DIY Room Makeover..

I've been going through a very "unproductive" phase lately, a "stuck in a rut" sort of situation. So.. what better way to remedy this than a room makeover? Change always leaves me feeling fresh and productive. All I needed was a visit to the local hardware store, a few buckets of paint, and some creativity! No.. I didn't repaint the walls, just the bookcase, and dressing table/shoe closet thingy. I chose white because I wanted the room to appear bigger, and white does that..
Plus, its always nice to wake up in the morning and feel the whole room welcoming the new day with its bright cheerfulness. The walls are a very pale shade of pink, which I thought would look nice with white.

Here is a before and after photo of the dressing table/shoe closet.



I also painted the mirror frame white, it was brownish red, my least favorite color!




The bookcase.

before

Painting was the easiest part! Sanding? Well.. that wasn't so easy!




after

The poster on the wall is a present from my very talented friend :) its one of her photos printed on canvas. It's really nice to have pieces of original artwork on your walls, instead of some poster you got from IKEA..




I had so many seashells lying around, so I thought why not go for a seashell theme?
Some of those seashells were gifts from a friend, some were ones that my sister and I collected from Ain Sokhna beach, as well as Marsa Matrooh a few years back.




I broke this photo holder by accident a while back, I thought about throwing it away, but decided against this idea.. it might come in handy someday.. and it did! I removed the pink paint using sanding paper, and glued three seashells on, it looked even better than it did before it broke!

The rose photo on the right is mine, while the sea at sunset (or was it sunrise? I'm not sure) is my friend's.


One other thing I did to save space, and organize my "very messy" jewelry box was an earring chandelier. My jewelry box was always such a mess, I would have to spend a considerable amount of time looking for the piece of jewelry that I wanted to wear, so an earring chandelier sounded like a very efficient time saving device!


..and it was! No more having to rummage through piles and piles of sparkling objects to find the wanted earring! I also made a necklace stand, but forgot to photograph it..
This chandelier was actually a candle holder, it was golden, I used a sliver spray paint to make it silver.
A close up

the photo on the right is the only photo I took of the necklace stand


So if you're feeling depressed and in desperate need for change, I strongly recommend a room makeover!! It didn't cost much either!

"Document your Day" Project

It has been more than.. what, a month? Since I posted anything here. I've been very busy this last month. And during this time, I've had what a dear friend of mine calls, a "photo block"!

I can't work under pressure, I can't write, I can't think, I can't do anything. But.. I've discovered recently that photography and I do very well under pressure!! Which is weird, considering what I've stated earlier.

So.. to fix this photo block of mine, I've decided to do a very intense photography project, which is basically, taking a photograph every hour, for a day. My day started at 6am, and ended at 10pm.

So without further delay.. here are the 15 photos taken on a typical (lazy) day :)

6am



7am



8am



9am
Mmmmm gotta love the smell of coffee in the morning!!




10am
A lovely gift from my mother :)


11am
Eggs for breakfast (a very late one!)


12pm
My little munchkins!



1pm
The gorgeous tortoiseshell Soda chasing an e-mouse :)



2pm
Cooking cat food!! and yes, they do eat veggies!



3pm
Preparing lunch...



4pm
Lunch


5pm
The very weird "deep fried Mars" dessert my little sister made!


6pm
Raspberry flavored iced tea.. very refreshing!!



7pm
Surat Youssuf..



8pm


9pm
Wow!! Time flies!!!!


10pm!!!
This is a long exposure shot. I actually drew this with my hand, using a small torch.

*I apologize if the signature on the photos was a bit annoying, but there are weirdos out there who might steal the photos and claim them as their own.
Which reminds me, please don't copy any of the photos without my permission!

I ♥ Alex!!

I love Alexandria!! It's such a beautiful city! The weather there is almost always nice, the buildings are lovely, the sea is calming and very peaceful, and there is something vintage in the Alexandrian air that I just love! Here are some of the photos I took on my last trip there..

The lighthouse at Montazah Park (my favorite place!)

The Library of Alexandria

Qaitbay Citadel



Taken from inside the Citadel


A view from Montazah Park


Sunset at Motazah Park


Sunset at Stanly bridge


One more sunset shot :)


Hope you've enjoyed the photos!

I have a weird imagination...

