The Boy's First Portraits.
Sayf, aged two in this picture, had a cute smile.
Sinan, aged three, was being serious and didnt flash that awesome smile of his that he got from his mommy.
Sinan is our oldest and he is doing fine. We are working on potty training him. Children with Autism can be hard to potty train, but Alhamdulillah, things are going okay. He is so tall now, Masha'Allah, he can easily pass for five or six. He is as cute as ever.
Sayf turns three on April the 24th. We are doing a party at his pre-school and something smaller at home with close family. He is talking up a storm and some of it is just TOO cute.
He is really into animals and can name many of them, moose, bear, polar bear, giraffe, elephant and many, many more. He is getting into the anatomy and knows all about manes of his hoorses, the antlers on his deer and moose, and hooves on the horses and zebras.
Like all small kids he has some words that dont come out right, but sound so cute. He loves Dinosaurs, but it comes out "Die-Doors". His sister's name is "Filzah" but it comes out "Doe-Da". He is putting together some long sentences, one of his favourite being "not now, later" if you ask him to do something he doesnt want to do.
His hairy is a dark golden blond that certainly has a lot of red into it when it is in the light. We are growing it long, it looks cute with the curls. Eventually it will go into a ponytail, ala international football (soccer) players.
It would seem we all have extra time to indulge in fighting over silly stuff, whether on-line or in real life. We all have extra time to spend doing useless things.
Manal the other day was looking and reading about Gaza. Sayf, our two year old, walked up to the laptop and pointed to the very small dead Palestinian girl and said "baby". I realised at that point that it could just as easily be my children dead.
Take a bit of time away from all of the useless things we do in life and remember these children with your prayers and Du'a. Open your wallet and purse and give what you can to help these people who need it.
Most of all beg God for some swift justice against those who do these things. Ameen.
Sayf passed out on Daddy's arm.
They are both growing so quick. Sinan is getting so much better with his eye contact and his receptive language. He is really interacting with us and spending a lot of time with the family and we are really encouraging this.
He's getting a lot of work done with him, both at home and at school. We are prating, Insha'Allah, they he starts speaking at around age 4 like his sister did. He continues to be the sweetest boy you'll ever meet. There is nothing but kindness in this kid, Masha'Allah.
Oy Habibty has tagged me. I havent been posting that much, but I had to do this one. The idea behind this meme is "the most depressing song ever". I guess I am an officianado on this subject.
I have always been into sad music. Why? I guess I like this type of music and have had more than a few rough days in my life.
As a music fan I would have to make this into several segments. I would have to break it down into the "most depressing song ever.......in the categories of music you like".
The first one would have to be pulled from what is now known as the "Goth scene", but it was never called that back when I was involved in it. The song would have to be "Funeral Party" by "The Cure". I dont think they ever made a video for it, but here is one done on Youtube that isnt half bad. It also helps that they include the lyrics to the song closed captioned on the video itself.
Next would have to be classical music. Anyone who reads this blog knows that I am a huge classical music fan. It was hard to narrow this down to one pick. There are many really sad songs in classic music, many in opera. The saddest musical piece, off the top of my head would be Barbers "Adagio for Strings".
Mahler's Kindertotenlieder are almost too sad to bare sometimes. The poems, written by a German who lost both of his children within two weeks, are about his struggle with the tragedy.
Opera wise there are many selections as well. For my pick here I chose the opera Andrea Chenier and the aria L'Improvviso by Umberto Giordano. It is based on the life of a French poet during the time of the French Revolution. Like most revolutions, in this opera the revolution eats it's own and Chenier is put to death.
The best singer of this piece is certainly Jose Carreras. Below is the Youtube clip of the Three Tenors Concert.
I couldnt find the lyrics online and my Italian isnt that hot. I saw the opera years ago, but as I remember it has the poet wondering the streets of Paris seeing the desperately poor and starving people of his land and he sings his dispair.
Moving to Arabic, there are many as well. Arabic music is full of sad songs. I love Arabic music and listen to it on a daily basis. I dont care m uch for most modern Arabic music, with the exception of a few artists, most notable Natacha Atlas. Her song "Gafsa" would be high on a list of sad Arabic songs, as would "Kifaya"
My pick is Fayrouz, and althugh I wanted to pick "Chadi" I couldnt find a good Youtube of it, so I picked "Sa'altak Habibi" for you. The Youtube below is of her singing the song in one of the plays she did. She is an old lady now, but her sad life and her grace as a lady, as well as an awesome singer, makes her a great pick.
Youtube wont embed this one, but you can go there by clicking on this link.
Here are the lyrics, although I dont think they do the song justice:
I Asked You My Darling
I asked you my darling
"Where are we going?"
We move away, we move away
And the years precede us
If we were always meeting
Why are we looking around scared
Whenever I see you it's as if it's the first time my darling
Whenever we say goodbye it's as if it's the last time my darling
Say to me, tell me
Who are we?
And why are we looking around scared?
And who's afraid of who ahhh
Our appointment is tomorrow
Oh tomorrow is so late
Aren't you coming?
I see you in the clock
And the tick-tock of the clock
Coming from afar
Oh world rain jasmine
They're meeting and not knowing
And who are they afraid of?
Of who?
For Irish music I would pick "Fields of Athenry". It is a really sad song, and I dont have to worry about translations, it's in English. It is also a well known Irish Republican song, and a song often sung in the stands at Celtic Park. There is nothing better than singing this song, watching Celtic win, and 80,000 fans waving their scarves and Irish flags. I have done so many times myself. Of course you wont hear the "Sinn Fein" and "IRA" echoes often heard on any official lyrics.
Almost anyone in Ireland or Scotland (depending on which foot you dig with) will know this song. Here is a link to fans are Celtic Park singing the song.
Here is the Dubliners singing it live, listen to the audience sing:
The Fields of Athenry
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young girl calling
Micheal they are taking you away
For you stole Trevelyn's corn
So the young might see the morn.
Now a prison ship lies waiting in the bay.
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
By a lonely prison wall
I heard a young man calling
Nothing matter Mary when your free,
Against the Famine and the Crown
I rebelled they ran me down
Now you must raise our child with dignity.
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
By a lonely harbor wall
She watched the last star falling
As that prison ship sailed out against the sky
Sure she'll wait and hope and pray
For her love in Botany Bay
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
Low lie the Fields of Athenry
Where once we watched the small free birds fly.
Our love was on the wing we had dreams and songs to sing
It's so lonely 'round the Fields of Athenry.
That enough for me. I love music and I could go on and on...........
Sayf: Our Little Jihadi!
The other day Sayf got interested in a ghutra I picked up in one of my travels. I put it on him and he liked it and it made for some good pictures.
Manal and I joked about how he will probably be on some terrorist watch list now. Are there are 2 1/2 year olds at Gitmo Bay?
He is so much fun now. He loves horses as much as Daddy and gets so excited when they come on TV he'll scream and come get me. Today he really enjoyed a John Wayne movie with a lot of horses.
