Mind: Days of my life

I moved on and so is my blog!

Khalidah — Sat, 26 Aug 2006 14:06:47 GMT

When I first entered the world of blogging; I was not expecting this success and popularity, I was not even expecting that I will be so attached and addicted to this amazing expressive method; yet; here we are; almost a year later and I am still connecting everyone through this blog that has become a part of me as much as I am a part of it.

I have been away from blogging for a couple of weeks now and of course there is a good reason for that.

There comes a time in one’s life where he/she thinks and believes it is time to take a new step towards a new milestone in his/her life. Many reasons and events lead and prepare us for such a move and all of a sudden; you are faced with a decision to make and if you even hesitate for a bit; it will be made for you and sometimes not nicely.

So it is time to announce that I have moved on and I am no longer working with Jeeran. I have known Omar Koudsi; the co-founder of Jeeran for some years now and I think I can safely say that he is a friend of mine, but sometimes it is best not to mix friendship with business and it was not too late to separate. Omar was and will always be a good friend of mine and I wish him and Jeeran all the best; I would love to see this company grow because it has a very good concept and prospect; so best of luck guys.

Since this step was taken; I decided that I want to move my blog as well because I like to be independent and to be perceived as such. I also don’t want my own opinions and convictions no matter what they are to be associated with Jeeran or any other party as this might not be fair to them or to me. So, you are all welcome to visit my new blog here and if you have previously linked to my blog or any of my posts; I kindly ask you to modify your link as this post is my last one on this location and my official blog is http://www.anolitasmind.com

To comment on this post; please click here

See you in my new location; you are all welcome to drop by!

أما صحيح قلة زوق

Khalidah — Wed, 09 Aug 2006 23:42:00 GMT

يعني أنا بصراحة مش عارفة كيف الناس بتفكر ... أو ما بتفكر بالمعنى الأصح!!

اليوم كان كتير زفت بالنسبة الي ... وصراحة كان مزاجي سيء جدا وما كنت مصدقة والنهار يخلص ... ولما أخيراً صار وقت أروّح ... بفتل بعيني ناحية الشباك ... وإذا بي أرى سيارتي محطوطة في موقف محرج للغاية ومزنوقة زنقة ... يا ساتر .. عن جد الله لا يزنق حدا

أنا سيارتي البيضاء

يعني كيف مخها حكالها إنه هدا شي عادي ... أنا ما بعرف

مش هون المشكلة ... القصة اني لما نزلت تحت وسألت عن صاحب السيارة المحترم (ة) ... قال لي حارس البناية إنها أخت محترمة بتشتغل بالطابق الأخير ... وعلى أساس راح يناديها ... لما وصل عندها قالت له مش سيارتي ... ورجع لعندي يجرجر أذيال الخيبة ... أنا بصراحة كبرت في دماغي ... كيف يعني مش سيارتها وهو الحارس كل يوم بيشوفها جاية فيها؟ وبكل وقاحة بتكذب وبتقول انها مش الها ...

أنا عصّبت ساعتها وطلع صوتي ... شو يعني قلة الاحترام وقلة الزوق هاي؟؟ على الأقل تورجيني رقعة وجهها وتقول سوري ما كان قصدي ... والمثل بيقول يا إخوان ... ورجي عذرك ولا تورجي بخلك ... وهاي لا عذر ولا بخل ... لا حيا ولا دخان جلّة ...

وطبعاً أنا حسيت حالي عادل إمام بمسرحية شاهد ما شافش حاجة لما كان بيحكي قصة الفيلم ... وأنا اتطلّعت حواليّ لقيت الناس طلعت من الشبابيك إلا أختنا بالله المعنيّة بالموضوع ... العرس عند جيرانها ... وفجأة بيطلوا اثنين شباب من شباك طابق أختنا وبيقولولي انها بعثت حدا يحل المشكلة ... وفجأة يظهر الفارس الهمام مسلحأ بمفتاح الليموزين ولكن ليخبرنا إنه الأخ المخضرم ما بيعرف يسوق ...

