Bala neela

Instant decision...

Apparently, my messages don't reach the people I'm sending them to.

Apparently, they are not able to grasp them, till now.

Apparently, ellee beyhesoh 3ala damohom and take my opinions into consideration are PRECISELY those who don't need them and those are very far away from being the target audience.

Therefore, what's the point of talking when the recipient is deaf. It only reaches the sensible people and I really don't want to hurt those ones.

So, Instant decision... 

Stop talking... It's ineffective, eletoh ahsan... at least the good hearts will be spared.

We heya deeh kemet el Bala Neela

Get yourself a new Door mat.

"Everyone respects you, you know"

Great, isn't it... Everybody just doesn't seem to stop talking about how great you are, how your conscious is clear, how you always behave in a "respectable" manner, never hurting anyone, never getting angry...etc. By saying this, and talking about you like this, they "respect" you.

Guess what? this has NOTHING to do with the reality. Respect, has NOTHING to do with "saying good things about you". Let me explain.

Your reputation is that of a man who's always smiling, rarely loosing his temper, a person who is nice with everyone, who's keen on not hurting a living soul... Is that the reputation of a "respectable" person? Well... No it's not. This is the reputation of a "Door mat".

A door mat that, no matter what you do to it, no matter how you abuse it, no matter how many people step on it, what kind of shoes they're wearing, where they've been before stepping on it... this door mat never complains and always deals with it without ever wanting to set things right.

This door mat IS NOT "respectable".

You can say all the pretty things in the world, you can smile at me every single day, you can pay tributes, build statues, hang photos, make a thousand decoration, but one fact is there: Whenever you had/have/will have the chance to kick me in the head, to throw me from a cliff or to trade my soul for a cookie, you won't hesitate to do it. Why? Because you know that I'm your door mat that never objects... and afterall "it's not personal, it's just business".

Ya3nee, men el akher... Earning your respect means to you having to take up with your continuous back stabbing, hypocrisy, manipulation and heart-breaking never-ending inhumane crimes. The moment I stand up, make a statement and say right in your face, in the mildest way, with the silliest media: "Ya wehesh"; I have "lost" your "respect".

If you really respected me you wouldn't have abused my innocence and easy-going to make whatever you want without minding shredding me into a million piece.

If you really respected me you would have simply had the slightest respect to my goals, my dreams and my work.

But you didn't do that, you "applauded"... You applauded like you always do when you know you're doing something totally immoral, just to give yourself enough confidence to be able to carry on with it. Just like when you applauded when your last voice arrived, just like when you applauded when you threw someone's hard work into the garbage, just like you do every time you want to tell your conscious "yeah, I'm doing the right thing" although you KNOW you're not.
Well... Guess what... If this is your definition of being "respectful", then, let me tell you that I don't want your "respect" anymore. I really don't care about your little fake pathetic "respect".

I can withstand you hurting me in whatever way, I did withstand that for quite a while now... I can afford every single kind of torture you may want to inflict on me. But touch one hair of a beloved one. Touch one hair of a person whose moral values and Human natures will beat yours blindly. Touch one hair of a person whom I REALLY respect and admire. And I won't stay still anymore, I won't just swallow it like I always did. You're not worth it by any means.

And let me tell you something... You never saw my "other side".

The "Make-up" Theory

First of all, and to be clear on this point from the start: I am NOT generalizing... What I'm saying here is definitely not the case with ALL girls. In addition, it also applies to some boys as well. I'm just talking about a general notion, a general observation and a very general analysis that is far from being close to a rule.

I know my opinion may be controversial, feel free to prove me wrong.

Deception...

Like all essay questions should be answered in one of our refined written exams, one should begin by its definition.

What is deception anyway? The encyclopedic definition is molto bellissima. Just take a look:
"Deception is the act of convincing another to believe information that is not true (...)"

Regardless of the intention, regardless of the tools used for that, regardless of its ingenuity, deception is deception. Make no mistake about that.

Self-Deception

"(...) In many cases it is difficult to distinguish deception from providing unintentionally wrong information. One of the reasons for this is that a person or an entire organization may be self-deceived."

Amen...

The Art of Deception

Deception is an artwork by itself. David Copperfield is a majestic deceiver: He turns his deception into an art form, with its own beauty, poetry and refinement. You ENJOY being deceived by him, he convinces you that it's fun to be deceived, and that's an even bigger deception by itself.

Pass me the Paint and glue

What is Make-up?
Make-up is a tool used by a good bunch of girls/women - and yes, sometimes men- to "deceive" their surroundings.

It hides the real person, the real features, the truth, with a multitude of colors, shades, glitter and patterns that only serve to distract the observer's eye from the real deal.

By "make-up", I don't mean "powder and lipstick". Make-up doesn't only involve the face, it involves the entire body, the entire personality, the morals and the mentality as a whole. In all cases, this Make-up is nothing but the tool to camouflage the reality.

It's the magician's left hand that distracts the audience from what the right hand is doing. Why? because seeing what the right hand is doing will spoil the entire show, will sabotage the whole illusion. That's why it has to be shiny, bright, colorful and simply distracting. The audience is blinded by it and is not able to see the truth as it passes by their eyes, the naked truth.

"The Naked Truth"

Well, if the truth was beautiful by itself, if that truth "looked good naked", one would never need to resort to make-up and deception.

