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Sunday, December 12, 2010

Not abroad, it is inward !

Taken by me, in Bathesda, MD

Yes, It is me ... 
Still surviving ...
Run through a lot since my arrival to my new place ... 
It was not friendly with me as the Puget Sound area of the Northwest . Yet, I am getting along with it and start to kind of like the hectic rhythm of life here.

The sentence "Run through a lot " includes all of my life aspects; training, studying, health, and personal life. Truly the experience I got in the last four months was like a concentrated package for what I had in the last two years abroad.

Some moments felt so tough as if I am breaking down and losing myself, most of the other moments was blessings and made me grow and grow inward.
This journey, most people think it is a journey of studying and living abroad away from home, but I always believed it is a journey of flying and ascending inward, to get closer to the inland, and to look at this magnificent creation of Allah in each and everyone of us. And that is another living paradox of my life.

Two particular moments of near death experience only forty two days apart was so awakening that although it was tough , yet whenever I think of those moments I thank Allah million times for letting me living it. 

Don't worry I am well now that was during months of August and September, including the holey month of Ramadan.

 I actually was blogging tweeting, and Facebooking, during that time, maybe I was in stage of denial and trying to prove to myself that I am fine. But quickly realized that I am not, and that's when my blog went into a stage of hibernation, when I started taking care of that wounded self of mine.

Now to be honest I don't want for this place to hibernate again after this post but I can't give false promises ...  

So, I will try my best to hold this blog up while flying this journey as that sparrow in the photo above trying to hold a straw and fly with it. That what I really want and guess will happen even if my next post was after another few months ...

Yes, I am fine , ElhamdoAllah ...

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Confession: Wedding, Yes ... White dress, No...!

I liked this "congrats" handshake it feels so warm

My mom needed to play mother-in law role last night, she very rarely needs to play that role. I had a good laugh while hearing the details, I played sister-in law role too when I was laughing, lol.

Yesterday was my brother's wedding. It is still a custom in Libyan wedding to have separated party for men and women, No mix, but there is this new ( not really new , it has been going for years now ) stupid tradition of wedding when the groom enter the the hall of the women party and walk in hand in hand in front of the guests who are all women, then to take a seat beside his bride and spend time together taking pictures and having dinner and sometimes even dancing in front of the women crowd !!!

I was never able to comprehend this event, I always used to say if the party is mixed then I will allow the groom to enter but I will always feel it so odd to see the groom in a hall stacked with only women! And I will definitely not allow it for my man, but that is another issue because I know I have a lot of strange believes about my dream wedding. Strange by the measures of our current society. It is that strange that if people know about it, their their suspecion about my craziness will be converted to a clear fact .. To give a clue,  I don't have the white dress dream fror my wedding!!! Wedding, Yes , white dress No ... I've kept this fact hidden for sometime now , even my mom who is so close to me, only knew about it only recently. I was hiding it because she herself still keep her white dress in her closet for memories of her day.

To make it clear, I wouldn't say I will never wear it, I'm not that silly or superficial to reject a good man because he has a white dress dream and want mt to wear it for the wedding. But simply I don't have this dream, and wish one day if Allah has a plan for me to have a wedding party, I wish it will be without the white dress , and by the way it is not that I want to have the same dress but with different color. No,  it is more deep than that idea. Will keep what I wishto dress for my wedding for another time.

Ok, after this big confession let's go back to my broher, he was telling me during his engagement period how his girl insisted and wanted him to enter the hall of the wedding party to spend time in front of her guests, and how he felt uncomfortable about it. He tried hardly to convince her , she was good in everything , but stubborn regarding this matter, and same way was my brother's rejection to this idea.

We as a family don't usually interefer with this matter, for example in the wedding of my previous two brothers ,one of them entered the women hall the other didn't, but back then, there were no conflicts with their brides. But this time it was different, there was a conflict, between my brother and his bride.
I remember one time his girl called me hoping that I will convince him, and the poor girl she didn't know that she is ringing the wrong number. But I didn't let her down anyway, and tried to reach a compromising solution,  I told her I will convince him to enter that private bride room which is available in each wedding hall and they can spend sometime taking pictures or do whatever they want away from the women crowd.

