Trust me I am a Communications Graduate

Coming to Egypt, I was excited. I expected to go out everyday, go sight seeing, visit friends and family and above all have fun. I guess I shouldn't have such high expectations. The problem with expectations (in my opinion) is that you will always be disappointed. You will always be let down. So there are three solutions to avoid this type of disappointment. (1) Lower your expectations (2) lower your standards or (3) eliminate expectations from your life completely. I guess the saying is true, "sometimes we expect more from others just because we would be willing to do that much for them."
The problem with Egypt is that everyone is so caught up with politics and the media that they forget themselves. They forget how to laugh, how to smile, how to be kind, how to be polite and above all, they essentially forget who they are. The energy level is so negative. Negativity surrounds every corner of the city. It is toxic and it is harming everyone in the city. Why is everyone so scared? I can't help but wonder, how can a country that was once known for its strength, dignity, power and riches become a country that is so naive and needy? The answer to this is media. The whole purpose of media, especially in a country that is going through a stressful period such as Egypt, is to scare the people. The trick is to know when to believe and not to believe the news.

The point of the news is to put out stories that will (a) attract the most attention, and (b) instill the most fear. If you have a story that will not captivate your audience or scare them even just a little bit, then you have no story. Remember, television and news are either owned by the government or by a high end broadcaster who makes billions in profits by using public airways for free. They control what goes in and out of your media outlets. They manipulate people and brainwash them into believing that what they are seeing is fact. As a result, the city is in a panic. They have controlled the thoughts and minds of the people.
If you don't believe me, try it out for yourself. Ask any Egyptian you know about the current situation in Egypt. They will tell you with assurance of the situation. Now, ask them where they got their sources and information from. Their answer will either be Facebook, or the news, or they read it somewhere or they heard it from someone. Their sources do not come from first hand experiences. It's like we are all puppets and the media is controlling us.
Believe it or not, our minds are being infested with garbage. Our thoughts and actions are being completely controlled. The media has won. We have become robots, and the superior being is the media. Do you want to know how you can stop being a robot? How can you stop being controlled?  The answer is simple, it is as easy as changing your news channel. 

The Beginning of my Journey

So here I am at Charles De Gaulle International Airport in Paris. I am taking a liking to the French people, they are so polite and the airport is beautiful! Also, I can now proudly say I ate a croissant in France! It was so delicious but finished way to soon!

So as I sit here on my stop over I have been thinking about all the feelings I am having. I am having a lot of mixed feelings at this point but my main emotion right now is sadness. I never wanted to leave Toronto. Toronto is my life - my home. So how can someone just pack up and leave home like this, not really knowing where I am going and whose lives I will cross paths with? Although sadness is my deepest emotion at this point, I still try to look on the bright side. My heart is filled with sunshine and love. I am so overwhelmed with the amount of love and beauty that surrounds my life. As I said my goodbyes I found that many people were genuinely saddened for my departure. I questioned myself, have I really touched this many people's lives? I feel extremely honored  and thankful to have so many amazing people in my life who support me, make me feel special and above all, I feel important. 

Distance and time could change many things, but not the bond I have with these special people - at this point, they have become family to me. 

Dear Family, 

I plan on keeping you in my life for a very long time. You haven't seen the last of me yet. I have so much more energy and craziness to offer you. 

Sincerely, 

The girl on the other side of the world who loves you very much. 

As I begin to venture on my new journey, my goal is to find myself and question every path I take and challenge every opportunity I get. I am trying to understand what it is that I need to do in order to reach my satisfaction. This is especially difficult because when I look at my path, it is not a clear view. In fact, my path is very blurry because I am unsure of what I want to do and where I want to be. My plan however is simple; I wish to be amazing. I am going to be epic. I want to make a difference by somehow contributing even a small difference in someone's life. I want to contribute in changing the world. I don't know how I will do this or where I will start but that is my plan. I may not be certain of what I want to do with my life or where I want to be ten years from now but one thing I am certain of is that I wish to dedicate the rest of my life in helping people. 

Strong is the New Skinny!

I come from a Middle Eastern family, in the Middle East, the ideal beautiful figure is skinny. And here I am-not skinny. Some of my friends kept telling me I’m overweight, I’m fat and that my body jiggles. I use to beat myself up about it thinking that I am not beautiful enough. Today however, I felt inspired. I was butt naked in front of the mirror and checked myself out. I looked at my rolls, my arms, my bum and my ridiculously big boobs. I looked at everything. First, I examined my boobs – my boobs are big and one of the things I hate about my body. But guess what? Guys like big boobs. Now I’m not saying to like a certain thing because someone else likes it or to like something in order to fit in. Rather, I’m saying we don’t necessarily appreciate everything we have and we take our body for granted. Some people will look at you with envy over the one thing that you hate so much. A lot of people will look at you and wish they had what you have. People will look at you and realize that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you because in reality, your body matches and levels with who you are.

