Tourism is one of the major sectors the goverment of Jordan is concentrating on in order to help the devlopment of the economy in this country. A country that has very few natural resources, and where it’s main asset lies in it is people.

Same-sex tourism is booming around the world. Nearly 10% of the world revenue from tourism is gerenated through same-sex couples tourism which according to researchers spend more than the usual tourist because they have more disposal income at their hands due to their lack of support for children.

Israel, our neighnour Jews state, realizing the amount of money this sector can generate (especially through Europiean gay couples), and despite the laws against same-sex practices in the Torah, is planning to turn its capital Tel Aviv into the gay capital of the world .

Sadom and Gomorrah, the two cities which were burnt into aches as mentioned in the old testament due to the sins of its people which Jews and Christian scholars interpreted it to be same-sex practices, lies in Jordan.

Due to the rise in human rights awarness, the scientific proof that homosexuality is not a mental disease, and the increased acceptance of gay people around the world. Some of Christian scholars in the US are going back to those bible versus and re-interpret them. The sin that caused the burn of the two cities seem to be a group rape – not same-sex practices.

I leave the interprtation of the versus to religious scholars. What I am presenting here is an idea to revive those burnt cities.

It might be a shocking idea to many religious people who reject same-sex practices, but I believe that if we managed to implement it, it can bring much income to our country where everyone would benefit from.

The idea is to re-represent the two cities that were once the reason of condemnation for gay people among the world in a new light. A light of forgiveness and acceptance. A light of a globally agreed human rights laws. Those cities can serve as a memorial for all the gay people who were condemened before becaus of others mis-interpretation to the bible versus. Those cities can serve as a magnet point to attract many gay people around the world to the very first place where they were mentioned and condemned.

We can add some religious dimensions to what we have and end up in a yearly gay pilgrimage to those cities.

Pilgrimage for religious reasons is a strong magnet of attraction to people around the world. In Saudia Arabia it is the second largest source of income, it generates approximatly $10 billion annually.

Is it a weired idea to the people of Jordan? Yes.
Is it hard to implement due to the social and moral constraints of our society? Yes.

But I believe that we have an ace here. An idea that can generate millions. It can be our own oil. what we really need to push our economy and raise our living standand.

What a wonderful weekend! Me and my friend had a special offer at Kempinski hotel Dead Sea. The hotel is amazing, very luxurious with a sense of modern spa combined with an old Iraqi civilization theme.

The best part is that I was able to RELAX!

After a long week working, banging my head with various stuff, I was able to free it completely and enjoy my time laying under the sun.

On Sunday morning while having my breakfast with my friend. An old lady sitting beside of us caught my attention.

So I suddenly said: You know what? I envy old people.

My friend look at me wondering where this came from, so I continued trying to explain the odd thing I just have said: I envy old people because other people don’t expect them to work hard. In the contrary when ever an old man/woman wanted to do something, other people would ask them not to tire themselves! They ask them to RELAX! Something that I can’t get enough from!

He shook hid head in disbelieve and said: How lazy are you looking forward to get old just to have the right to relax?!

I laughed and tried to explain myself in a tricky way: Actually I am just trying to look at the bright side of getting old.

He rolled his eyes and said: Alright, as if I believe you!

The old story says that God punished Adam and Eve for disobeying him, threw them out of heavens, and cursed them for a painful life on earth. It goes on to explain that our life on earth is just another test where people who do good would be granted heaven when they die, and those who do bad would end up in hell.

While a lot of people take this story literally, a lot of others try to extract more meanings out of it and build a better perspective out of its morals.

Paulo Coelho, being the spiritual inducer-writer with the power to inspire millions of people around the world, has the same effect on me like he has on those millions.

Realizing before the morals behind the story of Jacob and his wrestling with God (check – Challenging God is valid? post) and connecting it with the story of Adam and Eve forced me to wonder if there is a hidden lesson that we are not aware of. Was the story really about disobeying God, or was it meant to be another form of teaching us to challenge him?

Was God really mad on Adam and Eve for disobeying him like Genesis describes? Or he has set the whole scene and implanted temptation in us in order to break the rules that ground our growth?