When the inner beauty is deficient, girls have no other choice but to resort to their "deception box":
"- How about some "mascara", to hide those squinting eyes?
- oh no, it's not working either, let's go with the big "eye glasses"
- some colors on the hair would be great with my "new-look",
- not working? don't even bother: get an entire synthetic hair mesh to "give your hair volume".
- Still a mess? who said the hair had to look good under a scarf?, after all, this will be a double illusion: "I look good AND I'm pious"... the more the merrier.
- What is that? A zit? oh no, people can't see me like that, Oriflam's cream of foundation is here for that "With a thick protective layer of keratinamide, ZPTO and emulsifying agents, your skin is radiant with "natural" beauty, homogeneous and you shouldn't worry about those little imperfections that make the difference between seeing you or paying a visit to Madame Tusseaud's"
- mmm, something's still missing... oh yes of course, Forever Metallic lipstick from Maybelline with glitter and natural lust is a girl's best friend. 3gm tds and now you're sure your lips will be so shiny people would be blinded before even having the fortune (or the misfortune) to take a look at the face itself.
- The cloth... Now that's a challenge by itself, and I'm up to the challenge aren't I? Colors, shapes, drapes, ribbons, belts, bracelets, giant rings, giant necklaces, giant pins, didn't you hear about this year's new fashion statement? Hand cuffs... Now would you look at that... I look like right out of a Picasso. And yes, thanks to my bling blings I'm in stereo sound...."

And some girls are REALLY good at that... Like I told you, deception is an artwork.

(now you know why it took me so long to write: I had to do some pretty extensive research before writing this. Believe me, it's not easy for a guy to imagine what a "cream of foundation" is made for)

And that's ONLY the outer make-up. Don't even get me started with the behavioural/mental/cultural/vocational/moral camouflage.

The conclusion... What you see has NOTHING to do with the reality. And in order to "decorticate" those layers and layers of paint and accessories, a chisel may not be enough.

Under these layers and layers of deceptive materials and illusion-makers, lies that naked person. With all her human features, all her flaws and imperfections. The real deal.

And here comes the biggest irony, they will only fool the shallow men, the superficials. Because only them will believe that this is how you REALLY look like. The rest of them will either "make you live your own lie" and, although they know your reality, they'll just keep making you feel they are "under the spell".. ya3nee men el akher, hayakhdookee 3ala ad 3a2lek.

And Only a minority of them will let you know they're not fooled, only a minute minority will "denude" you in their eyes and see what's really inside. It may take them some time, but eventually, they'll get to it.

The most embarrassing moment for this girl is when one of her real traits is exposed... This is when her make-up fails her. Usually she cries, panics, and it's a catastrophic moment in her miserable life. The moment her reality is exposed.

And since girls are very concerned with how they look, with how people see them, they actually classify this "exposure" as an act of mal-intent that is aiming at "destroying that girl's image/reputation". Well, if exposing a reality destroys your image, then I'm sorry to say: You really should worry more about how you really look like than about how people SEE you.

The ultimate irony: Although they are aware of their sensitive situation, girls LOVE exposing others (of both sexes)... and, since they fail most of the time to find something "juicy enough", they are EXPERTS in "inventing" realities, this is where they use their imagination to the fullest. They just take a piece of info, analyse it, add some salt and pepper, spice it up, stir it well on "el botagaz" and Voila... A delicious meal for all to enjoy.

Only a girl who has nothing to hide will not NEED to deceive, will not need to use make-up, will not need to distract. Only a balanced person will realize the inner beauty he/she has inside and won't have to "act himself a beauty".

Girls, believe me, most boys are not mosquitoes:

They won't just get distracted by that "shiny light", suddenly stop thinking and head towards it without being able to resist till they get electrocuted.

" Girl, we've got work to do

Pass me the paint and glue...

When one knows the world is watching

One does what one must.

Some minor adjustments, darling

Not for my vanity...

But for humanity.
Each little step, a pose.

See how the breeding shows.

Sometimes it's too much for even me.

But when all the world says, "Yes"

Then who am I to say "No"?

Don't ask a mutt to strut like a show girl. No, girl, you need a pro "

Too much is too much...

I never doubted your intelligence... :)

"Receiving" is not enough, use this intelligence to "get" the message...
Maybe there is hope after all... I always believe there is.
Oh, and I just LOVE to be wrong.

And this time, I mean YOU...

Cruella De Vil
Cruella De Vil
If she doesn't scare you
No evil thing will.
To see her is to
Take a sudden chill
Cruella, Cruella De Vil

The curl of her lips
The ice in her stare
All innocent children
Had better beware
She's like a spider waiting
For the kill
Look out for Cruella De Vil


At first you think
Cruella is the devil
But after time has worn
Away the shock
You come to realize
You've seen her kind of eyes
Watching you from underneath
A rock!

This vampire bat
This inhuman beast
She ought to be locked up
And never released
The world was such
A wholesome place until
Cruella, Cruella De Vil

So evil even her hair is two faced..

Ain't like nothing you've ever seen, she's the demon mean..

I mean let's face it, a face like hers can really ruin your whole day..

"Keep Moving Forward"

In the first Disneyland construction, it was everyone's "first time" to do everything.

