myself, relax, and enjoy music like it should be -- sung out loud. During this journey back, I thought…. and I sang to the music… I sang with every track…..

I thought about how I missed the moments with the kids already. I thought about how I spent almost every weekend babysitting my cousins and nephews and nieces when I was at university. I thought about something which has been niggling at the back of my mind for the last couple of days too…

This weekend marks a year since I learnt what it meant to be alone again. What is so weird is that the circumstances were almost the same -- day trip up north on the Saturday, busy day working on the Sunday… and heart break on Sunday night. I have peace in knowing that I won’t go without sleep for two or three whole days this time around (I hope). I thought about the last year, and the trials and tribulations, and thought about the lows and the very lows; then I thought about the day that I had, and the people I was around. I thought of the people I have had the opportunity to get to know in the last year, and what they mean to me. There was a common factor in what I am missing from every aspect….

I then caught drift of the track to which I was subconsciously singing to…

… and it fits in with what I have been thinking about most…

Companionship….

… my Achilles heel…

(This is how Toploader said it)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zZztNg_I2s

(Anyone see the subtle connection in the video and the post?)

The super cool one aka Lhjunkie posted a meme called 50 First Reactions; It’s been a while since I did one myself – so here goes!

In her words – “Consider yourself tagged if you are reading this!”

1. Beer: smells disgusting, IS disgusting!

2. Food: I love to cook!

3. Relationships: building stable ones at all levels.

4. Your Crush: She knows about it

5. Power Rangers: umm….

6. Life: is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you are gonna get

7. The President: YES WE CAN!

8. Yummy: Life

9. Cars: long drives

10. Movies: Shawshank

11. Halloween: is overrated

12. Sex: drugs and rock and roll!

13. Religion: my peace

14. Hate: smokers and drinkers… like HATE!

15. Fear: god and nothing else…

16. Marriage: It will be a happy and successful one

17. Blondes: umm… not thanks… i’m a dark hair kinda guy…

18. Slippers: beach!

19. Shoes: love to shop for ‘em!

20. Asians: best of the best!

21. Pastime: trying to make some time to pass….

22. One night stand: in front of a wall and walk into it…. does it hurt? Yea… hurt me too.

23. My cell Phone: and wallet – go where I go.

24. Smoke: salmon

25. Fantasy: Wearing the number 7 jersey for Manchester United on the pitch at the Theater of Dreams

26. College: Best 3 years ever!

27. High school life: Happy days

28. Pajamas: in them now….

29. Stars: look how they shine for you, and everything you do….

30. Center: (middle) of your life – that’s where I wanna be…

31. Alcohol: umm… no thanks!

32. The word love: not as strong as the emotion of love…

33. Friends: the inner circle

34. Money: charity

35. Heartache: don’t want it again…

36. Time: stands still when she makes me smile….

37. Divorce: don’t believe in it… but the less said the better…

38. Dogs: <3 Ricky and Rocky… (granddad’s 2 old security dogs)

39. Undies: someone tell superman already!

40. Parents: made me who I am…

41. Babies: I know how to take care of

42. Ex: -cellentemundo

43. Song: Working on a Dream – Bruce Springsteen (Currently listening to…)

44. Color: Mercury Silver

45. Weddings: the ceremony to commemorate the start of a marriage

46. Pizza: caramelised onions, blue goats cheese, tomato sauce with herbs, topped with rocket – YUM! (aka Padano or Padana)

47. Hangout: I don’t do enough of

48. Rest: next to her…

49. Goal: BELIEVE in what you are doing!

50. Inspiration: dreams…

Why don’t you tell me about you?