Healthy Skin Tips and Advice

The outer layer of your skin renews itself every 2-4 weeks, but the dermis layer is pretty permanent. The things you do to your skin in your teens and 20s can affect your skin's look almost immediately. It is critical that you take good care of your skin, and your body, if you want to look and feel good. 

Tanning and Sun

 

Hopefully every person alive now knows the dangers of the sun and tanning. It can cause skin cancer - and not just when you are 60 or 70. I know people in their teens who have died of skin cancer. If you don't get skin cancer, you are also destroying your dermis layer. The dermis layer gives your skin its elasticity and firmness. So if you destroy your dermis, your skin looks wrinkled and saggy - even by age 21. 

Eat Healthy Foods

 

You are what you eat, from your head down to your feet! If you eat healthy foods with nutrients, your skin reacts positively and glows. If you eat tons of junk food and sugar, your skin gets bloaty, dull and listless. It can have a direct impact on how you look. 

Drink Lots of Water

 

You may think that drinking lots of water makes you look pudgy. But actually your body only holds onto water when it thinks there is a DROUGHT. That means if you drink only a little water, your body will cling onto it with a passion and make you look water-logged. If you drink lots of water, it lets your blood do its job flushing the toxins from your system, and your body lets the water go out of your system because it knows more is coming soon. The more water you drink, the more healthy you look and feel. 

Get Lots of Sleep

 

You know how people who are not sleeping well have dark rings under their eyes? Your skin shows very clearly when you are not getting enough sleep. Sleep lets your body renew and refresh. 

Avoid Smoking

 

One of the best known destroyers of skin (besides the sun) is smoking. Smoking causes ALL sorts of health issues, and destruction of your skin is just one of them.

Basic Skin Information - How Skin Works

Skin is the largest organ in your body, and one of the most important. It keeps your entire body safe from infection - and provides a way to detect pain, pressure, heat and cold problems. It lets you give off sweat to help cool yourself if you are overheating. It turns darker if exposed to sunlight, to help protect you against cancerous rays. 

There are three main layers to your skin. 

Epidermis

The top layer is the epidermis. This is the outer layer that you see. It does not have any blood vessels in it. It simply provides the 'barrier' between your body and the outside world. This layer is about as thin as a sheet of paper. The very top of the epidermis is formed by a layer of dead skin cells. As they fall off, the newer, live skin cells are exposed to the air, die off, and the cycle continues.

The epidermis layer is what people see - it is the part of your skin that beauty products are meant to work on. When you are young, this layer replaces itself every 16 days or so, giving you fresh, healthy looking skin. By the time you hit 35, the layer is only replacing itself about once a month. Your skin begins to look more tired and worn. 

Dermis

The next layer down is the dermis layer. This layer has blood vessels, which provide blood to that upper epidermis layer. It also provides some of the 'padding' in your skin. The dermis is a permanent layer of skin - it does not replenish. It can NOT be reached by lotions and creams and such. Those items only work their way in to the epidermis. That is the function of skin - to keep foreign substances out of your body's system. 

The dermis also contains the elastin and collaging, forming the 'structure' of your skin. It is this layer that stays elastic or gets saggy, to cause wrinkles or firmness in your skin's look. If you get a tan too many times, you destroy that elasticity in your skin, and make it look old and wrinkly. 

Hypo dermis

The lower layer of your skin is the hypo dermis. It is here that the main sweat glands, hair follicles, and main blood vessels of your skin layer lives. If you take hold of a hair with a tweezers and yank it out, that hair follicle you see at the end of your hair just came from your hypo dermis. 

Each layer of skin has its own life cycle. The top layer - or epidermis - exfoliates normally. That means that the top cells wear away, new cells grow beneath to replace them, and so on. This is just how the hair on your head works, too. However, the dermis is a much more permanent layer. When people get tattoos, the tattoo needles go THROUGH the epidermis and inject the ink into the dermis. That is why, even though the top layer of skin constantly renews, the tattoo stays there for a person's entire life.

Mama...

Mama...

Sacred name, the beginning of life,

Mama...

Reminiscent of an old longing

Mama...

Your voice was always telling me:"Listen, my child..."

Mama...

You gave me all that's good in this world

Mama...

You have watched over my happiness...

Mama...

It was difficult for me to understand than,

To chose life's right path...

I believed the world was mine,

I believed in my love,

In an endless truth,

But I was wrong...

I'd want you to forgive me

For all the things I didn't know...

From time that has passed,

I'd want you to forgive me...

