Simply Arab...: January 2009

Idle

5:21 PM by Halawa

Salamz,

I know I've been idle for a while now... It's the holiday I tell you, probably been one of the least productive ones I've had, that is unless you consider developing a new obsession an achievement.

The New Obsession

I'm not going to rant away about it, it'll just be a waste of space and a bunch of OMG's & incoherent vocabulary put together.

- Gaza is recovering (somehow).

- Obama is being, erm pretty active. His first interview as President was with Al Arabiya (and we ALL know how reliable Al Arabiya is *clears throat*). It was quite a move really..

- Erdogan is 3a rasi. I salute him.. Bravo! I like what he did in Davos and I think he can set a good example for the rest us who want to speak their minds.

- Guys who pluck their eyebrows out can go swallow knives! Yes, that came up randomly mostly because there are things you can't shove down my throat.

- We're back to school after tomorrow... Don't get me started on that, this is going to be one long semester.

I have nothing to write about really, the good stuff happens when I get back to my life.

Peace!

Day 2 + 3 of the Campaign

8:41 PM by Halawa

Salamz guys,

I wasn't in the mood to post about the second day last night mostly because it wasn't exactly my day. We got our result yesterday, yes THE RESULTS of all results. It was quite a shock when I heard about my average, the marks had dropped noticeably all around the Emirates; well YEAH, they will when you make weird assumptions that the students can somehow improvise despite the the observations I previously talked about. Anyways I'm pretty satisfied now after all the support I got and the way people put it for me, Al Hamdulilah.

Yesterday (the second day of the campaign) was HECTIC! We packed 25,000 hygiene kits! Just shout for something you need and you'll see it hurling your way in NO TIME! Everyone WANTS to help, and the spirit they have cannot be described & yet again people of all nationalities & religions showed up! I met truly inspirational people & a couple of bloggers too.

Yesterday was NOTHING compared with today, 3200 people attended so the place was packed! We got so much work done! To be quite honest, I'm totally spent and I just feel like throwing myself on the nearest surface, I'll leave you with some photos & videos.

After we were done, we tidied up

At work

After the storm

Oh oh, and SHOUT OUTS to the ladies & gents in the group I was leading! Table 20, you guys were amazing! Very cooperative and responsive! I want to see you guys tomorrow Inshallah!

I'm off for now!

Peace!

Dubai Cares Campaign - Day 1

7:45 AM by Halawa

Salamz everyone!

Yesterday was the first day of the Dubai Cares Campaign, volunteers were called in to assemble School & Hygiene Kits & it was NOTHING like I expected.

It was quite an adventure for us (my dad & mom dropped me off), we left Sharjah at 3:30 p.m. and I got to DIFC at nearly 5:10, why? Mostly because I've NEVER seen so many DETOURS in one place IN MY LIFE! Example: The detour roads have two lanes and if you're not familiar with all the last-second lane choice you'll end up totaled with a metal bar. So I say "dad go left", mom says "go right", and the GPS says: You are not on a road =_='... Go figure.

No worries, once I got there my jaw pretty much dropped out of place after seeing the building, you feel so tiny standing next to those Skyscrapers! Everything is just so.. huge!

And the people inside, straight out of a movie, you know... The rich Armani-wearing business man who eventually ends up committing suicide? They were scattered all over the place! Me and my sister would get weird glares but I'd just beam back in return, it actually felt good giving the place a little color, everyone was so neutral & sour-faced.

Took 15 minutes to find the Emperor Hall, we got lost in "The Gates", found another lost volunteer and continued searching.. we got there thanks to a security guy (aren't they always lifesavers?).

Hundreds of people showed up, there were HEAPS of bags to fill and stack & the best part was that everyone was cooperative, men, women, teenagers, children, Arabs, non-Arabs, all sorts of colors gathered for ONE noble reason... For Gaza.

Each bead of sweat that rose on every forehead was worth a LOT, for a moment or two when we could have a minute off before another load came I would look around and suddenly feel a lump swell in my throat, I couldn't tell whether I was overwhelmed with the fact that there were so many people who wanted to help, or because I felt that still, this was the very least we could do...

They called it a wrap at around 7:00, more work got done than expected. There's still more work to do today & Friday, so try to make it if you didn't have the chance yesterday.

