Requiem

I just learned that a colleague and friend of mine has perished at the hands of Gaddafi's militias in Ben-Walid. This happened weeks ago but I only heard of it very recently.

My friend, and around 20 other men had been arrested/kidnapped after they held a peaceful demonstration in their little hometown of Ben-Walid, they were crammed into a dark room in a house used by the militias as a detention center, and kept there for hours while Gaddafi's grunts apparently were waiting for orders.

I don't know if the orders came, but I do know that the men crammed in that dark room were gunned down with Kalashnikov AK-47 machine guns in that very same room, and some were finished off with 9mm rounds from pistols since their bloodied bodies were still trembling and not quite dead.

Salah, my friend, you will not be forgotten, and you will be avenged, rest assured.

Alone Again

When I started this blog I had just moved to Tripoli, I had only a couple of friends living in Tripoli, so it felt natural to be "Alone in Tripoli". Now, however, things have changed a LOT. I met quite a few good friends while living in Tripoli for the last 3 years (wow, 3 years? time really flies), so I shouldn't be "alone in Tripoli" anymore, right?

Unfortunately most of my friends are not available most of the time now. Most of them are still students so their time is governed by their studies, and the ones that work are not available either since they either work in 'remote locations' (like myself at the moment), or work for little dictators that completely eat up their free time.

So, because of these circumstances I found myself feeling very alone, and bored to death as well. There is so very little to do in Tripoli (and Libya in general), so I decided it's time for me to fly to Benghazi ASAP. It's not like Benghazi is exploding with life and things to do either, but at least I can spend some time with my family and get in touch with old friends still living in Benghazi. I've just remembered that it's been a long time since I spent and Eid with my family, too long, so I think I'll enjoy this one with them.

But for now, for today, I need to figure out what to do. I'm considering going shopping for some clothes and computer stuff (buying computer gadgets for me is very comparable to shoe shopping for girls, it's psychological more than anything else :D).

I'm now thinking of buying a 'decent' set of clothes, I haven't worn suits or dress shirts for quite a while now. I used to wear them for work, but since I changed jobs I haven't found the need to 'suit-up' any more, especially that I never go to weddings.
I dug up my favorite suit, a dark gray, slightly striped, slim fitting suit. Now I've almost made up my mind, I think I'll go find a nice shirt and tie to go with it, I might even get a little silly and travel to Benghazi wearing it :D. I know it will definitely make my dad smile, he always travels in suits, and he can't believe it when he sees me traveling (especially abroad) in jeans and T-shirts.

OK, that's it for now, I think I'll go out and grab something to eat, then start my shopping expedition. I'll post the results if anyone is interested (I wonder if there's anyone that actually reads this blog).

Back to Life

It's been so long since I've updated my blog I almost forgot it existed. I don't think anybody missed it anyway so I guess that's fine :)

This entry is just a sort of 'opener', and hopefully I'll manage to post a bit more in the next few days, I feel inspired and I want to take advantage of that for the benefit of this poor blog :)

I'll 'see' you soon.

Shame

I am going through some really unpleasant times, and feeling many unpleasant feelings, but without a doubt the worst feeling among those is the shame, I feel so SO ashamed of myself, I did something really stupid and forgot about it, and it took quite a while to catch up with me, but the day before yesterday it finally did, and the result was disastrous. I have only myself to blame, I really wish I can take it back, but what's done is done, all I can hope for is that one day I'd be forgiven, until then I will have to live with the shame.

Delays, delays, delays

My work in the desert was supposed to start today, but unfortunately the paperwork is not finished yet, and I still didn't manage to take one of the courses required before going to the field. So, the new scheduled date for the start of the new job is now Thursday the 15th of this month. That is fine by me, but I doubt that 3 days will be enough to finish all the paperwork, man I hate paperwork (I do a lot of it in my current job)



One of the worst feelings I know is waking up feeling sick, that's how I woke up today, I have a very sore throat and a headache (sure signs of an oncoming flu attack), this is one of the times when being a single guy living alone really sucks, as there's no one around to make you a hot bowl of soup :( (Don't tell me to make it myself please, I'm a disaster in the kitchen). I hope this stupid sickness clears up soon, I really hate the idea of going to the desert with a flu (or any kind of sickness for that matter).


