Dentists and Hair Dressers: A Comparative Study

Posted on November 20, 2009 by 7aki Fadi

There are two chairs I don’t like to occupy; Dentists and Hair dressers.

They both manage to make me super self-conscious.

With Hair dressers my hair is never good enough, it’s either too dry, or it’s too oily, it is too long or too short, I either condition it too much or I don’t do it enough.

I mention what products I use and they gasp in horror. HOW COULD YOU USE this kind of gel/shampoo/conditioner, you are KILLING your HAIR. You must buy this $100 gel/shampoo/conditioner.

I leave the hair salon thinking I have the worst hair on the planet.  I am not worthy of having hair.

Same happens at the dentist office. No matter how nice my teeth are and the fact I never get cavities EVER is not good enough for them. I either don’t use enough mouth rinse or I use it too much, I can never seem to floss the proper way or enough times.And my gums, THE HORROR.

I mention what products I use and they gasp in horror. HOW COULD YOU USE this kind of  toothpaste/rinse/floss, you are KILLING your GUMS. You must buy this $100 toothpaste/rinse/floss.

I leave the dentist office  thinking I have the worst gums on the planet.  I am not worthy of having teeth.

Going to either feels like being in an abusive relationship, I am never good enough and I keep going back for more.

Are you in an abusive relationship?

Filed under: beauty, Funny, Hilarious, humor, Just Shoot Me, kill me now | 7 Comments »

This “Sharing Business”.

Posted on November 18, 2009 by 7aki Fadi

Me: I am going to buy 2 bars of chocolate, one for you and one for me and peanut to share.

Little 7aki: Can I have a piece from yours when I finish mine?

Me: But you have a whole bar for yourself! Why would you want to share your sisters?

Little 7aki: Because I always share my stuff with her.

Me: Well no, you have your own so I will not share with you.

Little 7aki, with a hint of attitude in her stance : This is not fair! …..  OK, from now on I don’t want to hear about any of this ….. (while she did double finger quotes in the air) …. “sharing business” .

Me: HA HA HA HA HA. What did you say? (I was thinking, I must be imagining things)

Little 7aki: This ….. (while AGAIN  she did double finger quotes in the air) …. “sharing business”

And I passed out from laughing.

Wow.

She is double quoting.

Dude, when did this development happen?

She is five. FIVE!

I AM DOOMED.

Filed under: family, Funny, Hilarious, humor, life, Little 7aki, Mothering | 8 Comments »

Is There Such a Thing As a Moderate Muslim Woman?

Posted on November 17, 2009 by 7aki Fadi

Moderate Muslim Women in the Muslim Society have it hard.

Last Eid got me thinking about the state of Moderate Muslim families / non practicing Muslims  particularly women.

We have an Arab mosque close to our house. We drove by it on our way to the traditional Eid lunch with the family. In the mosque courtyard there was some kind of bazaar/activities to celebrate Eid and it was busy with people and children.

Here in Canada Eid is viewed more as a religious affair. Most of the celebrations revolve around mosques and such things. So it makes it really hard for moderate people to participate in such activities.

I would have loved to participate in such events so my kids can feel the sense of community, to soak in the Eid experience that is full of joy for them.

But I was disheartened because even  if she was to go, I can be no part of that experience.  The combination if  woman, no hijab and mosque don’t go together.

Men are allowed to go in mosques anytime and they don’t have to change themselves or hide anything, but I as a woman have to change, my clothes , my demeanor , almost everything to be able to participate. And I am not only talking about going into the mosque itself,  I am talking about any activities organized by a religious entity.

Moderate Muslim women can be no part of  such activities.

It’s hard for me to understand or define what is it to be an accepted moderate muslim woman. Does it mean you have to wear the hijab but not practice? Does it mean you do not wear the hijab but you practice. Or is it to be aware of the teachings but not practice or wear the hijab?

It’s harder for a woman to be moderate because while a man can hide his religion inside him, in his heart,  the  woman has to have it on public display.

What are your thoughts?