The weather was amazing at night, reminds with being back home in Amman, only difference is the scenery; crop out the skyscrapers, Corvettes and Lamborghinis and there you have it!

I'll be there today Inshallah too, my big brother wants to tag along, the more, the better. Try to bring your friends & family :)

Peace!

Help needed, lend a hand.

7:26 PM by Halawa

Salamz guys...

Today I had my last Final exam, chemistry -thank God- it went well. So, HELLO HOLIDAY!

I wanted post about the past couple of weeks and exams and all but right now there's a more important issue:

We've all been helping out with the current situation in Gaza by donating money, food & medicine... now you can help out by lending a hand:

Dubai Cares needs volunteers to help package 50,000 school kits & 50,000 hygiene kits for the Children of Gaza.

Date: Wednesday, January 14 through January 20, 2009
Venue: DIFC – Emperor Hall
Weekdays: 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Friday January 16, 2009: 2:00 -6:00 p.m.
Saturday January 17, 2009: 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

More info here.

I'm going to be there Inshallah everyday (if dad agrees to take me to Dubai everyday). And I'm sure I'll be there on the first day Inshallah. Any bloggers attending? Leave a comment if you are, we're bound to see each other.. POWER OF THE PEOPLE :D

Spread the word people, blog it, invite people to the Facebook event, tell your family & friends!

Peace,
Hala!

And the show goes on

10:34 AM by Halawa

I woke this morning on the sound of my 8 year old brother crying... over chocolate. I was having the same dream that's been playing on while I've been asleep for a couple of days now.. It starts with me & some people I don't recognize sitting in a small room when suddenly we hear a low groaning sound and we fall through the floor... I wake up after that.

Reality came shouting at me when I compared the reason my brother was crying & the tears that were falling on a child's cheeks in Gaza, I felt really angry with myself, angry with the human race.. JUST PURE ANGER!

The situation over there really makes me want to change so many things about myself, including the things I waste my time over.. Maybe less time on distractions & more time regarding my religious faith. I want to face reality more & more every minute, I want to DO something, I want to make a change, in myself first, then the people around me, and then the World, I want to scream out loud... make myself heard more than ever, I want to defend innocent people and help the ones with open wounds.. I want peace.. I want the truth to show... I want change.. and I know that none of that will happen without FAITH!

______________________________________________________________

- Deaths have gone up to 776 Martyrs and 3150 injured Gazans. And still, the Western Media is twisting the facts...

- Hosni Mubarak... *censored*. OPEN RAFAH!!!! OPEN RAFAH YOU TRAITOR!!!! OPEN IT! No one's asking him to fight with the Gazans against Israel!!! Just open Rafah let the Muslims and people who are willing to help enter, let the donations enter, let the Medical crew ENTER! JUST OPEN RAFAH!! *****censored***** 5asa MBARAK!

- John Ging, UNRWA Director of Operations in Gaza emphasized on the fact that there were NO MILITANT ACTIVITIES in the schools (which had been turned into shelters) that were shelled kiling dozens of innocent refugees.

______________________________________________________________

- The Red Cross says that Israeli troops are preventing it from reaching the injured & their paramedics are being tageted and killed.
Avital Leibovich replies that "they would be more than happy to have the complaint and check it".
*snorts* EFFING LIARS!!!!! What she said will be taken by the Western Media and somehow it'l be twisted to show the Israeils as the peacemakers, the good guys, the ones who care about Gaza's interests.

______________________________________________________________

- Israel claims that Hamas is using Gazans as "Human Sheilds". DAMN YOU ISREAL! DAMN YOU! If your claim is so effing right WHY DON'T YOU STOP KILLING THE YOUNG CHILDREN!!!!????
This father says that his son was killed by SNIPERS!!!! They're targetting LITTLE KIDS!

I say: THE PEOPLE ELECTED HAMAS, the PEOPLE aren't complaining about Hamas, they are complaining about the murderers, the "new NAZIS", THE ZIONISTS! Not ONE Gazan is against what Hamas is doing, they don't want their loved ones to die in vain! I would want revenge, I WANT revenge!

______________________________________________________________

- Children are being left without food, water & in ruble sitting next to their dead parents' bodies for more than 4 days & ISRAELI troops know that, but won't let humanitarian aid reach them.
In this video a medic says that they entered homes where they found decomposed bodies along with injured people. They found around 20 bodies in one of the houses they entered, 7 of them were women and 6 were bodies of children.

