By Madame Sosostris My dears, there are some people in this world that attempt to live life to its absolute fullest. One such individual is our dynamic friend Mona Makram Ebeid, former Parliamentarian and political science professor at the American University in Cairo. Ebeid will travel to Damascus next week to conduct a workshop and provide advisory services to the Centre for Women, as part of a technical cooperation programme on capacity building aimed to encourage networking between NGOs. She currently chairs the board of an important NGO dealing with education, in association with the Association For the Advancement of Education. This most active woman serves as a role model to the younger generation. A close friend of the Weekly team, Ambassador Mustafa El-Hateer, was the highlight of a glamorous evening this week. At the Opera Art Gallery, his art exhibit was inaugurated by Samir Farag, chairman of the board of the National Cultural Centre. The inspiring works are on display until 14 July. For the sake of cultural enrichment, and a glimpse of Egypt's finest talent, take the time to visit the gallery. Weddings are a personal favourite of mine -- allowing me to indulge in the joyous spirit of matrimony, without having to venture there in person. In the Alf Leila ballroom at the Nile Hilton hotel, I certainly had a wonderful time, celebrating the coming together of two Ibrahim family's [no relation]. The bride, Shaden Ibrahim, looked radiant. And indeed the groom, Ahmed Yasser Ibrahim was a looker. Shaden 's father, Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim, heads the Al-Nahda Company for Publishing. The groom's father is none other than our most popular Abul-Seoud Ibrahim, deputy editor-in- chief of Al-Ahram. Our warmest congratulations to the delightful couple. One of the less pleasant elements of the dawn of summer is that of farewells. On the scenic rooftop of the Nile Hilton, we bid farewell to Mr and Mrs Marco Riccardo Rusconi. The whimsical evening was graced by the presence of Italy's Ambassador Antonio Badini. Good-bye's never get easier, but one must think of the new things to experience and the new people to meet. Food is one of those pleasures in life that one must not sideline and ignore. My philosophy has always been to indulge -- life is far too short for depravation. The perfect opportunity for such culinary divinity came for me at the Canadian Food Festival, which was hosted at the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador Michel de Salaberry last week. Amongst the engaging guests were François La Rochelle, political counsel at the embassy, and Egypt's Ambassador in Canada Mahmoud El-Said. Both the food, and company, were exquisite. Tourism, tourism, tourism: the buzz word of the summer. Minister of Tourism Mamdouh El-Beltagui was the guest of honour and main speaker at the Arab Tour Leaders and Tour Guides conference held recently at Al-Leila Ballroom at the Nile Hilton. El-Beltagui was greeted by the hotel's most courteous General Manager Jean-Pierre Mainardi. I expect a slew of similar events will be meeting us in the coming weeks. There are some hotels that are as active as the country's most dynamic personalities. In recent weeks, the Nile Hilton Hotel was one such spot. Amidst a flurry of other activity, the hotel hosted the Annual Intronisation Gala of the Confrèrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs. Members of the gathered party included hotel GM and his lovely wife, Ambassador of France Jean-Claude Cousseran, Ambassador of Slovenia Mitja Drobnic, Ambassador of Croatia Ivica Tomic, Ambassador of Poland Herve Besancemont, and a host of other distinguished and inspiring personalities. The gathering were seated at a table for 120, and silenced in awe by the divine flavours of a seven course dinner prepared by executive chef Rudolf Kunkel. They shared with me the details of the delights, and my mouth now waters as I recall. Time to treat myself to one of life's delights: lunch. Reading, you must all know by now, is my passion -- a means not only for personal growth and enrichment, but also, for escape. Nothing compares to a good book, transporting you out of the present and into the captivating world of someone else's fiction. The ministry of culture's "Reading for All" campaign is one national move which I commend and support. This month marks the start of the 2004 reading for all activities, and this year's theme is one which is pivotal to national development: " Reading is the right of every child." If you have old books, it would be a most thoughtful gesture to take them to a public library, or if you don't, why not buy a few children's books and give them to the youngsters of the lesser privileged families you know. Help others explore the delight of the literary world that you have been so fortunate to know. Preserving, restoring and documenting the country's heritage is something I support with fervour. So when I was given the book The Egyptian Banknote Encyclopedia and Catalogue by Magdy Hanafy (Arabic) and Ali Mehilba (English), I was delighted. We take money for granted, striving for it, tiring for it, and using it to bring us joy. But seldom do we stop to contemplate its past. Hanafy 's meticulously researched masterpiece documents the details of every note Egypt's history has encountered. A fascinating book, and certainly worth having in your collection.