Anyway, days have gone and finally came the critical moments last night. As my mom was telling when they arrived to the wedding hall and as it was planed to spend sometime inthe private side-room, they were surprised with the bride walking-out to the reception of the hall and asking my brother to walk in to the hall together ... My brother get surprised and confused and with all the mixed feelings he had at that moment he just paused.
As I said my mom wouldn't interfere if he wanted that thing to happen, yet she know he doesn't. She stood-up and said, if that will happen then I am leaving the hall !  ( With angry face ). My other tow sister-in law was watching with surprise, they have never seen my mom taking such an action, she was always nice and polite. That was because she never needed to take what might look as impolite by our society measures.

I actually was laughing an evil laugh hearing the story, lol. Just my main concern was how did the bride managed to walk in with empty hands back to her guests, that would be really embarrassing , but luckily the private room was beside the reception, they stepped to the private room, and things went just as planned, but the poor bride she must had been disappointed.

Inshallah,this will be the first and only conflict they have in their life. My previous two brothers were blessed with their wives and both of my sister in-law were like daughters to my mom, I wish that my youngest brother and his bride will also have the same blessing and even more.


PS: first post I write through iPhone, after al-fajer , Silver Spring, MD.

Saturday, September 4, 2010

The day when a butterfly landed on my shoulder!



I was out today at a water fountain near my school. I was  taking pictures for Quran the holy book for a project I joined and enjoy among few other friends on a facebook group. While I was deeply involved in my project I heard a voice asking in pure classical Arabic,

هل تريدين المساعدة Do you need some help ?

I looked to myself my backpack on the edge of the fountain , I put the holy book over the bag, and I was trying to hlod it straight by one hand and holding my phone camera by the other hand. I definitely looked as someone who needs help, yet I answered, No with a smile. We continued talking in classical Arabic. A freshman Malysian student in the Arabic department at George Washington University. He speaks the classical Arabic very well. We talked about the Arabic language and the different accent in the Arabic countries. Also We discussed Islam and life in Malysia. Was short but nice talk.  While we were finishing a butteryfly landed on my shoulder, it stayed still for few seconds, and then it flew away. Few seconds and  it came back and stayed there for several minutes. I liked it and handed my phone to the  young man and asked him to take pictures for it, while I am enjoying standing still and looking at the big  butterfly. It actually didn't move till I touched it lightly with my hand. I never experienced that before , it was nice peaceful feelings. I felt in contact with the butterfly!


While leaving I asked him what is your name he said ....... , then  he asked what's your name I said ....... .
Oh! that means Inspiration, right? he said , nice meaningful name.I replyed yes it is, and I asked what does your name mean?
He said nothing , it has no meaning , it is just a word invented by my parents, it has no meaning. He sounded a kind of disappointed. I replyed with a smile don't worry you will be the one who creat a meaning for your name.  I saluted him, فرصة سعيدة nice to meet you , Assalm Alikum ...

That was my second conservation in Arabic in Silver Spring ( the first one was in Arabic Grocery Store ) but it was the first conversation by the classical Arabic.

Now, why do you think the butterfly landed on me ... I think it was just tired from a long flight and wanted to rest on some peaceful place which happened to be my shoulder!
I am the fountain of peace ...lol

Sunday, August 22, 2010

From Washington to Washington ...

Taken Aug. 14th 2010

From Seattle, Washington the state to Washington DC. the city , not really to Washington city but to a small city near Washington DC , called Silver Spring in Maryland...
The trip was non-stop five hours long flight during Ramadan the 2nd, August, 12th 2010.

A page turend over in my life book. It is turned because of the natural effect of time, but I know practically my soul will be hanging in there for sometime while my body is moving forward to type what need to be typed in the new blank pages ...