But your voice has vanished in smoke,

In the smoke of that road...

Mama...

Mama...

My best friend,

Mama,

I will never forget

Mama...

It was difficult to me to understand than,

To chose life's right path...

I believed the world was mine,

I believed in my love,

In an endless truth,

But I was wrong...

I'd want you to forgive me

For all the things I didn't know...

From time that has passed,

I'd want you to forgive me...

But your voice has vanished in smoke,

In the smoke of that road...

Mama...

But your voice has vanished in smoke,

In the smoke of that road...

Mama...

My Mama...

In a few days we are about to celebrate the Mother's Day... And after 10 days more my Mama is celebrating her birthday adding in her life bouquet another rose and I pray to Allah that she adds at least another 100 more  because I can't look to my further life without seeing her image!

There are so many to tell about MAMA... but as every child, I say simply that nobody has a Mama like mine!

Of Mama! I remember so many things from the moments I was still a child...still home and under your protection... of Mama... so many things I didn't understand that time and I was thinking just to seek for my road thinking that I will find my happiness. somewhere else...while with you Mama happiness is always eternal! But how I could knew this that time?

Mama... I miss you so much and I miss everything from you... I miss your warm embrace, I miss your voice  (although we speak on the phone, it is not enough) and your calling by my name... I miss your smell and to feel you sleeping beside me... I miss the flavor of your food and all the goodies you were doing for me...

While I was at home, I always wished to grow up... to be free... to be on my own... while you were never locking me... you were never keeping me... you were just protecting me and prepare me for life!

When I was at home, I was not thinking in these things like I am doing it now... and I never took time to say this to you...I love you Mama and I love every thing in you: I love my Mama because of the lady in her, I love my Mama because of the friend I have in her, I love my Mama because of the women in her, I love my Mama for the grace I have from her!

When I look back, I see you taking me to the kindergarten, I see you in every school celebration, I see you with me in my hardest exams, I see you watching over me when I was sick, I see you singing to me, I see you reading to me from the books and teaching me the most beautiful poems (while yourself you are a poem Mama); I see you helping me in my home works and taking care of everything for me; I see you preparing my breakfast and helping me to finish my school projects; I see you choosing the prom dress with me and I see you waiting for me home with the food already warmed... I see you ironing and preparing my clothes... I see you giving me advices and encouraging me all the time, to become a lady, to have a career:"you can do much! I know this!"; I see you everywhere Mama because you are in all my spirit and in all my body, in all my heart and in all my soul!

Since 3 years ago, I didn't manage to be at home in your birthday... but I am coming mama... Insh Allah I am coming in Easter and I will do my best and Allah help me in this... I will do even more so that I be with you and with tata much often than usual...

Mama, your daughter is coming home! Mama, there is nobody greater than you on this earth! Mama, so precious to me! Mama, I love you so!

Egypt - The Mother of the World - part II

 Bismillahi Rahmanu Rahim!

Salam Alaykoum wa Rahmatu Allah wa Barakatoh!

I was thinking to present Egypt like in the usual way... describing and sharing things about Egypt., posting images and videos with famous places  from there.. but no! I changed my mind! I don't want to speak about pyramids, Sphinx, resorts or other touristic stuffs! Everybody knows this! Everybody knows about touristic side even if not all people have seen it! But just a few know what is behind all these things and less more know that Egypt is much more than a Sphinx souvenir or a camel toy or a pyramid necklace!

Today we are going to speak about Egypt from behind pyramids, Egypt that lies in the cities, villages, Egyptian houses, Egyptian markets, streets, Egypt from one normal day at work, Egypt from the day off on Friday, Egypt from the mosques, Egypt from the churches, Egypt from schools... shortly Egypt from each one of your hearts!

I asked my husband and my friends from Egypt to tell me what is the first word that comes into their minds when they think in Egypt. Here what they said:

"Home" - Karim Youssef

"Egypt - history and civilization" - Asmaa Ghoniem

"Egypt is the spirit that the body can't live without it" - Mulan Hafez

"Mother of countries" - Sara Ashraf Ramadan

"Egypt is my life" - Lovely Hearty

"Safe, peace, much love" - Sahar Ali

"History and civilization... long history...so much to tell about it" - Monna 

"Breathtaking" - Asmaa

"Homeee" - Salma Ahmed

I will try to present every of these sentences in the best possible way and I pray to Allah that HE guides me in the right path to do it!

Egypt as Home...