Yesterday a couple of my colleagues warned me that my new job in the desert would involve dealing with some really annoying people (from their experience), I'm generally prepared for that, generally I have very little problems with people around me, but I wonder if the desert/camp setting would help create a different situation. If all fails, I have no problem keeping to myself in my room after I finish my work, I'll catch-up on my reading and watch the 100 gigabytes of movies and series that I've collected specifically for this trip :)


One of the things I'm still waiting for before I can go is the result of my medical fitness examination, I wasn't worried about it (I'm generally in good shape), but after calling the clinic yesterday they said the results "still need to be verified by the Dr.", I don't know why but that gave me a weird, slightly bad feeling, I hope everything is alright, I would really hate to find out something is wrong with me :(

Guess who's back

It's been a long time since I sat down and updated this blog, I'm not sure why, but it could be that I was not so alone for a while (which is good I guess). I came across blogspot this morning and I thought it would be good to sort of re-launch the blog again, so here goes :)



Due to several factors, I'll be starting a new job starting tomorrow, the most important factor about this job is that I will have to relocate again, this time I'll be living/working in the middle of the desert (literally), and I'll be on rotation basis for the 1st time in my life. This means I'll be working 28 consequetive days, 12 hours a day, with little or no proper social life after work (it's the middle of the desert), but this ofcourse will be followed by 28 consequetive days of relaxation, during which I can stay in Tripoli, go to Benghazi, or go and do what ever I want, YAY!!!

I'm still unsure whether or not I'll have an internet connection in the desert, if I do then I'll most likely be back to the blogging scene, I now have lots of 'blogging material' which I'd like to post here once I have the time.

Now I'll be going to the final (?) day of my 'old' job, to finish off some remaining tasks and make sure everything is handed over properly, then recieve some stuff needed for my new job, and hopefully tomorrow will be the day I fly out to the desert.

See you all soon. . .

Satellite Internet Security

This is kind of a "part Two" to my previous post "How safe do you think you are?"I've been using the offline downloading technique for a couple of months now, and I've
been getting all sorts of stuff through it.Ofcourse most of the stuff is junk, pics and videos of the "bad" kind, I'm using different filters to help me sift through all the crap, but I still get them anyway.
Among the good stuff I've been getting all kinds of documents, veeeeery interesting
stuff, for example, I got architectural plans for a tower called "Burj Al-Shat" which
is supposed to be constructed in Tripoli, in the place where the old "Al-Shat Hotel"
used to be. I'm talking about the actual architectural plans, they even have the name
and details of the firm that made the designs, which is based in Singapore. Along with
that I also got the Soil Testing Results Report made for that area, and since I'm a
civil engineer, I know that this kind of study costs a lot of money, and I don't think
the managers of this project would be too happy if they knew that their very important
documents were flying around for people like me to catch.Among the stuff I've also got a lot of family photos, scanned personal documents such as birth certificates, educational certificates and passports. You'd really be amazed at some of the things you can find.An interesting note, a friend of mine was poking around in my computer and he came across some of these documents, when he asked and I told him how I got them, he was so spooked his face's color was pale as snow :), makes me wonder what has he been sending and recieving on the internet :), needless to say, he asked me how to avoid being exposed like this and I introduced him to the wonderful world of data encryption, I simply gave him a lttle program on his Flash Drive that he can use to encrypt any data before sending it on the internet.So what can we learn from this? a very simple lesson:If you value your privacy, either use basic encryption or stop using the internet :)

Back with a new 8800GTS

It's been a while since I last posted, things have been a little hectic. Hopefully I'll be able to post more and on a regular basis within a couple of days, I think I've managed to put most of my things in order now :)
Being the Techno-Geek I am, I can't help but tell you guys -and gals ofcourse ;)- that the latest addition to my collection of computer hardware has arrived a couple of weeks ago. Those of you who have seen my old post about the graphics card probably know I've been trying to decide which one would I get. Well now that question is answered, I bought myself a spanking-new 8800GTS, a mighty card, and certainly not cheap. I had an impulse of "you only live once" attitude and decided that life was too short, I deserve to pamper myself with this beauty. And now after installing it, I'm glad to report that I have no regrets, it certainly made my computer much more powerful :)
Here's a pic for those of you who are computer-saavvy enough to care :)

Another Personality Test

I tried this test I found on a fellow blogger's blog.