- The UNRWA has decided to suspend the distribution of food to over 750000 Palestinians who depend on it because of the death of one if its drivers by Israeli troops.

______________________________________________________________

- This is what I call the true Palestinians.. the ones who make me proud that there are still good Muslims, Muslims who sacriface their own children for the Country, for el watan... The woman who is mourning her son at 0:36 is crying "For the country my child, for the country, May Allah be with you".. her son was bombed in front her.. May he rest in Peace God willing.

______________________________________________________________

And this is what I call a real leader:

"Chavez ordered Israel's ambassador expelled from the country"... read here
YEAH! That way, you make a LOT o people just a little satisfied... Arab leaders.. thinking anytime soon? *clenchs jaw*.
______________________________________________________________

- United Arab Emirates Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al-Nahayan said his country will donate money to rebuild the three UNRWA schools that were destroyed in Israeli Air Force strikes in Gaza.. read more here.

Al Hamdulilah, they're helping.

How you can help too?

You can donate money to the following account numbers:

003520534675401- Dubai Islamic Bank
20000417 - Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank

Or visit the Red Cross charities across the Emirates at:
Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society, Al Ain Cooperative Society, Bani Yas Cooperative Society, Al Falah Plaza, Al Safa Center in Al Ain, Dubai City Center, Sharjah City Center.

Also Aramex is organizing an emergency donation campaign to support Gaza, you can drop your donations off at the following locations:

Mall of Emirates, Deira City Center, Sharjah City Center, and Ajman City Center.

Long live Gazans, long live Muslims and long live the truth... Allahu Akbar! GOD IS GREAT!

Peace,
Hala.

How Blind?

2:05 PM by Halawa

I'm exhausted, literally. Today is the 9th day of war on Gaza and I've been spending a lot of my time glued to Al Jazeera my eyes bulging out of their sockets each time a new attack occurs. The death toll has raised up to +483 HUMANS. This is a full scale massacre and Arab leaders are doing absolutely NOTHING! Don't tell me that sending a couple of tons of Medicine is considered help.. that's just bullshit! We are talking about 24 Arab countries.. TWENTY FOUR! 325 MILLION people.. let's just say 2 million are willing to defend Palestine, they're ready to die for their brothers! It's impossible that two bitches like Livni and Rice are controlling **** CENSORED****

24 -----! Well I say and quote from The Kite Runner "Urinate ......." men who are incapable of making a decision, men who fear standing in the face of the enemy and for ONCE in their lives fulfilling the oaths they've taken. There's a lot I'd rather write, but keep in mind, there's nothing called freedom of speech as long as you speak the truth.

Livni says "There's no humanitarian crisis in Gaza"... nope sure isn't, the +2500 injured hungry people are just joking around, you know screaming their lungs out just for the camera... yeah the little CHILDREN who aren't expecting to wake up once the fall asleep at night after crying every last tear out at their CIVILIAN dad whose brain got splattered all over the wall trying to get them bread to eat. Nope no humanitarian crisis at all.

What about the people who died at the mosque? I cried my eyes out last night after watching this child die on International TV choking on his own blood... he was praying people! Praying to God to make things better... I say Al Hamdulilah, he's a martyr Inshallah. What better death is there than one in the house of Allah?

What about his mom though?

Even education couldn't make it through. My friend from Gaza, Lina, shared some photos of her now-in-rubble University.

Imagine it being your University, or your mosque, or your brother, or your family & your country.. what would it feel like? Put yourself in their shoes for once... so just leave your PS3, or your favorite TV drama, and pray for them people.. just pray, it's the least you can do.

7asbi Allah Wa Ne3m Al Wakeel!

My heart bleeds with Gaza.

We ended 2008 with this

10:42 AM by Halawa

Despite the fact that I decided not to post anything new on my blog until I'm done with my finals... I realized that we began the New Year this morning.

So much has happened during the past week.. and words are not enough to express the anger that resides inside me, so you can just take a look yourself:

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

I don't know how blind the World can be, but it seems that it's rare to find people blessed with eyesight.

May God be with Gaza and its people.

Peace,
Hala.

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