back in Amman

I'm back in Amman, but is it for good? Only fate knows - because I don't know if I will be spending yet another year in London studying or I'm done with it..

Leaving Chepstow (the halls/dorms I lived in last year) was quite emotional - It was more like a wrap up for me to be leaving the country. All the good things almost happened to me there, I got to know a lot about Omar and other people surrounding me - and never to forget the hours spent with friends in my room (or Brunel in general) and all the memories connected to each corner...

I will definitely miss Brunel, and I came to realise that my best days are my Brunel days. I am back in Amman - a lot of change happening in my life and I'm trying to adapt to it. I want to thank my friends for the smiles, laughs, wall-bangs, neighbours, munchies, dances & good times I had.

photos: my prayer mat before sunset in my chepstow room / my room getting packed and cleared

the post about everything

WARNING: This post is a photo post, so it's filled with images and random bits of writing. Enjoy ;)

One: Anti Everything is going great, you can check the group's pool on Flickr for the work there. My favourites are the following:

I just have a weakness for lips and teeth, being illustrated of course ;D

i love the simplicity of this spread, and I just think it's visually amazing



Love it! Such serif font never looked so interesting.

Two: I received 3 beautiful t-shirts from Blouzaat back in Jordan. The delivery took about a week, and it came in a beautiful wrapping. Check out the joyous set of photos I have of the 'occasion':

The t-shirts will be available for online ordering pretty soon, and for Europe (including UK) it takes about a week to arrive. So, you peoples can purchase the lovely t-shirts online pretty soon ;D

Three: the collection of my Mighty Glasses photographs is growing everyday day! Note that the following ones are in total random order and from very different times. Some go back to May 2007 and some from 2 days ago ;D

Lana

Rasha

Mai

Mohammad

Bilal

Yasemin

Sabeha (Sabz)

Hamza

Myiah

Ayaan


Sanaa


Tasmeya (Tas)

Asif

Bahaa'

Four: I didn't share my treasures and goodies that I got from Egyptoland, so here they are.

Recommended by MoFa, possibly one of the best books ever!

Umm Kulthum in London, possibly snapped on an ancient
Lomographic Supersampler. This page is from the magazine Al Kawakeb
about Um Kulthum's concert in London.

Al Kawakeb magazine, the Special Summer Issue. 1966, it has loads of
Egyptian celebrities enjoying their time on the beach.
Even some editorial with Suaad Husni!

Nadia Lotfi again on the cover of Kawakeb, but that's back in 1962.
I really like the Westend Watches' ad at the back!

Poster of "Hekayet El Omr Kollo" - who would resist buying
a poster with Ahmad Ramzi grabbing Faten Hamama's leg? haha

Little affiche (poster) of the movie "Al Shakk Al Qatel"
I just love EVEYTHING about this - look at the beautiful details
the illustrations, the typography, the layout. Beautiful!

I got a whole book (bound) of Al Mosawwer magazine for the year 1955
Aside from featuring interesting articles - the number of fascinating calligraphy,
illustrative ads, and interesting photographs is never-ending.
I just couldn't post the photos of everything!

That's it y'all, better comment! hehe

anti everything

as much as I was focusing on my Art being represented in an Arabic form, I really wanted to work on something that could possibly communicate better to non-Arabs. The matter is, I didn't find any appropriate space to work in, though I have worked on a couple lately. This was until I found a very interesting idea, proposed by my Flickr friend, Graphic Designer Thom Bird.

Anti Everything is an independent zine that will feature art articles yet mostly artworks. This involves typography experiments, illustrations, collage...etc. The zine will be fully in Black & White - which makes it easier to reproduce without losing the fun (that sentence sounded quite bad, haha).

The main concept from the name is that every issue we choose a keyword, and the theme of the issue would be against it. For example, "War" the issue would be "Anti War". The first issue will be finished by the time of Valentines and the keyword chosen is "Love". So the issue will be Anti Love.

