Confirmed by the organizers of the event, MUSE will be playing in Dubai this March in the one and only Middle Eastern Rock Festival Dubai Desert Rock.

I can't wait to see them, I hope It works out for me to get the Visa & cash easily.
I live in Amman, Jordan - Middle East

I'm English/Circassian :) and no, I'm not in the army!

You speak of ‘emo’. This is emotion. This isn’t striped shirts. This isn’t dyed hair. This isn’t tight pants. This isn’t eyeliner. This isn’t surrounding your myspace username in x’s. This isn’t diluted meaningless bullshit. This isn’t a doomed cultureslut fashion. This is emotion

According to this





Facebook application. Now you can buy & sell friends...

How silly is that!?

Friendship, What do you look for in a friend and what do you give to your friendships? I have been asking myself this question all morning. What makes a "good" friend?

Like all of us, I have had some friendships that dissolve for no apparent reason, or for reasons that I don't always understand or recieve. But for the most part, most of my friends are tried and true.

I don't know what to expect of some of them and they expect from me... But I know that I can count on some few of them in a crisis besides being honest. Some of my oldest friends will tell you that I am extremely blunt and direct like the Arabic quote "بيقولها بوجهك" (says it straight in your face).

I don't make things shiny & glossy in order to make them feel better. I have tried to tone this down many times but It wouldn't work, for that matter. Being honest is so key in my friendships that I can't imagine not telling someone the truth if they ask for it.

At the same time, I expect my friends to do the same. (example: Moey come over and help me do this! while the real thing is: Moey can you do this for me and I take credit for it?) *hint. hint!

I pick brutal honesty over misguided kindness when my friends ask me for my opinion on something...I give it to them straight.

Unfortunately, There are some people out there they really don't want to know the truth... they just want someone to tell them that what they are doing is amazing, marvelous & stunning even if you think it isn't. They are not selfish, or dangerous, or misguided....even if you think they are.. They just need to grow up! and they don't really want friends, they want enablers. They want people in their lives that can do their jobs and that isn't healthy for them or those they love.

My life is too crowded for "friends" like that.

Every single friend of mine knows (or should obviously note) about my Converse All-Star shoes obsession! :)

I mean if they ever decide to open a branch in Jordan or Kuwait, they should ask me to manage it or run it and pay me good too.. I promote Converse everywhere!

Let me try and list the models I've collected so far:

From CHUCK TAYLOR® CLASSICS:

Chuck Taylor® All Star® Black Monochrome Unisex Hi [#M3310], Canvas

I got this one when I first moved to Jordan back in September 2005, I saw an add on tv where the vocalist of the rock band H.I.M. wearing them.
Chuck Taylor® All Star® Maroon Unisex Low [#M9691], Canvas

I bought this one from Shoebox@Champions in Amman for 68 JD! while it's around 20 JD in Kuwait.

From CHUCK TAYLOR® SPECIALTY:

Chuck Taylor® All Star® 3 Strap Black Unisex Low [#1U416], Leather

I got this one from The Athlete's Foot, Marina Mall -Kuwait branch, it's fucking amazing.. I have it for 6 months now, it started to get torn apart and so on from the inside but I still love it and wear it.
Chuck Taylor® All Star® Specialty Cyber Yellow Unisex Low [#1X868], Canvas

I also got this one from Shoebox@Champions in Amman for 68 JD! while it's around 20 JD in Kuwait.

From CHUCK TAYLOR® VARVATOS and WEB EXCLUSIVES:

Chuck Taylor® All Star® Slip Moss Green Unisex Slip [#1S318], Canvas

My sister Somaya sent me this one with my friend Samia last October as a surprise. and I love it.

I've had more in my life since I was a kid, I was counting them the other day and found out that I had around 16 pairs.. Now, I currently use 5-6 pairs, anyways the latest one I got yesterday, from the Converse Australia collection (I always get american or worldwide models):

Chuck Taylor® All Star® HI Specialty Fabric (corduroy/cornstalk)

and planning to get this and this next time.

If you're obsessed with Converse too let me know which ones do you have and why do you like them?

I personally like them because they're comfortable, they get along with anything I wear, they resist and last for long and reflect how simple a person can look with them on, plus that some of my favorite rock stars/bands wear them

Info about Linocut:

Linocut is a printmaking technique, a variant of woodcut in which a sheet of linoleum is used for the relief surface. A design is cut into the linoleum surface with a sharp knife, with the raised areas representing a reversal of the parts to show printed. The cut areas can then be pulled from the backing. The linoleum sheet is inked with a brayer, and then impressed onto paper. The actual printing can be done by hand or with a press.

As the material being carved has no particular direction to its grain and does not tend to split, it is easier to obtain certain artistic effects than with most woods, although the resultant prints lack the wood character of wood block printing. Linoleum is also much easier to cut than wood, which must be carved away, but the pressure of the printing process degrades the plate faster. It is also difficult to create larger works due to the material's fragility.

Linocut is widely used at art schools to introduce beginners to the art of printing; similarly, non-professional artists tend to use linocut rather than woodcut. But it was and is also widely used by professional artists, for similar reasons. [More info]


[Edvard Munch's 1893 artwork titled The Scream]

The Good/Bad News:

I FINALLY DID MY LINOCUT PIECE!! It took me 5 hours of cutting and graving with the knifes and the help of Samia, Reda, Ta'efi, Hamzeh and Mrs. Nelly, 1 injury thou.. one of the knifes slipped from my right hand to my left hand's elbow. But It's alright, some blood drifted :P which made me feel so proud to finish.

The artwork was basically the The Scr-Emo by Jesse Mack (which is a punky new version of Edvard Munch's 1893 artwork titled The Scream), which was also printed on hoodies by Threadless. The instructor was really happy with my 3 Black/Grey results and the 2 colored ones as well.

I took some photos of some of the draft tests.. and the sheet before printing..




[click image for larger]

What do you think of it? I'm expecting A+ (according to my teacher's first impressions)