15 Signs You’ve Found Your Soulmate

October 13, 2020

By: Mariam Elhamy

Think you finally found your other half? Do you feel a special harmony, understanding, or connection with them? You might be wondering if the person you’re dating is actually your soulmate and if it’s meant to be. Here are a few pointers to tell whether you two are cut out for each other and if you should hold on to them and never let them go.

1. They Make you Feel Complete

You have a hot temper but they’re cool, you’re hyperactive but they’re more chill and relaxed, you can cook but they can play music, you complete each other with the things that each of you needs more in their life. Your differences balance you and bring you closer, they don’t tear you apart.

2. You Always Forgive Each Other

Your fights don’t end ugly because you always find a way to understand and forgive each other instead of holding grudges. You don’t feel threatened

by your arguments or fights because you know that your relationship can overcome any hardships.

3. If they’re Happy you’re Happy

You don’t mind going out of your way to please them even if it means sacrificing your own comfort. You love making each other feel appreciated so you bring eac

h other gifts for no reason just to show how much you love and appreciate each other.

4. You Respect Each Other’s Personal Space

You understand the importance of having different interests, beliefs, ideas and hobbies. You give each other space when you need it.

5. You’re not Threatened by Others

You might get jealous sometimes but at the end of the day, you know that you’re the only one they want.

6. You Trust Each Other Completely

You’re never afraid to try new things together because you trust your opinions and choices. You feel very safe around each other and you know how to de-stress one another.

7. You Have a Connection

There’s a special bond between you that you can’t explain. You complete each other’s sentences, you often think of the same things at the same time, you dream about each other when you’re apart and you always know what they’re thinking. You’re just on the same vibe and in harmony.

8. You Share the Same Goals

Maybe your interests aren’t exactly the same but you ultimately similar goals and dreams. You support each other in achieving these goals.

9. You Don’t Mind their Flaws

You recognize your flaws and work together to make each other better. You try to help each other become better people but you accept the weaknesses.

10. You Know What Makes Each Other Tick

You know each other’s pet peeves and you avoid them. You really listen to each other and you make sure that you’re both happy, safe and feeling loved.

11. You Can Be Honest Without Hurting Each Other

You can say whatever is on your mind and be as intense and as crazy as you want around them because you know that they won’t ever judge.

12. You Know it Deep Inside

You feel like you can overcome anything together. You don’t think about anyone else and you don’t want to because they are enough for you. No matter where you are, who you’re with or what you are doing, things are just better when you are together.

13. It Just Feels Right

Timing is very important, if you just feel like the timing is right and everything is aligning to put you two together then it’s probably meant to be because everything happens for a reason.

14. You Can’t Imagine Life Without Them

You often ask yourself how you lived before knowing them and you just can’t see them or yourself with anyone else or picture your future without them in it.

15. You Would Happily Do it All Over Again

If you had to do it all over again the same way, all the bumps in the road, all the fights, all the pain and all the tears, you would do it all again as long as you’re with them.

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Top 15 War Movies to Watch

October 12, 2020

War movies have inspired a century of cinema depicting real history, chaos but also remembering victory, resilience, and humanity. In remembrance of the 1973 Egyptian war’s 44th anniversary, here are the top 15 war movies (Egyptian and International) to watch that portray bravery, pride, and patriotism.

P.S: Be warned that some can make you cry.

The Hurt Locker

The Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Director, The Hurt Locker, is a thriller war movie directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Jeremy Renner and Anthony Mackie. The movie’s settings take place during the Iraq War and revolve around the tensions and pressures of combat. It is based on Mark Boal, a freelance journalist who stayed with an American bomb squad for two weeks during the actual Iraq war in 2004. It’s a movie that topped many critics’ top ten lists, as well as ours.

El Mamar

Our newest Egyptian war movie starring Ahmed Ezz, along with a cast of very talented actors, El Mamar is a cinematic depiction of our 1973 war and the bravery of our soldiers. It is a movie that will stir up all the patriotism you have in you and make you proud of where you come from.

Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan’s first historical film made, Dunkirk, features strong visuals, a young cast, and an intense combat story during World War II that portrays the complexity of war. The story of the Dunkirk evacuation unfolds from three perspectives: land, sea, and air.

And the movie features Harry Styles!

Schindler’s List

A masterpiece by Steven Spielberg based on the 1982 non-fiction novel Schindler’s Ark by Australian novelist Thomas Keneally, Schindler’s List is a raw depiction of the horrors of the holocaust. No need to say more you now just have to watch but be warned that it will be an emotional ride.

