Comments on: Well It’s Not Funny Ha Ha But Still http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/ A Jordanian Blog Mon, 08 Sep 2008 01:47:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Iman http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-74318 Iman Sat, 30 Jun 2007 02:07:25 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-74318 Your post came to mind tonight as I was driving home...Every single traffic light ahead of me turned red right before I was about to reach it. I'm guessing it's a divine message one way or another telling me to stop for a few minutes before going on ... Perhaps I'm over analyzing it ;) ... but then again, maybe not! :d Your post came to mind tonight as I was driving home…Every single traffic light ahead of me turned red right before I was about to reach it. I’m guessing it’s a divine message one way or another telling me to stop for a few minutes before going on …

Perhaps I’m over analyzing it ;) … but then again, maybe not!

:d

]]> By: Rants and Rambles: The world as seen from the inside of one Honda Civic http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73937 Rants and Rambles: The world as seen from the inside of one Honda Civic Thu, 28 Jun 2007 00:08:37 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73937 [...] So today I almost killed a man.I'm driving along at a leisurely pace (I wasn't speeding this time, I swear, I SWEAR) towards a certain gas station I had in mind (it takes credit card and I have been out of cash for a while, seeing as it's the end of the month). I'm not fiddling with the radio, reading an SMS, or searching for my lipgloss in my ridiculously huge handbag - for a change. Nope; this time, I've got both eyes on the road, both hands on the steering wheel, and both the left and right sides of my brain in vehicle operation mode.Ahead, I see two men get out of one of the public transport micro-buses and start crossing the street. I slow down, thinking - 'who knows? A third man might appear from behind that dodgy-looking bus.' The two men cross safely and in no apparent rush; I'm the only car on the road and they can see I'm being careful.I'm just about to drive by that damn bus when out of nowhere, a third man - the one I had imagined in my overactive imagination - starts sauntering across the street. The man doesn't spare me a second glance. I am inches away from running him over, and the guy doesn't even turn to look left. He just walks - no, he strolls - across the street, hands in his pocket, probably whistling too, God knows. I slam my foot down onto the brake pedal, and somewhere in my head, I'm thinking, "Thank GOD you're not wearing heels or stilettos today you smart, gorgeous Hal." My car practically screeches to a halt, and I push down on my horn like I live in Deaf Land. The guy doesn't even flinch. Nothing. I'm beeping my horn like a damn maniac and NOTHING. And I KNOW he's not deaf cause he called out to his two buddies who had just crossed the street before him and when they were reunited, they were all engaged in a seemingly hilarious conversation, while in the meantime, I was picking up the remains of my heart and guts from where they were strewn all over my car floor.This incident begs the following question - just HOW MUCH EXACTLY do you value your life? Seriously now. To a random observer, this man obviously is a suicidal maniac with a death wish. Kinda like the idiot who, last year, crossed the street right in front of a tunnel opening and got run over by my friend, but that's besides the point. No he did not die, but I'm betting he wanted to.Anyway, as I was saying, WHAT THE HELL!??! What IS it with pedestrians in this country? This nonchalance for road safety is beyond me. Whose fault was this? The stupid bus driver who decided to stop in the middle of a main road, on the side of the street, and drop off three idiots just because they shouted at him last minute to STOP NOW? The Municipality, who do not enforce designated bus stops for these micro-buses, choosing to ignore their miserable existence? Who? WHO!??! Who is behind my almost-heart attack today?No matter - I stop honking my horn, refrain from rolling down the window and screaming out a piece of my mind at the stupid suicidal idiot guy, gather my wits and drive into my trusted gas station, whipping out the damn credit card before even pulling to a complete stop. I fill up the tank and wait for the verdict. I reminisce about the good old days when I used to fill up my tank for JD18.5 to 19 max. Good old days as in 2004 - just so we're clear.Today, I'm instead charged JD29 for a full tank of gas for my trusty little Honda Civic. I wallow momentarily in self-pity and observe that I am not a lover of inflation. I pull out of the gas tank and head home.What is usually a 10 to 15 minute ride home easily becomes 75 minutes of pure hell. We have an out of town visitor from the Royal persona (as Nas, Kinzi, and several others have pointed out), and this means we lowly citizens have to eat excrement and shut the hell up. Nice. I listen to a lot of radio nonsense and count to around 5482. I try to refrain from cursing in my head but that's to absolutely no avail. I watch people getting all ape-shit in the middle of the gridlock: chasing after ambulances as a way out, moving from the left lane to the right lane back to the middle and onwards to the right again, despite there being no space to push a damn stroller, and scraping against other cars in the process as if it's the most natural thing in the world.I start feeling extremely sorry for myself and vow, for the 20th time this week at least, to get the hell out of here (as in the country, not the gridlock).Then, I see them. The people in the streets. The people who have no radio to listen to. No car-generated A/C to ensure they get no sweat stains on their crisp, new shirts. No fully functioning vehicle to get them from point A to point B. No protection from the merciless rays of the sun. No freezing cold popsicle waiting for them at home in the freezer. No freezer. They trudge along in the heat, weaving in and out of the haphazard cars, using their hands as visors against the harsh sunlight. They are ignored by those of us privileged enough to be in the confines of a trusty car; they are just part of the scenery. Even the sun discriminates against them, browning their skin and beating down on their unprotected heads, while it merely brushes lightly against