Home is where you feel safe and comfortable, home is where your heart lives in peace, home is where you can breath without choke... but What it means Egypt as home? 

Morning... Al Azan starts... one by one people are moving to the prayer... a new day has come and new things are about to happen and sure there is no time to lose... I open the window and...

"Tid Tid Tid!" I can hear the cars passing on the streets and between them a lot of people are moving to job, school, to their ordinary life activities: "yalla yalla" "aiwaaa" "sabah el hair" - says one and another one answers "Sabah el nour ya Ahmed! Emla eh?" "Alhamdulilallah..." and the voices get lost in the crowd.

I look over the street, just a cross and I see the merchandiser opening his shop and waiting for customers to come. There on the corner of the street, a mother with her child waits the cab to go to school and near to them is my niece waiting the car to take her to school too. She is waving her hand to me, I respond and there she is... she got into the car and bruuuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmm to the school.

"Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid" ... yeah someone is in a big hurry after the sound of his car's buzzer... another "TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID" now he really is pissed of because the cars in front of him don't step away and let him pass. But in fact, all what he will obtain is a painful head ache because of his buzzer. :)))))) You think we should say this to him? Neah.... I let him in peace... beside I am distracted while mama was brought to me the breakfast "Kol ya Bianca habebty"... And I kol (I didn't eat in breakfast from years) coz it is not good to upset mama (shhhhhhhhh she is the big boss as someone was telling me here)...

I get myself dressed coz really I have to arrive to the kindergarten (uh yeah guys... while I was in Egypt for the engagement, I was not behaving like the tourist... I had a normal day life with work, shopping, cooking... usually activities and yes... that happen in those 2 weeks, Allah is my testimony)...

1 -2 -3 ------ 20 looks in the mirror (despite my husband despair :D) and I am ready to purchase. 

We are out of the building and I can feel my husband's hand keeping mine tight so that he be sure I will reach the other side of the street safe... because yes traffic is a chaos like in all big cities... and whenever you hear a big furious TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIID you just move your legs as quick as you can!

And here we are on the other side of the street waiting this time the car to take me to the kindergarten, after we were hunting an opportunity to cross it... I felt like in a safari... or better... a cat in the jungle... hunting my meal... because really traffic is a jungle everywhere in the big cities!

After a long speech from my husband ("call me when you reach the kindergarten" - of course in the first days as in others too I was forgetting to do this so my husband was calling the manager of the kindergarten ... oups!; "if you need something, call me anytime" "call me when you finish the classes and don't go out until I come"; "You are my responsibility and I have to make sure you will return home safe" - well probably some would think that maybe he was exaggerating treating me as a child and others maybe not... but I'm telling you this: when you are in a totally different country, in a big city, where people speak a totally different language that it is not similar to yours... well you are helpless like a child! I have nothing just to thank my husband for his concern for me! Shokran ya Goozy!

Heyyy! My car just arrived (I am speaking like a VIP haahhahhahahaha) so I am leaving to my job...

Egypt breathtaking...

  

While I am in the car, I am feeling like in a movie... I am experiencing now the traffic from inside... but still behind a window... Now the "tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiid" sound I can feel it in my ears from all the parts. People in the same hurry, taxi drivers, micro buses... all trying to find a way to escape from the traffic... We are crossing next to the sea and I can feel how my breath is frozen... the infinity of the blue Mediterranean sea water is leaving me speechless... All my view is catch in this infinity blue... I can see on the sea shore boats and far far away a ship crossing... I am looking all behind me because I am really kidnapped by this image.

Safe, peace, much love...

I am done with the classes and as in the other days, my husband arrived to take me from the kindergarten. We walk together hand in hand and I feel so safe while he is with me... in peace... I know that nothing from this world can touch me while my husband is taking care of me because no power is greater and no protection than the real love... Indeed in Egypt there is a lot of love: I have love from my husband, my family from Egypt, my friends and love from the land I am walking on it... this land received me and he recognized me... I came back home!

History and civilization....

Well... here we are in front of a place where I spend almost all my life... except on the times I was sleeping :D... yes yes I admit... I am a library mouse and where a library mouse can go??? to the library!!!!! but not just any library: Alexandrina Library!

After I fixed the thing with the bag (someone here will know about what I am speaking :D), we entered in the library while I was keep looking to everywhere and wondering if it is really true and I am really there... I remember that even when I was in the middle of the books and catch the book, I was still thinking that is the most beautiful dream ever! I even did something so crazy (but if it comes from me you can expect to this :D)... I entered on facebook in that day and write from the library that I am in Alexandrina Library!!!

