Pics from last few weeks (part 1)
As previously mentioned, I’ve had an extraordinarily busy few weeks past. This is the first ‘dispatch’ of some of the events which have kept me busy and that really stand out. In the coming days, I’ll post some more interesting bits and pieces from the Robert Fisk lecture, the Supreme Court hearings and the Secret Trial Caravan…
.1. My baby cousin was on a special exchange program between Occupied Palestine and the US. He’d lived in Kansas for the last year and came to visit us in Ottawa a couple of weeks back for a little under a week. He’s now finished his year of schooling and has returned to Gaza.
He. Is. Gorgeous. Look!
He’s 6’3” and has thick dark brown slightly long wavy hair. I kept pulling his hair because it’s just so damn beautiful. He has sun-kissed skin and huge black eyes that I’m certain the little girls at school get lost in. He’s 16 at the moment, and while we were out, I was watching girls (& women) react to him, and it was an absolute treat.
The best thing about Mustapha is that he’s completely oblivious to this sort of thing, preferring to instead talk politics and human rights.
When you’re from a place such as Gaza, or any place that’s war torn, occupied, or is in the middle of a revolution, your priorities are different. Chances are, you’re a lot more aware of world issues and where you fit in, because you have no choice but to be awake to your surroundings. He is more well versed in the world of politics at the age of 16 than most people at the age of 46.
I can’t help but say how proud of him I am.
.2. Daddy and I had lunch with Senator Pierre De Bane, who is an absolute doll. I’m sure that’s not how he’d like me to think of him, but he is. I constantly want to hug and squeeze little old men and women and he was no exception.
The day previous, he’d had lunch with his good friend, our ex Prime Minister, M. Jean Chretien and so he shared some funny stories about that. More intriguing was that he also mentioned another ex Prime Minister, who – as Senator De Bane tells it – was instrumental in bringing him into politics: M. Pierre Trudeau.
.3. I was invited to a discussion panel put on by the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Negotiations Affairs committee. Although they didn’t present anything new, their means of presentation was excellent. To get a sense of what they were discussing and to better understand what’s really happening in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, I strongly urge you to visit PASSIA.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I have no idea why or how I was invited!
And for good measure, here are some interesting and unique pieces of art that have been done on the land grab wall being built by Israel on Palestinian soil. It’s incredible how beautiful they are, when one considers the canvas on which they sit. Where international law is being ignored, one wishes that this level of imagination find its way into the negotiations…:
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
.4. I can't recall whether I've already mentioned this, but Cleo recently had baby no. 2: Trent.
None of us are quite certain from where he came, because he looks nothing like his mother or his father.
In Arabic, there’s a very derogatory ‘joke’ (derogatory because we’re essentially referencing disregard for and abuse of slaves…but I’ll tell it anyway) that says “ibn el-shaghala” which means “son of the maid”. If Cleo had a pool boy, I’d say Trent was his.
Here’s a photo of Nora May, Trent and I taken on the first day I met Trent, Sunday June 4th:
While at Cleo’s, Nora decided that she wanted to make me a cat, and so out came the face crayons and on went my ‘cat face’, which amounted to nothing more than a bunch of blue and neon orange scribbles all over my face. Lucky I don’t wear make-up except for kohl eyeliner and lip-gloss. I left Cleo’s having forgotten that this was on my face until I got home and my mother squinted at me and asked “did you spill something on your face?”
.1. My baby cousin was on a special exchange program between Occupied Palestine and the US. He’d lived in Kansas for the last year and came to visit us in Ottawa a couple of weeks back for a little under a week. He’s now finished his year of schooling and has returned to Gaza.
He. Is. Gorgeous. Look!
He’s 6’3” and has thick dark brown slightly long wavy hair. I kept pulling his hair because it’s just so damn beautiful. He has sun-kissed skin and huge black eyes that I’m certain the little girls at school get lost in. He’s 16 at the moment, and while we were out, I was watching girls (& women) react to him, and it was an absolute treat.
The best thing about Mustapha is that he’s completely oblivious to this sort of thing, preferring to instead talk politics and human rights.
When you’re from a place such as Gaza, or any place that’s war torn, occupied, or is in the middle of a revolution, your priorities are different. Chances are, you’re a lot more aware of world issues and where you fit in, because you have no choice but to be awake to your surroundings. He is more well versed in the world of politics at the age of 16 than most people at the age of 46.
I can’t help but say how proud of him I am.
.2. Daddy and I had lunch with Senator Pierre De Bane, who is an absolute doll. I’m sure that’s not how he’d like me to think of him, but he is. I constantly want to hug and squeeze little old men and women and he was no exception.
The day previous, he’d had lunch with his good friend, our ex Prime Minister, M. Jean Chretien and so he shared some funny stories about that. More intriguing was that he also mentioned another ex Prime Minister, who – as Senator De Bane tells it – was instrumental in bringing him into politics: M. Pierre Trudeau.
.3. I was invited to a discussion panel put on by the Palestinian Liberation Organization’s Negotiations Affairs committee. Although they didn’t present anything new, their means of presentation was excellent. To get a sense of what they were discussing and to better understand what’s really happening in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, I strongly urge you to visit PASSIA.
I’ll let you in on a little secret: I have no idea why or how I was invited!
And for good measure, here are some interesting and unique pieces of art that have been done on the land grab wall being built by Israel on Palestinian soil. It’s incredible how beautiful they are, when one considers the canvas on which they sit. Where international law is being ignored, one wishes that this level of imagination find its way into the negotiations…:
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
Larger version here.
.4. I can't recall whether I've already mentioned this, but Cleo recently had baby no. 2: Trent.
None of us are quite certain from where he came, because he looks nothing like his mother or his father.
In Arabic, there’s a very derogatory ‘joke’ (derogatory because we’re essentially referencing disregard for and abuse of slaves…but I’ll tell it anyway) that says “ibn el-shaghala” which means “son of the maid”. If Cleo had a pool boy, I’d say Trent was his.
Here’s a photo of Nora May, Trent and I taken on the first day I met Trent, Sunday June 4th:
While at Cleo’s, Nora decided that she wanted to make me a cat, and so out came the face crayons and on went my ‘cat face’, which amounted to nothing more than a bunch of blue and neon orange scribbles all over my face. Lucky I don’t wear make-up except for kohl eyeliner and lip-gloss. I left Cleo’s having forgotten that this was on my face until I got home and my mother squinted at me and asked “did you spill something on your face?”
Labels: Photos
posted by just a girl at 1:01 PM
3 Comments:
I know this is sto totally creepy but you look awesoe with two babies around you.
And your cousin is HOT, like ROck hot.!!
And that photo with the girl carrying balloons and flying up is really pretty i think its my favoprute. Becaus34e theres something sad about such a pretty thing on such a mean concrete wall.
T
The pic with the girl and the balloons is also my favourite!
...thanks re the other comments (& I don't think it's creepy at all).
xo
m
I have to agree, you look good with babies. If I swung your way, I'd be after you.
Tommy
Post a Comment
<< Home