Tawjihi? Very over rated event..

Looking at the news and following the raising euphoria in the Jordanian Media / streets about announcing the tawjihi results.. i couldn't help it .. but going back 5 years in time. Yes.. i finished tawjihi in the doomed year of 2004.. when the tests were stolen.. and i had to repeat 3 exams (Arabic, English and Chemistry)... but thats not really the point of this post...

I mean.. yea it was a big deal at that time for me.. only because i felt there is an enormous tension raising around me.. my parents.. my brother.. my family... hell even my school teachers where expecting me to get high average.. "abayed esm el madraseh".. its like they look at my success as a way to get their name out of the mud?! ma 3alena..

Bottom line.. it was a big deal to me... but after that.. i started my university journey.. which by all means was 500 % harder than the tawjihi ! even though i was still on the older system (not 7ozam) which was even harder than the new one. You have 10 subjects.. 10 books.. the questions are limited to the text book given... the Ministry.. has never .. literally never asked questions that are not available clearly in the book... or teacher's notebook.. which really makes the task a lot easier on the student.

They just ask you to study... simply... its not like they are asking students to discover a new anti-matter bomb .. or go to CERN and be part of the experiment of the century!

Even though the examing system has been changed slightly.. and made more easy.. people tend to make a big deal out of it... making a huge pressure.. on the students.. who are supposed to have the time of their life as their puberty period hits the climax at that age. Do you know what the result is? Once they pass this step.. students have this illusion that if u manage to pass tawjihi.. they will manage to pass everything ahead... - the biggest mistake ever!

Tawjihi is just a selection way .. designed by the education system.. to find out the strong and weak points of our students... It should be a big deal for the students.. but not a big deal for the family or the society for that matter. Families should point out to their students.. that its just the first step.. and that from now on.. u should start fighting to get anything.. thats how life works.. u need to fight to get whatever u need... and Tawjihi is just the first lesson... every next step.. is just a harder "tawjihi experience"...

Believe me Tawjihi Graduates.. after 4 or 5 years.. when u finish inshalla your University.. u will not be able to describe your happiness and satisfaction.. u will even look back at ur tawjihi experience as a piece of cake. Celebrate today.. you have won a battle.. but not the war.. Congratulations for now.. and good luck in your next "tawjihi" experience.

p.s. for those who didn't pass.. well... there is a natural phenomenon called "Natural selection".. in which only the strong can survive... put that in mind.

City Center...

Time: Friday 24th of July 2009 , 8:30 a.m

Place: Square Macedonia - City Center Skopje

- Church bells singing..

- a huge flag proudly standing in front of the stone bridge.

- The stone bridge carrying the smell of the Ottomans and holding the people above Vardar.

- An old man drinking coffee in a cafe..

- Two women discussing politics loudly (the name issue) in the same cafe.. the old man shushes them.

- A man cleaning the square..

- Flowers and Statues everywhere..

- An adorable old couple.. wearing funny hats.. and holding each others hands.. and walking towards the river..

- News paper delivery boy.. riding his bicylce.

- The Millenium Cross from one side.. the Ottoman Acropole (Kale) guarding the square..

- Me.. having Burek and Yogurt for Breakfast.. on a bench.. enjoying the view.. and saying to myself.. "its good to be here again.. and i will defenetly come back..."

Coming soon to Jordan..

Thanks Wikipedia!

For all those University days..

For all those unslept nights writing lab reports.. and homeworks..

For all those hectic days before submitting our graduation project..

Thanks Wikipedia ! :-)))

common admit it.. at some point we have all used it !

Things i miss in Jordan

- Abu el Abed coffee (@ the cliff )

- the noise of Amman's Taxis

- going by bus to JU.. ( mojtama3.. zera3a... 3oloom..w ra2eessee :) )

- Hummus, Foul and Falafel :D.. + fatteh from Kal7a el Gardenz..

- Mansaf.. (ever since i travelled everyone started promising 3ozomet Mansaf when i come back... yalla prepare jameedatkom ! :D )

- buying DVDs from Downtown Amman.. ( Abood probably thinks i switched to someone else :) )

- a freshly squeezed Orange Juice in Downtown Amman..

- Cocktail Ranoush - Jabal Hussein

- Shawerma 3arabi ..

- Nescafe from JU - Engineering Cafeteria...

- Irth Academy outings.. :)

- Orthodox Club family dinners..

- singing with my Choir..

- trix ! - naa i hate that game.. i just liked how my friends get competitive during the game.. while i couldn't care less!

- Shopping from Safeway Shemisani @ midnight

- Madaba..

- my friends "birthday" gatherings..

- dancing on Arabic music..

- Cups&Kilos coffee latte..

- Hani Mitwasi's events..

- Sport City running track..

- Nutella Saj.. from Saj Haretna Rabyeh

- Ka3ek from Salahdein Backery in Abdali...

- Village Cafe..

- my friends..

- my friends..

- and my friends :)

Officially coming soon to Jordan :)

Masonic Symbol in St. Stephan Church of Ohrid

Few days ago i came back from one of the most amazing places I've ever visited. Ohrid.. a city by a wonderful lake.. rich with its natural, cultural and spiritual treasures. Ohrid has been protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage site since 1980.. and at the moment is a candidate to be one of the New 7 natural wonders of the world. The city is filled with Monasteries.. churches.. museums.. cultural events.. and a peaceful lake.. that u can look at for hours.

One of the monasteries located in the mountain few kilometers from the beach, took my attention more than the rest of the monasteries. Built in the 9th century, St. Stephan Monastery is a living reminder of the way monks used to live in the medieval time.