The preparation for the move was mixed with the preparation for an important exam which make things more complicated , yet Allah was there to help me out solving everything ... 
When I say everthing I mean both small and big things ... and by small I mean the smallest and the silliest thing you can ever think of ... To make the picture clearer here is a story for a small little thing,

 In that morning few days befor I move, I lost my hair clip . I don't know where I did put it, but it was not there in the place that it should be in ... searched and searched and couldn't find it ... and unfortunately there is no one else to blame for moving it from it's place, it's only me ... And as I have enough of for myself to blam for I tried just to forget it ...I was in a hustle that morning , I gave up searching and left to do what need to be done in that day ... late in the evening I was doing some MCQ qestions for study, while eating some nuts .. I dropped a nut ... the nut leaped between the furniture in front of my eyes, it jumped in a strange angles to end up in weird place ... I extending my arm to reach it in that corner , I proceeded with my hand, and as my fingers were searching and moving  looking for the nut , guess what I hit  ?... The Hair Clip ... which I was searching for all the day long... and if it is not for the nut which dropped in that weird angle I would have given away the furniture and never found that hair clip ... It is simple , no majic behind ... Allah was there...
This was just a little tiny examble ... if I start telling big stories, I will never stop ...

Allah's providential care have been surrounding me in a way that I feel ashamed of myself for not giving back what need to be given ... I just take take and take ... What a shame !

 So, the preparation for movement was a little hard but the trip itslf went smoothly ... As always, I plan for everything in advance. While traveling I don't like to leave things for surprises, for the seek of safety ... I made a reservation for everything from the shuttle that will pick me from my place to the airport in Seattle to the shuttle that will be taking me from the airport to my new place in Silver Spring.
Settling down was easy too, but later on as the days proceeded I got some un-pleasent unexpected surprises ... But as Always Allah's providential care was overwhelming and things went just fine ...

More inhsAllah in the coming weeks If I got time, as I will be starting my first day of clinical medical training tomorrow ... This is not the real medical residecy, this is just a kind of  training to get some US clinical experience which can help in getting residency position later on if Allah wantend ...

There is saying that say , When God is at the center of ur priority in life , u r the center of Allah's providential care

I wish in these blessed days that this saying applies to me ... but I am afraid being the other kind of people which Allah testing them by giving and giving and giving them what they wanted and want to see if they will obey and they just go astray and never obey and you know the rest ...

I just wish that in my life time I can give back to Allah, at least half of what he has given to me ...

Ramadan Kareem for All ...
I will remember you in my prayers , and would appreciate it , if u do the same :)

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Call to Fajr prayer , Tripoli, Libya

I typed in a previous post ,
".......Sometimes when I go to sleep I leave both of the accounts on, on my laptop, in this way I could simulate the call for alfajer prayers as I used to hear it in the serenity of the early morning hours back home in my lovely city of Tripoli......."

Here we go,



...

Saturday, July 17, 2010

التقيا ... فالتحما



 التقيا

 في لقاء لم يخططه بنو البشر
ولا بني أي نوع من المخلوقات

هيا شرارة حدثت في السما
 فالتقطاها

مدت هي بغصيناتها
فالتقطها هو ورفعها إليه
كانت لعبة تراشق في البداية
لكنهما أحباها
فحافظا وثابرا عليها

اعطاها مالم تناله أي من مثيلاتها
سند وحماية
ابقياها شامخة في الفضاء
مكَّنها من أن تتنشق عطر السماء

اعطته مالم يحلم به أي من بني جنسه
زهور وردية
تلفه وتنيره في الصيف
ودفأ من غصيناتها في الشتاء

...

تلك حكاية شجرة ملتحمة حباً
 طلَّت عليها شرفة غرفتي لسنين عمر طويلة


الجهنمية والسَّرُو
لطالما تأملت عناقهما في النهار
وانصت لهمسهما وضحكاتهما في جوف الليل

علمت أن قصة التحامهما قد انتهت اليوم
وقد أبَّيا إلَّا أن يفارقا الحياة متعانقين


...