عرض على الحارس إنه يزيح البورش من محلها ... لكن الحارس رفض يتحمل مسؤولية ... فاجتهد الفارس المغوار وحل الغير (gear) عشان يدحلها دحل ... فكشرت عن أنيابي وقلت له إذا لمست سيارتي مجرد لمس، لا تلوم إلا نفسك ... فحط غماز وجلّس ... عصّبت أكثر ... وصاروا يعرضوا عليّ إنه واحد من الشباب ينط من شباك سيارتي ويطلعلي اياها ... فقلت: الله في سماه ما بتطلع سيارتي إلا لما تطلع سيارتها زي ما دخّلتها ...

ومش إنه الأخت تخجل وتنزل تحل المشكلة اللي هي خلقتها ... بعثت فارس مغوار ثاني ... وركب الأخ وشغّل ودفع السيارة لقدّام ... صاروا كلهم (اللي واقفين عندي واللي طالين من الشبابيك) يقولوا: خلص يا بنت الحلال، سيارتك طالعة ... قلت: أنا حلفت ما تطلع سيارتي إلا لما تطلع سيارتها زي ما فاتت ... وما قبلت إلا لما طلع السيارة من مكانها ... وقلت لفرسانها يخبروها إنه أنا بقول: إن لم تستح فافعل ما شئت ...

ول يا ناس ... إنه فوق ما هي غلطانة ووقحة ... ما تطل علي وتقول عفواً هنالك خطأ؟؟؟ أوكي يمكن خافت إني آكلها باسناني لو شفتها ... بس ما تنزل ... تبعث الفرسان وتطل من الطابق الرابع وتقول سوري ... بالله عليكم هاي مش قلة زوق؟؟؟

August JP Meet-up

Khalidah — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 00:26:00 GMT

The last time we had a meet-up, it was in May and it was a small meeting if I recall well. In June and July; we got caught up with the World Cup and the days flew by without us noticing that. Right after the WC, we have been watching, observing and experiencing the war on Lebanon and Palestine and it just seemed every one was caught up in something and we just could not make it.

Last week; I had a discussion about this with my dear friend Roba and we suggested today for the August JP meet-up and so it was.

We met at the Paris Library again because we liked it in April. This was a big meeting and we met some new bloggers; this was their first meet-up like Moey, Samer, Adel , Ziyad and Rana.

We discussed lots of things and we tried to make it light to take our minds off of the current situation even if for a couple of hours, but in the middle of the meeting; a small political debate broke among me, Dar, Adel, Roba, 7ala and Moey and later on Ahmad joined at the end of it but by then, the conversation had shifted to something else but also somewhat related; it ended smoothly exactly as it started although I was accused of not listening although I really was !!

A very interesting chat started among us and it was about all our childhood cartoon shows and we even sang some of their start songs; it really felt like we were that young and that innocent again.

Samer was sitting across from me and I kept teasing him and he kept laughing and smiling; such a lighthearted fellow and I would like to thank him for his good sports.

This was one of the longest meetings I have attended and many people showed up; I was particularly glad that Wael came to this meeting as this was the first time he comes to a meeting I attended. Also; there was Ahmad and Zeid who added a special flavor to the whole thing; thank you for showing up guys; it really has been long.

I will leave you with some of the pictures I took and as you can see; everyone is blending and having fun.

Laith, Rana, Dar, Adel, AbdelAziz, Nasim & Isam

Moey, Ibrahim, Jad & Salam

Abeer, Roba, Wael & Ziyad

Alaa & Samer

Isam & me (Thank you Samer for taking this photo)

We say we listen, but do we??

Khalidah — Sun, 23 Jul 2006 22:26:00 GMT

We keep hearing companies repeating that one of their strengths is that they listen to their clients, but do they really hear what they are telling them? Do they care that sometimes what the client wants to buy is not exactly what they want to sell?

In all the management books I read; it is mentioned that to be a good leader you have to listen with empathy. I remember that during one of the courses that I have taken a couple of years ago, the instructor was this elderly guru who has developed many companies and helped others make it; he told us that God has given us two ears and one mouth because it is wiser to listen more than we talk; that’s called wisdom.

In sales courses I have learned that selling is not about talking and good salespeople are not those who talk a lot; great salespeople are those who listen to their clients and eventually give them what they need.

It is unfortunate that when people are listening to you, they are actually not listening to understand; they are listening to respond and that means they are thinking of their next response and not comprehending what you are saying; that’s why we get engaged in conversations that are unsatisfying and more often than not, they end with no result at all.