Genesis says that it is the tree of Good and Evil. The snake said that if they ate from that tree, they would become like God (knowing the difference between good and evil) – aka growing up from the state they were in of not knowing the difference.

I believe it is a path set by God for enlightenment.

Did Adam and Eve really get punished? or they have been set – by a master plan – on their first step of enlightenment.

No pain no gain – A simple rule that is applied nearly on every aspect of our lives. Those who work hard, get the benefit of their work. God cursed Adam to get his food by tiresome and sweat. Eve was cursed to gain motherhood with pain.

Have you ever asked yourself why those who have endured more pain in their lives seem to have a better insight and perspective of it? Why do rich people who made their money out of hard work appreciate it more than those who got their money the easy way? Why do people who get their success with hard work enjoy its pleasure better than those who win by chance? Why doesn’t achievement sound like achievement if it didn’t require a long painful process?

My little niece gets sick with every single teeth she gets. I remember my little brother falling again and again in his process of learning to walk. I remember the early morning wake ups at the tawjihi days I had in order to study and get the grade I wanted to have. I push iron hard in the gym with pain and sweat in order to grow up my muscles. I run and run in exhaustion in order to loose fat.

No pain no gain. Simple as that.

And what is the most painful inducer on humanity?

Isn’t it death?

Why death? Is it a punishment of God? Is God heartless to subject us to this horror?

Or is it the main motivator for us to grow?

Would humanity achieve this much if there isn’t death?

In AL Zahir (One of Paulo’s books) a character said that he respects human beings for being the only ones in the universe are aware of their short span of life and yet they work as if they are living for eternity.

God didn’t punish us to death. He did set us with the best motivator to grow. Adam and Eve didn’t disobey him. They have perfectly abide with his master plan to set us on the path of enlightenment.

No pain no gain and challenging God is valid. We are created to grow. Don’t limit your own growth. Work hard, open your mind and your heart and enjoy the pleasure of growing.

It is saddening me
It hurts me like it has always does
It hurts me to see you struggling with your pain
It hurts me to see you struggling with your wounds

Those wounds that are getting bigger every day
and more painful every minute

Like any other helpless son
Watching his mother struggling with her pain for ages
On TV, radio stations and newspapers
In School, history, and current affairs books
I created a self-protection mechanism
I closed my eyes
I closed my eyes and my ears
I closed my whole senses
I wanted to feel numb

Thinking that if I don’t feel your pain
It would fade away
Knowing that if I can’t heal your pain
I should live with it
Convincing myself that a mother’s happiness
Is built on her children’s happiness

And so
Whenever I heard your scream, I became deaf
Whenever I saw your blood, I became blind
I felt selfish
Trying to live my life while my mother and brothers are struggling
Trying to live the life you sacrificed to grant me

You sacrificed when you let me go
When you let me go along with half of your children
You gave us to adoption in order to live
You wanted to protect us from your pain
Your pain that surrounded my lefted brothers

My brothers who were born in pain
Your pain
My brothers who were born in a culture of honor and pride
Your disgraced honor
and Your destroyed pride
My brothers who as kids, were asked to be soldiers
Soldiers who fight tanks with stones
Soldiers who were fed up with pain, anger and hatred

They believed that revenge would only save your pain
They didn’t know that their suffering is what causes you more pain
They didn’t know that their wounds are your wounds
They didn’t know that a child’s tear is worse on a mother than her own rape

They believed that death and destruction is their way to free you
They became blind
Blind with hatred and power plays
They wanted to dominate each other
And claim the honor of your defense

Those men in teenage hormones and brains
Instead of healing your pain
They inflict more
By fighting each other
By killing each other
By stapping you in your heart
The heart that is only still going by the hope of a better life for your kids

Mother
I haven’t ever met you
I haven’t even fed up your milk
But I have been injected with your love
I appreciate your sacrifice
and I feel your love

I imagine your youth
I imagine your health
I imagine you smile

I wish I can see you again in your wedding dress
I wish I can see you putting make-up
and walking in a high heel
I wish I can see you living
Like any other modern mother

Mother,
I apologize
I apologize for our ignorance
I apologize in the name of my brothers
Trying to take revenge
We ended up hurting you the most

Killing each other is the last nail in your coffin

I scream here to wake them up
I scream here with an attempt to do something
To do something to save you
At least from dying by your son’s hands
I scream in dispair
for my brothers to hear me

STOP IT
STOP IT Brothers

Back to the infinity bug and being in a philosophical mood. Realizing that everything can have two sides: being infinite and finite at the same time. Knowing that I can address the infinit aspect of my own imagination. I decided to share it with you. I am sure that some of it may have crossed your mind before. Maybe you can share your own imagination about the world and infinity with us as well.