the rest of us, considering.To them, the gridlock is irrelevant. Perhaps it means a longer wait for the bus, for the service, for the taxi. But day in and day out, there is no respite. Not for them. Not for the municipality worker in the orange uniform picking our trash off our streets. Not for the barefoot children who should be in school but are instead selling me gum and wafers when I'm idling by a traffic light. Not for them.And I get that strong feeling of guilt again; guilt layered with a touch of self-loathing and perhaps a sprinkling of shame. And I realize, we don't even know how good we've got it, eh?Powered by ScribeFire. [...] […] So today I almost killed a man.I’m driving along at a leisurely pace (I wasn’t speeding this time, I swear, I SWEAR) towards a certain gas station I had in mind (it takes credit card and I have been out of cash for a while, seeing as it’s the end of the month). I’m not fiddling with the radio, reading an SMS, or searching for my lipgloss in my ridiculously huge handbag - for a change. Nope; this time, I’ve got both eyes on the road, both hands on the steering wheel, and both the left and right sides of my brain in vehicle operation mode.Ahead, I see two men get out of one of the public transport micro-buses and start crossing the street. I slow down, thinking - ‘who knows? A third man might appear from behind that dodgy-looking bus.’ The two men cross safely and in no apparent rush; I’m the only car on the road and they can see I’m being careful.I’m just about to drive by that damn bus when out of nowhere, a third man - the one I had imagined in my overactive imagination - starts sauntering across the street. The man doesn’t spare me a second glance. I am inches away from running him over, and the guy doesn’t even turn to look left. He just walks - no, he strolls - across the street, hands in his pocket, probably whistling too, God knows. I slam my foot down onto the brake pedal, and somewhere in my head, I’m thinking, “Thank GOD you’re not wearing heels or stilettos today you smart, gorgeous Hal.” My car practically screeches to a halt, and I push down on my horn like I live in Deaf Land. The guy doesn’t even flinch. Nothing. I’m beeping my horn like a damn maniac and NOTHING. And I KNOW he’s not deaf cause he called out to his two buddies who had just crossed the street before him and when they were reunited, they were all engaged in a seemingly hilarious conversation, while in the meantime, I was picking up the remains of my heart and guts from where they were strewn all over my car floor.This incident begs the following question - just HOW MUCH EXACTLY do you value your life? Seriously now. To a random observer, this man obviously is a suicidal maniac with a death wish. Kinda like the idiot who, last year, crossed the street right in front of a tunnel opening and got run over by my friend, but that’s besides the point. No he did not die, but I’m betting he wanted to.Anyway, as I was saying, WHAT THE HELL!??! What IS it with pedestrians in this country? This nonchalance for road safety is beyond me. Whose fault was this? The stupid bus driver who decided to stop in the middle of a main road, on the side of the street, and drop off three idiots just because they shouted at him last minute to STOP NOW? The Municipality, who do not enforce designated bus stops for these micro-buses, choosing to ignore their miserable existence? Who? WHO!??! Who is behind my almost-heart attack today?No matter - I stop honking my horn, refrain from rolling down the window and screaming out a piece of my mind at the stupid suicidal idiot guy, gather my wits and drive into my trusted gas station, whipping out the damn credit card before even pulling to a complete stop. I fill up the tank and wait for the verdict. I reminisce about the good old days when I used to fill up my tank for JD18.5 to 19 max. Good old days as in 2004 - just so we’re clear.Today, I’m instead charged JD29 for a full tank of gas for my trusty little Honda Civic. I wallow momentarily in self-pity and observe that I am not a lover of inflation. I pull out of the gas tank and head home.What is usually a 10 to 15 minute ride home easily becomes 75 minutes of pure hell. We have an out of town visitor from the Royal persona (as Nas, Kinzi, and several others have pointed out), and this means we lowly citizens have to eat excrement and shut the hell up. Nice. I listen to a lot of radio nonsense and count to around 5482. I try to refrain from cursing in my head but that’s to absolutely no avail. I watch people getting all ape-shit in the middle of the gridlock: chasing after ambulances as a way out, moving from the left lane to the right lane back to the middle and onwards to the right again, despite there being no space to push a damn stroller, and scraping against other cars in the process as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.I start feeling extremely sorry for myself and vow, for the 20th time this week at least, to get the hell out of here (as in the country, not the gridlock).Then, I see them. The people in the streets. The people who have no radio to listen to. No car-generated A/C to ensure they get no sweat stains on their crisp, new shirts. No fully functioning vehicle to get them from point A to point B. No protection from the merciless rays of the sun. No freezing cold popsicle waiting for them at home in the freezer. No freezer. They trudge along in the heat, weaving in and out of the haphazard cars, using their hands as visors against the harsh sunlight. They are ignored by those of us privileged enough to be in the confines of a trusty car; they are just part of the scenery. Even the sun discriminates against them, browning their skin and beating down on their unprotected heads, while it merely brushes lightly against the rest of us, considering.To them, the gridlock is irrelevant. Perhaps it means a longer wait for the bus, for the service, for the taxi. But day in and day out, there is no respite. Not for them. Not for the municipality worker in the orange uniform picking our trash off our streets. Not for the barefoot children who should be in school but are instead selling me gum and wafers when I’m idling by a traffic light. Not for them.And I get that strong feeling of guilt again; guilt layered with a touch of self-loathing and perhaps a sprinkling of shame. And I realize, we don’t even know how good we’ve got it, eh?Powered by ScribeFire. […]