Have you ever thought about this? Could it be that people fail in negotiations because they fail to listen? Could it be that we keep losing clients because we don’t really listen to their needs? Are we obsessed with what we sell that we completely ignore what people are actually looking to buy?

These are all valid scenarios and maybe we are subconsciously screwing up our opportunities because we suck at this simple skill; listening. We believe that our way is ultimately the right way and no matter how others try to describe their way of thinking, they will never e able to convince us, because like us, they don’t listen.

Companies wonder why they are losing clients, managers are always shocked that they are losing employees because they think that they are the best managers and they give their employees everything they ask for, but do they really? How could that be the case if they are not even prepared to listen to their internal customers? When will they see that it is not “my way or the high way” any more; talents are very hard to find and it is even harder to retain them especially with the severe brain drain that our country is suffering from.

Why don’t we at least try to understand the other point of view? Why should there be a dominant opinion over others? Who said everyone must see the world from the same angle? When will we start listening to what others are trying to say?

If we think deeper, we will find that when spouses have problems, it is because they don’t listen to each other, and it is like a conflict where there should be a winner and a loser; if you ever read John Gray’s “Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus” you would understand what I a talking about here. Same applies between parents and children, professors (teachers) and students, managers and employees, leaders and followers, even between friends. The everlasting struggles that keep us thinking without any result, it causes fights and hot debates, when will people understand that it does not necessarily mean that I am against you if I don’t agree with what you believe in? could this happen one day???

She dies a hundred times a day!

Khalidah — Mon, 17 Jul 2006 22:06:00 GMT

We have a family relative that was diagnosed with breast cancer over nine years ago. At the time; she was told by doctors that she will not last six months but her desire to live and raise her young children was way stronger than cancer cells.

She went through all available treatments to lengthen her stay with her kids and she had undergone different surgeries, sacrificing many things for the greater cause that kept haunting her ideas; all she thought about was her youngest daughter that was less than one year old.

She kept fighting and struggling, but the cancer cells kept coming back in different forms and hitting new organs of her fragile body; yet she never lost hope, faith or determination to keep on living.

She was told that her cancer cells were one of the worst kinds out there and they will keep coming back. Her trips back and forth to the hospital have become so common to her and her kids who accompanied her and made sure they understood every word told to them by doctors; they wanted to be there for their mother as she is struggling to be there for them.

In the midst of all this turmoil, she loses her husband and she is left alone to struggle through life and sickness. The responsibility of kids’ welfare has doubled overnight and she is now terrified to die because then her kids would have no one in this world and she just could not let that happen.

She kept her brave fight and overcame cancer at one point only to be beaten by it at another; it won’t leave her alone and it kept coming back in different forms till it took over and there was no more energy to fight it or overcome it.

Nine years after the first diagnosis; she was finally sent home to spend her last days with her kids. She can no longer move or take care of herself; her legs are already dead, her arms are following and she cannot swallow. Her daughters move her and change her position in bed; they clean and apply medication on her burned skin and the only thing they hear coming from her mouth are her prayers to Allah to take her to him.

Tonight; I saw her daughter and she was in tears telling us how she and her brothers and sisters are watching their mother die every day. She faints for several hours and comes back thinking that she just blinked and they no longer can give her medication because she is unable to swallow and doctors tell her that food goes to the cancer cells and does not benefit her in any way.

The reason I am posting about this is to ask you to pray for her and ask Allah to bless her with his mercy and forgiveness. May Allah have mercy on all of us; it is true that you don’t know the value of health until you have lost it.

The Look!

Khalidah — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 16:41:00 GMT

It has been a very long time since I posted anything on my blog and I really miss my readers and fellow bloggers. I miss the action that some topics trigger among us, I miss debates and most of all; I miss writing.

Coming back to my blog bit by bit; I decided to give it a makeover and I felt like blue! You see; there is a special bond between yours truly and the blue color with its different shades; I just love it and connect with it on a psychological level, hence; my Mind has just turned blue!

Back to this post and why I felt the urge to write after all this time; there is a phenomenon that really annoys me and I really want to rant some about it and maybe you can help me understand and cope with it.