There is a restaurant about Disney's second movie "Pinocchio". In this restaurant, every character of the movie has his own themed room, including, the cat named "Figaro". This is how it looks like:

Now, as you know, for general security measures, a lighten sign saying "Exit" must be placed above every door. While building this room, the Imagineers (Disney engineers), made a calculation mistake and the "Exit" sign ended up being off-center from the doorway.. While it still functioned appropriately as an exit light, it simply looked silly.. So, the imagineers drew a Figaro cat pulling the sign in order to balance things... And of course, it worked:

But Imagineers didn't stop there. When they built the same style restaurant in Disneyland Paris many years later, they remembered to get that exit sign right. And, to celebrate that lesson learned, they painted Figaro giving a big thumb's up.

The message is about learning from one's mistakes and moving forward (indeed, that is the central message in Pinocchio, Meet the Robinsons and other Disney wonders). When we say making mistakes, we don't mean misconduct. "Misconduct" is about immoral, unprofessional, or incompetent behavior centered around mal-intent. "Making mistakes" is about incorrect, unwise, or unfortunate behavior caused by bad judgment, lack of information or simply, bad luck.

One must learn from his own experiences and move forward. He cannot dwell long on the past, nor can he be punitive as he learns what he needs to do in moving forward.

"Around here, however, we don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things... and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths."

Walt Disney

Adapted from "Keep Moving Forward: From Figaro the Cat to Meet the Robinsons, by Jeff Kober.

Convincing...!!!

People say I'm convincing, and most of them look at it as a super-power or something.

But what does it mean to be "convincing"? I mean, do they really think of it as if I manage to hypnotise the people around me, enter into their brains and make them agree on what I'm saying?

The matter is very simple to tell you the truth. Once I believe in something, and I want someone to really understand my point of view. I just present my "reasoning". I just tell him how I thought of it, and how I reached this opinion.

If this works, it means that they don't have a better reasoning or that they are really convinced with what I'm saying. So far so good.

But apparently, it's not as simple as is. By trying to communicate my opinion, by reaching the outcome of "convincing" someone with my argument, I subconsciously take the responsibility of making sure this argument withstands time and proves to be right. My "opinion" becomes a "commitment". And this opinion turning out to be not so right becomes "a failure".

Yes, I am condemned at a lifetime of being obligated to very carefully choose my words and opinions. Because, having a weak argument isn't only my own problem anymore. I learnt this the hard way.

You see, this is what I call "responsibility being thrown into your lap without you even wanting it".

Look through my eyes

At one point in my life, I started adopting a policy in my judgment that I turned very proud of later. I used to summarize this policy in one sentence " There is no such things as a "bad person"".

By minimal experience, I learnt to always give excuses to others, to always try to see things from their point of view, and stretch the most incomprehensible actions they take till they become quasi-comprehensible to me. By this, I reached a certain degree of peace of mind and harmony with the external world (the internal one being the world of my own). By this, I learned not to judge, and to always see the good in people, to neglect the ugly side, to make an effort not to see it, to do my best promoting those people into only showing their good side, till the bad one actually vanishes by time. And, it worked... it actually did miracles.. I taught me how to see beyond the external look of things and persons, and see what's inside. Because that is what really counts.

In reward, I was blessed with the most valuable treasures anyone could ever have.

The deepest most powerful friendships anyone could ever dream of having.

And THAT is something I bet most people will never have the chance to even see in their lifetime..

You see... We all see people every day, every minute.. walking around, talking, running, sitting, reflecting, assuming, judging and deciding. But the problem is, everyone of us seems to live in this world as the center of his own universe. The leading actor of his own play. And all the people around him, all the events surrounding him do not exceed the role of props, backgrounds, decorative elements, "the media". People are just "moving objects that play the role of "people". Nothing more, people are people... if you replace the people you see in the street everyday with completely different people, you won't notice a thing.

That's normal, you say? Well.. It's common, if that's your definition of normal.

For me, this is what makes the difference between watching the movie Cendrilla, and actually being in front of the real Cendrilla castle in Disneyland... This is what I call "Depth".

You see, most people are two dimensional to you. When you look at them, you only see their height and their width, nothing more. They're just a moving piece of paper, walking around in your life... They have no depth. Yet, you don't realize that. Why? well, simple, because you ONLY look at them from in front. You only see their frontal view. This is the only view you see. You never tried to look at them from a different position. And of course, they only show you their "apparent", "front" view, after all, you shouldn't expect them to turn 90 degrees and make you look at them differently, simply because they know very well that they are 2 dimensional to your sight. They're a piece of paper, if you look at it from its side, you might not even see it.

But when you learn to stop being fooled by what you see from your first, rapid shot at them, when you learn that the only way of making those people real, is to look at them differently. When you give yourself the chance of putting those magical 3D glasses, life just pops up instantly, and you suddenly see your entire world in 3D...

A person might look aggressive, intimidating, violent and immoral. Why, this impression might even be the one 99% of the people have about him. Give yourself the chance to see what's inside, put your 3D glasses, and you'll discover something totally different. A whole new depth. Or, another person may be very impressive to most people, you put on your 3D glasses, and you realize that this fellow doesn't even have a 3rd dimension, he is 2D EVEN with the glasses on...

And once you've seen that, they will see it too. Your magical 3D glasses will show you life's wonders day after day. You'll be blessed with crystal clear souls, with sincere and benefit-free relationships that you would be proud of for the rest of your life. You'll be with REAL 3 dimensional people you can count on and trust forever.

