Monday, July 20, 2009

It's good to be reminded, sometimes...

I read this article today and thought it would be nice to spread it... It is, indeed, a lot of times - actually most often- that it happens to forget why we do something in the first place. And the entire struggles becomes about winning a race or a war rather than actually changing something and achieving goals. 
So here it is the article from NYT that made me think of this...

Teacher, Can We Leave Now? No.
Published: July 18, 2009

Pushghar, Afghanistan

I confess, I find it hard to come to Afghanistan and not ask: Why are we here? Who cares about the Taliban? Al Qaeda is gone. And if its leaders come back, well, that’s why God created cruise missiles.

But every time I start writing that column, something stills my hand. This week it was something very powerful. I watched Greg Mortenson, the famed author of “Three Cups of Tea,” open one of his schools for girls in this remote Afghan village in the Hindu Kush mountains. I must say, after witnessing the delight in the faces of those little Afghan girls crowded three to a desk waiting to learn, I found it very hard to write, “Let’s just get out of here.”

Indeed, Mortenson’s efforts remind us what the essence of the “war on terrorism” is about. It’s about the war of ideas within Islam — a war between religious zealots who glorify martyrdom and want to keep Islam untouched by modernity and isolated from other faiths, with its women disempowered, and those who want to embrace modernity, open Islam to new ideas and empower Muslim women as much as men. America’s invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan were, in part, an effort to create the space for the Muslim progressives to fight and win so that the real engine of change, something that takes nine months and 21 years to produce — a new generation — can be educated and raised differently.

Read the rest here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/19/opinion/19friedman.html?th&emc=th

And if anyone was wondering... yeah, we sometimes think in this house too...

Monday, July 6, 2009

Low Calorie Chicken Recipe with Herbs

Ladies and Gents,

I just realized no-one in this house posted any recipe. Actually, no-one else does anything in this house. Nafis and I were away this weekend and we just got back and the house all sucks. But in any case, I think it's high time we shared another cooking experience.

This is a very easy to make, non-fattening, and fast dish.
Here is what you need:
    —Chicken (thighs, etc) – 8 pcs
Carrots  - 2
Tomatoes – 1-2
Garlic – 4 cloves
Fresh thyme – 1 tbs
Oregano – 1.5 ts
Basil – 1.5 ts
Fresh parsley, chopped – 1 tbs
Salt, pepper
Oil
Of course, you can also do without all the fresh stuff and even without all the herbs, but the fresher the nicer it gets.
To prepare it
1.Cut off the fat on the chicken
2.Peel off 2 carrots and cut them in thin slices (as thin as possible, with the large knife)
3.Peel garlic – about 3-4 cloves – cut them in thin slices
4.In the large pan
1.put a bit of oil and about a cup of water
2.add the carrots
3.add about 8 pieces of chicken (make sure the chicken is about half covered with water)
4.add salt (probably about one tablespoon)
5.add the garlic and cover the pan
5.As the chicken boils, add thyme (fresh, in the fridge), oregano, basil, pepper
6.Cut off one (or two, see if it’s needed) tomato in cubes and add it when the chicken is almost done.
7.When it’s done, add one tablespoon of parsley, turn the heat off and cover the pan.

That's it! Bon appetit! 

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Me and ma boys...


Being the only girl in the house is... quite an experience! I usually like it. The guys are nice, most of the time, and I get a lot of inside conversation that many other girls don't. It's true that it's sometimes annoying to be the only girl or one of the only 2-3 girls in a party, but it's also fun. Many times it's just so much easier to be friends with guys than girls. I think it's because they are usually a lot more honest and tolerant. Now, I don't want my words to be misinterpreted. Guys can be VERY bitchy! It's just that, usually, they are more friendly and accepting - oh, you do that - cool, let's play soccer. Might be because most of them suffer from learned ADD and don't genuinely care about what one thinks... Nafis has this t-shirt which says "A penny for you thought, a dollar if you flash me!" SO TRUE! 90% of the time guys couldn't care less for anyone's thoughts, ideas, or concerns, unless they can prove that the respective individual is wrong and they are right. So, 10 % of the cases are exceptions, and normally they care for who won the cup, what's for dinner, who's hot and... things like these. Therefore, it's considerably easier to get to know them. The harder part for women is getting men to do what they (women) want. Actually, I think today I developed an increased penis envy (after 3 hours of insane period cramps). I just think it's too easy to be male...

Although, honestly speaking, being a girl doesn't suck that hard either. Especially when you are the woman of the house :P. It takes some yelling and frowning sometimes, but it can work out pretty well. I, for one, get to do shopping for the three of us who share food (Nafis, Ryan and I) - and I like shopping for good stuff, including food. I also get to have them clean up  (this can be sometimes a problem), but at least I'm not doing it all the time. I also don't have to cook or do laundry all by myself. I am given attention, since I am the girl :P. I also get a lot of understanding for my wilder side. I have plenty of support in various situations, including bug-related issues. And last, but not least, it's a lot of fun. Guys know jokes. They also gossip a lot and it's hilarious!!! They do a lot of retarded things like - who would do whom... etc etc.

It's rather nice... and I do wish I could be a guy for like a day or two and see how feels. 
Honestly, I always wondered how it feels to have a penis, and more importantly, how it feels when your penis grows from flaccid to hard... fascinating to me!

ps: image by Patrick Denker - Penis envy envy