Braveheart

A classic starring Mel Gibson, Braveheart is about a Scottish rebel who goes with his clan to battle King Edward I of England. If you haven’t seen it yet, you must as it shows a very raw picture of courage, leadership, and unity in a time of suffering in medieval times.

Inglourious Basterds

There can’t be a war list movie without Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds starring Brad Pitt, Christopher Waltz, and Micheal Fassbender.

All you need to know is that it is about an undercover mission to bring down the Nazi government to end the war and that it is done masterfully in terms of acting, screenplay, and directing.

1917

The most recent war movie on the list, 1917, is a brilliantly made movie about the horrors of the First World War. For two hours you will be glued to your seat. You will be transported to the year 1917 with all its horrifying happenings which were portrayed in a captivating way with a stirring playlist to match. An absolute masterpiece but not for the faint-hearted.

El Rosasa La Tazal f Geiby

Al Rosasa La Tazal Fe Geiby, (The Bullet is Still in My Pocket) was produced in 1974, based on a story by Egyptian author Ihsan Abd al-Qudus. It stars Mahmoud Yassin, Nagwa Ebrahim, and Hussein Fahmy during the defeat of 1967 and the emotional turmoil that soldiers went through until the 1973 war broke out, and Egypt returned victoriously!

The Lawrence of Arabia

The Lawrence of Arabia stars our beloved Omar El Sharif in a big international production alongside Peter O’Toole and Anthony Quinn. Even though it is more of a historical film than a war one, it still depicts combat and survival.

The movie won seven Oscars!

Saving Private Ryan

An Academy Award recognized movie by the committee and with a score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes by the public, is a must-watch movie. Steven Spielberg strikes again, with a film that is set during the invasion of Normandy in World War II with the assigned task to search for the missing Private James Ryan. It’s a mixture of the inhumanity of the war in parallel to the humanity of the soldiers and unity they share.

Watch it to know what happened during the search.

El Omr Lahza

This Egyptian movie follows the story of a female journalist who volunteers at a hospital after the defeat of the 1967 war where she meets wounded and brave soldiers. After hearing the war stories, she decides to visit the actual battle location to inspect the soldiers.

El Omr Lahza (Life is a Moment) stars Magda, Ahmed Mazhar and Ahmed Zaki.

Asad Sina

Asad Sina was produced in 2016 starring Amr Ramzy, Noha Ismail, and Hanan Youssef and takes place during the 1973 war. It shows sacrifice, patriotism, and loyalty to Egypt.

Al Nasser Salah Al-Din

Written by Youssef El Sebai based on the novel by notorious Naguib Mahfouz, Al Nasser Salah Al-Din depicts the events of the third Crusade after Salah Al Dine reclaimed Jerusalem. It’s a powerful historical war film starring big names in Egyptian cinema: Ahmed Mazhar, Salah Zulfikar, Leila Fawzi, Nadia Lutfi, Mohamed Abdel Gawad, Laila Taher, Omar El Hariri, and Hussein Riad.

Stalingrad (1993)

The title reveals the plot. The movie is about one of—if not the bloodiest battle in history, the Battle of Stalingrad. It’s a German movie that depicts the German army’s first major defeat during World War II. A heart-wrenching movie with gore depictions and a powerful piece of history nonetheless shows survival, loss, bravery, and loss.

Days of Glory

This French movie, originally titled “Indignènes” is a true reflection of the contribution of North African soldiers during World War II to the Free French Forces. It’s an acclaimed piece that tackles racism and discrimination by the authorities against these soldiers coming from Algeria, Morocco, and Sub-Saharian Africa.

The film received many awards including, Cannes Best Actor and César Awards for Best Writing. And it was nominated for the Academy Awards Best International Feature Film.

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The 10 Best Books for your Mental Health

October 11, 2020

By: Aliaa Elsherbini

For world mental health day, here are the 10 best books that take a deeper look into mental health and its different forms, how to manage them, understand them, deal with them, and unlock our fullest potentials. These are not one-fit all books or rule books that will work for everyone, but rather books wrote and researched by professionals to help us and everyone struggling or knows someone who is.

From guide books, self-care, memoirs to psychotherapy books, in this list there is something for everyone.

Remember This When You’re Sad – Maggy Van Eijk

Partly a self-care book and party a memoir, Remember This When You’re Sad tackles writer Van Eijk’s sufferings with mental-health issues with depth, honesty, and comfort. In 15 chapters, the book contains story-telling, advice about: depression, anxiety, and borderline personality disorder, all of which Van Eijk had suffered from. She makes sure no one feels alone reading this.