And if you're lucky, not only would you be having this golden hearts shining along to light your way, but you might as well be blessed with the best feeling anyone can have: The feeling of actually making a difference, even a tiny one, in someone you love.

For that my friends, is what I have. For that is my real trophy.

Kronk... Buy one get one free...

And let's not forget Yzma's right-hand man.
Every decade or so she gets a new one.
This year's model is called "Kronk".

Kronk is big, Kronk is dumb and tone deaf.
I'm so glad I abandoned ship before he began his chanting.

This is Kronk on the night he's supposed to help Yzma poisin Kuzco, the emperor....:


Yzma: So, is everything ready for tonight?
Kronk: Oh yeah, I thought we'd start off with soup and a light salad, and then see how we feel after that.
Yzma: NOT THE DINNER! The...hmm.. you know...
Kronk: Oh, riiiiiiiiiiight! The poison. The poison for Kuzco. The poison chosen specially to kill Kuzco. Kuzco's poison.......... That poison?
Yzma: YES

Men el akher, Kronk would make a great cook in a 3 stars restaurant... His brain functions cannot exceed that level, yet, since fate has thrown him in Yzma's lap, her victory has put him directly in the Kingdom's second-man position.

But, Kronk, will still be Kronk... He will never change. Maybe he's now a bit polished and shiny. Maybe he's now got responsibilities. But, no matter what he does, his IQ will always hit a certain ceiling.

And that's the fate of our country, to be governed by people like Kronk, just because of his "muscular" participation in the overthrowing. This is the outcome of drastic bloody changes. To have Kronks in incompatible leadership positions. And too pre-maturaly.

Let's just hope that the real Kronk would think twice before "executing" any of Yzma's missions in the future.

They should put those people in safe places where smarter people won't take advantage of them.

The Crowd - La Foule

Here it is, the city, filled with ecstasy and delirium,
Suffocating under the crowd and the noise.
And I hear with the valsing music,
those laughters that burst and bounce around me.

Lost amongst those people that keep pushing me.
Disoriented and scared, I freeze in place.
Then suddenly I turn around, and look above my shoulder
and the crowd throws it and puts it in my embrace, just close to my heart.

Carried away by the crowd that pushes,
the crowd that carries,
the crowd that presses us till we become only one,
And the flow pushes us, bound together with mere effort,
and leaves us rediscovered, intoxicated and blessed with happiness.

Carried away by the crowd that turns,
the crowd that danses,
the crowd that valses one crazy valse,
our fates remain joined together.
And sometimes our two tired bodies fly into the air altogether
and fall on the ground rediscovered, intoxicated and blessed with happiness.

These joy and happiness that I got, penetrates my body and shines from within.
But suddenly, I give a scream between those laughters,
when the crowd takes it back from my embrace.

Carried away by the crowd that pushes,
the crowd that carries,
the crowd that separates us from each other,
I fight and I struggle.
But the sound of my voice gets lost between others laughters,
and I scream in pain, in anger, in despair, and I weep...

Carried away by the crowd that turns,
the crowd that danses,
the crowd that valses one crazy valse,
I get carried away.
And I grasp my fist, cursing at the crowd that took from me.
The air of my lungs, the joy of my life that it once gave me
and that I'll never get back again...

Je revois la ville en fête et en délire,

suffoquant sous le soleil et sous la joie.

Et j'entends dans la musique les cris, les rires,

Qui éclatent et rebondissent autour de moi.

Et perdue parmi ces gens qui me bousculent,

étourdie, désemparée, je reste là.

Quand soudain, je me retourne, il se recule,

Et la foule vient me jeter entre ses bras...

Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne, nous entraîne,

écrasés l'un contre l'autre,

Nous ne formons qu'un seul corps.

Et le flot sans effort nous pousse, enchaînés l'un et l'autre,

Et nous laisse tous deux épanouis, enivrés et heureux.

Entraînés par la foule qui s'élance,

et qui danse une folle farandole

Nos deux mains restent soudées.

Et parfois soulevés, nos deux corps enlacés s'envolent

Et retombent tous deux, épanouis, enivrés et heureux...

Et la joie éclaboussée par son sourire,

me transperce et rejaillit au fond de moi.

Mais soudain je pousse un cri parmi les rires,

quand la foule vient l'arracher d'entre mes bras...

Emportés par la foule qui nous traîne

Nous entraîne, nous éloigne l'un de l'autre,

je lutte et je me débats.

Mais le son de sa voix s'étouffe dans les rires des autres.

Et je crie de douleur, de fureur et de rage Et je pleure...

Entraînée par la foule qui s'élance,

et qui danse une folle farandole,

je suis emportée au loin.

Et je crispe mes poings, maudissant la foule qui me vole

L'homme qu'elle m'avait donné et que je n'ai jamais retrouvé...

Who is Yzma....!!!

Yzma...

Yzma is one of the best Disney villains ever created...

She was best described as "Ugly beyond all reason".

Scary? no, not really... Funny.. Oh yes, definitely... She's taking her "villain business" too seriously, while actually, she's only succeeding at making others laugh.

Yzma has the most idiotic side kick, "Kronk". He's not a bad guy, his destiny just threw him in her laps and, since he has congenital brain absence, he's kinda being the "muscles" and letting Yzma do all the thinking. More about him later.