Friday, June 25, 2010

The Hundredth Monkey Effect

Note; May be I should've written this post in Arabic langauge, but for some reason I wanted for the content of my subject to reach out to my bilingual readers. Almost all the links included in this post are in Arabics.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I have read about this theory; The Hundredth Monkey Effect, for the first time in a booklet at my high school library back in Libya... I was lucky to have such a rich library in my high school, Al-majd Al-shamaly high school in Tripoli, may be it was because of the high education of the organizer of that Library, I hope that Library is still alive...
 I tried to recall the author of that booklet, I think it was for  Asadek Alnehoom الصادق النيهوم but I'm not sure ... The booklet was a summarized Arabic translation for an original English book.

Let me first share with you the idea of the theory, then I will tell you why I remembered it after this long time:


The Hundredth Monkey


by Ken Keyes, jr.


The Japanese monkey, Macaca fuscata, had been observed in the wild for a period of over 30 years.

In 1952, on the island of Koshima, scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropped in the sand. The monkeys liked the taste of the raw sweet potatoes, but they found the dirt unpleasant.


An 18-month-old female named Imo found she could solve the problem by washing the potatoes in a nearby stream. She taught this trick to her mother. Her playmates also learned this new way and they taught their mothers too.
This cultural innovation was gradually picked up by various monkeys before the eyes of the scientists.
Between 1952 and 1958 all the young monkeys learned to wash the sandy sweet potatoes to make them more palatable.
Only the adults who imitated their children learned this social improvement. Other adults kept eating the dirty sweet potatoes.
Then something startling took place. In the autumn of 1958, a certain number of Koshima monkeys were washing sweet potatoes -- the exact number is not known.


Let us suppose that when the sun rose one morning there were 99 monkeys on Koshima Island who had learned to wash their sweet potatoes.
Let's further suppose that later that morning, the hundredth monkey learned to wash potatoes.

 

THEN IT HAPPENED!


By that evening almost everyone in the tribe was washing sweet potatoes before eating them.


The added energy of this hundredth monkey somehow created an ideological breakthrough!


But notice.
A most surprising thing observed by these scientists was that the habit of washing sweet potatoes then jumped over the sea..
Colonies of monkeys on other islands and the mainland troop of monkeys at Takasakiyama began washing their sweet potatoes.
Thus, when a certain critical number achieves an awareness, this new awareness may be communicated from mind to mind.

Although the exact number may vary, this Hundredth Monkey Phenomenon means that when only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people.
But there is a point at which if only one more person tunes-in to a new awareness, a field is strengthened so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone!


(from the book "The Hundredth Monkey" by Ken Keyes, jr. The book is not copyrighted and the material may be reproduced in whole or in part).


What remind me of this is what I read in a blog for a fellow Libyan Blogger. I believe the efforts that are made by him and by many other fellow Libyans in the blog world or  elsewhere are going to make the hundredth monkey effect one day in my beloved society.

Now, upon a request which I read in Bumedian's blog, I am attaching  links for these two posts that he requested to be spread out,

The first one is about a charity work for the seek of preserving the old holy books of Quran, and keeping the book  from the effect of worn out, 



Watching these people shouldn't make us feel so small; althought it did for me, but in reality we should learn the concept and try to continue it by whatever skills we have in our different fields.


The second post is about the misuse of antibiotics in Libya. Old post but worth the renewal:



These efforts will never go in vain, I already saw the hundreth monkey effect prevailing while I was working in Tripoli medical center /  pediatric emergency room back in Libya, many Libyans don't like to start antibiotics for their children; not all but many, and many others get convinced easily when the doctor explain to them in simple words why it is inappropriate to start it.


Now, for the seek of honesty,I don't completely agree with all the posts which was written by Bumedian, and that is noraml, but I do like many of his writing,
Here are some posts that there were not any request for them to be spread, but I like the way the post is written, so I would like to share them with my Arabic readers,

I won't explain the idea of the following post, coz then I'll ruin the plot in the story,




Another good one,




The next link is for a  post which I never met anyone or read anything which touched the subject the way Bumedian did, I do know people who try to solve out this problem and they succeeded, but the way Bumedian put it in words was different for me,




And many unique posts are there, I have not got the chance to check everything, I discovered this blogs only recently.


