a night of celebrations

Party Number One: Alia and Zahran are getting engaged.

So again, Alia and Zahran, two really really sweet people are getting engaged. When I asked Alia about ‘the story’, she told me such a simple and endearing one. Well, they started off as friends, and when things got stressful they decided to take a break.. I hope I have the story right. Then, since they kept in touch regularly and talked to each other - both being really nice people to talk to – Alia said she thought, “Well, its so nice to have someone to talk to”, “Its so nice to have someone so nice”. Ah, when she said that… I was ready to cry. *imagine me in an archies’ comic going ‘sob!’*

Ah well, the party was really nice.. met a lot of ex-ISLCians from university. One of people I met that day, and his wife, both friends of Heba, invited me to dinner someday. The man was so kind, he said, “We both think you are really nice and would like to have you over for dinner someday”. Aw! And then apparently Sherif, Nelly’s husband, sent an email to Kailash, and in it he mentioned that he really liked meeting me because I sent out all these positive vibes with my smile and all, and I think they invited us to dinner too! Yay! So, if I really don’t feel like eating by myself, (or just Kailash and I) some night, I have a few people to call on :). Well, in general it was great meeting some really nice new and old faces.

Party number two: Irena’s house (I think).

Went there with Kailash, Petros, Tina and Falco, but Petros didn’t want to stay. Rami didn’t show up. Oh before I attended the first party, Tina had ‘fixed my face’ and lent me her jewelry, and insisted I brush my curls out. The next day, she asked Max, “oh didn’t she look pretty”. Anyhow, she did a good job, because I got so many compliments that day, even at party number one. At Irena’s place, just before I left, some really wasted Spanish dude tried to talk to me, but his word to nodding ratio was 1:10, and then he told Kailash, “Ah, you are brother, I must tell you, your sister is really beautiful”. I had warning bells going in my head, but Kailash took it really well.
Drunk Spanish Dude: “You too are really, really…”
Kailash: “Beautiful?”
DSD: “Yes, yes. I mean you are really beautiful, but your sister is really beautiful”.

He even gave me that bow from another century where you twirl your hand and all. So when I need an ego boost, I hang out with my brother and occasionally his drunk friends, and get make-up from Tina, and make sure I’m safe.

Tina didn’t take her earrings back the next day (as in she gave them to me :'( :)), and I woke her up really early to go see Max. :) I am so glad to have her around, touchwood. I guess one of my goals on 43things.com “have a friend I can call anytime IN CAIRO” is temporarily fulfilled!

days of the week..

I gave up on the stupid connection to the internet, although I really wanted to go online. Cannot believe that it spurs a slight depression – this lack of connectivity. Haha, as if the internet were some sort of substitution for company, which really it is. Mom and Dad have both gone to Cairo (the Promised Land with the Nile), leaving me to Port Said, work and driving lessons and yes, an 8 to 4 dose of the internet amongst other things. Well, I would do some reading but I’d rather write right now. I left the Julia Cameron book behind this week in Cairo. I’ll be leaving this Thursday I suppose, and for some personal reasons – its better that way.

Dad is going on a trip tomorrow, and that puts a lot of responsibility on me. I’m glad Harjas (Dad’s friend) is around, but it reminds me slightly of my driving trip today. Shawki, driver-cum-driving-teacher, left me to my own devices today, since I suggested I drive within the factory bounds (which is a large compound in itself)… not that it is in any way ‘sheltered’, quite the contrary. Anyhow back to my metaphor, being here without dad will be like driving the car without the experienced teacher next to me, telling me which way to go. I can’t believe… yohoo, I paid dad a real compliment there. Although I do feel annoyed with the work, and sometimes the advice doled to me in large spoonfuls like unsavoury Nido milk powder, it really is nice to know that you can fall back on someone. Going to be a bit different for the few weeks Dad will not be around.

Yesterday, I bought a pair of Clarks’ shoes that really caught my eye when I went browsing with my brother. The liberty of having money (as Harjas put it) now that I am working in this field is so much different, although I do think I was earning a pretty penny as a grad student, too. Anyhow, I was so happy that Kailash came to Port Said, and helped out with some security related stuff. I remember when I had a shitty weekend, he sat down to talk to me and paid me some really nice compliments. Now if I could only find someone like Kailash… When I was on orkut I said I’d look out at his friends…. Unfortunately, not many of them are birds of the same feather. So, I do my own independent research :P not that it has yielded great results.. but oh what the hell, where is my prince charming? :P (I mean can you imagine I’m desperate enough to use that language..)