But beware.... Yzma is only funny when she's on the other side of your TV/Cinema screen. But when Yzma is for real.... That's a totally different thing.

For me, Yzma represents many things... Sometimes she even represents many people in the same time.

At this moment in my life, Yzma represents... well... I don't know if the Internet is safe enough to say the real name, so I'll just go and say, now Yzma represents "the citizens of Vienna".

By the way, Vienna is a charming place that I once visited with some of my dear friends, and where we got to choose between giving up what we had in mind, or giving up our freedom :) Charming isn't it?

Wow... So is sooooo like the Mayor of Vienna internal Speech, the similarity is spooky:

" Oh i know, I'll turn him into a flea, a harmless little flea, and then, I'll put that flea in a box, and I'll put that box inside of another box, and I'll mail that box to myself, and when it arrives..hahahaha I'LL SMASH IT WITH A HAMMER!...

It's BRILLIANT BRILLIANT BRILLIANT I tell you, GENIUS I say..

or to save on postage, I'll just poison him... with THIS! "

And the "to save on postage" part, represents the bureaucracy you can find in places like Vienna...

Hitler, you lucky bastard...

Now I know how Hitler must have felt just before he killed himself.

It may be true he was responsible for the death of at least 42 million human being.

It may be true that he caused the destruction of cities, cultures and entire populations.

It may be true that his whole ideology was about eradicating any other "non-supreme race".

BUT... The man believed in something. He believed in it with all his heart. His belief was so powerful, that he transmitted it to an entire country. He pursued his belief till the end. Doing EVERYTHING he can to reach his dream, no matter how crazy it was.

The last days of his life, he saw his whole dream collapse in front of his eyes. He saw his entire system of belief, goals, wishes and ideas fall into ashes. He witnessed the death of the plant he was growing for the most part of his life.

By the death of his dream, he had died already. By the fall of everything he has created, his soul was already buried. The suicide was only the documentation of his death.

What did he do wrong? well, I'll tell you: He wasn't selfish enough...

OH YES, hear me out: He didn't seek HIS best interest like most human beings on this earth. He didn't devote his entire life to get money, a wife, a dog and a house by the sea. The guy sacrificed all his efforts to create what "he thought to be" the good for his community, his country and the entire world.

On that last day of his life he must have thought... "I sacrificed everything, including my image and my name that has become associated with crime, tyranny and murder. Later I found out that other countries didn't believe in my cause, I was ready to fight them for the sake of my own country and the countries that believed in this cause.I've been doing something FOR the world, and now I realize the entire world DOESN'T even want it.. So, what's the point?"

Hitler should have been more selfish in his life, to only think of HIS OWN profit.

Hitler was lucky, at least his country stood by him till the end.

Hitler was VERY lucky, he killed himself with his own hands. At least, among the pains he must have felt, he didn't feel the pain of his friends' rusty knifes penetrating his back.

The autumn leaves

"Once upon a time there was a tavern,

Where we used to raise a glass or two.

Remember how we laughed away the hours,

and dreamed of all the great things we would do."

Without even realizing it, these day to day memories were nothing but the bricks of the new place we later called "home". The "home" we've all been dreaming of. The "home" we built ourselves. The "home" we were proud to show to everyone and invite new people into our "family" to live with us in it. They did like our "home", they actually liked it so much to the point that they wanted a permanent stay in it, and, pretty soon, the lucky ones of us where "the guests" and our "home" wasn't "ours" anymore.

Just tonight I stood before the tavern.

Nothing seemed the way it used to be.

In the glass I saw a strange reflection.

Was that lonely man really me?

What could I say, the best days of my life? For sure. They were too short? Oh yes definitely.
Creation is extremely enjoyable. Creating with your friends is the most enjoyable thing ever. Creating a common thing while creating lifelong common friends, that's even more enjoyable. And don't get me started with "creating memories with your real friends". That's just priceless. That alone is worth the while.

Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle.

Tu vois, je n'ai pas oublié...

Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle,

Les souvenirs et les regrets aussi.

Whether we left in glory or in shame. Whether we left in peace or in pieces, all of this doesn't matter. We knew this day would come. We knew it wasn't gonna last.

We were just too swept into the idea of "our home",

to the point that we forgot it was actually nothing but a hotel room... Checkout at 11:10.

Try looking at tomorrow, not yesterday
and all the things you left behind.
All those tender words, you did not say,

the gentle touch you couldn't find.

In these days of nameless faces,

there is no one truth but only pieces.
My life is all I have to give.

DARE to live, until the very last.

DARE to live, forget about the past.

DARE to live, giving something of yourself to others.
Even when it seems there's nothing more left to give

Office 306, "Through the other's eye"

(If you don't have clue about what I'm talking about, look at the post called "office 306" first)


" The ARROGANCE...!!!

The guy knows office 306 very well. He knows how it looks like, how it smells, how it works. He knows it even before getting his promotion. He knew that getting a promotion would mean more responsibilities, including, surviving office 306 the way it is. He knew it from the beginning.

The guy comes with his "team", they look at the office with disgust as if they were transferred from the empire state building and says "that's it, we're gonna redecorate the office".

The NERVES..