Keep going Bumedian, you and the rest of others who have intentions like yours will sooner or later reach-out the hundredth monkey and our socitey will change!


Whoever wants to read more about the hundreth monkey theory here is a link:
You will see that some researchers have discredited this effect, but I believe that the theory is stronger than the discerdit!


Saturday, June 5, 2010

Zumeeta زميطة in a love package from Tripoli-home!


A package of Love from my mom

 
Whenever people ask me what do u miss from home. I say; apart from family and friends, I miss hearing the call for prayers five times a day and from different source at the same time, especially in Alfajer prayer. On my laptop I have two different accesses with two different account users, I have set the program of Athan to call by different Muezzin (مؤذن) in each of the two accounts. Sometimes when I go to sleep I leave both of the accounts on, on my laptop, in this way I could simulate the call for alfajer prayers as I used to hear it in the serenity of the early morning hours back home in my lovely city of Tripoli.

 
The second important thing which I miss here is Zumeeta! So, what is Zumeeta?
Zumeeta is a traditional food prepared from barley. I don't actually like any kind of Zumeeta, I like the one which is prepared from the fresh green barley, it is called Zumeetat makhdoor
( زميطة مخضور) it is more harder to prepare than the usual Zumeeta which is made from the old already dried barely. I am not the right person to describe how it is prepared, but basically it is a fried and finely ground barley. The flour of this fried and ground barley is called Zumeeta. It is kept as flour in-store and each time you want to eat some Zumeeta, you mix this flour with some water and olive oil. It is extremly healthy and delicious when you start your day with it.

After it gets mixed, I like to eat it with honey or sugar along with a cup of milk or green tea. I know that some people eat it with rub ( date syrup). Some others eat it with onion, I couldn't perceive this way of eating Zumeeta, I was raised on the fact that Zumeeta is categorized as sweet food. My father though started to eat it with onion in the last few years. If there is other way of eating Zumeeta that I don't know, feel free to enrich my knowledge about it.

 
Yesterday, I received a love package from my mom back home,  and guess what there is Zumeetat Makhdoor in the package, along with some headscarves as you see in the pictures up there. The headscarves are the other thing which I find difficult to get my choice here where I live in Seattle/WA . I can easily find the heavy thick one. But I'm not comfortable wearing those thick ones even in winter. And the other lighter designs which are available here are either transparent, or very short, with very limited choices, obviously not suitable for Hijab.
As my mom know me best, she sent me some love along with headscarves and Zumeeta .

Thank you Mom

PS: I tried to google Zumeeta on line to find if anyone talk about it in English, I only found this post for our old Libyan fellow blogger Libyano... I changed the spelling of Zumeeta in my post to be spelled in the same way as he wrote it, so in the future it might be easier to reach the resources if someone googled it in English.

 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Hijab is an oppression !!!?

Why only women were honored in Islam by the glory of holding visibly the banner of their faith ?

 Muslim women live their lives holding high, the banner of their faith, opening themselves to all kinds of questions, curious and annoying ones, sending the message by each and every act they do while wearing Hijab, and sometimes even risking their lives.
What a responsibility?
What courage and strength woman should have to carry that responsibility?

On the other hand, Muslim men can live their whole lives and die, specially in the west, without anyone know if they were Muslims.

Why would you think Islam have given this glory only for women and not for men?

I can't see Hijab now a days as a source of protection, neither in the west nor in the east.

Something more about Hijab.

Something more we need to understand.

How funny that there are still people out there argue, Hijab is an oppression of a Muslim woman !!!
 What a joke ?!

Dear Sisters wear your Hijab and keep your heads up. Allah knows better than us. He knows that we have the power!

.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

What do you want, Enlightened?


The Tunnel looks dark at it's end!

