Al-Rawdha Cafe, Part II

Thoughts of an anonymous reader:

I was born in Homs a very long time ago, but, when I read some of the entries and comments, I can't help but see the Homsi spirit and humor coming out.I love this blog, and I want to see more, thank you Amr and Haider I bet I know your parents.I will never forget the Raouda cafe, on sundays, we used to go as a family and sit in the family section, there is no hommos or foul that comes close to that taste, and I will never forget the smell of the wet sand in that cafe, it is ingrained in my memory, and when I think of Homs, I think of that amazing smell, the combination of wet sand, tobacco and the fragrance of flowers.when I was a young woman, we used to take a horse drawn carriage to the Raouda on Sundays with my grandparents.another interesting memory, the other part of the Raouda, where the men gathered to play backgammon, smoke and drink coffee, and which was forbidden to me as a young woman, I cannot stand it, now that I am an old woman and crazy still, when I go next summer with my 2 beautiful daughters, first thing we are doing is crashing the men's section of the Raouda, most of my elderly male relatives are dead now, and the ones of my generation know I always wanted to do that..

Al-Rawdha Cafe, Homs

In-Doors

Out-Doors

Al-Rawda Cafe was and still is right at the heart of the social life in Homs. Merchants, workers, and students meet over tea, coffee, or smoke. they play cards, make business deals, and gossip. Sounds like fun? In the summer time I used to go there with some of my friends like Haider Droubi, Muhammad and Wael Atassi, and Abdullah Tulaimat. it was a fun change from hanging out the Al- Safir" Hotel . Good memories.

Homs & the Sun

Vase

Vase, Byzantine era, found in Homs, Syria

Julia Domna Historical Restaurant, Homs

Zeharawi Histrorical Residence, Homs

The Crowd

I took this pic in Paris in 2005 , i was watching some protest demonstration in the street...all people were watching ,,,i looked around ,,and wondered if there is any other activity going on beside this demonstration....then i saw them...a complete picture of life...of a couple.. laughing..single people staring at the outside..to the unknow...shocked ..scared ..
and around me people shouting and demanding some change in their salries..maybe their attitude...maybe the way people looked at them.

The noise of the street and the eager of the girl chatting ..the distance between the two singles....the old man head looking back from centuries ago ,,,not losing his calmness and temper infront of people dressed in a 10-USD,cheap green,100% polyster T-shirts, along with sun glasses not designed for pirates ,but for the elite who wink when they say (ray-ban) .


I love this pic...i thought about sharing it with you,,,i dont have much to say now ...
Paris ...merci.

Shanghai…Contemporary Red

Well. Obviously the red color was so dominant,only there I understood why bulls get so irritated when seeing this color, actually only there I realized how beautifully this color can be used .

That huge giant sleeping there, somewhere in the far ..who speaks no English ..who uses thousands of simplified symbols that he calls alphabet. Who believes in yoga, massages and Chinese acupuncture..Who in his silent hardworking built an empire of devoted citizens ,,building huge bridges ,,yet producing refined products under the name of GUCCI.

He is called the FAR EAST, we are called MIDDLE EAST….and they are called the WEST….I wonder where is the MIDDLE WEST….i guess it doesn’t exist ,better we stop calling each other with geographical names.

Well…as we say in Arabic..’the one who gets in the middle of a fight ,,trying to stop it, receives most of the kicks’ … maybe this is what is happening to us..

That giant who is supposed to be a communist country ,,,well at least in shanghai ,is not …signs of globalization is scattered every where ..starting from elegant cars and restaurant…to huge entertainment centers and shopping malls…trendy shops to sophisticated lounges full of people…but guess what …they all wear something red ….even if it is a necklace..
It is a balance between being so modern ,,yet preserving their own heritage…it is a healthy mixture that the middle east should understand to stop getting lost and dizzy between what some people want us to look like and what others want to keep as our identity…guys ..We can be so modern ,,yet with a dominant color ..that stands up for our identity ,,as middleasterns…but we lack the wisdom and understanding …being busy discussing silly political-financial conflicts, I guess the old people new about the sophistication of those cultures,. I guess we all need to go there and see some different theories of building a nation,,a nation that is so eastern .

The only thing that I didn’t know before, is that people have to pay fees (0.9 $) to get into the grand temples…that’s why they weren’t so crowded..and most of the people were of a middle class back ground…maybe the poor should have their own temples. Maybe only inside their own bodies …that’s what makes their faith so personal and available anywhere ..even in public transportation.

well...there is one more thing ..i was told that their bodies don't "çonsume "Alcohol proprly..when they drink they start walking and walking and walking ….they get wasted so easily…they try to get rid of the Alcohol in their bodies…but for vain,,only then I knew why they were going in circles ,going upstairs and down stairs as if they were looking for their watches that fell down…well… only then i knew why i was getting dizzy...it was their movement .

Shanghai..where modern buildings look over the old temples..where the noise of the wild night life is next door to the calm spas and treatment centers…where bicycles park in front of trendy shops…where people speak silently….

…As I said ,,,they have their own way of being a modern nation..maybe we should consider their theories as much as we consider the western experiment.

Keep an eye on china ..it might be the next power…..

I leave you with my pictures…my reddish ones…

Didnt i tell you red is everywhere!!...even at the back yard of a temple..well ..this was exposed anyway!!!!

Syrian Actress Sulafa Memar

History and Politics And The TV In Ramadan

Aiman Tulaimat just posted an interesting artlicle on his new blog Watanan, here is the full text:


Ramadan has just started and with it began a marathon of TV series that will occupy some of us till the early morning hours. Similar to those of previous years, they are tackling themes that are strongly tied to the troubles of the Arab World. Some series deal with political corruption, these are usually the mildest of all and are sometimes funny. On the other hand, we have historical dramas that deal with particular eras or particular figures. In addition to educating the viewers about the historical content, they try to use the past as a magnifying glass of contemporary political matters, particularly the failures of the political leadership in the Middle East. The productions are sometimes very large and lavish. They are hard to follow but at the ends they are frequently intellectually pleasing.
The most traumatic of all the series are the ones dealing with terrorism. I have been following two. The first one was set in Syria. It was very painful to watch, lots of tears and lots of body parts. In yesterday's episode, the leader of the terrorist cell wanted to use his stepdaughter to blow up a government building. She was 6-7 years old! The scene of strapping her with explosives was hard to watch. Due to a series of coincidences, the police foiled the attack, arrested all the bad guys and saved the little girl. The second show was set in multiple countries, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, and England. The characters were from a larger number of Arab countries. The terrorists are more sophisticated and run a complex organization. Many of them had been in Afghanistan and are now living in some of the Arab states or the UK. So far, there has been some snapshots into their psyche that will, I assume, influence how the plot unfolds. I think that this will be the most rewarding of the two, but let us wait and see, or watch.
I would like to advise all US law makers, politicians, CIA, FBI, NSA, and the White House to watch all these programs. They will give them great insight on the real troubles of the Arab World and how the locals view them. I think that the insight will be larger than that given in any CIA report or expert testimony and will cost much less, 39 dollar per month for the satellite subscription, a TV and someone to translate!
You can post your comments here.

Top: Syrian Actress Sulafa Memar

A Point of view .

Syrian Artist : Rana Chalabi.

Muhammad's sword-

Pope Benedict XVI

By:Uri Avner (author, activist and heads the Israeli peace movement "Gush Shalom"). http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article15089.htm 09/24/06

"China : GO EAST. "..soon

China-2006 'well..thanks for the taxi driver who slowed down to allow me to shoot this one '