But we don't want pink... we didn't ask for pink... and we won't accept pink. He thinks he's the right one. He sees he can do it by force. Well, sorry deary, that ain't gonna happen while I'm here. No one steps into my office and impose changes.

I mean the moment I had comments on the colors of his previous office, the moment I expressed myself and tried to impose changes in his domain he came and told me "focus on your work and let me do mine in peace". Now he comes and says "you're doing it all wrong, I'm gonna clean this place myself"???

WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS????

Want a pink office? create a new one for yourself and paint it in pink.

He's going down.
All of them are going down.
Even if I'd have to abuse my rights as "the boss".
Even if I'd have to "Create" new rights for me.
Even if I'd have to lie.
Even if I'd have to forge.
Even if I'd have to ban.
Even if I'd have to suspend.
Even if I'd have to plot.
Even if I'd have to sabotage whatever they're planning.
Even if I'd have to kick them all from the entire company, and make sure they don't get hired anywhere else.

It doesn't matter. What matters is the outcome. I know I'm right, I'll do whatever is necessary.
After all, I'm not doing it for myself, I'm just a facilitator, I'm doing what the citizens want.

Justice is served."

Where are those names?

Well.. hmm.. they're coming, for sure.. when I feel like it. For now I prefer the abstract imagery.
When I don't mention it's either that this applies on many people, or, that it applies on me personally. Don't even try to guess the hidden meaning behind my words. Chances are there are none.

Office 306, or, the story of an imbecile.

Your team and you got a promotion at work and your boss gave you a new office, office number 306.

You know you wouldn't last more than a year or two in it. You know other people will follow you and have this office for a year or two as well.

Office 306 has been the same for 30 years now.

The first day you enter office 306 it is the shock of your life:
- The chairs are broken

- The desk is buried under tons of garbage and cigarettes

- The floor lodges hundreds of all sorts of bugs

- The windows are blackened by layers and layers of dust

- The room stinks like yesterday's dippers.

Maybe you're being too picky but you find this place "inappropriate for any sort of work conduction".

Yet, surprisingly, you realize it has been left like that for 30 years and not one employee's soul took the bold and daring decision to call the janitor or to simply, open the window to let some air inside.

Your colleagues pass by, some of them were past residents of this stinking office, others will pass by it in the very near future. They look at your office from outside and shout out-loud "what a mess... this place needs to undergo major change". Those who escaped from it say "thanks god I'm finally out of this mess" those who plan for a promotion have nightmares about having to spend a year in it.

You get the keys of office 306 and with it and this office becomes yours till the next "victim" is here. You get inside, sit on your chair, and discover on daily basis new species of spider, new colors of rotten food.

One day the chair your sitting on collapses on the floor while you're on it, rats eat your important documents and a piece of glass of your blackened window breaks missing your head by a millimeter. After your recover from this death defying incidence, and while attempting to reposition the broken glass in its place, you and your team take a look through this small break in the window's glass and see the most breathtaking view:

Yep, you see Disneyland... Your office had a direct view on Disneyland and no one realized it yet. Generations after generations of employees never tried to clean this window and therefore, never realized the real potentials of office 306. They were too busy celebrating HAVING an office and too busy making sure they got an even bigger office with a bigger chair next time, to the point that they didn't even think of "discovering" what this office can offer.

And that's it, the most outrageous idea pops into your mind. How about, RESTORING that office? Redecorating it? to return it to its real beauty? the initial state it had 30 years ago. A place that is encouraging for real work, satisfactory for all its guests, with a crystal clear window that enables everyone to see what this office can offer: A Disneyland. The idea takes its time in your team's minds. They think through, discuss every aspect of it, realize how effort-consumming something like this would be, but, they're willing to take that challenge. Some of them really care about the cause. Others want to join just to be on the "glorious side".

Immediately you draw sketches, you take measurements, you evaluate the time factor and how much it will cost. You go to your boss, explain to him the situation, tell him about the real potentials of this place and how great it would be if it returned to its full glory. The boss looks at you, takes your sketches and tells you: "This is office 306, it has always been like this and will always remain like this. I know it's crappy, but this is the way office 306 smells like, this is the way office 306 looks like. And this is how it will always be."

You return to office 306 and with an adrenaline rush that no one has ever had, you and your team decide "ok then, we're gonna draw new sketches, buy the paint, buy the furniture, bring insecticide and buy a new window. BUT, we shall leave the old stuff, including the old window, intact. When everything is ready and waiting for the ok, we can present our plans to our colleagues and see if they want to work in a "stunning office" or in a piece of junkyard."

You spend your own money, you go up and down the stairs a million time, you buy everything, you draw your new sketches waiting for their actual execution once you have discussed it with your colleagues, all of this while doing your best to do your normal, routine work, as efficiently as possible. People feel the action going on inside office 306, they don't know what you're doing but they know you're doing something. You don't wanna spoil the whole thing so you just tell me "just wait and see". Of course, when it comes to real work, when it comes to real effort, the real "believers" of your team show up while the "I'm here for the glory" just watch the others work and comment.

And now here you go, you're almost ready to present your offer. But, what's this? apparently, your boss, together with some of your colleagues decided to sabotage your initiative before you even complete it. They go and declare your office, office 306, "not a part of the building". Does this make any sense? of course not. What does it even mean? well, they don't care, they just did it. As if this isn't enough, they go and "ban" you and your team from even accessing your office, doing your work, parking your park, talking to them, going to the toilet, and all sorts of absurdities you can't even imagine.