My Personality

Neuroticism	35
Extraversion	57
Openness To Experience	65
Agreeableness	54
Conscientiousness	46

You are neither a subdued loner nor a jovial chatterbox. You enjoy time with others but also time alone. Stressful and frustrating situations can sometimes be upsetting to you, but you are often able to get over these feelings and cope with these situations. A desire for tradition does not prevent you from trying new things. Your thinking is neither simple nor complex. To others you appear to be a well-educated person but not an intellectual. You have some concern with others' needs, and are generally pleasant, sympathetic, and cooperative. You are reasonably reliable, organized, and self-controlled.

Test Yourself Compare Yourself View Full Report Factory Direct Ugg Boots.

Going "home" to Benghazi

I'm finally going to Benghazi!!!It's been 2 months since I came here to Tripoli, yesterday I finally went to the airline office and bought a ticket to Benghazi, the plane leaves Tripoli airport at 6:30pm today. I'll get out of work at 4~4:15pm, take a taxi to the airport, probably I'll be there at 4:45~5:00pm. Then I'll get my boarding pass and all should be well. I'm only staying in Benghazi till Saturday, just a couple of days, so I can be back in the office on Sunday morning. I have sooo much to do in Benghazi and so many people to see, but sadly I don't have time, I'll have "nfoot" a lot of people. I'll spend a day -or half a day- with my family, another half in the downtown area to do some business with the computer shops and maybe get me some new clothes. It sounds weird, as if there are no clothes in Tripoli :) , actually I can rarely go shopping in Tripoli because I'd have to go by Taxi, and I haaate that. in Benghazi I can use my car, finally.

The reason I titles this post [Going "home"] and not [Going home], is that Tripoli IS my home now, and it will most probably be home at least for the next couple of years. I'm still not 100% comfortable here as I am in Benghazi, but that's natural, it took me a couple of years to adjust to Benghazi, and it will probably take around the same time to adjust to Tripoli.

Gotta go now, I hope everything goes according to plan and I don't miss my plane -especially since my ticket doesn't seem to be refundable ;)

Bachelor Food

I've been living alone in Tripoli for almost 2 months now, and I still haven't cooked a single meal for myself. It's a lot easier to just step out and get something from a restaurant. But I really am getting sick of it, I'm bored with fast food. Imagine what I've been craving the last cople of days; simple boiled eggs :( . And I couldn't bring myself to go get some eggs, I'm trying to avoid making any kind of mess so I wouldn't have to clean up -do the dishes- afterwards, I know boiled eggs don't make THAT big of a mess, but still.I'm living in Gergarish and the closest restaurant is Mo3men, I've ate there most of the last 2 months, I'm such a regular customer that I simply showup and they'll place my order without me even asking, imagine that. I have no problem with Mo3men, infact I used to dream about it, I was so happy that it was close to my appartment when I first came, I said to myself I must be the luckiest man alive. But now I'm really sick of it, I'm also sick of Cook Door, the PFC and Pizza House. I just need to find some other place to eat before I lose my mind. I didn't mention a very important factor in my restaurant search, I don't have a car :) . So I'm kind of restricted to Gergarish. There are some restaurants that have roasted chicken -which I love- but I'm kind of worried about how clean they are. Some people tell me you get sick very easily eating there.Does anyone here know of any good place to eat in Gergarish? I'd really appreciate it if someone would point out places that I haven't seen.

Trip to Tunis???

I'm thinking about taking a little vacation to Tunis. But the problem is I don't want to take too long, I'd like to go there for 2 or 3 days maximum. Meaning I'd go on a thursday and come back saturday or monday. I'm wondering, is it worth it? I mean, would a couple of days be nice or do I need more time to get in the "vacation" mood?

Now is the best time to go on vacation, it's mid-august and after a little while schools will start, Ramadan will be here, and all the vacation "atmosphere" might be gone from Tunis. I might be wrong, I've never been there so I'm just guessing. If anyone disagrees please share your thoughts.

I can't take a proper vacation till after 2 more months, in October, and that's NOT a good time for a vacation anywhere :( . So if I don't go now I might as well not go anywhere till next year, then I'd take a real vacation. That's nice, but it just feels soooo far away :(

How secure do you think you are?