We all take walks in Amman's streets; we go into supermarkets, malls, bookshops, restaurants, stores … etc. Sometimes we take walks downtown where streets are full of people coming and going and you cannot help bumping into them as you go by. These are all normal things but what is it with people who ogle you and give you the look as if they are weighing you from head to toe and sometimes the other way? What is that look exactly?

Sometimes you cannot enjoy a meal at a restaurant because people stare at your direction and try to figure out what you have ordered. Other times you are walking down the street to notice that the person walking in your direction is staring at your shoes or clothes and then makes eye contact with you before he/she moves along or breaks the stare. What is that?

Some people change their face expressions to make sure that the message got through to you; they did not like you or how you look or what you are wearing and they want to make sure that you know it. They will only break the stare when they make eye contact with you and twist their mouths to convey to you: dude; I hate you, I hate the way you look, the way you walk, your clothes, your color, your features; I hate you!

I have to wonder; don't these people know that it is rude to stare? Didn't their mothers teach them not to do that because people don’t appreciate being ogled? When will they learn that it is a bad manner to gaze at someone with no reason?

The other day; I was going home with my dad after I went to see my doctor; I was feeling weak and very sick; it was only one week after my surgery and my wound was not healing; it got infected and I had to pass by the pharmacy to get the antibiotics the doctor prescribed. I went in and there were two pharmacists at the counter; they were busy with clients so I waited and did not give them my prescription.

The pharmacist closer to me noticed that I was not in my best state and told me to have a seat and relax while he fills the prescription and took it from me. I appreciated this kind gesture and was happy to take the seat but the guy who was being served at the time did not like it; he gave me "the look"! he stared at me and gave me the head to toe evaluation gaze; I tried to ignore it but he kept standing there and staring at me till he made eye contact with me; he twisted his mouth and shook his head as if to say that I did not deserve the good treatment that I got from the pharmacist, then he took the medication and went out without even saying: thank you!

What is that?

What is it that makes people who do not know you judge you and condemn you at the same time by giving you "the look"? Is it arrogance? Being judgmental? Feeling superior? Or feeling less?

I am one of those people who feel it when they are being watched or stared at, so you can imagine the dismay and discomfort I feel when it happens. Sometimes I stare back till they break the stare but I can't do that all the time as I don’t want to start an eye fight out of nothing; they hate me already!

I just want to say that if you ever catch yourself staring at someone for any reason, remember that they might not like it especially if they are not from those who crave attention. On the other hand; if you are being stared at, do your best to ignore it because it will not make any difference in your life or the current situation if you did not, and remember that it is their problem if they are staring at you and you don’t have to do anything about it!

Breaking Habits!

Khalidah — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 09:17:00 GMT

Breaking habits is one of the most difficult things in life; it takes a lot of effort, energy, time and determination to break a habit you have. Habits become a second nature to us when we do them all the time and when one breaks them, there are withdrawal issues to deal with.

Sometimes; we are forced into adopting new habits and by default the old ones get out of the way given some time to pass. Other times; we are forced to stop doing something we are used to do because of circumstances and events of life. What is really interesting though; is the fact that when these circumstances are passed and over and you want to get back to your old routine, it is as difficult to get into a habit as it is to break one.

I haven't been functional in the blogosphere for the past couple of weeks because of my surgery. It is really funny how the human body is weak enough to make everything ache when one organ is hurt or wounded; as if this organ is getting all the support from other body parts to help it cope with the pain and heal faster. This is exactly what was happening to me the past couple of weeks; it seemed as if everything was put on hold till my wound is healed and here I am; although I am not 100% functional yet but I am at work and doing my best to get back into my real life one more time and I am telling you; this is not easy!

I thought I should start by writing a post on my blog to get things going again and maybe induce some refreshment in my daily routine. Needless to say; I would like to thank everyone that contacted me during my illness and wished me good health; thank you everyone!

I am almost back!

Coming back to life!

Khalidah — Fri, 16 Jun 2006 00:27:00 GMT

I have been away from the blogosphere and my favorite hobby of blogging for a whole week. The reason is that I have undergone a surgery on Saturday and I am home now; recovering!