The shitty weekend that required a conference with Kailash was due to the fact that on top of my world going ‘damadol’ as they say in Hindi (I believe it sounds onomatopoeic enough not to require translation),.. well on top of all that, I twisted my ankles.. yes, BOTH my ankles. That was enough to convince that life was…well, unfair. *shock horror* as Dr. Rodenbeck (uni prof.) would say. Nostalgia :) Dr. Rodenbeck. But really I also want to talk about the parties I attended on Thursday..

long day..

day stretched like a mirror.. a long face..


some stupid poem i wrote a few ages ago. so there i am again. it feels like all the shit is stored in concentrated doses for a few hours, days or weekends. and this is my shit-week. been having a few of those.

the weekend before was just fine. I played with colours at holi, and my friends and i had a great time dancing and all. The next day I was in port said and hating the whole world and worried sick about my father who is worried sick about his business. really, sometimes i wonder if the stress is worth it all. my father's friend says, 'do you want it all to go to someone else?' and i guess i do see the logic in that. but then, i really couldn't care at times. i see myself getting angrier, more cynical, shreweder.. and this is not the person i love. i see myself as a conniving, penny-chasing idiot - a complete turnabout of my ideal poetic philosopher wannabe self.

i wish now that i could go back to holi. maybe i'll do a paul (theatre-teacher) exercise in my head and imagine it all.. the smell of the colours we used - like wall paint - seeing my friends and feeling really really happy. dancing.

*for a moment i was there* really there *

so the reason i was so pissed off now, is that some stupid guy that PROMISED me some help in return for BAILING OUT on me just gave me an "its not my problem" line. I just told him to call dad in the future, and deal with him directly. The fat-ass even had the nerve to say "yes". I hope he has to go through some really interesting version of inferno where he begs everyone for help and they all promise to take him home or something and then leave him halfway because they find something self-indulgent to do, and then they tell him, "oh you're lost, oh i promised to show you the way, oh not my problem". i was thinking he will henceforth be known as fatass but i'd rather just forget him.

one more moment of the holi-day (not just holiday but the day of the festival holi) bliss and i'll be back to work..

Things I Love...

I think there's a song by that name.. these are some of the things i love..

1) I love people that tie their shoelaces with the greatest care.
2) I love watching people do things patiently and with care.
3) my friends.
4) my brother.
5) my parents.
6) watching my typing fingers reflected in the monitor screen.
7) typing/writing.
8) 'wasting' time on the internet: 43things, reading/writing blogs.
9) chatting.
10) getting letters, emails, txt msgs from friends :)
...enough for now :)

What have I been doing? you ask

I know I've been away from the blog too long and now have sporadically posted all these posts for you to catch up. I overfeed. ;) But c'est me!

I've been very virtually productive lately actually. Besides hunting down companies for Dad's business interests, I have also increased my online presence and pursuits. You will find me at 43things.com and at Flickr.com where I've posted some pics, but if you're not on my flickr contacts, for the moment you'll only see one.

I'm in Cairo for the weekend, and have had no word from Egypt Insight after the money messup, which is a real shame. Had they sorted this professionally, I would've consented to work for them. As things are, I'm not oh-so-excited about working there. Hang it! I really wanted a job as a professional writer. Its okay, the blog will have to process my creative juices into something meaningful while I keep looking.

Wyam the brave, where ya been? Zuby duby where ya been? Them and all the rest of you, give me a holler.

One more blog..

I have been currently bit by the net bug and am obssessed with 43things.com. I will always be thankful to Silvia for that, and other sites she's introduced me to. Another one is Flickr the photo uploading website. I did get an account on flickr but I haven't put up any photos. Once I do, I can blog those fotos onto this blog too. And although Zuby has been trying to convince me to write on livejournal I really don't think its happening.

Besides that, what else, work in Port Said at Dad's is trudging along. I was really looking forward to going to Cairo today with Dad and meeting friends to go to Sequoia (which is the old Andrea remodeled) for a chat, but its okay. Dad said there might be a buyer tomorrow and so i'm staying back. I did some driving today, and am pretty pleased by my overall performance. I love playing Raghav and then sitting up or sitting back and driving the car! Removes the day's tensions.

Work is quite stressful. Amal came late today and I didn't know how to reprimand like I can do with others. I couldn't even say the penalty word. But right now is not the time to tighten things up, like Kash said. Wait till the orders come in and then when we have jobs we can be stricter about timings etc. Right now we need jobs.

I go to Cairo tomorrow and I am really happy about that. I really miss home, and feel so responsible here for the factory - it scares me when things go wrong or missing etc. Too much worrying.. Already I just want to quit and write... check me out on 43things.com ;) I'm registered as Chitra ;) (surprise! surprise!)

miss me bunnies. and send me a holler!

