Hello...again

Well… well, I know I’ve been busy and lazy to post. Many things happened these passing days from important reports on the news to the insignificant chitchats here and there. Between my MBA and the institute of Art, between inventing time to submit assignments and seeking time to find serenity to start new paintings, between house chores and social activities, the bottom line you’re looking for is “Attawie is confused”. I have so many dreams and so many plans to fulfill and I need to get them into implementation phase. When and how is the real matter.

New room
My grandfather is staying with us. He spent the last year in Jordan without residency. Still we’re not sure about how long he will stay here. But the reason why I mentioned it is that I gave him my room and move to the smaller one. I had a week planning to manage the “move out” and spend only few hours to move.

After I said goodbye to my old room and bathroom I had to make my new room familiar. I had to get used to the idea of the smaller space and how to deal with it.

I moved everything but I left the bedside and painting tools. My grandpa paints too.
My mother gave the couch and the chair for charity. She promised to give it away but it was months before my grandpa’s plan to come.

Lately, I’m not painting much. I’m only preparing for my first personal ceramic exhibition. I still have ideas to execute and so much work to do the finishing touches. I finished 21 pieces so far. And I need at least 20. but the idea won’t be complete unless I finish at least another 5 pieces.

I attended a presentation by the artist Douglas Grenville and a workshop at the evening. I learned his technique and it seems easy to apply. But he uses acrylic colours only. I use oils and sometimes watercoloures.

MBA news
On the same day that I attended the presentation and the workshop at the art institute I had to run to the University yet for another workshop. It was a JPP (Joint Project Planning) workshop for PM course (Project Management). I was assigned as a delegate and I was in charge of the COS (conditions of satisfaction) and POS (Project overview Statement). Not that hard job but I had to write every single word of the project on the board. After I finished all my team members thanked me. And one of my colleague told me that I’ll make a good team leader and another told me I’ll make a good teacher!

My Readings
I’m about to finish reading Nietzche’s “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”. I’m still neutral to the subject. One line I completely agree with him and others I just think of the nonsense he’s talking about.

I finished reading the Epic of Gilgamesh by Taha Baqir. I’ve read the first part of it (Gilgamesh & Inkido) in English, and the short modern version in Arabic. But this edition is different. It belongs to one of my colleagues who gave it to my mentor Wissam Al Haddad(who had a ceramic exhibition Gilgamesh: wings of mud and fire). I was supposed deliver the book but I couldn’t resist the temptation of reading it. I finished the book within maximum 12 hours. It’s one of the huge ones but it captivated me. I forgot the surrounding world and flied centuries back. I even had two dreams of Khumbaba (The creature Gilgamesh & Inkido slaughtered).

I finished six mini books from the Penguin 60’s Classics. Among them: Plato’s Phaedrus, Aristophanes’s Lysistrata, Giorgio Vasari’s Lives of three renaissance artists ( Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo), and Jane Austen’s unfinished novel in the form of letters, the history of England.

I thought the new room would give me more time to post and take care of my blog. But I’m not sure. My uncle’s family will come next month just few days after my final exams. And I have to write my theses proposal. And still have the finishing for my exhibition. I don’t know how I will manage. Time will tell us all about it.