The founder is Thom Bird and the contributors are Sarah France, Sam Dunn and myself. Really excited for what's coming up - and here are just a couple of doodling I did that might or might not end up in the actual issue:

I got a bunch more, but I will post about the final issue when It happens :)
i love you people still reading my blog, you are loyal!

de-pressed

it's a term I use a lot, but I guess I mean "sadness", but when you get it mixed with anxiety, pressure, worrying and cold weather it becomes depression.

I left Amman today, and I'm back in UK :(

The Day I met Nadine Labaki

Thanks to Nadine Labaki's website, I was informed that the movie Caramel will be opening at the London Film Festival this year. I hurried to check the website, and I actually found it there and I booked two tickets.

A month later, the time has come. After I left the station, some work in a road messed up how to get the cinema in my head so we had to take a huge turn to reach it. We reached it at the end, a bit late. I wasn't worried about the movie, because I've already seen in back in Beirut. But I was worried that I missed whoever concerned with the movie as it's a première.

But to my surprise, after the movie ended - Nadine got on stage and I was applauding so hard I could barely feel my hands! They asked who has any questions, one only seemed to raise her hand and the other one was me! I asked her does she feel in such place, breaking boundaries getting to places, that she's representing Lebanese Woman in particular or all the women from the Arab world?

After she left the stage, I went, shook her hands and introduced myself to her. Then talked a bit and I got a photo with her. WHEE, the joyness!

Nadine isn't just another celebrity to me, I seriously love her work and insist that she is one of the biggest creative powers in the Arab World.

edible

this, is, absolutely, pointless, and, ridiculously, gross.

click to enlarge

If you're wondering by now what the hell are these, well, they're actual products being sold in a special beautifully-designed corner in Selfridge's, London. Now, the first thing that popped in my head was "Why?" what's the point of selling these stuff?

I have to say though, the packaging is brilliant, the type used and colours are pretty successful but such a waste. it's a package of TOASTED ANTS for heaven's sake!

Room 5

I thought it was a tradition, especially when it comes down to me moving out from another room allocated by the freakin' university's accommodation. Yet I posted a couple of times when I left for holidays. At least I sticked to snapping a picture of my pin board before every RJ flight.

Now I'll just leave you with this random collage of photos I snapped over the span of almost last 10 days. I can't, and won't say that I'm not going to miss Uxbridge and London - But I seriously need a break and just chill for a starter! Whatever business in Amman, it's a good one!

A Smena Symbol, Sultan's Nerd shots, Sadiya's Visit, Leaving the room, Staying in a purple room that belongs to a girl that I don't know, Depressing view of my window, Samer and I at the bus stop surrounded by rain puddles, My friends and I in Abu Zaad restaurant, a Syrian made Pepsi in London, Mai's shiny shoes, Argeeleh, Giant glasses attack again, My huzban (Rasha) said goodbye, My Christian-crusader crown, Foil paper galore, and last time to see Mos3ab.

Auf Wiedersehen

Just when I thought my day couldn't get any worst...

...I get egged

You're just like a Pill

Stickers day here, where the residence management sent those workers to be sticking these stickers in our rooms and kitchens. Well well, I didn't KNOW that the one in my bathroom didn't give me chill pills -- dammit!

Snowing Outside

So they've expected a snowstorm and its true, Underground trains are said to be held for the day and obviously lecturers won't be able to make it and so. Still, i'm going. I've seen them throwing around salt today. God, I wanna see snow and sunshine. Call for a photography hike, eh? haha, and I thought they call us ones who barely see snow and stuff. Brits are out happily playing in the snow at 4 and 5 AM. Hajeen, lol.

Oh My Word

and no, it's not how you read it.
It's how Shannon says it!

Well there isn't much to say. I came back from an amazing stay in Amman and I'm feeling crumbly and not so happy. Still though, I'm opening back up by the days. Here I go screwing up my sleeping hours after I got the chance to fix them for two days. GRR, why does this keep happening to me?

I really really don't feel like making up a proper post today, maybe later?