If I get the time today, and if my friend is willing to come and take me in his car, I will go out and buy some satellite equipment. Very basic stuff, the kind of stuff that's available on the roof of every house/apartment in Libya. Yes I'm talking about a Satellite Dish, an LNB -called a Head/"Raas"-, and a motor. As anyone who read my blog knows, I've recently moved to Tripoli, taht's why I still don't have a TV in my appartment, and I don't plan on buying a TV set because I have a computer and a Sat-Card which I can watch satellite TV with, that is ofcourse AFTER I install the stuff I talked about. You might be wondering by now, "what the hell has all this got to do with security?", bear with me :) , you'll soon understand where I'm going with this. As most people know, one of the most used methods for Internet Access is Internet Via Satellite, 1-way and 2-way sat connections. I'm not sure about Tripoli, but at least in Benghazi most internet cafe's use this type of connection to access the internet. In a nutshell, in this method the information is transferred between a computer and the internet servers by satellite. So when I type "yahoo.com" in my browser, that little request is transmitted from my PC to a special type of modem and then to the satellite dish [SENDER] which sends it to a geo-stationary satellite in space, that satellite sends the request down to another satellite dish [RECIEVER] which is connected to a computer. The request is processed on that computer and the information [WEBPAGE, FILE ......] is sent back on the same route but in reverse, all the way back to the sender, which will now be a reciever. Ok, so what's so interesting? Think about it, a satellite doesn't transmit a small laser beam, it transmits a wide-area radio wave, what I mean is it doesn't send the information to a specific point, it transmits the data to a very large area, but only the computer waiting for that data will pick it up. So when I'm downloading a file from the internet, the satellite is transmitting that file to a large area, maybe all of Tripoli, maybe all of Libya, maybe even larger than that. But why do I get that file and only me? because my computer sent the request, so it knows what to look for. Some might think this is complex, trust me it isn't. Think about it, there are millions of files being sent down from satellites all the time, a lot of people downloading files, reading their emails, sending pictures to each other, a lot of data, WHAT IF YOUR COMPUTER CATCHES ALL THAT DATA??? I mean, I can tell my computer to recieve everything, not just files that I've requested, but also the files that other people are requesting. If someone downloads a videoclip then he'll recieve it AND SO WILL I!!! if someone opens photos that were sent to them in an email attachement then I WILL HAVE THEM ON MY COMPUTER!!!Let me ask you again: How secure do you think you are?let me tell you, you aren't as secure as you might think.

So:
Can this be done? YES!!!

Do you need special equipment? NO!!! all what's needed is standard cheap components!!!

Do I need special software? YES, but it's also available on the internet

As soon as I get my satellite system installed, I'm gonna set it up to do this -in addition to watching TV on my PC- , so be ware, I might be watching what you're downloading >:D

My Best Friend Comes to Town!

I was just on the phone with my best friend, he has just arrived in the airport :)
I think the best thing about moving here to Tripoli is the fact that I can see him way more often than I used to when I was in Benghazi. Now I can say I'm able to see him 1~2 weeks per month, while when I was in Benghazi I only saw him once every 6~9 months. What a huuuge difference.
He's supposed to come by my appartment later today, I've got so much to talk to him about :D
I gave him a little piece of information which I know will make him come by no matter what :D
ok, it's 4:20pm now, time to go home. It's been a long day and I can't wait till I get home and change into my "evening attire", which is my "Commando" pants and black T-shirt, sooooo comfortable.
Maybe today I'll take some pics and decide later if any of them is worth posting here.

