Best Summer Diet - Ant Diet

I've discovered the most effective diet of all. I'm not even thinking longingly of any type of food, healthy or junk. My toddler is thirsty and I'm trying to make her forget cold water and make do with lukewarm water because I cannot bring myself to enter the kitchen. See there's a huge ant the size of a full-grown cockroach on my kitchen sink. It has a big ugly head and scary huge wings.

Clearly I should do the dishes more often than every weekend.

I hate summer. It brings all these bugs out en masse and they seem to have evolved into a much bolder species than I remember. I don't think the word "insect" can convey insignificance and vulnerability anymore. Repulsiveness, certainly, but boldness as well. Which means these latest generations are rapidly evolving into monsters. Think about it. They're getting impossibly bigger than what I used to see a few years ago, so a few years from now I expect cockroaches to be as big as a one-year-old human being maybe. *shudders*

While typing this entry my daughter insisted I get her cold water so I had to. I am mortified to say this, but I was absolutely terrified. I mean, heart pounding, knees shaking terrified. I don't think I'd be more watchful and ready to flee if a hitman was crouching in a glass instead of that ant. Well that's an exaggeration, but you know...

So I guess my pants will be a little loose soon. I'm home alone most of the day, and in this heat I can only imagine how often I'm going to lock the kitchen door and sit terrified waiting for DH to come home quickly. Best diet ever.

No Sacré Cœur for Mona

Is it too melodramatic to say I'm devastated?

No Sacré Cœur for my toddler. For the last two years all I've done is research schools until I was completely satisfied that the best possible education system in Egypt -- according to my standards -- is the Sacré Cœur schools. I was overjoyed to discover one very close to my place. My only concern was that they don't accept kids as young as three, but I pushed that to the back of my mind.

So I call them with a trembling heart, and I learn that I missed the registration deadline! Other schools are only just beginning registration and the Sacré Cœur is done! They actually started June 1 and were done before the beginning of July.

Now what? I wanted a French-medium school for Mona because over the years I noticed that every single French-medium graduate I've met is more fluent in English than their English-medium counterpart is in French, and to me bilingualism is the bare minimum to carry you through life; multilingualism is my long-term goal for Mona. I consider myself handicapped for being fluent in English only.

But I didn't want any French-medium school. I wanted a school closest to my first school back in the UAE, a school that was back then in a league of its own, just like the Sacré Cœur is in a league of its own now. I went to Rosary School, and my school, along with the devoted efforts my parents put in me, shaped every good side there ever was to me.

There was discipline, quite strict discipline actually: Nuns ran the school. Yet we weren't a herd where teachers would yell or threaten us with physical punishment. We were individuals, each and every one of us, even at age 6 or 7, and they maintained our sense of self-respect. Most of the time punishment was in fact non-physical; their aim was to shame you if you misbehaved, and because of your sense of self punishment of that sort really hurt and -- unless it was a particularly rebellious or antisocial student -- did the trick.

There was creativity, and we were strongly encouraged to find out who we were and explore our personalities. There was emphasis on the importance of a solid future career hand in hand with sound ethics and firm family values. There were a great many things I can never do justice in an entry I'm typing while upset and extremely sleep-deprived, unfortunately.

This is what I want for my daughter, and after asking and researching for two years I reached the conclusion only the Sacré Cœur can provide my daughter with this. Now what?

Funny Quote

"Remember the waterfront shack with the sign FRESH FISH SOLD HERE. Of course it's fresh, we're on the ocean. Of course it's for sale, we're not giving it away. Of course it's here, otherwise the sign would be someplace else. The final sign: FISH." Peggy Noonan

One of my all-time favorite editing quotes. Possible my all-time favorite.

Although personally I'd keep the sign as it originally was. I think the redundancy is...justified, if you will, and beneficial to the unsure and the hesitant who will assume what they've understood from the sign is wrong. There are those who need instructions repeated, elaborated on, and language should cater to them as well, as long as it doesn't stoop to sloppy redundancy.

RIP Michael Jackson

I was among the millions that grew up die-hard Michael Jackson fans. I still am a huge fan of his. I enjoyed and loved his music. His music was more or less a regular soundtrack to a big part of my life. I remember staring at Debbie Rowe's pic enviously after they got married and thinking, I had a chance; I'm prettier.

Why is it that in most cases the more extraordinarily gifted the person, the more turmoil in his life? Maybe talented people, especially artists, can't live without turmoil. Maybe turmoil is the catalyst for their brilliant creations. Maybe talent burns them whereas regular folk like myself are safe.

I'm not surprised he passed away. We're human, so we die. But I am very, very sad. I was waiting patiently for his comeback... I hope the media miraculously has some mercy on his children instead of pouncing on them like I expect it will.

Rest in peace, Michael Jackson.