Building worlds inside our heads make me wonder. What if our whole universe in just a thought in someone other one’s head else head? What if that one is in a coma in a hospital where our whole world would vanish the minute he wakes up?

Playing video games, and seeing characters’ births and deaths make me wonder. What if our world is a game that started with pushing a button in a consol and would end when the person playing it get bored and switch it off.

What if our world is a video tape? Everything is connected sequentially. I believe that there are no real choices in life. What is going to happen is going to happen no matter how many times you forward or rewind that video tape. Maybe our souls are just audiance that are allowed to watch a tiny part of this video tape that forms our lives.

What if everything around me is fake? Me being in a reality simulation test where each one of the people I know is just a constructed character to serve the purpose of that test. After all, we are feel that our lives revolve around us. If I close my input device, I end up with myself, and my world of imagination that most probably differ from what is really going around me.

What if I am the one dreaming? What if I suddenly wake up and realize that I am still a little kid? or I am an old man remembering his life story? or living another one’s life in my own imagination.

What if the world is exactly what it seems to be? A meaningless matter without a real soul. An evolution prcess sparkling an intelligent machine that would vanish the time it worn out, and let me die like I have never existed.

What is harsher? reality or imagination? Does faith spare us from this pain?

I will leave you to think, and decide…

RedRose has tagged me to list 10 of my simple pleasures in life. Thank you RedRose for the tag.

When I think about simple pleasures, it strikes me to figure out that the most pleasuring things in life are physical, like eating, sleeping, and having sex, but I will try here to list a personalised version of my pleasures. There will be no order based on the most pleasuring.

1. Listening to Elissa’s songs: Elissa is my favourite singer. I just can’t fed up of listening to her music, since her first song “Baddi Doob” and till now, I have love each single of her. She just bothers me with one thing – She comes up with a new album every two years instead of every one year like some other singers! And her video clips aren’t always nice!

2. Playing video games: I love video games since the days of Atari. I remember how many hours I used to spend playing Sonic on Sega, and how much I love Tomb Ridger on Playsation. God of War is my favourite on PS2. I can’t wait to get my next generation consol! Games make me excited! I just don’t have enough time for it!

3. Reading: I have only started reading 2 years ago. I instantly realized that I have missed a lot. There is nothing that can match the pleasure of knowledge. In the last couple of weeks I got hooked to Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. It was an amazing journey.

4. Watching The bold and the beautiful – something I am not proud to admit (lol) – But since my last year at school where everyone used to watch this show, I got addicted. I fall in love with Brooke logan. At University, I used not to miss a single episode. Now I can only watch it of Fridays and holidays because I work till 6 and they show it at 4 on Israel channel 2.

5. Big Mac: Food is one of the most pleasurable things in life. I actually love any fast food offering! But I guess Big Mac would win my number one favourite burger. Zinger supreme comes close second!

6. Swimming: When I go to the beach or the pool, I can’t get out of water. I love pushing my head in and our of water. It is a very nice feeling.

7. Sleeping: I guess you all know how lazy I am. I won’t bother spending the whole weekend in bed! Usually when I get back from work (if I don’t have gym that day) I sleep from 6-8, then go out, and then sleep again at 11! I love it!

8. Blogging: I love the interaction between me and other people that blogging gives me. I love sharing my ideas and getting feedbacks. I love reading other people’s opinions. And I love the blogging-Friendship I built with many.

9. Drawing: It is one thing that I love doing when I have some extra time. It is a great pleasure to see the final version of your painting and realize that you are the one who actually did it.

10. Sex: and I won’t comment.

Now it’s your turn to share your simple pleasures…
Devil’s Mind and Tala I tag you.

List 10 simple pleasures and the rules are as follows:

a. You have to use the picture in my post.
b. You have to list exactly 10 points.
c. You have to tag 3 bloggers when you are done.

