KHALIL GIBRAN was born 124 years ago as an Arab from Lebanon .Later he emigrated to the USA and wrote his novels in English, in Arabic .


"You ask me how I became a madman. It happened thus: One day, long before many gods were born, I woke from a deep sleep and found all my masks were stolen,—the seven masks I have fashioned an worn in seven lives,—I ran maskless through the crowded streets shouting, “Thieves, thieves, the cursed thieves.”

Men and women laughed at me and some ran to their houses in fear of me.

And when I reached the market place, a youth standing on a house-top cried, “He is a madman.” I looked up to behold him; the sun kissed my own naked face for the first time. For the first time the sun kissed my own naked face and my soul was inflamed with love for the sun, and I wanted my masks no more. And as if in a trance I cried, “Blessed, blessed are the thieves who stole my masks.”

Thus I became a madman.

And I have found both freedom of loneliness and the safety from being understood, for those who understand us enslave something in us.

But let me not be too proud of my safety. Even a Thief in a jail is safe from another thief."

My friend Magdi is a wonderful cook . She made some birthday cake the other day for her grandson's birthday .She had shared with me the photo and the recipe .
here it is
BIRTHDAY CAKE a la Magdi
5 eggs I used to make the sponge cake base for the cake .I divided the dough into two half and baked them separately . Both got a little hump -so I cut those humps to use them later on .
I cooked some custard from nearly half a litre of milk and chocolate flavoured custard powder - and Let it cool .
I mixed 200 gr of butter with the same amount of sugar then I added some cocoa powder as well .
I mixed the cold custard with the butter -and saved some of it
for the coating of the cake .
To the rest of the cream I added the cut humps + 1 spoonful of apricot jam + rum aroma .
i filled the cream inside the cake .I managed to cut one of the cake disc
into halfs- so i got three layers of sponge cake .
I coated the cake with the cream previously saved.
For the coating of the top I mixed 15 dkg sugar +3 spoonful of cherry syrup and cooked them and coated the top .
I added some walnuts to the side of the cake .