Business and Being Busy

Ahem: to people that note such things: the date of the blog is the date i wrote/ not posted ;)

I’m not really busy today but most of the week at work just passes – and when I leave for the weekend or for lunch breaks during the week I find myself feeling guilty for taking time-off; not everybody in the office can do that. I’m really pleased about a few changes that are taking place though. I was hyper-excited to see that we had a website now. Its still “under construction” with a really cute sign, but it’s a must see! I was so silly-excited that we had a site finally!

Then I’m good friends with Amal at the office now. The other day, last Saturday or Sunday I think, she took me to the tourist port in Port Said where a boat from Malta sailing from Germany then Lebanon in Egypt now and heading for Jordan next, was selling books. I bought quite a good bunch at really good prices. There were people from all over the world and one dude fetched this Indian lady once he discovered I was Indian. Amal was really sweet and took me all the way home in the taxi and paid for the melon (green) ice-cream and the ride home.

At the office, Amal is titled as reception but really does a lot more. What impresses me is that she takes the initiative. Apparently, she called the website-hosts and told them to hurry their act and all. Plus, we agreed to work together on the website, and she has already started the work – which gives me more time to focus on marketing to other companies. Good news has also come on that front – for one thing I am finding good websites and I made a good contact today – and if things go well then we might have an order on our hand. I really hope for Dad’s sake that we do. I also really hope that as soon as I can, I help this factory to reach its potential, because I do believe it has lots, and with a few more people like Amal (and I hope she is the gem I think she is) I will leave them in more trustworthy hands. Mom’s been telling me that Dad has other dreams where he sees me in the factory in the future, but I really don’t want to stick around all that much. Its fun, like many things are, but not ‘it’.

On the other hand, I received an editing & writing offer from Egypt Insight today and I’m really happy about it. Actually my article isn't on it online but only in the print issue AND they don't have pictures :(. But there has been an unfortunate misunderstanding about what I was told was the per-word-price. I sincerely hope it doesn’t affect matters between Sarah Majdi, who offered me the job, and myself, because she really did give me a great opportunity – no matter the pay. It was real job satisfaction and I got to meet established and probably upcoming people in the film industry and watch great movies, even make a few good pals. Hell, I’ll take the job. I’m just waiting for this one issue to be resolved.

At the interview, I was suggesting various ways that I could accrue free books, CDs, discounted trips etc. for writing articles on books, cds and places. The person talking me said, “You like bargains eh?” I felt queasy – like omigawd the ‘biznus’ is affecting me. But that’s fine – I already have established like I told her that I’d just love to travel. Seeing that I haven’t done much about it… :P But hey, maybe in May I might take a trip to UK or some other European destination.

Charles already left the country for Belgium and said he’d try to meet me up if I went somewhere in Europe this summer. I might even do some business while I’m there – make or meet up with contacts. I wonder if mixing pleasure with business will be a good idea – but I’d be glad to be of help and to travel abroad at the same time. I’m looking forward to going to UK though – would be my first time, and I think I might be able to meet up with a fair amount of people.

The other day we met a representative from Coats Egypt, Mr. Zaheer uddin Shah, who happens to be Naseeruddin Shah’s elder brother, who is a first-class Indian and international actor. Mr. Zaheer seems like an interesting person, and I liked the fact that Dad and him interacted positively, although Dad does tend to get a shade negative when relating his past. I really do pray things get better at the factory; a lot of people have put in the effort and it does have the potential – all it needs are a few productive nudges – once we get the business rolling, all will work out from there.

Enough of dat, I really wanted to write about friends and meeting up. Now that I have weekends, I try to make them full and meet up with people while conducting a few meetings as well. Tonight I’ll be going to a houseboat party, inshallah, and I’ll meet a few new friends I’ve made. One of them is Konstantina, Nikos’ friend from Greece, and a pair of guys I met at the Pharoes club last time I went dancing for Sarah Hees’ farewell party. And maybe as happens in Cairo a few more familiar faces will pop up there already. Will be nice. Dad’s a bit more lenient about ‘curfews’ now that I work for him.

Tomorrow, I should go teach Deepak around 11ish – and I had forgotten and made an appointment with Amr (one of the Pharoes’ pair from above paragraph) that I’d probably meet him for a morning horse-riding gig. Dudes and dudettes who have never been or never tried should try this: horse-riding early mornings at the pyramids. The other thing he suggested was Al Azhar park, and I think I’ll probably go for that. Except I should also manage to meet 2-3 other people this weekend, will see how it goes. I like it busy :)!

Love to Meryam. I feel like I haven’t been communicating, but I know you’ll read, and hate me putting you up here nyah nyah (forgive me as always) :).