Two days weekend is just not enough for me. I don’t think it is enough for people to relax enough from a long week of work so that they can go back feeling fresh and energetic on the next week after the weekend.

Having long weekends from time to time is a proof of how much value a third day added to the weekend can add to our lives.

Thinking about it, it is kind of stretch for us to ask for a 3 off work days vs 4 working days per week. Our week is only 7 days. Having nearly half of it off means a lot of waste in our work force and slippage in economic terms.

What would be the solution to this problem?

I suggest adding another day to the week. Making our week 8 days instead of 7 days. This way we keep our working days to 5 and at the same time can make our weekend days 3. Win-Win situation?

But we have a problem here.

We can’t change the number of days per year because it is subjected to the earth’s movement around the sun, but we can change the number of days per month and add the 4 extra days in each month. That would be extra 44 days per year. Which forces us to remove the last month of the year and make our year 11 months instead of 12.

But doing this (44 extra days – 31 days of December) we would end up with 13 extra days. So instead of adding 4 days to each months, we can add just 3. (13 (extra days) – 11 (one day per month)), we end up with 2 extra days. I suggest to deduct them from the end of the year and add to November just 1 day instead of 3.

That would make January 34, Feb 31, March 34, April 33, May 34, June 33, July 34, August 33, September 34, October 33, November 31.

New day’s name

What would we name the extra new day? and where should it be added?

In Arabic, I don’t think that we have a problem as we name the days based on numbers. I suggest adding it as a 6th day, after Thursday (Al Khamees) and before Friday (AL Joma3a). It is very easy to name it “Sadees” perfectly suits it.

In English, they seem to name their days after Anglo-Saxon deities. But I suggest to name this extra day “Sexday. It is the sixth day and can easily pronounced as sex-th day without much trouble. People would celebrate the beginning of their long weekends by having sex at the night of their sexday.

Benefits

In addition to having an extra day per week for family, fun and relaxation, here we can unite the 3 major religions of the world. Friday is sacred to Muslims, Saturday is sacred to Jews and Sunday is sacred to Christians. All would be happy having those 3 days off.

Those who need some extra money, can take one or two of those days and do a part time jobs.

What do you think guys?

Because people in Amman like to watch fights as much as having sex
*Almost* as much
And because fights can show more about the culture of nations
And the constraints and values our society imposes on us
Which does give those fights a deeper meaning
rather than the immature behaviour of young guys

I decided to write about another big fight I have been in
where here I can’t deny that I have been…
Beaten up!
But I have an excuse
Numbers beats courage!
Unless it is a holy story

I am writing in Saadna‘s style
Because I love it!
I am not sure how good I am in it
But it seems to work just fine
Mmmm, better than fine!

This fight is about a WOMAN!
I hear you saying “Tell us something new”
You are right, it is an old story
Most fights in the universities happen because of women
(no pun intended)
It isn’t because women are bad
In the contrary, it is because men are immature

Anyway, that day me and my friends were out for a dinner
While driving back home
The 4 girls in one car, me and my other two friends in the other car
That makes us 3 guys (remember the number)
The girls’s car stopped on a traffic light in front of us
Another car full of guys (5) stopped next to them
While we stopped behind the girls’s car

The guys, who seemed to come from the jungle
Actually, normal Ammani sexual harassers
Started to hit on the girls (just because they were 4 girls in one car!)

My best friend, who used to think of himself as a SUPERMAN
Actually he still does think of himself as a superman
and whom used to fight anything that goes behind his own well
Even if it is just a fly hitting his face
or a molecule of dust infiltrating his nose
He used to hit back fiercly!
This time it isn’t a fly, it is his girl friend being hit on by a group of guys
Imagine his rage?

Because male friends should (I mean MUST) stand for each other
and because we were happy of our new found muscles
that we built going to the gym for a couple of months
Where we thought of ourselve to be the ultimate gladiators!

