Five Thinking Blogs For Your Pleasure

My thanks goes out to the Make It Stop! Make It Stop! bloggers for awarding this blog one of their five Thinking Blogger Awards. In turn, I get to name five of my favorite thinking blogs. . .

1. Konfused Kollege Kid: An Iraqi blog, from a young man who recently left Baghdad for Amman. Outrageous, insightful and funny are some words that describe this blog. He writes crazy things, but usually concludes with very interesting views.
   
2. My Occupied Territory: A young 22 year old Muslim Arab American's views on the world around her. Proactive within herself and energizing those around her.
   
3. Dusty Sunrays: Thinking blogs are not only written blogs. Photographs and in turn photoblogs show alot of the character of their owners, and give us a glimpse into their personal worlds and what they are thinking of. This is one of my favorite (and only:)) photoblog daily visits.
   
4. A Mother From Gaza: One of the first blogs I was hooked onto. The diary of a young mother living between Occupied Gaza and the United States. Delves into different aspects of mothering and living under occupation. A definite must-read on life in the Occupied Territories.
   
5. Mommy and Youth Worker: A friend and relative's excellent blog, to be left unnamed at her request. Discusses issues of parenting, youth working, spirituality and more. I immensely enjoy it, learn from it and am inspired by it, and can't wait till you come back to blogging, sister.
   

Of course there are a few more blogs which I love to read and am challenged and inspired by. Within this year I have become 'addicted' to blogging, as my little sister accuses me of whenever I accuse her of being addicted to Facebook. :) I think blogging has helped me stay in touch with the world in different ways, has helped me read the news in interesting ways, and has helped me give the world a tiny look at what is happening in the world around me. Once again, my thanks to the Make It Stop! bloggers.

A Cup of Tea

When I started this blog more than a year ago, it was meant to help me deal with living in Baghdad. I wanted to make a point of recording the 'good, the bad and the ugly' and not just the 'bad and the ugly' because I generally like to see the good things in life, to view the cup as half full and not half empty. But out of my 101 posts, I can honestly say that the 'good' stories number a sad handful.
Anyways, I have a 'good' story to mention about life in Iraq today! Not a story really, but just something that I miss about life there (wow, never thought I'd miss anything from there, other than family and friends). Ever since I've come here to the States, after living in Baghdad for three years, I can't make the perfect cup of tea, nor the perfect egg! And after trying to make that perfect cup of tea after cup of tea, and after a few attempts at making a yummy dish of eggs, I have finally come to the conclusion that it just tastes better over there! No cup of tea tastes as good as that heavy, super sweet small istikana of chai, and no eggs will ever taste as good sunny side up.

The Last of the Honeysuckles

One of my favorite signs of spring; something I've missed for the last four years. Walking outside on a beautiful spring day, looking at the majestly green trees bordering against the blue, blue sky and getting a whiff of those beautiful smelling honeysuckles.