My Letter,
Been asking myself lately, should a person lie to his parents when coming to his sexuality, for the sake of not upsetting them? Or are they worth knowing the truth? Do they unintentionally yet desperately ask you to lie to them? In that case, run your life through running cold water, not quite the refreshing-feel! But it affects your relationship anyways, and moving out is not a vital option for many of us. So are we doubling our lives for the sake of others? And not "any others", but family others! When was living a lie a source of happiness to the ones who love us? Has lying suddenly became a source of comfort? Maybe it’s their way of protecting us from a deceiving life, or maybe it's the other way around! Maybe it’s the society’s pressure on our parents of not accepting the idea of sexuality and diversity and so, or maybe and simply, they don’t know better. A lot of maybes and not so many answered Q's. But the bigger Q above all is, can we do something about it? Am I suppose to answer this question that has a general meaning and a more various answers than tropical fruits in summer season? Every family deal with its situation differently, and just as simply, you know your folks way better than I do or anyone else for that matter, so the question you should really ask and answer is, how far do you know your parents?
Setting all those thoughts and Q's aside, and writing you from the 3rd day of Ramadan, which came off-guard, out of nowhere really! No one saw it coming! It was just there and we’re in the middle of street-lighted decorations and eftar times! In Ramadan, Jordan suddenly becomes this city of lights, the city that never sleeps! Family celebrates it with light-like decorations out in the gardens, up on the balcony or just plain hanging in the streets! Café’s and restaurants open till 4 something in morning for people to eat before the morning last prayer-calling. And it’s wonderful. I said it once, “it’s so amazing and mesmerizing, living in a country where religion is publicly present!”
Setting all those thoughts and Q's aside, and writing you from the 3rd day of Ramadan, which came off-guard, out of nowhere really! No one saw it coming! It was just there and we’re in the middle of street-lighted decorations and eftar times! In Ramadan, Jordan suddenly becomes this city of lights, the city that never sleeps! Family celebrates it with light-like decorations out in the gardens, up on the balcony or just plain hanging in the streets! Café’s and restaurants open till 4 something in morning for people to eat before the morning last prayer-calling. And it’s wonderful. I said it once, “it’s so amazing and mesmerizing, living in a country where religion is publicly present!”
"Ramadan is a month of shaping the soul... Ramadan is God's 'SALE' of the year. Everything doubles for the better.”
And as FB continues to cause a stir with comments and wall posts, a lot of my foreign friends are confused toward what Ramadan presents! One of my friends commented:
“Forgive me for being a bit confused, but sometimes I find it hard to see what stuffing your face with Ramadan sweets at eftar has to do with fasting and suffering with the poor and hungry... “
And while Ramadan isn’t just a month to feel with the poor as most people (The West) think, at least not the only reason, but Ramadan is also a month of shaping the soul, self control, appreciation and brings the family closer to gether at the end of the day. Ramadan is God's "Sale" of the year. Everything doubles for the better; you get double the points for the good things you do. It makes you in-touch with your soul and God more. We say, food is what nutrient the body, information are the food of the brain. Religion and praying are the food of the soul. Not to mention, it’s also a month when the whole routine of the city changes.
This issue’s features are pretty anticipated for indeed. Welcoming our new in-house writer Ala’a J. who made a big starting announcement through his first cover-titled feature: “Role-Reign, what’s culture got to do with it?” discussing the issue of discrimination when coming to gay roles in relationships. And MJ's cover-theme story on the disco story, where we asked Ammar to lick a disc for that matter.
“Forgive me for being a bit confused, but sometimes I find it hard to see what stuffing your face with Ramadan sweets at eftar has to do with fasting and suffering with the poor and hungry... “
And while Ramadan isn’t just a month to feel with the poor as most people (The West) think, at least not the only reason, but Ramadan is also a month of shaping the soul, self control, appreciation and brings the family closer to gether at the end of the day. Ramadan is God's "Sale" of the year. Everything doubles for the better; you get double the points for the good things you do. It makes you in-touch with your soul and God more. We say, food is what nutrient the body, information are the food of the brain. Religion and praying are the food of the soul. Not to mention, it’s also a month when the whole routine of the city changes.
This issue’s features are pretty anticipated for indeed. Welcoming our new in-house writer Ala’a J. who made a big starting announcement through his first cover-titled feature: “Role-Reign, what’s culture got to do with it?” discussing the issue of discrimination when coming to gay roles in relationships. And MJ's cover-theme story on the disco story, where we asked Ammar to lick a disc for that matter.
"Magazines are entirely self-invented creatures. Unlike the newspapers, which purported to report on the world as it is, magazines creates a world within their pages...”
And coming to our August current cover, we decided months ago that the August cover should be a recreation of a 70’s music album, which will be a theme picture to one of the main cover titles on the story of disco and the gay scene back then. Blondie’s 1978 single cover “Picture This” (right>) from the band’s then Album “Parallel Lines” what got our attention. Photographer Mick Rock who captured Deborah Harry’s picture of licking a lipstick-kissed disc was what encapsulates the perfect moment of disco loving. The Album cover is one of the most famous images associated with the band, and it’s the perfect picture to recreate for our cover theme on ‘The New Cool’ and the disco times. After weeks of struggling with the cover that was months planned for… cancellations, replacements and incidents… we decided to get Ammar to do the shot (see pictures downward), and that’s what the cover came to be. Just perfect. Ammar who also graced our last year’s September 09 issue's cover in the Ramadan time as well, didn’t let us down on this one either, bringing what’s hot and original-post recreation. Thanking photographer Yousif for making that photo recreation-process real. And cover designer Ala’a S. brought back Ammar’s recreational image back to Blondie’s 70’s hot-times. And that’s it about My.Kali, and magazines in general. Magazines are entirely self-invented creatures. Unlike newspapers, which purported to report on the world as it is, magazines creates a world within their pages (at least we are), with self-proclaimed rules truly understood only by those who made them. We believed, if we proved that My.Kali.mag were very successful, the worlds we invented could actually come to be.
Chip off the block peeps! Ramadan Kareem guys, hope this month comes to you with inspiration, and life re-birthing moments… take care and see you all next month...
XOXO
Kali
Chip off the block peeps! Ramadan Kareem guys, hope this month comes to you with inspiration, and life re-birthing moments… take care and see you all next month...
XOXO
Kali