We decided, based on our good judgment, to teach those guys a lesson!
We were 3, they were 5
We are muscled
We can beat them!
We were wrong

We started shouting and cursing them
They did the same
We turned left after the traffic light
They parket their car aside
We did the same

My friend wanted to take his huge stick (ganweh)
I tried to stop him so that he wouldn’t kill anyone
While we were fighting on the stick,
We didn’t notice that the guys already reached us
and that our 3rd friend is already caught by two of them
I had to let it go, and go to help him

I started hitting those guys, then I remember falling down
and then I remember feeling 10 feet kicking me everywhere
Where was Nasser? where was Ramzi? (my friends)
I had no idea!
I was thinking, if the guys were 5
If each guy has 2 legs, then that make them 10!
Nasser and Ramzi must had fleed!

I didn’t know that they each had to deal with seperate 5 guys!
Apparantly, they had their friends, and where in 3 full cars that we haven’t noticed!
As a sum, they were 15
While we were 3

Nasser claims to cause severe damage on two of them with his stick
Before he got out numbered and loose it to them
Where they used it on the poor Ramzi!
Who has now a bigger nose than mine!

Back to me
Lying on the floor with the 10 feet kicking simulatneously
I decided to wait, till they get bored
But they didn’t seem to
Untill their kicks reached my head
Where I freaked out
Because one hit me so hard that my head reach the pavement
So I screamed!
Not of pain
But in order to make them realize that they would kill me if they kept on doing like this
Fortunatly, they backed away
Nasser came to my rescue

Anyway, the 3 musketeers ended up beaten!
We had to take Ramzi to the hospital because he was bleeding!

We wanted to press charges against those guys.
And so Mr. Nasser, trying to be smart
Asked me in front of the DR.
Where did they get that stick from?
He didn’t want to be sued because of it
Me, being the naive person who I am
Looked at him in concern
Thinking that he has a memory loss!
“Oh my dear, it is yours” I said!
I realized my mistake from the way he looked at me!

When the police came to invesitage
We decided to LIE!
As a mean of protecting the girls!
Because their parents would kill them knowing that they have caused a fight
Some of their parents didn’t even know that they go out and have dinners with guys!
What a sin!
Welcome to Amman

Anyway, being the MEN we are
We testimonied that those guys HIT on us!
What a shame!
Some “7afartal” guys hitting on 3 “fafi” west Ammani guys
We DIDNT mention the girls existance

The inverstiagtion didn’t get anywhere
It didn’t have to
We had to endure the pain for a couple of days
and that’s it

Ramzi’s nose insists of reminding us of this incident.
As we grow older
We remember those days
And smile

Update: Based on an anonymous resquest. 3adoola, took a video for me and Waheed fist fighting!

Enjoy!

This week, a new woman joind us at work
A woman that I have never seen before
At least that what I thought
Until yesterday
And while having lunch with my co-workers
She asked me if I recognize her
I looked on her face, trying not to be impolite
and said “Sorry”, but you look familiar
I guess she looks familiar
Apparantly we have studied togather at the university
and she has witnessed me in a fist fight
and she remembers my bleeding nose!
Stupid me, I thought no one saw that!

Unfortunatly, my other co-workers wanted to know the full story
I had to tell them anyway as I don’t want them to think that I have been beaten up
(Don’t you dare think I had)

The incident happened 8 years ago.
Wow, that long and I haven’t noticed Enas(the witness) existance!
It was a numerical class at 8 am in the morning
The class were full, and I was sitting just before the last row
In the last row, three other guys were *happy*
They were SINGING and LAUGHING!
I didn’t have my eye-glasses that day
and so, I was trying to concentrate on hearing the Professour
But I couldn’t because of their voice
I turneed around and asked them politely to SHUT the HELL up
They said ok, but kept on singing!
So I turned to them again
This time furious, and demanded them to SHUT UP.

The Professour heard us argueing, and so he demanded to know what is going on.
I said “There is nothing, the guys are singing, and I am just shutting them up”
What an ‘esfeen’! (wedge) – They most probably failed the class because of this.
The Professour was furious on them.
I am not sure how did he punished them, but I am sure he did harshly.

After the class, I left in peace.
Like nothing has happened.
Actually pretending that nothing has happened.
One of the guys followed me.
He came to close and shouted on my face ‘Gadha hai el 7arakeh?’
Which means “Can you face the consequences of what you have did?”