I saw so many books and even more... extraordinary well organized library, with high technology and ultimate IT dopes! When I look to the pics now, I am pinching myself again... History and technology hand in hand! Alf Mabrouk ya Alexandrina!

Egypt - Mother of the countries...

From all the parts of the world, people from all the countries are coming to Egypt... are coming back to Egypt... some of them return, drink water from the Nil and remained... so yes Egypt is the mother of all the countries... I am the life example... I came... I return and return again... and always return... should I mention here that Romanian people and Egyptian people have connections from the old Antiquity times? well it is true and I will speak about this in another article.

Egypt is my life...

I will apply here the most simple math rule:  I love my husband so much. I love Egypt so much. My husband is my life... so there is no way that Egypt not be too my life! Egypt is the Egyptians themselves. Egypt is life itself!

Egypt is the spirit that the body can't live without it!

I totally agree with this line! I can see and feel, that no matter where is an Egyptian, inside of him is burning the spirit of his country, the most powerful fire from an Egyptian heart!

I feel my soul connected with this fire and kept alive by the great love that I have for Egypt, for my husband, for my family and my friends!

Thank you to all my friends that took a time to give me an idea about the Egypt from their hearts and took a time to read the second part of the article!

Allah hafiz!

Egypt - The Mother of the World - part I

 Bismillahi Rahmanu Rahim!

Once upon a time, there was a land where the Sun was sacred! That land was Egypt! Today, Egyptians offer you their most precious treasure: the Sun! Egypt - where all begins! Nothing compares to Egypt! Egypt - Mother of the World!

I just love this video so much and I was thinking to share it here...  Today I want to describe Egypt - Masr - Om el Donya...

When I speak to someone about Egypt, I see that people get fascinated... but they are like this because they see Egypt from the side of curiosity, from the side of a tourist... people who don't actually feel the soul of Egypt, can't reach the heart of this country.

My beloved husband call me "the daughter of Egypt" "enty benty Masr"... he knows and understands, as also he is not jealous at all because my heart was kidnapped 20 years before I met him, by Egypt. Therefore, he is so proud with this, as he is with my knowledge and reading about Islam, years before we found each other. 

When I speak about Egypt, I get confused and I have millions of ideas in my mind how to describe it. Some are seeing Egypt as the land of pharaohs, the place of the pyramids, and Sphinx, sand and dust, Red Sea and the resorts from there... for someones Egypt is similar with the best vacation they had or with the riding of a camel... 

Others see Egypt as a country of Third World, so poor and dirty and after they have the chance to see it once, they came back to their ordinary life with the idea: "Egypt - yeah... so much dirty there and omg... did you notice the smell from the streets? and those people how they live??? horrible"... 

None of the situations above don't actually contain the view with the heart, the view with the soul, as a simple person... not the tourist who comes and goes, who's unique desire is to have a real "cool" story to say it when he returns home! Visiting a place, even if it is or not Egypt, has nothing to do with the thing "to be cool"! You can be "cool" too even if you feel and breath the feeling and the soul of the places you walk, you can be "cool" even if you stop a moment to admire and see what others can only imagine and hope that one day, they will see!

 

Allah have granted me the possibility to visit many countries from Europe before I reach Egypt... I still remember when I first visited Le Chateau Versailles - I was 19 years old... the minute we entered inside and I saw the beauty from there, my heart was like stopping... I could hardly breath... I was looking to all the amazing things creating by humans hands and keep thinking that Allah gave us the possibility to create beauty, as also the possibility to destroy it! 

When we reached Nothe Dame and Sacre Coeur, my eyes and my entire body were swimming in tears and keep thanking to my parents, to Allah - that they have made this dream possible for me! I still remember even now how my father was so proud to hear that the high school selected me to represent the city in France to the IUFM Arras - L'Institute des Maitres" - my father did everything that time to make sure I will be there!

After this first chance to see the world with my eyes, Allah gave me other opportunities and one of the most precious is the one when I first visit Egypt.

 

The first thing I remember from that trip is the people from outside the airport after I arrived. I keep see in my mind not the clear images, but many people dressed in white clothes, brown or black and from one place to another, a spot of blue or green or red color... the spots were the women... Little voices you could hear all the parts - kids jumping next to their parents... taxi drivers who were asking you if you need a cab or not, hopping to have a new customer, so that at the end of the day, to return home with some pounds... they know that the tourists can be generous, especially the Europeans and they count on this!