Did I ever mention to you that I really do not like hospitals? I don’t like their smell, the staffs, the procedures, the medications, the needles … etc. But again; who does? But what I really don’t like the most is the obnoxious staffs and their mediocre or even below mediocre service, but I survived!

I will be back to my blog and readers soon; I just need some time to come back to life again. Right now; I am literally living on pain killers and sleeping most of the time, so ladies and gentlemen ... my friends; hang on and wait for more posts about this experience; I just felt like I needed to communicate with all of you because I really miss you!!

Tiny creepy blood suckers!!

Khalidah — Wed, 07 Jun 2006 16:15:00 GMT

In case you are wondering what I am talking about; it is the mosquitoes!! Oh how I hate those creepy tiny things that keep roaming around you and never give up until they have sucked up your blood or died trying.

It seems to me that they hibernate right under your nose and at the first sign of warmth and heat, they go into feeding frenzy mode and they are all over you. No matter what you use from insecticides; they still find a way around it and get to your blood.

As mush as I hate these tiny pests; I am fascinated by their construction and persistence. As light and insignificant they are; they are more complicated than you think; just some of the strange facts about them; get this: mosquitoes are responsible for the most human deaths world-wide!

They prefer children to adults and blondes to brunettes; so the argument I used to get from my sisters was a valid one. You see, they have skin color that is way lighter than mine and you can say they tend to be blonde while I am a brunette, so it makes sense now.

Mosquitoes can detect a moving target that is 15 ft away! Can you imagine that? So if I was in a room and the mosquito was in the next room, it will detect my movement and come for my blood; talk about scary!

The average life span of the mosquito is 3 – 100 days and she is the blood sucker; on the other hand; her male peer has a life span of 10 – 20 days and does not suck blood; interesting, ha?

A mosquito can smell its live host (that is basically us humans or any live animals) from a distance of 20 – 35 m! Boy! We really don’t stand a chance with them.

Mosquitoes don't see very well, but they zoom in like a heat-seeking missile. In the spherical arrangement of their compound eyes, blind spots separate each eye from the next one. As a result, they can't see you until they are 30 feet (10 meters) away. Even then, they have trouble distinguishing you from any object of similar size and shape: tree stump, 55-gallon drum, etc. When they are 10 feet (3 meters) away they use extremely sensitive thermal receptors on the tip of their antennae to locate blood near the surface of the skin. The range of these receptors increases threefold when the humidity is high.

The most fascinating fact I learned about these creatures is that although they are into blood sucking; they do not transfer AIDS from someone infected to someone who is not. Studies with HIV clearly show that the virus responsible for the AIDS infection is regarded as food to the mosquito and is digested along with the blood meal.

Mosquitoes Do Not Ingest Enough HIV Particles to Transmit AIDS by Contamination.
An AIDS-free individual would have to be bitten by 10 million mosquitoes that had begun feeding on an AIDS carrier to receive a single unit of HIV from contaminated mosquito mouth parts. Most people have heard that mosquitoes regurgitate saliva before they feed, but are unaware that the food canal and salivary canal are separate passageways in the mosquito. The mosquito's feeding apparatus is an extremely complicated structure that is totally unlike the crude single-bore syringe. Unlike a syringe, the mosquito delivers salivary fluid through one passage and draws blood up another. As a result, the food canal is not flushed out like a used needle, and blood flow is always unidirectional. The mechanics involved in mosquito feeding are totally unlike the mechanisms employed by the drug user's needles. In short, mosquitoes are not flying hypodermic needles and a mosquito that disgorges saliva into your body is not flushing out the remnants of its last blood meal.

Ok! It is cool to learn more facts about these creatures that disrupt your sleep almost every night in the summer. They suck your blood and feed on it leaving you with a mark that can easily turn into a scar if you mess with it. To me; I would rather that the mosquito sucks my blood and leave me alone to go back to sleep than roam around my ear with this annoying wizzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz sound; what is it with mosquitoes and ears? Isn't it enough that they are feeding on us that they have to always rub it in? why do we have to be awake for them to get the job done? Damn! I really hate mosquitoes!!!

To read more about them; please click here and here

Ranting about the hot weather!