It was a surreal moment. I was about to fall asleep, when I heard absolute silence, and everything went blank. It was dark, but suddenly it became darker. I usually open the curtains and windows when I sleep, as to let in a little breeze, and some light coming from the streetlights. I got out of bed, it was quite chilly as I looked out of the window, and all I could see was blue darkness, and not a single sound! It seemed that the electricity blacked out. It felt so strange, standing there before the window, the white sheer curtain swaying in the darkness, like the ghost of a jellyfish, swimming in a black sea. And me.. cold and small, standing there in my fragile little nightgown, so alone. I felt like I was the only person in this universe, the only survivor of a deadly epidemic. I heard distant howling, probably just a few stray dogs fighting, but at that moment it sounded like the cry of an enormous carnivore, a hideous beast. My mind strayed, horrifying thoughts streamed into my head. I shook them them all out, climbed back into bed, snuggled beneath the covers and fell asleep.

Spring in pink and green

The other day I bought flowers from the local grocery store. Carnations, Gerbera daisies (my favorites!), and chrysanthemums. I had so much fun shooting them yesterday. It was sunny, the sun was shining through the window, so I had plenty of light. Here are some of the photos from that photo shoot.

No matter how old a girl gets, pink and hearts will forever remain her weakness!!

[52/52] Last Entry!!

Week 52!!! I should have posted this entry on the 14th of march. That was the date on which I started this project, a year ago.
A year has gone by, and it seems like it was only yesterday! I thought it would be a good idea to start a project like this to document my progress in photography.
A lot has happened over that year. I have learned lots of new techniques, and my skills improved. Over that year, I have had my eyes opened to many new things, I have learned that photography is not just about knowing what settings to use, but rather how to see everything that is around you. The world is full of beauty, even in the smallest, most unnoticeable parts of it. Photography teaches you to see this beauty, and not just look at it. It teaches you that nothing in this world is insignificant. Over that year, I have learned to appreciate this beauty, and tried to understand the purpose of it's existence. All in all, it has been a great year for me! A year of learning, growing, and having fun in the process!!

[52/51] Where I've Been Last Week

I've been in Ain Sokhna shooting the 8th African archery championship! My siblings were competing in the tournament. Yes I know.. you're wondering "where does Canada fit in an African championship?" Well, commonwealth countries were invited as well. In addition to Canada, there was New Zealand, Samoa Island, Trinidad and Tobago and Norfolk Island.
I had so much fun! It was the first event I shoot, and it was a bit challenging, since it was a sports event as well.
I met new people and learned new techniques, so overall it was a great experience.
Just in case you're wondering, Babyface is doing great now. He is much better (alhamdulilah). He's gaining weight, eating well, and playing like a monkey!

I am four weeks late for my "project 52" entry, this is week 51's entry.

Here are some of the photos taken at the event.

Restoration

The ground is still wet from the previous night's thunderstorm. You lay awake on the grass, beams of sun rays shine on your face. You look up, sleepy clouds trail the sky like herds of elephants through the African Savanna. A single bird lands on a leafless tree branch right above your head. It starts humming a gentle tune, welcoming the new day. A song of hope and optimism. The whole world around you seems to have been cleansed, and so does your soul. You feel as fresh as a new born. You inhale the sweet fragrance of the morning dew, you close your eyes, and silently whisper a little prayer of gratitude.

Helpless

You're surrounded by dark clouds. They circle you , almost suffocating you. You can feel darkness inside of you. You try to run, only to realize, you are running underneath the same sky, the same clouds, the same darkness.
Stones start falling from the sky. Cold white stones. Like sharp bullets they rip through the misty air, hitting you hard on your head, your shoulders, your back, even your face.
You hear a loud angry noise. You look up, the sky glows with a sharp searing blue light, so powerful, you almost feel the sky is being ripped apart. The very place you call home suddenly seems unfamiliar. Your bones are soaked, your head is heavy, and you feel pathetic, vulnerable, and miserable. There is no place you can turn to, no shield to hide under. Water streaming down your face, hot tears making their way through the streams of cold, heartless rain. You collapse and fall to your knees. In a moment like this, there is only one thing you could do. You raise you hands and cry "help me! Only You can help me!"

[50/52]

This is week 50's entry.
My cat is really sick, he's been ill for almost a week now, since he is not eating anything, nor drinking water.
I had to take him the vet yesterday, the "journey" to the clinic took us four hours! It is not really easy to find a reliable vet here, the only one I trust is at the far end of Cairo, plus, it was rush hour, so you can imagine.
Poor Babyface!! He lost half his weight!! He is very weak and dehydrated. I have to give him water by force, and he doesn't like that one little bit.
But thankfully he started eating again this morning, although he only ate a tiny bite.