]]> By: Pheras Hilal http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73918 Pheras Hilal Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:54:34 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73918 It's funny how such things only happen in a third world country. Scrap that; only in Arab countries. Would it hurt to "mingle" with your own people? Sort of reminds of Madonna when she asked her agent to turn all of the traffic lights green on her way from her hotel to the a concert in New York City. But then again, this is what happens, when your country, is treated like some backyard, or private property. Oh well...Shou el wa7ed biddou ye7ki. It’s funny how such things only happen in a third world country. Scrap that; only in Arab countries. Would it hurt to “mingle” with your own people? Sort of reminds of Madonna when she asked her agent to turn all of the traffic lights green on her way from her hotel to the a concert in New York City.

But then again, this is what happens, when your country, is treated like some backyard, or private property.

Oh well…Shou el wa7ed biddou ye7ki.

]]> By: Hamzeh N. http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73916 Hamzeh N. Wed, 27 Jun 2007 21:44:31 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73916 I just had flashbacks of the road rage moments that I have when I'm driving in Amman. Only a few weeks and I'll be experiencing them again lol I just had flashbacks of the road rage moments that I have when I’m driving in Amman. Only a few weeks and I’ll be experiencing them again lol

]]> By: Nas http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73890 Nas Wed, 27 Jun 2007 19:04:34 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73890 moh: yeah, it sucks being poor. kinzi: well technically a traffic control system handles the green light thing, and God controls lives. but i get your point :-) iman: "But, inshallah all will continue to go smoothly…" i'm thinking of crossing my fingers and then duct-taping them in that position. moh: yeah, it sucks being poor.

kinzi: well technically a traffic control system handles the green light thing, and God controls lives. but i get your point :-)

iman: “But, inshallah all will continue to go smoothly…” i’m thinking of crossing my fingers and then duct-taping them in that position.

]]> By: Iman http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73888 Iman Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:56:48 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73888 <blockquote>So I’m taking this as a divine sign that God is waiting to bitch-slap me soon. </blockquote> LOOOL! well, THAT's funny! hahahahah.. <blockquote> Whenever things go right, something big always goes wrong.</blockquote> That's unfortunately true for the most part...But, inshallah all will continue to go smoothly...

So I’m taking this as a divine sign that God is waiting to bitch-slap me soon.

LOOOL! well, THAT’s funny! hahahahah..

Whenever things go right, something big always goes wrong.

That’s unfortunately true for the most part…But, inshallah all will continue to go smoothly…

]]> By: kinzi http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73887 kinzi Wed, 27 Jun 2007 18:39:42 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73887 Nas, I was actually ready to write a post about Ammanis driving well before today....and even IN the gridlock, people were good natured and not impatient. This week I have not been cut-off, have been allowed into traffic several times, no one honked at me (mean-like, anyway), people left lots of space, didnt' speed, it was just wierd! As for your good fortune, I think God just wanted you to know He loves you, and it took a couple miracles to remind you. :) Life is what delivers the slaps, God does the green-light thing, sa7? Nas, I was actually ready to write a post about Ammanis driving well before today….and even IN the gridlock, people were good natured and not impatient. This week I have not been cut-off, have been allowed into traffic several times, no one honked at me (mean-like, anyway), people left lots of space, didnt’ speed, it was just wierd!

As for your good fortune, I think God just wanted you to know He loves you, and it took a couple miracles to remind you. :) Life is what delivers the slaps, God does the green-light thing, sa7?

]]> By: Mohanned http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73881 Mohanned Wed, 27 Jun 2007 17:47:54 +0000 http://www.black-iris.com/2007/06/27/well-its-not-funny-ha-ha-but-still/#comment-73881 "Have no fears my fellow Ammanites. Saudi Arabia will reimburse you for all the stand still gas you wasted today." LOL, exactly, not so long ago they gave us 450 million JDs, so bare with them.. “Have no fears my fellow Ammanites. Saudi Arabia will reimburse you for all the stand still gas you wasted today.”
LOL, exactly, not so long ago they gave us 450 million JDs, so bare with them..

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