Of course, here the "passive" members of your team hurry to say they were against your initiative to begin with. Coincidence? of course not. They didn't believe in it from the start.

You say "fine, you banned me and decided office 306 is not part of your building? very well then, I will continue my dream and make it come true myself since it's not of your business anymore, and, once it's done, I'll AGAIN give you the choice of joining in". You know it might take you and your team more than the time you would have spent normally in that office in order to finish this work, but you also know that this exceptional state is the only way to make it. After all, it's not like the office was "a great place to be" to begin with. (Believe it or not, MANY of your colleagues thought so). Although you made it clear and they know very well you will leave it once it's done.

You are such a pitiful individual, you know?. You keep on getting slapped on the face day after day and, instead of being helped by your colleagues, encouraged by your boss, or even "left in peace", they go and tell security, they even plot to sabotage all what your doing, till the end, till the very end.

You're almost done. The New and LIVABLE office 306 is almost ready. The walls have been painted, the furniture has been replaced, the insects have been eradicated, you installed an air conditioner, you even put a voice commanded light switch. Now here you go, the final step, you're installing your new window. The window that will enable you, your team and every future cohabitant of this new and improved office 306, to discover a fantastic world of dreams come-true, believes, hard work, and magic. A world of family time, a world that will never be completed as long as there is imagination left in the world. A Disney world.

You stand on a ladder, hold the giant window with your team, puts it into position and begin installing. Finally, your efforts will see the light of day. Finally, the sacrifices you made will be rewarded by seeing an outcome: A place that will be suitable for all, organized, cozy and with no limits for work and progress potentials.

Yet, guess what, your non-believing team-mates are against you now. One of them looks from the other side of the building while you're focusing on installing the window. This guy simply takes a pair of scissors, jumps into your office and, before you even get the chance to turn back, he plants the scissors in your back.

You shout of the agonizing pain of betrayal and let yourself fall off the ladder, breaking through the glass you and your team were just installing. And you all fall through that broken window of your dream office.

The dream is gone.

You land on the floor, in the middle of street, with pieces of glass tearing your skin still barring the spots of the office's paint. With your past team-mate's pair of scissors in your back. With your dedicated team members corpes lying all around you. Their blood united for real this time. As you try to stand up, your work colleagues point at you through the broken glass you were just installing, lough out loud "a wicked victory laugh" and say "you wanted a glass window for office 306? Drink it ba2a".

You get up, thinking of the injuries you have on every side of your body, those martyrs lying next to you that sacrificed everything they had for this same cause, of the effort you did to make this place the way it really should be, all the money you have lost on the restoration material, the pay cheques you didn't get after being "banned", and, the work your team have done over this past year that was totally neglected by all.

You were wrong my dear.

You wanted to do the right thing, that's a good thing, it's true.

You wanted to offer big potentials to your future colleagues and a better working place, that's a good thing as well.

You had no trouble sacrificing your time, effort, money, credibility, honor and career for this cause, that's stupid but a good thing nevertheless.

But my dear, that's wasn't enough... not at all

No no, you thought past employees didn't do anything about office 306 because they were too lazy. The truth is, noone did anything about it because "they simply want to keep it this way".

Not only your collegues, but also your boss, your family, your brother and even, the building security... Why, the entire country prefers it this way. They don't care about REAL BIGTIME work, they don't care about what's right, they don't care about "seeing potentials", they don't care about a good working place. They only care about getting all the benifits they can get during their one year time in this office and then leave it to something else.

I hope you learned from your mistakes. I hope you realized that "dreaming", "believing", "morals", "integrities", "family", "support", "honnesty" and what you used to called "human emotions" are just the kind of things you shouldn't expect from 99% of the population. The remaining 1% are the real treasure your earned from this.

I know one thing though... You're the most stubborn person ever, and, as long as your real friends you have earned from this tragedy are next to you, you're not done you. You won't give it, maybe differently, but you won't... Maybe you'll correct your mistakes, but by all means, I know very well that "It ain't over till you say it's over". That's sooo typical of you.

Yzma and her Throne

"Yzma: And so, it is with great sadness that we mourn the sudden departure of our beloved prince, taken from us so tragically on the very eve of his birthday.
Kronk: [sobbing] Poor little guy.
Yzma: His legacy will live in our hearts...
Kronk: He never had a chance.
Yzma: ...for all eternity.
[pause]
Yzma: Well, he ain't getting any deader! Back to work.... It's SHOOOOOOW TIME The Throne is mine mine mine I tell you."


WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL WITH THAT CHAIR....??? I mean WHY is it that important? Is there a craving for power you've been having since your first day in this world? Are you trying to compensate a defect in your real life? Have you always been "the governed" to the point that you are ready to do ANYTHING to become "the governor"?



But why Yzma? Why do you do that? after all, it's just a chair. AND, guess what? It's not EVEN REMOTELY comfortable... Ask me, been there, done that.

Is it worth it? really.. be honest, for once, and tell me, was it worth it? was it worth loosing people's trust, admiration, respect, and friendships (btw, I'm talking about REAL people, not your minions)? Nevermind nevermind, I forgot you only cared about yourself. Was it worth the headache? Just the headache?

