Dear Santa....Marwa Rakha....

Dear Santa,

I know you're so busy but I really need you to consider my wish. I have been a good girl last year and I know what I want for a gift this year. I am writing to you a whole month in advance so you can search thoroughly and I will give you all the clues to help you out of the chimney that you keep getting caught into one year after the other. I do not think that you are a myth and I do not think that is a myth, so my dear love Santa please read my letter and make my wish come true. I will not ask for a bigger wealth or for better health, I neither want earthly pleasure nor heavenly measures … I want a man.

I want you to dash through the snow on your sleigh, jingle you bells, and get your elves to run up and down the globe to get me my long-waited present, and when you get him skip the chimney part and just leave him on the my doorstep. I have always been accused of not knowing what I wanted and of not being decisive so I will go to the nitty-gritty details because I do not want you to send me the wrong man … Again! I hope you do not think of me as being bossy; I am just helping you with your hunt, and mine, for Mr. Right.

To help you with the screening process, I will first out what I know for sure that I don’t want. Married, lost, depressed, expired, or clumsy is out of the question. Narrow-minded, cold-hearted. Mind-numbing, or thick-skinned is not even an option. Bad English, bad breath, faithless, or moneyless makes less of a Christmas gift. I do not like quiet, boring, or dull men and I prefer them tall dark and handsome but fair cute and blond is not crossed out, and he has to like my curls!

Now that I helped you out with the outlines let's go to a more sophisticated level, and Santa, I have to give you a fair warning, this is the level that confuses you the most every year. Make sure this time he is intellectual yet sensitive; sensitive yet masculine; masculine yet tender; tender yet protective; protective but not possessive. Have I said enough? Oh and Santa, my heart had enough bumps, dumps, and jumps. I ran out of glue mending the broken pieces and I have no more tolerance for any more make-ups and break-ups.

Santa, I'm not dictating anything; I'm just helping you get me the right gift. People say that I'm too picky, demanding, and uncompromising but I am just a girl who wants to take exactly what she is willing to give; I just want to love and be loved- but I will never love a man unless he has a consensus from my mind, body and heart. Now that I went that far without any divine intervention to stop me from continuing my letter, I will assume that this is a clear sign that you will take my wish seriously this year.

Love,

Me

Inspired by "The Silence of The Lambs" - Dr. Hannibal Lecter !

When I first watched "The Silence Of The Lambs", I had a crush on Hannibal the cannibal. Years later when Hannibal was released, I grew to envy Clarice for the love of Dr. Lecter; I wanted to be her. Before you decide that I am a crazy chick, let me take you for a quick walk in my shoes. I have been in and out of many relationships that lasted from a couple of days to a couple of months. The one that crashed before they took off did not last because the man in question stopped exercising effort and took me for granted! They – Egyptian men- just don’t want to work! I don’t expect much; I just want to see a man going out of his way for me; what's the big deal? Shave this ugly head, lose a few extra pounds, get a job, wake up an hour early, sleep an hour late, drive an extra mile to se me, or any such thing that would translate into effort!

Now let me introduce you to the Dr. Lecter that I envy Agent Starling for; deep, intense, witty, handsome, and knows her like the back of his hand. He knows how her mind works and what makes her heart tick; he knows her every thought, fear, wish, and impulse. He loved her for her vulnerable strength. The beast had many chances to devour her, yet he declined. Hannibal Lecter dared her, challenged her, and pushed her from one limit to the other, but he was always there to save her soul when she gave in to despair. When the bad guys, society, enemies or anyone hurt her, he was still watching over her shoulder; he hurt them for her. When it was his life or hers, he chose hers; when it was his wrist or hers, he saved hers; when it was his heart or hers, her broke his to mend hers. The beast went against his nature for her … this is my definition of effort!

Marwa Rakha - From "The Poison Tree Planted & Grown in Egypt"