I then examined my rolls and love handles, this is my biggest insecurity. I was trying to find something beautiful about them, but I couldn’t. The only thing I could think of is to work hard and get rid of  it- but I am going to have fun along the way. As I stared at my rolls I thought, maybe its okay to have these rolls. It’s ok to have curves and not be the skinny model on the cover of a magazine. It’s okay to look different. I am who I am and images in magazines and television won’t change the way I think or feel about myself.

We  are always given this image on television and in magazines that skinny is fit, skinny is ideal and skinny is sexy. Here is something some of you didn’t know, I have a document that states that I am a fitness professional, and here I am as I stand before you, a fitness professional who works in the fitness industry who is not skinny. I have rolls, a big bum,enormous boobs and a full body of jiggles. I can guarantee you that with all that my body has, I am more fit and healthier than any skinny girl you see walking down the street. I have come to mutual terms and agreement with myself that I’m beautiful and so is my body. My body is my treasure, in order for it to take care of me later; I must take care of it now.

The point of this blog is for people fighting insecurities to know that you are so beautiful in so many different ways. There are three things in my opinion that you must do to keep living a healthy, beautiful life. 1. Eat right, 2. Be active and 3. Love your body. When I say love your body, I mean go in front of a mirror and really look at yourself. Check yourself out and embrace your flaws. This is your body, your treasure, and it’s absolutely fascinating. You are not a super model, you are a REAL model. So, get real with yourself and love and respect yourself.

Have confidence because there's a reason why you were given this body. Embrace it, love it and take care of it. “Accept everything about yourself, and I mean everything. You are you and that is the beginning and the end.” Take a deep look at yourself, you are human and you are beautiful. You are so beautiful. You can be anything. You can be everything.

Once you realize that feeling good is more important than looking good, and that there are more important things in life than what pant size you wear, “when you are truly comfortable in your own skin, not everyone will like you but you won’t care one bit.”

This is your body and this is your life, you are doing this for you and you don’t have to prove anything to anyone! 

Taking Loyalty to a Whole New Level

Lao Pan's dog guarding his grave

I just read the most amazing story about devotion and loyalty. In China, a single man by the name of Lao Pan lived alone with his companion - his dog. At the age of 68, Lao Pan passed away, his dog stayed by his side even at his grave. A local Chinese villager discovered the dog safeguarding Pan's grave site. The dog refuses to leave the grave even after going seven days without eating. This story has touched the villager's hearts so much that they decided to build a kennel for the dog beside Pan's grave and bring him food and water everyday.

Leao guarding her owner's grave

This isn't the first time that a dogs have proved their loyalty to their owners. Over time and time again, we are consistently reminded of how loyal dogs truly are to their owners. Earlier this year, a similar story took place in Brazil. A dog named Leao was seen sitting beside his owner Cristina Maria Cesario Santana's grave after she was killed during a Mudslide in Brazil in January. The dog was discovered by a local and the villagers have since been providing food and water for it.

Being a dog lover, this doesn't surprise me at all. Dogs have always been an important part of life throughout time, this is proven in many ancient artifacts such as the Ancient Egyptian scriptures, drawings and even statues. Personally, I can't imagine my life without my dog, a dog is the most faithful and loyal friend that you will ever have.

"A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself"  - Josh Billings

Diversity is Beautiful

Toronto is known for its cultural mosaic, this is what makes Toronto so different and unique from  other cities. We accept and embrace all cultures and religions. When hate crimes happens in Toronto or the GTA, it immediately attracts attention, because as Canadians we don't believe in hate. Inas Kadri experienced a hate crime first hand. Kadri is a Muslim women who wears a niqab (completely veiled but her eyes are visible).While in a mall shopping with her two young children, she was approached by a woman by the name of Rosemary Cresswell who had a brief confrontation with her before pulling Kadri's niqab off of her face. According to Kadri, Cresswell was saying "leave our country, go back to your country!" The confrontation was captured on video and Cresswell has pleaded guilty after the tape of the attack was shown in court.