He was thin, he didn’t freak me out.
And because I was walking with a girl friend of mine
I had to act
In order to save my manhood
Otherwise, I would become the laugh of the university
So I pushed him away and said “yes, gadha, what are you going to do?”
He said “Meet me in the parking lot of the science faculty”
Sure I will.

How immature I was that time!
Actually, I haven’t been in a real fight before that incident
and sometimes I doubted my couragement
So it was good to prove it back then

I stupidly went there alone
Not thinking that he is there with his friends
Maybe I thought of that, but I was stubborn and wanted to prove that I am couragrous enough.
Fortunatly, it was only me and him who fought each other.

I wanted to grab him because I knew that my body is stronger
But there was another guy of his friends between us
Both were taller than me, and so I couldn’t reach him
Not untill a strong punch of him hit my nose!
I felt it hard
I became raged
And so I jumped and caught him from his neck
And Squeezed it in my arms while punshing his head hard
While the other guys trying to break us apart
I didn’t want to let him go
Not until I saw some blood drops on the street floor below us

I freaked out
Thinking that I hav injured him badly
and so I let him go
Only to realize that those blood drops weren’t from him
They were actually coming out of MY nose!
Which was bleeding like a flood!

That really made me angry
But what to do, the fight was over
I didn’t realize that we had that much witnesses!
Nonetheless Enas and her friend!
Who still remembers my bleeding nose till today!
And is telling everyone at work about it!

Anyway, I went to the University health center.
There was an Egyptian nurse
Who wanted to know what happened
“Meen da el Motawa77esh elle 3emel feek keda? Da mesh bane 3adam, da wa7sh!”
“Who is this monster who did this to you? He can’t be human!” She said.
and then she grabbed a long piece of fabric
around 3 meters long!
Actually I am exaggerating
and pushed it all into my nose!
I have no idea how she could do that!
I have no idea how she could squeeze that large piece of fabric in my little nose
(not very little nose)
So now you know why my nose is big
Satisfied?

Everyone know that story now
But I insist that I am the one who beat him up
At least this is what I want to believe
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED
Don’t beleive me?
I don’t care
Actually I do.
Well I don’t
I am over it now.
I can live with my big nose
If you don’t mention it.

Just don’t think that something you did in the past can just go away like this.
There would always be some witnesses who would remind you.
No matter how much time has passed since then!

Angels and Demons, one has to wonder which really the angels are and which really the demons are in Dan Brown novel ‘Angels and Demons’.

He concentrates on Religion relationship with Science and the conflict aroused in the middle ages between the Church which dominated the search for the truth and science men who had to fight in order to give their own version.

Highlighting the past sins of the Christian church and glorifying the achievements of science men at some points in the story does make you wonder who has really been an Angel and who has really been the demon in our history.

At other parts of the story, he does highlight the moral support Church has been giving our world for ages and how much it has been trying to be our campus to do the right thing. At the same time, he points out what Science has really achieved, and how much it ruined our sense of wonderment and enjoyment of our world.

Church teachings have evolved with time where certain truth has been changed which does affect the credibility of its current teachings because if old teachings were subjected to change, why not current teachings as well? It leaves us in wonder of how much faith we can put in the religion teachings we receive if those teachings are subjected to change and turn to science for answers.

But Science is in no better position if we are talking about changes. For science people, there is no permanent scientific truth. Proven theories can get disproved any minute. What ever we lie on our knowledge of the outer world is subject to drastic changes as new scientific discoveries appear.

I have been mistaken in the past of trying to prove a point by saying Science says so, because science is as changeable as religion is.

While both science and religion have failed me in the past, and while both has brought some horror to our human race, in terms of holy wars (crusaders for example) and scientific horror weapon, I can’t dismiss the benefits both science and religion brought to our lifes.

Science has made my life much easier, but it has also stolen my faith and comfort of believing in an eternal life. It has provided answers to many things, but also stole the wonderment of not knowing. It has make us rush in searching for new things while forgetting to take some moments and enjoy our lives.

I guess that it doesn’t matter what the truth is really is, if there is even an ultimate truth, as long as we know how to handle our limited time on earth and enjoy each moment of it.

There are neither angels nor demons. Both Science and Religion are products of human nature. It is the beauty of us, not being totally black or totally white. We are a mix of different colors that forms the beauty of being a human.