Don't Hassle the Hoff....

Sometimes i just need to giggle....

this video seems to always do the job.

I like to think that if i ever became a popstar this is the kind of music that i would make.

In my dreams.....

I had such a kick-ass dream last night.

One of those that was more like i was the lead character in an action movie rather than a dream.

The part i remember most clearly was jumping between two moving trains....oh yeah and my gorgeously hot 'love intrest/sidekick'. I like how i gave myself a good looking sidekick to help me out on my adventure.

Perhaps my sub-concious is trying to spice up my life because i've got into a very boring daily routine that requires watching a lot of tv....

Now if only I looked a bit more like Angelina Jolie in my dreams......

Sunday thought.....

"when we treat people merely as they are, they will remain as they are. If we treat them as if they were what they should be, they will become what they should be"

Thomas S. Monson

Yesterday i got mad and shouted at somebody.

When i got home i realised that i had i treated that person

with less respect than i would have other people because i felt that they didnt deserve it.

Then i realised how wrong that attitude was.

So i went and apologised and spoke to her as i would speak to a friend

when i had a disagreement and not somebody that i disliked,

and although it didnt really change the situation,

i think that by treating her better hopefully one day

she will treat others around her better also...

Girl-Who-Snarls.....

Walking down the streets of Cairo is not an easy feat for a blonde

haired, blue eyed foreigner like myself.

Lets just say i can no longer walk around incognito.

Every Tom, Dick and Harry that i pass by has something to say to me, normally the three following phrases,

Welcome To Cairo

Where you from?

Whats you name?

Most of the time it doesnt bother me, its a cultural thing,

its what they say when a foreigner walks by,

occasionally its a little but more of a heckle and they take it a it further, in which case i'm normally a bit rude and abrupt and they then leave me alone.

Yesterday i was being rude and abrupt to a group of guys who had

i had to pass through on my way to work.

I grunted and passed without any further ado,

and the another guy came up to me and said, 'hey, hows it going?'

to whom i gave what can only be described as a Snarl....

(i was in a particularly bad mood after having

unsuccessfully trying to extract money from various ATM's).

He seemed slightly taken aback but said no more and kept on walking.

That was when i realised that he was walking in the same direction as me....yes.....he was definitely walking into the Opera House....oh dear, had i just offended one of my new colleagues? I haven't really got names and faces down yet.

And yes, in rehearsal later on, my normal dancer partner

being injured his replacement was no other than

Boy-Who-Had-Been-Snarled-At.

'On the street you not friendly?'

i now turn pink with shame

'I'm so sorry, i didn't realise.....'

and then the music starts and we have to

dance and nothing more is said on the subject.

I hope he doesnt spread my reputation around as

Girl-Who-Snarls.

Fast Food Nation...

I have recently discovered that the Egyptian sim card

for my mobile phone here comes with automatic speed dial for

MacDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut.

Good to know who to call in an emergency.

and by the by a MacDonalds take-away is called a MacDelivery....

of course what else?

Sailing Down The Nile....

Captain Tim the Sailor Man was very excited about getting to ride a felucca

(an egyptian sailing boat)down the nile.

No sorry, i phrased that wrong,

I was very excited about getting to ride a felucca down the nile,

Captain Tim was excited about sailing a felucca down the nile.

So we hired our felucca (at what i'm sure was double price because we were

feeling too lazy to haggle) and the minute we

hopped on board Captain Tim was bouncing around this way and that,

hoisting ropes and pulling rigs....or something sailorish like that.

At first the Captain of the felucca didnt know what

had hit him and tried to make Captain Tim sit down and leave his boat alone....and then he realised he was in for the easiest 70pounds

he had ever made, so he sat back and relaxed,

and for some reason insisted that i take a photo of him wearing my hat.....

when we got back to dry land all the other captains were

teasing him that he should be paying Tim for the ride and not visa versa

Pigeon Haggis....

On our trip to the market we stopped to

eat at what can only be described as a tourist trap restaurant....

but i was a tourist and therefore prime to be trapped,

i readily gave in when i saw pigeon on the menu, it tickled my taste buds.

and then it turned up and it looked like this.

and i asked Captain Tim where do you think they got the pigeon from,

which to he replied, 'well i dont see any on the streets'

which left my taste buds feeling slightly untickilish.

But then we managed to Pop it open (yes pop being the operative word)

and i discovered that inside was pigeon haggis.

just like us Scots cook sheep ofal and oats in a sheeps stomach and love to eat it, it seems the Egyptians seem to like to do the same with pigeon.

It was delicious, but i did leave Captain Tim to eat the liver/kidneys

and whatever other organs that were cooked inside, i'm not that hardcore.

and yes i've also tried camel,

it was good a bit like venison.

Yum.

Inside the mind of a bunny rabbit.....

I just finished re-reading one of my favourite books.

Watership Down by Richard Adams

I love re-reading my favourite books,

it's like a good recommendation that you know wont disappoint.

So when i was packing my suitcase to come here i popped in a couple of my favourites as i dont know how long its going to take me to find an english library/cheap bookshop here an i didn't want to be stuck with books that were rotten.

If you haven't heard of Watership Down its the story of a bunch of rabbits who leave their warren to find a new one.

It follows their adventures and struggles to survive.

What's so great about this book though is the characterisation of the rabbits, not only does Adams make you feel like he really knows

what its like to be a rabbit but each rabbit has such distinct personality

and humanness to them as well.

I'll admit that I cried at the epilogue whilst reading it last night.

Not because it was particularly sad,

but because it was simply beautiful.

I tired to remember if i cried last time i read it,

i couldn't remember but i hope that i did.

Pyramids....

Of course we went to the pyramids,

Giza

Saqqara

and Dashur

each were a bit different.

The ones in Giza were the most impressive to look at

but too many tourist and too many little people trying to get you to buy their wares

was slightly off putting and disturbed the beauty and amazing history of the place.

We had a fun experience in Saqqara

as the guide who we had hired to take us around was an archaeologist there

and managed to take us back behind the museum

to where they had some mummys that they had just excavated....

was pretty amazing to see some 'fresh' mummys lying next to the kitchen sink....

no pictures as they are not official catalogued yet.

Less tourists and less distruptions made it a more pleasant experience too.

Dashur was fun as there was no one else there and we truly felt like Indiana Jones climbing into the depths of the pyramid!

Online!!!!!!!!

So finally settled down at little bit,

got my self some internet connection,

an apartment

(which comes with 2 slightly unfriendly room-mates

and an occasional cockroach)

I'm now going to back up and show some pictures

of when I first arrived here in Egypt before stepping onto the daily mill of work....

taking some time to holiday!

First of all....

a trip to Ain Sukhna at the Red Sea.

Where Captain Timotehp taught me to snorkel.

Not being a fish fan (they scare me)

i loved it, although there were a couple of black and yellow ones that kept trying to eat me,

you should have heard me scream!

There were also some dolphins that kept swimming by...

which was pretty awesome too!

(the picture below is me trying to run away from fish that liked to eat me)

and this is a snorkel move that i'm trying to patent,

i like to call it the starfish.

The Felukuleles.....

Was very excited to find that one of the girls at church here is in a ukulele band!

Now all i need is a ukulele so i can join in.

some musical talent wouldn't go amiss also....

Green With Envy....

Sorry.

Been busy having adventures that will make you green with envy.

But also computer-less so all the pretty pictures will have to wait.

Here's a little taster though....

snorkeling in the red sea

riding camels

haggling hard

pyramids

and

mummys

nice fresh new ones

just out the ground....