Merry Christmas 2009.

-

While I don't celebrate Christmas, some of my closest friends do, and I always find myself excited for them this time of the year. This year's Christmas presents were less materialistic and yet more generous. I spent a whole morning with Marj at the salon having hair done, after which she looked AMAZING. We all know what it's like to go to a hairstylist, that feeling of resignation that we mistake for trust. Somehow, those feelings are gone when you have a friend with you, communicating with the hairstylist on your behalf. I don't know what it is about that salon chair that paralyzes you and makes you lose your ability to speak up. But having female-friend support definitely helps.

Today, I was that support. Marj just saved me some Christmas shopping.

As I did her. My present was her Nikon zoom lens. No, she didn't give it to me, and I wouldn't have taken it (ok, I lie, I would've definitely taken it), but we have exchanged lenses, and so far, I have taken about 120 pictures, and I just can't stop. I'm learning so much about photography, and slowly figuring out settings that I've never understood.

I'm keeping (and using) her lenses for as long as I need them, which is until I get my own lenses. I'm still unsure about which lenses I'll get myself, but this will really help me decide.

Priceless.

***

My mother started sewing as a hobby. She would make all kinds of things: tablecloths, clothes, dresses, pouches, covers, and so on. She recently started a business: she makes head-covers and sharshafs (for praying) and sells them for about 20 to 50 SR, depending on what kind it is.

She never really took the business seriously, or at least she wasn't obsessed about it (as I would have been), because she doesn't have a proper office or workstation in the house. She chose an area in front of the TV where she has her little couch and her sewing machine, and there she does her work while being entertained by her beloved Big Brother TV show.


Mom's mini head-covers. Available in different colors, covers hair and neck. Also, she designs them with these funky trimmings.





Mom's "voodoo doll", hung from the sewing machine.



Mom's flowers.



All pictures taken with the new lenses.

***

What gifts are you giving this year?

Comments

Post a Comment

OTHER POSTS BY NESSREEN:

#45 ~ V-Day

-
Image
Happy Valentine's Day, Bebi!  All the way from Jeddah. Coz Bebi, WE ARE CLEAR. While most of the world is celebrating love and commercialism, our Hay2a is busy prowling the streets ( again ) for businesses and individuals participating in this love-mongering, and preaching against this day. In the process, they have unwittingly been raising more awareness and promoting this holiday. Hilarity ensues. Great job on defeating your purpose(s)! On a lighter note, here's a great post from Sharifa's photo blog , and here is a song from the Backstreet Boys, for is there not a better time to unleash the boyband ballads than on an equally mushy day? You agree with me, of course. Enjoy! And if you're one-half of a couple, remember never to compare your relationship to others (because that's very unfair and stupid), and always make time to spend with each other. "Attention is truly valuable." - Seth Godin
Read more

Eleanor.

-
I got a pretty inspiring quote from a friend today. It goes: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." - Eleanor Roosevelt Now, that's quite true. A little insensitive to the little details of the things, people and situations that make someone feel inferior, but sure, she might truly be on to something here. The quote implies that everyone has (and can) control everything that goes on in their lives. That is of course, misleading. Human relationships and the human mind are both very complex and so intertwined that there is no way for anyone to be in full control of what or who makes them feel inferior. Therefore, it is important to remember that these quotes are not to be followed religiously in all aspects all the time. Think of it as a reminder to be aware of the things you can control so you may control them, and to eliminate those things you are able to eliminate so that you are not made to feel inferior. Eliminate. What will you be eliminating?
Read more

Fear vs Faith

-
We don't always know where our faith lies. Or even what it looks like. Or if it's ever enough to sustain us. We stumble around in our meaningless existence, with our gadgets and that endless babble of apps running in the background, straining against religion. "We are atheists!", we cry. Silently. We are not for the rigid walls of any religion, we don't subscribe to these restrictions, these violations on our freedom, these killings of our true selves. We are young, we are invincible. We are such strong people. We are so strong we refer to ourselves in the collective. There is no abstract idea that can break us, not words, not heartbreak, not betrayal, not fate nor any series of unfortunate events. Except maybe something so basic and so physical as literal, unbearable pain. And only then do we draw on our faith. "God SURELY wouldn't give me anything I wouldn't be able to handle. For He is All-Compassionate, He is Most Merciful." ...
Read more

Band-Aided.

-
Image
When they said that Band-Aid s could fix anything, I didn't really believe it. Early this year, (a few months after I bought my laptop Olaf), I dropped my phone charger on it and the thin layer glossed over it acquired a tiny crack. Over time, the crack got bigger. I resisted the urge to put a sticker over it, mainly because the reason I loved Olaf so much was how minimalist and white it was. Anything would've distracted from this. Besides, there isn't a sticker cool enough to be on the cover of Olaf. (Yes, I mother it to death.) However, it really got worse. I had to do something. The solution? A nice kiddie adhesive bandage that I can remove anytime (in the event that I get tired of looking at it) without causing the crack to expand. Yes, Band-Aid AND Snoopy are always the best solutions. *** You know how sometimes you say the stupidest thing, and you realize that AS SOON AS YOU SAY IT, at that exact moment when you just can't take it back? Man, I hate that feeling. ...
Read more