It is impossible not to feel as soon you get out of the airport, the hot dry wind of the Egypt and the power of his ancient God - RA! No wonder that in Antiquity the ancient Egyptians were seeing the sun as their God - RA and were so happy that they are blessed by His gifts.

 As soon I got in the cab, my mind relaxed again and I started to enjoy the view. Some of you could think that what view??? Sand and Dust? well YES! for some.. but for me was more!I was following the line of the road with my eyes and watching the sides to see behind the dunes... I was keep thinking all the time to the wonder of those sand mountains and how that the powerful wind was not vanishing them from years... Because the wind is so powerful!!!!

When I reached the hotel, I remember that the manager, an Italian lady was waiting for me and I was amazed to see a non local actually living and working there and feeling so good!!! But more amazed I was when I heard her speaking Arabic with the employees and give them particular requests!And I can tell now after years, that she is not the only one! 

When I was entering in a fruit shop (I am crazy about fruits!!!), the seller from there was always having with him 2 little assistants: his 2 little boys, all contrary with what I was hearing before - that women are the only ones who take care of the kids and are the only ones responsible for them! The kids were so shy, but with really good manners.

All the parts I was going, you could see all kinds of people: from tourists to locals Egyptians as non locals too... in every shop you enter, even you don't actually buy something, the seller was thanking you for visiting his shop:"shokran ya oustez/ shokran ya anisa". I hear many times from the tourists who went in Egypt that the sellers were after them to make them buy something from them... well... I wonder if those tourists ever informed before how to avoid these situations and what to say to sellers (we don't speak about the sellers from the stores, but from the ones near to the touristic points - pyramids, Sphinx, etc). 

Believe me, it is enough to say a simple "No, thank you sir" or "La/a, shokran ya ustez" and they will not continue to bother you! After all, no matter how poor they are many of the Egyptians, all of them possessed the Egyptian proud! Also, we have to think that this people are living from the trade with tourists and to sell their products, they just can't stay like statues and wait, maybe a tourist will go and buy something from them! I mean... let's face it... if you see a local Egyptian sellerr and you are for the first time in Egypt... would you just run to him to buy quick souvenirs? Me I was not knew what to do first and where to go first! 

Tourists are the "kawaaga"... the ones who come to see Egypt and take a part of Egypt with them when they return... because Egypt leaves marks in everyone of us, after we saw it! And some of us, wish and pray to come back...

Speaking about wishing... I remember that I found a fountain and I dropped a coin on it, wishing from all my heart to come back in one year! AlhamdulilAllah, it happen and after one year I returned in Egypt, that time as the fiancee and the future wife of my beloved husband.

To tell you the truth, when I was in France... I dropped coins in all the fountains from Versailles and Paris, wishing to come back... but  don't think I actually did it with the wish in my heart! I did it because I saw others doing this thing and I said..."Me too"...

When I returned in Egypt, this time I was seeing the Egypt from other side... as a future local from there... as a future wife of an Egyptian... many of you could think that the first trip in Egypt was the one who bring together me and my husband... As a matter of fact... it was Allah's hands and our destiny... because nothing guarantees you that a true friendship can turn into real love and a blessed marriage! But that time... none of us was searching to get married and sure not with a foreigner... 

The man that is my husband he was actually having my destiny in his hands from years before he knew me... my destiny locked in a stone... jade stone... When I look now to the jade necklace, I see on it my past, my present and my future...

Egypt was preparing my destiny from far away... I can look back and see a little girl carrying a huge book in french language about ancient Egypt... I look back and I see a teenager drawing Egyptian antique images... I look back and I see a young lady devouring documentaries and movies about Egypt from yesterday and Egypt of today... I can loo back and I can see a sleepy student reading about the Mystery of Egypt... I look back and I see me... 

But when I look to now and in front, I see US together... I see family...

Egypt has everything what you can find in all the other countries and even more! Egypt has luxury and poverty, technology and rudimentary ways, Egypt has cleaning and dirty, sand and dust as also so good roads, good people as bad ones, children, women and men, old and young people, hard workers and lazy ones, single and married, divorced, Muslims, Christians and other Non Muslims ... shortly Egypt has everything that could make you feel home or stranger... it depends on the eyes of the one who see Egypt and on each one of us way to feel the breathing of this country! And lately Egypt got back something so precious: Freedom!

Above of this, I can tell you for sure that for the Egyptians, the dust of Egypt is much more precious than anything in this world!

Ya Masr Om el Donya!