I'm stuck for a while in one of those ugly moments of " What do you really want, Enlightened? "

Hope it will not stay for long!

Because strange bad answers are floating in the air, and Enlightened is not happy with those answers.

If Enlightened is not happy with the answers, How it comes that those are the answers!

"Happy" should be a logic consequence for "Want".

Am I messing things up ?!

I'm proceeding forward in the hope that I will see the light at some point, while I am approaching the end.
Am I going to see the light ?

Allah is the only one who knows!

ونِعم بالله
These two shots was taken in Central park / New York, Oct/2009

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

2 Years !


أسألها عبر البحار والمحيطات
قداش ولا عمرك؟
تجيبني:
عَمّين
(عامين)

في أي مكان تجد فيه
جهاز كمبيوتر محمول
تجلس أمامه وتصرخ
منادية
أمتي
(عمتي)


Saturday, May 1, 2010

Dislike button on my blog, but not on facebook!

From today's on you will find a new buttons below each of my posts. The first one is the Dislike button, and the second one is the Like button.
Now, concentrate with me and follow these instructions carefully:

- Don't ever ever ever, and at any circumstances click on the first one Dislike. If you do so, you will trigger an attack of crying and sadness, that might progress to a sever depression, and probably suicide. "Waaah , they don't like my writing, they don't like me. Everybody hates me. How can I live with that? ".

- Focus, Click on the second one always, and more than once if possible. By doing this you will accomplish your dream in this life.... Imagine!!! you will be adding colors of joy and happiness to someones life. And this someone is possibly a stranger to you. What a good deeds you are doing!

You might ask, so why didn't you make it one choice and one click from the first place, just the Like button ? Good question!
But then I will get just half the feeling of joy, which will come from the big number in front of the Like button, the other half of joy which I should get from the zero in front of the Dislike button, will be missing.


Now seriously, how many of you wished to have that Dislike button on facebook?
I think my blog is beating the popularity of facebook by having this Dislike button...
Someone is nodding his head out there and saying: No doubt!
But wait, that was followed by: When was the last time you have seen your doctor?

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

Innocent days

MAMA MAMA

I feel sick

Call the doctor quick quick

Doctor Doctor

Shall I die?

No my baby don't cry.


It seems that I am hanging back in the past these days.

Today, while I were listening to an interesting medical lecture by Dr. Cornard Fischer, he suddenly as he always do in his entertaining lectures, he suddenly started to sing a different version of the above nursery rhyme.

MAMA MAMA

I am ill

Send for the doctor to give me the pill

Doctor Doctor

Shall I die

Yes my child, but so shall I.

The first version of this rhyme were the first words I ever memorized in English language.
I have not learn it in a nursery or in a school , but from my childhood friend Sekab back in Hungary.
Thanx Sekab (:
And then I haven't officially learn anything else in English till my teenage in Libya.
As I recall that now, it sounds interesting!

Does anyone have another version for this nursery rhymes?
or any other nursery rhyme that you like and still hanging there in the memory.
Arabic, English, doesn't matter!!

I miss those innocent days ... sigh!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

Jasmine

Our Jasmine minutes before I left

It is amazing how little things can trigger such an old series of memories.

Today after a thorough attack of home cleansing. I decided to burn some incense ( وشَّق ) which was brought from back home to enjoy its essance.
( I became expert in doing this without turning the fire alarm on ...lol... )

Of course the scene wouldn't be complete without a clear glass cup of green tea with mint and almond.

That's all what I need to fly back in time ... to land on our green garden back home...

Where I found myself realxing as a little child in my Grandma's soft lap , undre the Jasmine bush.