Presence – Amy Cuddy

This is not a soul searching book but rather a day-to-day read to help us unlock the power of “presence” where we stop worrying about the impressions we make on others and rather focus on within to tackle our everyday worries.

Social psychologist and Harvard Business School professor, Amy Cuddy, walks us through the research of body language, behavior, and mindset techniques to overcome stressful moments like a job interview, a deep conversation, or a big assignment. Learn how to flourish in stressful situations with Amy Cuddy.

How Not to Die – Michael Greger

It’s no surprise that what we eat affects not only our physical health but our mental health as well. Nutritionist Michael Greger M.D. reminds us of that in her book How Not To Die. Greger goes through the leading causes of death and the foods to eat to prevent them as well as the superfoods that we should all eat every day. Discover the foods scientifically proven to prevent and reverse disease.

Rising Strong – Brené Brown

The New York Times Bestseller, Rising Strong, revolves around the ability to resource oneself after a setback, a topic that is relatable to everyone walking the earth. Ph.D. Brené Brown did her research by talking to people from all fields like business leaders, parents, and artists to teach us how to reset when faced with failure or drawbacks, and how to transform the way we live, love, parent, and lead. This book should be on everyone’s read list.

Reasons to Stay Alive – Matt Haig

This is a memoir about hope. Matt Haig inspires in his 2016 Reasons to Stay Alive as he recounts his life with depression and his igniting triumph over it. For everyone in a dark place feeling like there is no light at the end of the tunnel, this book is for you to remind you of the reasons to stay alive.

The Invisible Lion: Flatpack Instructions for Life – Benjamin Fry

Something is missing in your life. So, you go to a store and buy what you need. You get the flat packed furniture home, open it up and spread the pieces out on the floor. But there are no instructions. You have everything you need. It’s there on the floor.

The Happiness Trap – Russ Harris

The Happiness Trap explores “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” (ACT), a type of psychotherapy that helps manage mental health conditions like depression and anxiety by learning to accept our current circumstances rather than focusing on the pursuit of “happiness.” Russ Harris teaches us to be mindful by using ACT strategies to adopt a certain mindset and start living. It’s worth a read.

(Don’t) Call Me Crazy – Kelly Jensen

A quick and powerful read of 33 people that start the conversation about mental health and its stigmatization with words like “crazy”. Kelly Jensen explores the social aspect of mental health, how we deal and talk about it, and how to understand it better and break free from biases that were rooted in society from a long time ago. You are not crazy nor abnormal so read this book to break the stigma.

The Courage to Be Disliked – Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

The Japanese phenomenon substantially reveals the process of personal acceptance (which the authors themselves state that it can take years to achieve) to liberate our true selves from people’s expectations and opinions. Read for a journey of self-forgiveness, acceptance, and happiness.

Take a Moment: Activities to Refocus, Recentre and Relax Wherever You Are – Mind and Michael O’Mara

This book serves as a self-care guide to managing anxious feelings and negativity wherever you are. Small and easily carried around, Take A Moment offers breathing techniques, stretching routines, exercises, and creative activity to help you refocus and take a moment for yourself and your mind. If you prefer self-care guides, this book is specially curated for you.

Honorary Mentions to Some Powerful Books:

The Noonday Demon – Andrew Solomon (Understand depression in a personal, cultural and scientific framework)

Your Happiness Toolkit – Carrie M. Wrigley LCSW (Understand “what feeds or fights depression” to help yourself and those suffering around you)

Anxiety Relief for Teens – Regine Galanti (Full of exercises, quizzes, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy skills to tackle anxiety in teens)

The Assertiveness Workbook – Randy J. Paterson (Learn how to assert your boundaries, stand up for yourself, express your ideas and needs at work as well as in personal relationships)

The Miracle Morning – Hal Elrod (Reveals his morning ritual to lead a happier and more productive life)

Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation – Daniel J. Siegel (from the man who coined the term “mindsight”)

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How to Forget Someone and Move On

October 7, 2020

By: Mariam Elhamy

Moving on is extremely hard, the pain of not having that person in your life anymore is intolerable. You keep thinking about the memories, the good times, the special bond you had and all the great things you lost.

Losing someone might be one of the hardest things to experience and moving on is a tough time for anyone. From one human to another, we feel you! Help yourself by reading a few ways to get over someone and move on with your life.

