Writing without a compass
When I ponder a situation for long after it had presented itself to me, there is a consistent need for me to shed light upon its intricacies that it may reveal its true nature with as little mind games as possible. It had never been our intention to understand or get an actual grip of…
On operas
When I listen to opera, it’s not the voices or the stanzas that the performers recite that I hear but the passion that is incited by their solitary or collective voices. Sopranos are just as captivating as tenors, men as women, dialects as accents. Are they speaking to each other about the coming of spring?…
Penumbra
Day one 2:00 a.m. Something awoke Fahd. The room was dark, its stillness interrupted by the hum of the fridge. He sat up and reached for his phone. The glare took a second to get accustomed to, and as he winced his eyes, he saw a message from Rami: If I call you, do not…
The Visitor
I am sitting on my couch watching TV. I live in a one-bedroom apartment with an open kitchen, a small dining table with four chairs, and a bookcase along the wall. [DOOR KNOCKS] I look at the time and take a second to wonder if I had invited anyone over. Am I expecting a delivery?…
Moving out in California for dummies: 12 things to keep in mind.
After spending four years in the glorious city of Los Angeles, I thought I’d move my family south-bound toward Long Beach in search of new experiences. Why Long Beach? Well, we wanted to be closer to the beach and not too far from LA. Venice and Santa Monica were not considered because I’ve had my…
2016 year in review
I haven’t exactly been keeping this space populated the way that I would have liked to, what with all the time I invest on my valuable procrastination. Most of you think anyone can just choose to be a procrastinator, and you can not be any further from the truth. It takes hard work and dedication…
The La La Land post
I finally watched La La Land: a charming movie that should have ended 20 minutes before it actually did, but I seem to be echoing the same complaints for almost every movie I have watched recently. Maybe I cherish my time. Maybe I’m just a dolt who’s become too accustomed to the brevity and promptness…
1/15/2016
I love to read and write, but I always find reasons why I shouldn’t. When I look at a blank page, I am flooded with a sense of primordial dread that is usually best left for blindfolded people tied up in a car trunk. Why am I not able to express myself? Habituation is too…
Lost Angels
Living in Los Angeles and residing here are two completely different things. Allow me to highlight that for you: Living in LA requires you to be doing what “Angelenos” do: Eat at one of the hundreds of fine restaurants that offer you the same food you’ve always eaten but renamed and re-branded for the sake…
Three things they never tell you about having a baby
We’ve all heard of the blessings that seem to come bundled with your newborn. We’ve all been around babies and their parents, and chances are most of you who aspire to have your own spawn have looked at your partners sheepishly as they play with someone else’s baby, stuck in a reverie of starting your…
5 reasons why Star Trek > Star Wars
It’s time to put this aging debate to a complete halt. Yes, there will be people who will raise their fists at me, wearing ‘Han shot first’ shirts with pride, in itself an insight into their obsessive state of mind, but I digress. Star Wars: 1) The force binds you and you must give in…
Spark Makki 