Sleep Deprivation

In the last three days I've spent only 10 hours asleep, so now I'm missing 14 hours of sleep :(
The effect is pretty clear today, I'm so drowzy and my head actually hurts. I can't wait till I get home so I can sleeeeeeeeep.
On the other hand, it's actually better if I don't sleep when I go home, not right away I mean. If I can stay awake until 10pm then I'll sleep and wakeup around 6am -inshAllah :) -, that should reset my biological clock and I'd be able to return to my "normal" cycle.
The last couple of days were pretty loaded. I had lots to do at work and at home. My cousin and his friend came and stayed over at my appartment and then they carried on to Tunis -they must be having fun right now- . I've been trying to coordinate a visit to Benghazi so I can see my family - it's been almost 2 months :( - but I still couldn't find a good time to do it. If I go on thursday after work that will give me 2 days to spend in Benghazi and I'd get back to Tripoli on Saturday, and back to work on Sunday. The problem is that 2 days isn't enough, I have a lot of things to take care of in Benghazi, and some very important people to see.
I wish I had some aspirin pills with me now, maybe they'd help relieve the headache I'm feeling right now :(
Still 2 more hours before I go home, I decided I'll try my best to stay awake until 10pm. That's gonna be more than 5 hours to kill, I could watch a movie -or better yet, the remaining episodes of Grey's Anatomy- but I'm afraid I'm gonna doze off will watching. I need something I can interact with, like chatting with a friend, or maybe a video game? nice idea!!!
I'll use the time I have to connect my PS2 to the TV-Tuner on my PC and use it as a monitor -I don't have a TV in my appartment, imagine that :) - It's been a loooong time since I played anything on a game console. Thank God I have a lot of good games which I haven't played yet. In fact I think I'm the only one on the planet who still hasn't played them, great titles like Metal Gear 2 & 3, Silent Hill 2,3 &4, Final Fantasy X,X2, & XII, God of War 2, the list goes on and on ...
I can't believe I used to spend most of the day either playing video games or hanging out with friends. Those days seem so distant right now.
A co-worker just mentioned he knows where there is some Aspirin in the office, I'll go check.

Defensive Driving

Yesterday I had a 1-day course on Defensive Driving. I've been driving for more than 7 years now, yet yesterday I felt as if I was driving for the very first time.
The way we drive in Libya is very very offensive, we bunch up together at junctions, get too close to each other at traffic stops, and even when you're going at a 100KMph you'd have some guy at less than a meter behind your car, even if you can't change lanes and he sees that.
There was a 2-hour lecture then we hit the road in a 4x4. It was very educating, and actually quite fun, even though I found out that I totally suck at it :( . I'll try to improve when I get my car here in Tripoli, but for the time being I'll be walking and taking buses and taxis. I think I'm pretty good at "Defensive Walking" :D

2nd Job

A couple of days ago I was in a computer shop with a friend of mine. It's a very well-known shop here in Tripoli, Golden Adler, which I think is supposed to mean "Golden Eagle". Anyway, I was there to look at the graphics cards that they have in the shop, I didn't find what I wanted. Before I got out of the shop I saw a "Job Vacancy" ad posted infront of the counter. It said "Salesman and Computer Technician Needed".
I thought about it, if it's possible to work there as a single "shift", say from 6pm till 10pm, that would fit nicely in my average day. So I might give them a call later today and ask what is the schedule they're aiming to fill.
I worked BOTH jobs - Techie & salesman- for 2 years, and I was real good at both :) so I know I have the experience. But the question is the time, most shops want guys who are available all day, and I simply can't do that as I already have a very good "primary" job. I just like the idea of working with computers again, and ofcourse I won't say that I mind having the extra ca$h ;D !

CaCao Cafe'

I've been trying to familiarize myself with the urban "geography" of Tripoli :). I sometime take a bus and go anywhere, I'd just get on and get off later when I feel it's an interesting location. That resulted in me getting lost a couple of times but that's ok, I'm still in Libya so I'd just ask and then I'll find my way again :).
Anyway, as a result of my wandering, I've come across a few interesting places, one of them is the CaCao Cafe, located in Gergarish -I think they call it BuNwas to be more precise-. It's a nice cafe, good service and atmosphere, has a nice view -overlooking the sea-. but it's a bit overpriced. Well to be fair I only tried the more "exotic" beverages such as Kiwi juice, so maybe that's the reason :D
I wish I have my car here with me in Tripoli, it would make "wandering" and looking for interesting places a lot easier. For now I can only get around on buses and taxis, or sometimes when one of my friends is bored he'd come by and we'd cruise around in his car. Hopefully I'll be able to get my own car after a few months, when things are more "stable" :) .