 

Filed under: Eid, Expat, family, religion | 21 Comments »

The Blind Assassin

Posted on November 16, 2009 by 7aki Fadi

“Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge.” These words are spoken by Iris Chase Griffen, married at eighteen to a wealthy industrialist but now poor and eighty-two. Iris recalls her far from exemplary life, and the events leading up to her sister’s death, gradually revealing the carefully guarded Chase family secrets. Among these is “The Blind Assassin,” a novel that earned the dead Laura Chase not only notoriety but also a devoted cult following. Sexually explicit for its time, it was a pulp fantasy improvised by two unnamed lovers who meet secretly in rented rooms and seedy cafés. As this novel-within-a-novel twists and turns through love and jealousy, self-sacrifice and betrayal, so does the real narrative, as both move closer to war and catastrophe. Margaret Atwood’s Booker Prize-winning sensation combines elements of gothic drama, romantic suspense, and science fiction fantasy in a spellbinding tale.

From the Hardcover edition.

I have not seen a story as well constructed as this one. What an amazing story teller Atwood is. What a great read.

This book is a novel within a novel within a novel within a novel. Four novels in one. Sounds confusing? It might be to some people and I thought it was brilliant.

As heart breaking the story is in some parts it’s really witty in others. I actually chuckled a bunch of times.

No wonder it won a booker prize, it makes you want to quote it a lot. It’s going on my favorites book list.

What’s on my reading list next? Not sure, Moby dick Maybe? The count of monte cristo?

Click here for more reviews.

Filed under: Book, Book Review, Book Club, Books, fiction, Good read | 1 Comment »

His Dark Materials

Posted on November 15, 2009 by 7aki Fadi

I watched the  movie “The golden compass” when it first came out, although  I haven’t had read the book at the time, and was very disappointed in it.  I thought it could have been much more. So I was hesitant to read the books.

A year ago as I was browsing in one of those cheap books stores I found the whole trilogy for a very good price and I could not resist buying it.  Forward one year , I was low on reading material so I grabbed it and I was pleasantly surprised! I was kicking myself for not reading them sooner.

I just have finished reading His Dark Materials Trilogy (The Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; The Amber Spyglass).

The trilogy is geared towards children but I have to say that it needs a level of maturity to be read. I belive that maybe the kids should be at least 11- 13 to read it since it does contain some information that could be hard to process.

In the books we get to know the 11 year old brave girl Lyra Belacqua and her daemon  Pantalaimon who live in a parallel world to ours in Oxford. Lyra takes us with her on her adventure were we get to meet many interesting beings who become her closest friends and allies.

What I found surprising (and I truly did not expect in the books) was  the religious (or anti religious as some people would say) aspect of it. It talks about how religion corrupts and how it could turn people into evil beings. It talks about angles and death. It talks about how the soul occupies not only us, but the whole world. It talks about God and the idea of God .

All of these things existence and purpose are questioned and searched.

Truly a thought-provoking trilogy, surprisingly philosophical. The author is truly talented when it comes to creating all these fantasy parallel worlds to ours.

Wether you are a person of faith or not I encourage you to read it. The trilogy is very well written and very thought-provoking.

Next review: The Blind Assassin by Margarete Atwood

Click here for more reviews.

Filed under: Book, Book Review, Books, fiction, Good read, Philosophy, thinking, Thought Provoking | 4 Comments »

Fabrications

Posted on November 9, 2009 by 7aki Fadi

What fabrications they are, mothers. Scarecrows, wax dolls for us to stick pins into, crude diagrams. We deny them an existence of their own, we make them up to suit ourselves – our own hungers, our own wishes, our own deficiencies. Now that I’ve been one myself, I know.

Margarete Atwood

The Blind Assassin

I don’t know why but as soon as I read this in “The Blind Assassin” it struck such a cord.

It is true. When a woman becomes a mother she stops being just a woman, a human, an individual, she becomes a mother, a super hero , the whole family and everything is directly connected to her, affected by her and dependent on her. The success of the husband, the kids the marriage attributed to her along with the blame for any of their failures.

All hung on her like ornaments hung on a Christmas tree. Like a Christmas tree it starts out beautiful and green and will eventually dry and become brittle.  It will still hold the ornaments but it will become tired and old.  Weighed down by those sparkly ornaments.

It made me think of my mother and all the things that happened to us and her in our life, all the things that went right or wrong. The resentment and the gratefulness I feel towards her all at the same time. Made me realize how selfish we can be and how much we hang on our mothers. Sometimes the weight is too heavy but we never hear them complain.

I love you mom.

Go tell your mom that you love her and maybe unload some of that weight she carries for you.

Filed under: 7aki mish fadi, Book, Books, Good read, life, Mothering | 5 Comments »

  • This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License.

    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License.

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