personal

Thanks for stopping by my personal page, I am very glad that you made it this far . . . . So... are you curious to see what my interests are? OK! Here you can find out about my interests, hobbies, and passtimes. Take your time and browse around. I hope that you'll stick around long enough to get to know just a little bit more about me and my life. . I also hope you enjoy your visit. Some of my plans for this page are still in the works, so I apologize for that.

What I do in my spare time, my day job being a scientist. Well, here are some of my non-academic interests...

Music
It is a pretty big deal to me. I listen to lots of it.
My musical tastes have been constantly changing, with some "valeurs sûres" remaining constant. It all started in my small hometown, where my first "big" shopping as a 12-year old young man was a small radio player (an orange one, I remember). I had saved money for quite a long time, but when I went to buy the radio, it was still expensive, so I went right away to my uncle's shop near the market and asked for his help. Thus began my musical journey...In the early 80's, there were two trends in the musical tastes of Moroccan youth: on the one side, the lovers of Bob Marley and all reggae stuff, but also Oum Kalthoum, the Egyptian diva; on the other side, the lovers of Pop music: Madonna, U2, Michael Jackson, Cindy Lauper... and I was among these.
Over the years, my range of favorite music and bands has definitely evolved. I would say that I frequently listen to Pop, Soul, Jazz, Blues and Arab and Latin musics, sometimes to R'n'B, Classic and Techno, and rarely to other stuff.
Soon you'll be able to click on the music button below to go to my Music Page. This will enable you to brose my raves about my favorite bands, my current listening list, photos from some great live gigs. When you're done with that, you'll check out some cool music links!

Karaoke
My interest in Karaoke began about three years ago, when I first came to Japan. Though I have been to Karaoke bars in France, this did not generate such a strong feeling as in Japan. Those of you have been to Japan would know that unlike other places, Karaoke in Japan is enjoyed in boxes: small rooms for groups of friends! My "repertoire" is though limited: some of the world wide known Rock'n'Roll songs, some big hits of 80's and 90's and two or three Japanese songs.

Photography
This was also kinda triggered by my travel to Japan. I just said to myself, you can not pass by and not eternalize the natural beauty that sourrounds you. Please go to my photos page.

Japan
My Passion for Japan dates back long before I visit it. I always had a fascination for this country which from western perspective has an extremely misterious dimension.
As Gaijin (foreigner), more than the beauty of the country, it's the people that fascinates me most. They have one word at their mouth: daijoubu, which means no problem. Everything seems easy here!!! I recently wrote an article about my passion for Japan in Science & Technology Today, which you'll soon be able to find on my home page.

Jogging & Tennis
I jog 2 or 3 times a week, not only to stay fit, but because it's also a lot of enjoyment. I usually do about 30 Km a week. My second sport is Tennis!

Couscous, Lazagna & Sashimi
Here's a little section that I've always wanted to have on my page...sorta shrine to food! Though I tired so many cuisines, still nothing maches the smell of a Couscous or a Tagine at 11 am while I am sitting in my mother's kitchen in Morocco. As some of you know, my many years living in France I spent a lot of time trying out new restaurants in the area...a lot of this was because I wasn't very happy with the living situation at the time and didn't like to use the kitchen of my small studio. When I first came to Japan, I had a nice kitchen, but I was new to the city (Fukuoka), and hungry like a wolf. So I was pushed out by a discovery pulse and also by my friends. Now I also have a nice kitchen and I don't eat out nearly as much...I am trying to work on my recipes!! My favorite cuisine is still the Moroccan, my other prefered tastes are the Italian, the mexican, the Chinese, the Indian and the Japanese. My favorite dishes may be Lazagna, Couscous, Tempura (Japanese fries) and Sashimi (I've never thaught I could eat raw fish!!!).

Chat
Click on the chat button to go to my ICQ chat room. In order to make your visit to my chat room functional and rewarding, please, e-Mail me and let me know the date and time you want to meet. We can then come together at the appointed time and chat for a while. When you then enter the SAID Friends & Family Chat Room, take off your shoes, settle back into your easy chair and let's talk for a while. There is nothing better than a warm conversation with friends. I look forward to hearing from you. Thanks !

Miscellaneous
TV Shows, Biliard, Internet and web design