The small white delicate Jasmine flowers stare at me, alluring me and everyone else to pickt it, while my grandma braids my hair and tells me stories about the days which have gone by.
Peace

Friday, April 9, 2010

A dream come true

First let me share this poster with you.
Its about The last trend in the first world culture
Shoes are weapons of mass destruction
I always had this dream where I am looking and looking and looking for my shoes and can't find it. In some rare episodes of the dream I do find the pair. Sometimes it is beautiful and fit. Other times it just does the job, and save me from the embarrassment of walking barefooted in public. I never thought that this dream will come true.
The story is while I am studying at the computer lab, I usually spend hours and hours, just sitting in front of the computer, listening and watching lectures. This become my routine over a year now. During these long hours I have to do different maneuvers to keep myself relaxed. One of these is taking the yoga sitting position (with folding legs over the chair). Not doing yoga, just adapting its sitting position. Simply I can't tolerate my legs being dangled  in a vertical position for a long time. Even in the airplanes, I used to do this maneuver. But not on the national American airplanes, with its narrow constricted chairs, where you can easily touch your neighbor in any tiny attempts of movement. I did try to do it but wouldn't advice anyone to try it. That is another tale, I might tell it one day.
Anyway back to the main story, I don't need to say that when I was taking that comfort position I have to take off my shoes, and I usually push them away under the desktop table. Yesterday at the lab, I wanted to stretch out my leg muscles by walking around. So I get off my chair and slipped my feet over my shoes, or let's say over the place I imagined my shoes should be occupying.
But I missed it!!!
OK, I thought I must have pushed them aside by my chair. So I looked around.
But it was not there!!!
Turned my head upside down searching under the tables.
But it was not there !!!
I kneeled on four to get a better view.
But...
Yes, as you guessed.

IT WAS NOT THERE!!!

It just vanished!!!

OK, now what?!!!

I was standing in the middle of the lab with bare feet (not really bare, my shiny white socks was on).
Now, if I walked around with my bare foot, there is a possibility that someone would notice and point at me and burst out laughing, and everyone else would follow.
NO, no, no, Enlightened. That might happen in another place and at another time, but not on this place and at this particular time on planet earth.
In this lab everyone is squeezing his face in his computer screen and his/her whole concentration is there. Sometimes I feel that those screens sucking out the spirit of life from those poor bodies.
Anyway Even if by chance someone noticed anything he would pretend that he didn't notice anything (our lab is a collection of weirdooos including myself), so I happily excluded this possibility.
Now how am I going to reach home. Again, moving around in the street wouldn't be a big matter I have seen people walking around in the street with bare feet, not with a flip flop. That is an old fashioned. The new trend is flip flop for winter and bare foot for summer.
As I posted in the above picture
Shoes are now considered as weapons of mass destruction.
But Hello!!! we are in the spring with all the rain, this will not work.
How am I going to walk on the rainy Seattle wet streets barefooted?
Even if people didn't care, I might end up with a bad cold or at minimum some uncomfortable abrasions.
Then I am still not ready to adapt this new trend. Yes, I am good at pretending to adapt many things, but this new trend is not classified yet under my "many things."
Maybe the best idea is trying to pull out one of those weirdooo from the computer screen and asking him/her to buy me a new shoes from the nearest shoe store.

This picture taken last summer at the bus station. Told u it's normal.
All these thoughts passed across my mind in a Milli of a second. Of course deep inside I was pretty sure that my shoes are hidden somewhere by the Italian lady who was sitting in the opposite table facing me, because she is the only one who had an access to my shoes.
As I recall she is the only one who needed to go under her desktop table to UN-plug her laptop several minutes before she left.
So It is simple I just need to turn around few steps to look for my lovely shoes, and that's exactly what I did. I turned around to found my lovely shoes over her table.


Lady Italian, nice joke. But next time be brave and let me have the whole experience. Take my shoes away with you .
You know what my lady, I really feel sorry for you now, as u needed to reach that close to my shoes. I can't tolerate having a stinky one, but u risked that possibility when you held my shoes that close.
I always feel sorry for those security officers at American airports who scan people's shoes. What a job!!!


Be ready Lady Italian u triggered the fire!
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( By the way, for the history and the records the first picture was an advertisment for a comfort shoes. I exploited its meaning to fit my post.)

PS: Sorry for the long post, it seems that I am hungry for typing, hope u hungry enough for reading.