1. Acceptance

The first step in moving on is acceptance. Accept the fact that it’s over but life moves on.

2. Let Go and Feel Everything

Don’t bury down your feelings, allow yourself to grieve and don’t ignore or pretend that your pain isn’t there. Acknowledge the sadness, anger, frustration and anything you might be feeling, slowly but surely these strong emotions will fade. After the storm is over you’ll feel calm.

3. Use your Pain in your Own Advantage

Don’t allow yourself to be weak for too long, people often show self-destructive behavior after a bad breakup and they get into different kinds of addictions. Use your negative feelings to empower you to become better and learn from this experience.

4. Forgive and Forget

Holding on to the pain and anger will only do you wrong. Allow yourself to feel the pain but once you’re ready, let it all go and forgive the person for anything they did that caused you pain because holding on to pain can physically harm you.

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5. Don’t Dwell on the Good Parts Only

When we lose someone we tend to remember the good things about them and the memories. Your relationship ended for a reason so don’t let your feelings cloud your head into thinking you’ve lost something amazing. Look from the outside and see all the things that made this relationship fail. After you’ve dealt with your feelings it will be easier to think with a clear head and reflect on the faults of the relationship.

6. It’s all about you!

Your thoughts might be directed towards how they broke your heart or did you wrong. Instead of thinking of them, think of what you need to do to be happy. Immerse yourself in all the activities you love doing the most and focus on your hobbies/career. Work on yourself because when you feel satisfied with the outcome of these aspects in your life you’ll be able to get over the relationship a bit sooner.

7. Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Once you know that you’ve moved on and you’ve come out of this experience a new you, you’ll never be the same because you’ve learned and changed throughout the process. But you’ve come out stronger than before so don’t be afraid to start a new relationship. You deserve to be happy and loved so go out there, try new things and meet new people.

8. Time Heals All Wounds

Trust the process, you might want to just get over them as fast as you can and move on with your life, but relationships and feelings are more complicated than that. You have to give yourself time to heal and go through all the breakup stages. It might take a while, with some people it even takes years, but you have to trust that whatever you’re going through will make you stronger in the future.

Things to Do:

Take a minute to breathe. It’s normal to feel drained so allow yourself the time to recover and relax.
Keep a diary. Writing down how you feel every day will not only give you relief but also keep track of your moving-on process and how far you’ve come.
Talk to someone and ask for help if you need it. If you’re not comfortable talking about how you feel with someone you know then consider a therapist. Talking about your feelings really helps you move on in a healthy way.
Exercise! Nothing is better than running or being active to free your mind and release all the anger and pain.
Don’t dwell too much. Whenever you feel yourself starting to overthink and want to text or call them, distract yourself and don’t get into your head for too long.
Don’t go to the places you used to go to together that have special memories.
Unfollow them on social media. We know what you think “I’m a grown-up. I can handle seeing their posts and not do anything”, believe me you’ll be tempted. Just cut all ties you don’t need to see how they’re living their life after you broke up.
If you’re the type to look back on old photos and texts then delete it all. Or keep it on a hard drive where it’s not easily accessible.
Embrace distractions. Go to a concert, go out with your friends as much as possible, travel and throw yourself at any activity that will take your mind off things.
Give yourself or your living space a makeover. These small changes help sometimes.
Help others overcome this tough time now that you’ve been through it and know how it feels.
Trust that life will be good again!

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Must Have Clothing Items for This Fall

October 6, 2020

By: Aliaa Elsherbini

They say the colder the weather, the more elegant the clothes. Now we are in autumn, and we are adding a layer or two more to our outfits. Take a look at the new fashion trends that are going to pump up your wardrobe this fall.

This year’s Fall trends are pretty fun as they incorporate funky patterns, shiny clothes, and different shapes, so take a look at what items you absolutely need to be wearing this season.

Trendy Items:

Cropped Blazers

Designers took work blazers and made them more fun by cutting them short by a few inches, giving us a new seasonal trend. The cropped blazers come in all colors and in different patterns that can fit different outfits as you can also find ones that are still long enough for business andthers for casual or evening wear.

(Faux) Leather coats

Leather is always trendy, stealing the fashion spotlight collection after collection. While leather skirts are still in-style, leather or (faux) leather coats are considered more significant statement pieces this season creating a Matrix vibe mixed with rebels in the ’70s. And we love it.

They can be worn on top of jeans and shirts for a day look or with maxi dresses, tailored pants, and heels perfect for an evening outing.