Naturally, this comes as a surprise for most Canadians because as Canadians, we accept all beliefs and embrace diversity. So, why did this happen? It is mainly ignorance, what does it matter if her face is covered or not? She is human nonetheless and should be treated as such. Discrimination has no place in Canada and what truly defines a Canadian is the fact that we are open minded and welcome cultures and traditions around the world. If we all took time out of our day to understand the different religions, or the different cultures that surround our cities, it would make a huge difference to everyone, because now we can understand and even celebrate people's beliefs. People have to understand that the white man is no longer the majority, the majority is now diversity and no one should be judged based on the color of their skin or their personal beliefs. If you choose to judge someone, judge the quality of their heart because that is what defines them and that's what matters most.
Personally, do I care if you are White, or Black, or Asian, or if you wear a Turban or a Hijab? No, because I am not one to judge, we are all God's children regardless of which God we believe in. And as such, we should all be treated equally and respectfully. Regardless of your race, of your heritage, of your beliefs or traditions, you are my brother or my sister, you are me and I am you - we are equal, we are one. Even if you look different from me- it is your right to be different. Lets embrace each others differences, because diversity truly is beautiful. There no place for hate only love.

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. 

Egypt: The Rebirth of a Great Nation.

Revolution 2.0 has officially begun and we will not settle for less than we deserve. Back in the January 25, 2011 revolution, after Mubarak's resignation, the military took over and Egyptians had found some sort of peace in knowing that we will be taken care of. However, when our demands and our rights and dreams have been turned away the people of Egypt decided to go back to Tahrir and voice their opinions. What happened next was unbelievable, the military sided against the civilians and used violence and brutality to resolve the long standing conflict.
As a citizen, the state should protect you. The state should take care of you and protect you. As a citizen I should be comfortable in my home and I should trust my country and my government to support me when I need them. What a shame it is that Egyptians don't feel at home in their own home. Decade after decade we have been lied to, we have been told the government has our best interest at heart when the reality of it is that the government doesn't give a crap about its civilians and takes every penny right into their own pockets. The people have lost all respect for the government and the military. Shame, shame, shame! The value of a human is close to nothing in Egypt. It is so easy for the military to kill anyone on the street and what is even more disgusting is that they took some of the lifeless bodies on the streets and dragged them into a corner and dump them one after the other. 1 life gone is 1 life too many, and we won't forget the blood of our martyrs.
SCAF (Supreme Council of the Armed Forces) is a bunch of disgusting pigs! Shameful, disgusting pigs who call themselves humans. All we want is our fundamental human rights.. is that too much to ask for?! Here is my prediction, SCAF will continue to fight and continue to kill for no necessary reason, just to make a statement. Now, lets think of the power of the people, it took only 3 weeks for Mubarak to step down after the revolution in January.. it is only a matter of time until all our demands will be met. "The power of the people is stronger than the people in power."  The time has come for our dreams to be heard and our demands to be met. We are courageous and brave and will fight until our last breath. We may lose some lives, we may lose our dignity, but we will never lose our home.

Dear SCAF, this is a kind reminder that we own this country, not you. Thank you. 

Conviction

Betty-Anne Waters holding her brother Kenny Waters' hand
as they depart Middlesex Superior Court in Cambridge Mass.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne, File.) 

Conviction is a movie based on the true story of  a man named Kenneth Waters who gets falsely accused of murder and is sentenced life in prison without parole. Throughout his whole life, Kenny and his sister Betty-Ann have been moved around from shelter to shelter because their mother was deemed to be an unfit parent. They always supported one another and only had each other- they were truly the best of friends and deeply cared for each other. The story gets compelling when Kenny gets arrested and falsely accused with murder. Betty-Ann always knew that her brother was innocent and would literally do all that is in her power to set him free. She started looking for lawyers to defend her brother, however a lawyer for a case this big would need $25,000 up front before even looking into the case. This obviously a lot of money especially for Betty-Anne who works as a waitress at a bar in a small town in Massachusetts. Betty-Ann came up with an idea to go back to school, get her GED, get a BA degree and apply for law school. As crazy it sounded and as unrealistic as it is, she was determined and dedicated. Nothing would stop her from accomplishing this dream, all she needed was for Kenny to be patient with her. She wasn't sure if she would make it to law school or if she would even pass her courses, but she was determined to literally sacrifice everything for her brother.  After an eighteen year struggle, Betty-Anne became Kenny's attorney and fought to set him free.

This movie really moved me. It is such an inspiring story of true love, devotion and determination. It teaches you that you are never too old to follow your dreams and nothing will set you back from your dreams other than yourself. If you have the will and the drive to succeed, and if you believe in yourself, you can do any and everything you set your mind to. It just goes to show you it's not about what you know, its about how much you care. 

"The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life is the will to try it, and the faith to believe its possible."