Marriage and age difference

I just heard that a childhood friend and neighbor of mine was engaged to a guy I don't know. It's been a loooong time since I last saw her or even thought of her. What caught my attention was the fact that her fiance' is 20 YEARS OLDER THAN SHE IS!!!
I really wonder sometimes, how do people actually do this? it's not as if they knew each other for a long time and that they love each other to the point that they feel this difference isn't gonna affect them. I mean come on, you don't know this person, and there's a 20 year difference between you in EVERYTHING!! Oh well, I just wonder.
In my humble opinion, in the best situation, a man would be 3~7 years older than his wife. I know this is a very wide generalization, a lot of people are very happily married to people 15 years younger or older than thet are, and I know people who are very happy with their older wives. This is perfectly normal as no 2 people are alike, but in the "default setting" I suggest a difference of 3~7 years, the man being older.
What do you think?

Visitors from Benghazi

My cousin and his best friend are coming to Tripoli today. He asked me if he could stay at my appartment for a day or two and I said "yeah, sure". They're going to Tunis, for fun. I wonder what plans do they have.
Before I moved to Tripoli I thought a lot about what I should do about people coming to "visit me". I was always worried that I might be taken advantage of by people I don't really care about. It's true that I'm living alone in a 2-room appartment, but my landlord was very clear about having visitors over. Since we're in Libya, the neighbors would probably feel very uncomfortable if they see guys coming in and out of this appartment in the middle of their street, they will think the worst of it. And eventually they would make my landlord uncomfortable which might result in him telling me that I can't live there anymore. This is a risk I'm not willing to take, that's why I did my best to make it clear that anyone coming to Tripoli shouldn't assume that he'll be welcome to stay in my appartment. I really hate sounding like such a mean jerk -believe me I'm not :)- but it really is that simple, my appartment is NOT a free hotel for anyone to "hang around for a couple of days".
A detail worth mentioning, since I'm working from 8AM to 5PM, any visitor staying over can't be at the appartment at that time, it's not like I'm gonna make copies of the keys and hand them out. So that's another thing, even though I said it's ok for my cousin to stay, I don't know what to do at that time, 8am to 5pm. I can't let them stay in the appartment by themselves, either we all stay or we all go out. I was clear about that on the phone with my cousin, but I know I'll have to talk about it again with him when they arrive and make sur they understand what I'm saying and WHY I'm saying it.
I'll go back to work now, I think I'll update this "issue" tomorrow.

Aaaargh!!! no 8600GT for me!

I just found out today that the stupid shop keeper made a mistake when he gave me the price of the 8600GT, it actually costs 50 dinars more than he first told me. I can still afford it, but that's not the problem, at this price the Value-for-Money isn't good. meaning it's better to either get a higher-end card -for more money ofcourse- or just keep my money till I can import the card I really want from Dubai or the UK.
Oh well, At least I can keep watching the animes and movies that I have stashed on my hard drive until I get the card I want. My stash should last at least 2 more months.

Classic Movie Test

Here's another test from the same source as the previous one:

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Take the test yourself here: http://similarminds.com/movie.html

Famous Personality Test

This is interesting :)
I found this test on a fellow Libyan blogger's blog.
Guess who my personality resembled :

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

You can take the test yourself here: http://similarminds.com/leader.html
Don't forget to post your results!

Zotac 8600GT VGA

Today is the day I buy myself a new VGA for my PC. I've done a lot of research and finally I decided that the 8600GT is the card for me. Good performance, DX10 support, HDMi, and highly overclockable too. And ofcourse, fits my budget :) !

I still have contacts in Dubai from my previous job, I sent an email and I found out that I can get almost the same card in Dubai for 70% of the price. But sadly I have no way of delivering it to Libya now. Should I wait till someone I know goes to Dubai? I don't know when that will be. This is a hard decision, I can wait, but I'd really like to play my games now. Oh well, Today I'll go to Zarqaa El-Yamama and see if I can persuade the shop owner / salesman to give me a discount. If he gives me a 15% discount then I'll walk out with the card in my hands :)

I'll post a few pics of the card I'm talking about, just for fellow hardware freaks :

Thanks to www.vr-zone.com for their great review of 8600GT cards, and for these pics.

1st visit to the British Council

Today I went to the British Council for the very first time. Their office is located in the Gergarish area, very close to where I work.
I had a business meeting with a very friendly guy of the British Council, I stayed for half an hour, all business. Next time I'm there I might ask to be shown around.