Jackass driving

Hey you! Did you hear? The new trend is jackass driving! It's the only way to look cool. You should try it bro, wallah it's cool.

This may not be applicable to some of you but many of us are always caught in this hype that we need to get somewhere in the most minimal time. I was, I confess, one of those. I use to think, "Eh, why drive 100 when you can go 120!"

No. Never again. It wasn't a result of some personal freak accident that changed my life forever .. ever .. ever *echo*, I guess time just caught up with me. I've had friends who've told me of some of the things they did, like run a red light, take a U-turn when you're not supposed to or just brag about the speed they've reached. What if the cars just speed when it's their turn and ram into your car, or someone's crossing the road and you don't have enough space for your car to stop all the way?

What is so important that you need to rush somewhere? Hospitals, fine. Emergencies, fine. But a weekend out with the guys? A hang out at your favorite gahwa? A bonfire gathering in Skhere? Haven't people heard of arriving fashionably late?

Orrr ... Leave early! *sudden realization*

We need to set our priorities straight. Whether the law marks the limits at 100 or 140, it doesn't mean those are the safest speeds to drive. A police offers once said something so obvious (that an immature prick would probably laugh off with their friends), and yet enlightening: "Be careful, this is steel."

Just today, I had a big (and expensive) car just speed out of a hidden turn! It ALMOST hit the passenger side where my younger siblings were sitting. And after I passed, the driver simply proceeded to move at the same speed. Looking both ways before crossing the street does not only apply to pedestrians, you know.

And don't remind me about seat belts! My cousin in the passenger seat once took off her seat belt. Why? Oh, she wanted to take a selfie. I stopped the car (in a safe area of course) and wouldn't move until she wore it back. And she did. 'coz ya know, gat ta go places!

I have a relative (who I don't know, having thousands of them) who I heard was held at a station because he hit another car late at night. One of the girls in the other car was in critical condition. They wouldn't let my relative out until they make sure she's better. My relative I hear, lives with his family and is an undergraduate student. The girl died. And he's in prison.

I now understand why my dad reacted in shock when years ago he asked me what speed I drive, and I replied 90 (thinking it' a good reply). Maybe he was kidding, I don't know.

Not the perfect driver over here! I can stir a few honks from my fellow drivers from time to time, but I do try to keep .. safe? I guess this began when I realized how expensive it is to fix dents, change parts and especially when it's not your car. Whether it's your dad who's willing to pay for the damage, he's spending money on something he did not do. Oh, and getting a new car, too much! (at least for the working class, what's a working class, btw?)

Oh and look out for those Saudi cars. Not generalizing, but I have noticed quite a lot of them driving over two lanes, don't really know what's going on in there ..

The point is, stay safe.
My friend: "We have a lot of surgeons in Bahrain."

**Speeds are in KM!    Duhh, coz the whole world uses that!

Ahh, back in the days when taking pictures with a nokia phone was .. picture taking.

First encounters in Egypt: Exploring Imbaba & Downtown Cairo

Nice Egyptian fella poses for us in one of the cafes at Imbaba

I decided to post parts of my essays from my time as an undergraduate. This is specifically from my Rhetoric class (RHET 102), which I took during my first semester, because they seem to be interesting. Reading it now, I realize how different I was then and how different everything in life was to me. I loved my professor and she was the perfect professor to start with when traveling to a country for the first time. Dr. Wafaa Wali, oh how many have complained of her but there were others like me who just loved her method of teaching. In my semester, Dr. Wali decided the theme to be based on Egyptian Identity, and one of our tasks was to explore Imbaba, a small and maybe poor area. She assigned each team with different assignments. Our group of four (which I led) were to explore cafes and small stores, in turn recording some of the commodity prices. After Imbaba, we were to walk to downtown Cairo.

And regarding dates, we had to do this I think in November of 2009. Been quite a while.

Imbaba

In our first assignment we had to take pictures of interiors of eight coffee shops and five plots of empty land. We had to see how they decorate their shops and ask neighbors what happened to the plots of land. We also had to sit in one of the coffee shops, order something and check out the prices; buy certain foodstuff and list the fruits in the local market.

We went to six coffee shops : (unknown), Taj il Dewal, 3alaa il Deen, Tony, ma2ha al a9diqa2 and (unknown).

All the interiors looked pretty much the same. Usually brown tiled with shisha as the display behind the counter. Most of the coffee shops had religious sayings like 'Inshallah' hung over the entrance or just as display. They were very friendly, and some actually posed for the pictures! Some shops looked neat, some looked dirty. Many of them constituted mostly of men.

We sat in 3alaa il Deen. The man was very friendly to us. He got us chairs; he switched on the fan and TV. He cleaned our table and was nice. We ordered tea, water and coca cola. We asked for the prices which were:
- Tea : 1.00 pounds
- Soft Drinks : 1.75 pounds
- Shisha Coal : 0.50 pounds
- Coffee : 1.25 pounds
- Sa7leb : 2.00 pounds

We got pictures of three plots of land:
- House that collapsed years ago; no one did anything about it and it is being used for rubbish.
- House that collapsed and another house is built in the middle of it; people are living in it.
- Old storage place that got burnt down.

Foodstuff:
- Macaroni : 1/4 kilo for 2.00 pounds
- Greens: 2-4 types for 1.00 pound
- Black plastic bag for 0.25 pound
- Fruits available : Guava, Orange, Grapes, Pears, Apples, Pomegranate

Our professor still thought we got ripped off ..

Downtown

Our second assignment was pretty simple. After exploring Talaat Harb Mall, we moved on to our task. We had to walk down Kasr El Eini Street, find Vienna Coffee Shop and have a cup of tea. We also had to check the price which I happen to forget to record.  *tehe*

We actually did walk all the way instead of taking a cab. It was pretty simple but just a bit long. You just have to ask around until you finally reach. It was a very small coffee shop right inside a corner infront of a cinema. It was pretty much the same as any coffee shop at Imbaba. What I distinctively remember was that the tea was only 0.90 pound, which was 0.10 pound less than the one at Imbaba. Our order was a glass of water, tea and coca cola which all together cost 3.00 pounds.

And that was our assignment.