The church is isolated.. and in order to reach it.. you need to walk for 30 minutes into the woods.. and the mountain to reach at the end.. a huge rock. On top of this rock there is a big cross.. and under that cross.. an entrance to the tiny monastery. The rock actually is the Church... and next to the "rock" .. a small house were the monks who take care of it live.

and here is the entrance of the Church:

It's a very small church.. with just an altar.. and a smaller room where you can enter and pray.. and the rest of the space is the inside of the rock.. which surprisingly is hollow.

Things seemed fine.. until i noticed on the roof of the entrance chapel.. right under the small cross in the picture above, i noticed an interesting drawing.. of a yellow triangle.. and an eye in it.

If you have read Dan Brown's Angles & Demons.. u recongize a weird similiarity.. with this drawing.. and with the drawings in the churches or Rome.. having a Masonic symbol iside a church.. and for those who hasn't read A&D yet, the Pyramid Eye.. is of the symbols left by the Masonic movement.. this very same pyramid.. is found also on the 1 US dollar as u can see below:

The similarity is obvious.. there is no doubt that its the same symbol.. but the question why is it drawn there.. in a medieval Orthodox monastery that originally is built in the 9th century..?

I asked a nun who was cleaning the Church and asked her why does it represent.. and when was it drawn.. she answered that it has 2 meanings.. the first that it represents the third eye.. on our forehead.. which is one of the energy points in our body which connects our soul with spiritual life. The second theory states that it represents the eye of Lucifer or Horus. (According to the legend Horus has lost one of his eyes in a battle in which he killed Set). The nun didn't know when was it drawn on the wall.. but she says it has been protecting the monastery from the Turkish and Albanian attacks during the Ottoman empire.. which gives at least 200 or 300 years of existence if not more.

The icons drawn on the walls inside of the church.. were older.. and almost fading.. unlike the eye pyramid drawing.. i asked why is the difference.. does that mean that the icons are drawn thousand years ago.. and the eye is recent? She responeded that the church has been renovated many times.. the latest in the 70s ... so all the drawings that do not represent any Saints.. were redrawn.

She explained further.. that monks and nuns.. used to crush the bones of the saints.. and mix them with the color powder.. and use that same powder to draw on the walls.. so that the saint's body actually is on the wall.. this heritage and tradition.. actually explained in my head why in the Orthodox churches even in Jordan.. people kiss the icons.. and the walls.. which means that this tradition happened in all the places Orthodox Christianity spread.. including Jordan & Palestine. With that the nun also explained why the icons and drawings inside were not repainted.. to keep it authentic and holy as it was drawn when the monastery was built. Below you can see the drawings am talking about :

The question remained unanswered in my head.. what does masonic symbol do in a Orthodox church.. and was it "recently" painted.. or was it painted in the 9th century when it was built..

I guess this enigma will remain so.. but it is worth knowing.. that every drawing .. and painting.. has a particular meaning and reason.

Palestine : I resist!

via

Jordan takes you beyond...

The City of light...

On Love... by J.K.Jubran

البعض نحبهم

لكن لا نقترب منهم ........ فهم في البعد أحلى

وهم في البعد أرقى .... وهم في البعد أغلى

والبعض نحبهم

ونسعى كي نقترب منهم

ونتقاسم تفاصيل الحياة معهم

ويؤلمنا الابتعاد عنهم

ويصعب علينا تصور الحياة حين تخلو منهم.

والبعض نحبهم

ونتمنى أن نعيش حكاية جميله معهم

ونفتعل الصدف لكي نلتقي بهم

ونختلق الأسباب كي نراهم

ونعيش في الخيال أكثر من الواقع معهم

والبعض نحبهم

لكن بيننا وبين أنفسنا فقط

فنصمت برغم الم الصمت

فلا نجاهر بحبهم حتى لهم لان العوائق كثيرة

والعواقب مخيفه ومن الأفضل لنا ولهم أن تبقى

الأبواب بيننا وبينهم مغلقه...

والبعض نحبهم

فنملأ الأرض بحبهم ونحدث الدنيا عنهم

ونثرثر بهم في كل الأوقات

ونحتاج إلى وجودهم ......كالماء ..والهواء

ونختنق في غيابهم أو الابتعاد عنهم

والبعض نحبهم

لأننا لا نجد سواهم

وحاجتنا إلى الحب تدفعنا نحوهم

فالأيام تمضي

والعمر ينقضي

والزمن لا يقف

ويرعبنا بأن نبقى بلا رفيق

والبعض نحبهم

لان مثلهم لا يستحق سوى الحب

ولا نملك أمامهم سوى أن نحب

فنتعلم منهم أشياء جميله

ونرمم معهم أشياء كثيرة

ونعيد طلاء الحياة من جديد

ونسعى صادقين كي نمنحهم بعض السعادة

والبعض نحبهم

لكننا لا نجد صدى لهذا الحب في

قلوبهــم

فننهار و ننكسر

و نتخبط في حكايات فاشلة

فلا نكرههم

ولا ننساهم

ولا نحب سواهم

ونعود نبكيهم بعد كل محاوله فاشلة

.. والبعض نحبهم ..

.. ويبقى فقط أن يحبوننا..

.. مثلما نحبهم

جبران خليل جبران

الحلم العربي

Going back in time remembering MJ and his music.. and flipping through my memories.. i came across this song.. i remember how powerful it was at that time.. and how much energy can put in you.. and determination to make the Dream come true.. now.. I looked it up.. and found it on Youtube.. listend to it.. the impact is the same.. i still want to have the dream coming true.. but did i do anything in the past 10 years since the first time i heard this song.. to make this dream come true? No.. i wonder what can i do now.. so that 10 years from now i won't feel that bad as today...

*sigh*