But Yzma, it's not like your opinion didn't count before. It's not like you were totally neglected. It's not like you didn't have THE POWER... On the contrary, in our "country" our citizens have MUCH more power than the government. So what's the big deal Yzma? what's the big deal?

Now you got it, you got your chair, everyone who wanted one got it (or almost everyone), on this glorious 30th of June of the year of fortune. Now that you got it. Now as your sitting-deprived, craving-for-rest, gluteal muscles, exhausted by a lifetime of standing restlessly; now that they have finally found "A chair" to rest upon. Tell me now: Is it comfortable? are you at ease now? is this the "throne" you've been dreaming of day and night. Planning, plotting, lying, murdering... Now tell me, how do you feel?

Because let me tell you something dear Yzma.. You've been tricked... You forgot to wear your glasses my dear.

This isn't a "throne". It's an electric chair.

Don't say I didn't warn you.

You've seen me on it for the last couple of months.

Don't say you didn't notice.

YOU were the one pushing the "ON" button, remember?

Redefining friendship

The notion of "friend" has been undergoing the most radical face lifts over the past 2 years.

Before getting philosophical, let me tell you a story of a freak.

- Freak element number one: Yes, I was educated in a boys only school. (except 2 years, more about that later)
- Freak element number two: When I left school to join this amazing faculty of medicine, I had only 1 real friend from school (I didn't see him since 5 years now except twice by chance).
- Freak element number three: During my first 3 years in medicine, I had a group of around 15 friends I met in the faculty. That would have been great, but I have to be honnest: They were all girls...!!!!

So, all of this to tell you that I was never what you can call "a friendships-guy".

I joined the SSS 4 years ago. During these 4 years... This side of me underwent the biggest chain of changes in its history. Maybe because of the work environment. Propably because I met new, different people. Definetly because I had to meet the REAL FREAKS as well as the REAL LARGER THAN LIFE Human beings...

The "citizen"

The "member" of the SSS is its building block. The "citizen" of this "country" has been given practically all the rights of any citizen of the free world. The right of speech, the right of freedom, the right of choosing his leaders, the right of becoming a leader, the right of choosing his destiny, the right of being obnoxious.

Isn't this lovely? I mean, this is exactly what my fellow board members and I believed in for the entire year of my term: To make every member who earns this title, able to shape his "own SSS". We believed, we hoped, we did it. We recruited members of SSS. Oriented them, gave them those rights, showed them how to use them. The perfect picture of the perfect country, isn't it? Well... we were WRONG... OH YES.... we were SOOOO wrong. Wrong beyond all reasons.

We were so eager to GIVE those rights that we totally missed the most important point. They first have to EARN those rights. They have to MATURE enough before getting them. Otherwise, you're giving a fire gun to a kid without educating him on how to use it properly and making sure he got it. The first thing he'll do is use it, to eliminate all sources of power that pose a threat to him. Next, he's gonna reinforce "order" the way HE sees it. And finally, he's gonna make sure no one else takes his gun, or any other gun for that matter.

Guess what, this is EXACTLY what happened: One day, you're explaining to your members "what is SSS", "It's bylaws", how to "run for elections", how to "call for extra-ordinary General Assemblies"...etc. The next day, they use all those "rights" you've given them and told them how to use. They use it ON YOU. Why? well, simply because you're the only bigger "power". Sick, isn't it? Now, come to think of it, it was sooo predictable, the typical human behaviour. We just couldn't believe it can happen one day. We were blinded by concepts that turned out to be absent in this community "appreciation", "gratitude" and "respect".

They transformed us into "the Beast", gathered, assembled their different goals and interests, and directed them towards one target. To "Kill the beast". They first made sure everyone of them had a gun, and PAM, they fired at will.

Gaston wanted to marry Belle. But Belle totally neglected this "handsome fellow" and actually fell for the Beast. Gaston couldn't believe it. I mean, "she left him for the beast", so, he went to the villagers and told them how dangerous this Beast is. How cruel, brutal and threatening to their children and families. In a minute, those "angry villagers" grabbed their guns and torches and went on "to kill the beast". NO ONE ever thought "hey, but this "beast" never harmed us by any means, why should we kill him?".



In all mobs you have "the leaders" and "the angry villagers". In SSS we also had "the leaders", blinded by this raging jealousy and eagerness for power, and also, of course, "the angry villagers". The angry villagers who know nothing about anything who just go with the flow and sing the chorus of this mob song. "Kill the beast"

The beast, weakened by the sense of betray, doesn't fight back. Yet, the moment when he sees Belle and realizes she didn't betray him, he gets up and fights back Gaston and his mob. He ends up by winning and holding gaston by the neck over the castle's balcony. He is about to throw him. The "strong and powerful" Gaston cries and begs him like a baby, to let him go. The beast does THE BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER... The SAME mistake we did: He feels pity and LETS HIM GO. And of course, you know the rest of the story. He turns back to go to his beloved Belle only to feel the agonizing pain of Gaston's knife penetrating his back.

So now, where do we stand? We've been killed by our sons and daughters using the same weapons we offered them one day. And THAT my friend, is the ugliest feeling one can have. The feeling of "stupidity".

The irony? Now that the "common target" has been disposed off (the beast, a.k.a. Us). They're shooting at each other. By time, they'll find another "beast" and they'll shout "kill the beast". Sick? noooo it's "human".