Pack of Cards By Madame Sosostris

* There were plenty of parties in town this week, my sweets, of which I'll let you in on the most spectacular. For starters, this year's Emirates National Day was held at the Conrad Hotel, where Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa , Youth Minister Alieddin Hilal, Giza Governor Mahmoud Abul-Leil, Al-Azhar Grand Imam Sheikh Mohamed Sayed Tantawi, Al-Azhar University President Ahmed Omar Hashim, First Undersecretary for Foreign Cultural Relations Cherif El-Shoubashi, and many others joined Emirates Ambassador to Cairo Ahmed Ali Al-Zoghabi (who is also his country's permanent representative at the Arab League) and Cultural Counselor Sultan Al-Harby for a gala celebration. It was not all politics, however, as actresses Leila Elwi, Libliba, Jala Fahmi and veteran actor Hassan Youssef were also amongst the esteemed guests.

* Also this week, I made my way to the Marriott Hotel with my dear colleague Reham El-Adawi to attend a press conference featuring the famous Swiss watchmaker Philippe Charriol, who is launching a new line of watches simply called "Actor". Ayman and Ihab Falta'ous, owners of Felopateer Palace, the brand's sole agent in Egypt, proudly introduced Charriol, who has made Egypt a focal point several times in the course of his career. After the press conference, Charriol himself signed my very own copy of a book titled Philippe Charriol: The Watchmaker With Wings on his Heels. Later, actor Hussein Fahmi, and singers Sherine Wagdi and Hisham Abbass headlined the celebration dinner being held for the occasion on the Nile Maxim boat.

* More than 500 children recently enjoyed a day of sports and games at Cairo's Hockey Stadium under the guidance of 124 youth leaders from Egypt and the United Kingdom. The event was part of the British Council's global "Dreams and Teams" programme, which aims to develop leadership and good citizenship skills as well as cross-cultural interaction. As Egyptian Youth Minister Alieddin Hilal and British Ambassador to Egypt Derek Plumbly looked on, the day began with a series of warm up exercises before the children, aged nine to 13, moved on to a variety of Egyptian and British games, including some invented by the youth leaders themselves.

* With Austrian Maestro Johannes Wildner in town to conduct the Cairo Symphony Orchestra on 13 December, some of us were also lucky enough to be invited to an intimate gathering with Wildner that was held at the Austrian Cultural Forum in Garden City. Wildner, widely considered one of the world's top five conductors, detailed his vision of the pieces to be played at the Cairo concert. Wildner has been a guest conductor of major troupes like London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, and others. He has recorded around 40 CDs and videos.

* The ever-active National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) recently held a seminar about the "Health and Cultural Debates Confronting Female Gentile Mutilation in Egypt". Among the participants were Mohamed El-Sayed Said, the deputy head of Al-Ahram's Political and Strategic Studies Centre, directors Sayed Said and En'am Mohamed Ali, Ain Shams University psychology professor Kadry Hefni, journalist and cinema critic Magda Maurice, and others. NCCM Secretary-General Moushira Khatab gave the opening speech.

* Maltese President Guido de Marco and his wife were recently in Cairo on an official visit. During the trip, a meeting was held at the Mubarak Public Library, which is headed by Abdel-Raouf El-Ridi, during which Egypt's role in promoting peace in the region was among the issues being discussed. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Fayza Abul- Naga, Minister of Transport Hamdi El-Shayib, former Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdel-Meguid, Egyptian Ambassador to Malta Fatma El-Zahraa, as well as a bevy of literati, cultural and media luminaries, attended the meeting. Mrs De Marco, meanwhile, took the opportunity to visit the National Council for Women (NCW), where she received an overview of the organisation's activities and projects aimed at enhancing the social, economic, and political empowerment of women. De Marco was amazed at the similarities between the problems of Egyptian women and their Maltese peers.

At the Cairo Atelier, my dear friend Hany El-Goweily will be exhibiting a collection of his photographs beginning 14 December. You would be excused for thinking, as you tour the exhibition -- titled "Being There, Delhi: A Parallel Dimension" -- that the photos depict the streets of Cairo, and not New Delhi. In fact, the artist means to show the similarities between the two cities in a creative, entertaining manner. The show runs through 26 December.