Balloon Sleeve Blouses

Oversized clothes have been in vogue for a few seasons now, and now they continue to steal the runways but with a slight change. For the Autumn collection, it’s not the whole outfit that is oversized but only the sleeves that are balloon-shaped on a fitted blouse adding some drama to your look.

Capes

Coats move away, capes are making a strong entrance into this fall’s fashion collections with their different sizes, unique cuts, and theatrical styles. Capes can serve as coats covering dresses, skirts, and pants to be taken off once settled out. Then there are the shorter versions that serve as blazers or jackets that can be worn throughout your outing like a big shawl.

Capes are expected to stay with us until the winter due to them being comfortable and wearable, and because some of them are made very warm giving you the illusion of wearing your blanket out but in an elegant way.

Bermuda – Knee Length Shorts

It’s still not cold enough to be wearing stockings under your skirts (or shorts if that is your style), but it is also not hot enough to commit to a short skirt or shorts anymore. That’s when the Bermuda Shorts come in, giving you the best of both worlds.

These knee-length shorts can be paired with a sleek white shirt and heels for a smart-casual look or paired with a graphic t-shirt and be turned into a day look.

Those shorts are guaranteed to make you seem like a fashion icon among your group of friends.

Trendy Colors:

While fall makeup trends are all about colors like we discovered from the beautiful Aya Abdelhamid, clothes are more about shades of nude with a side of metallic.

The metallic colors are not only for clothing items but are also fashionable in accessories, jewelry, and shoes.

Trendy Patterns:

Fringes are back on jackets, pullovers, and skirts, adding fun to your outfits and can be worn with anything.

But the biggest trendy print this year is punk plaids. Yes, colorful plaid prints are all over Fall collections a la Avril Lavigne. Not only on pants, but you can push your fashion limits by wearing them on evening dresses, high-end coats, and jackets.

Also check out this Fall’s Glam Makeup Looks from Aya Abdelhamid

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How to Reignite the Passion in Your Relationship

October 6, 2020

By: Mariam Elhamy

When your partner becomes too predictable and the fire is not there anymore that doesn’t mean that the love has died, it means it’s time to rekindle the romance. We’re not about to get cheesy on you so stick around because we’re unveiling the secrets on how to reignite the passion in your relationship.

Communication is Key

Make time for open talks that are straight from the heart. The key here is to skip the “How are yous and how’s work?” and get down to real business, like “How are you really feeling lately? What’s been on your mind?” and actively listen. You could spice it up by playing quizzes and asking questions, and if you want to really make it count you could both write down a list beforehand of all things that made you fall in love and read them out loud.

If any of you holds resentments you should also talk about these unresolved problems and the things that have been ticking you off to start healing, forgiving and moving on.

Showing Appreciation

When you’ve been in the relationship for too long you kind of take the things that your partner does for granted. Like when they wake up early to wake you up for an appointment or a meeting, bring you something to eat before you even say you’re hungry or fixing things that need to be fixed.

Think of all the small things that your partner does without being asked and give them a small token of appreciation, could be a gift, a letter thanking them or just tell them how much you appreciate them, it goes a long way.

New Activities New Memories

When was the last time you acted spontaneously? Take a dance lesson, go to a cooking class, a book club, go kayaking in the Nile or just stay out late dancing together.

Whatever you and your partner are interested in doing, new activities make you discover new things about each other, strengthens your bond and creates new memories to cherish for life.

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Physical Affection

Don’t hold back on the small but cute gestures. Remember when you used to hold hands while you crossed the street? Or when you used to brush the hair away from their forehead to see their face better?

Focus on bringing these small actions back because you might not know it but your partner probably misses it.

Date Night

Maybe you don’t do that as much anymore or it’s always the same. Make an effort, really dress up and go somewhere nice or even go to a quiet place and play board games and challenge each other.

Go to places where you have great memories from early in the relationship. Surprise them by planning secret dates and do something they like for a change.

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Why Your Relationship Didn’t Work and Whether to Fight for It

October 5, 2020

By: Mariam Elhamy

When you’re just out of a long relationship you start to wonder where things went wrong or why it ended the way it did. We’re about to help you find out a few reasons that are maybe why your relationship didn’t work and whether you should try to fix it.

It Started Really Fast

Easy come easy go. When relationships start overly exciting and everything goes really fast, they tend to blow down to nothing after a while. A strong relationship takes time so if yours ran on emotions instead of you taking it slow and staying rational, then maybe that’s why it ended as quickly as it started.