Khalidah — Tue, 06 Jun 2006 10:59:00 GMT

My least favorite season of the year is here and I am sweating already. I have always been a winter person; I love the rain and the cold weather. I have always said to myself that if you ever get cold, you can put on some warm clothes, you can sit near the heating source or you can tuck yourself under covers, but what can you do when you get hot? You cannot remove your own skin, now can you?

If my memory serves me; the weather was not always this hot! The summer was somewhat tolerable, but now it seems that noon is the minute we open our eyes in the morning and I am always inclined to say that I go out of the house at 7:30 noon time and not morning time because this is how it feels.

The moment I enter my car in the morning; it is boiling inside and I really need a few minutes to get used to the heated seat and steering wheel; sometimes I cannot even touch it because it is too hot. Thank God I have a conditioned car.

When I was a little girl; my dad used to take us to picnics in the summer. We used to choose spots under trees and spend the day playing games, singing and of course BBQ'ing. Sometimes we went to the sea or the hot springs where we swam almost all day long; what a refreshing feeling.

As grown ups now; we spend our weekdays behind desks in closed office rooms, some of which are not air conditioned and you are stuck with heat coming from the outside and the inside because of breath and heat generated by machines; not attractive.

What I like about summer though is the many fruits that fill the shelves of supermarkets. Summer fruits are juicy, sweet and full of useful fibers. Nothing compares to a slice of cold watermelon in a hot day, or a plate full of different kinds of fruits to allow you to pick and choose.

Cold drinks and juices are another great option to help you deal with the hot weather. Imagine yourself walking down the street in a very hot day; what is the first thing that comes to your mind? A glass of icy water or cold juice? Maybe a slush is the best choice here!

What about ice cream? I really love ice cream in all shapes, flavors and colors. I am prepared to have it any time, summer or winter. Whoever invented ice cream was a genius and applaud him for this great product. I am sad that we cannot get to Jerard's that easy these days, don’t you love their ice cream?

Swimming is another option but only when you have the time. Unfortunately; we don’t have a beach in Amman; I really wish we had because swimming would be a lot better than closed swimming pools scattered here and there. Not all of these pools are clean, not all of them are suitable and we don’t even have enough time in the day to have this luxury. That’s why when I was in Aqaba last August; I really did not want to get out of the water!

Thankfully; I have air conditioning in my car and in my office, yet I am ranting about the heat because I really can't take it. I really feel for people who are forced to conduct their work out in the open under the angry sun; these people really suffer from the heat and sometimes do not even have the time to do something about it; for example stop for a cold drink or sit in the shade.

The minute I saw Hajaj's caricature in the newspaper today; it inspired me to post about the heat and here I am sharing it with everyone. This guy really expresses my thoughts!

What a couple of days - Ranting!!!

Khalidah — Mon, 29 May 2006 22:53:00 GMT

Yesterday and today were really something to blog about and that’s exactly what I am doing now! My day yesterday started out with almost falling out of bed after the long weekend and although I did my best to sleep earlier than usual, I really needed another couple of hours to make me human again, but eh! Sleeping does not pay the bills, does it?

After performing my morning rituals of getting ready; I headed out of the door with my sister. It was her first day at her new job and I had to give her a ride, naturally! But to do that, I had to change my daily route in order to drop her. I work in Sweifieh and she on third circle, so I drove from Sahab to the 3^rd circle and then I had to deal with the traffic from there to my office. Needless to say; I arrived at work so depressed and tired; not a good way to start the week!

Work day officially started and things became normal for a while. Some of the team members were at Webex preparing for the opening as we are one of the event sponsors. We were all supposed to be there so we headed towards Hayyat Hotel in the afternoon, my colleagues 7ala, Rasha and Wedad rode with me. Wedad suggested that I park at Zara and since it is my first time there (believe it or not), I did exactly that.

We were stopped, searched and checked; so were the car and our purses. After we were finally allowed in, we took the elevator to the floor that hosts the exhibition but I had to go get my badge and papers for the IAA conference that I am attending the next day; i.e. today!

Calling the lady who called me in the morning to ask where I was supposed to pick them up was of no use; she said go to level B, I asked in which tower? She said: who is this? I identified myself and my company and then she says: is Nisreen there with you? Who the hell is Nisreen and what does this have to do with my question? She said: ok no problem, thank you and she hung up!!

I was fuming and started talking to my cell phone repeating the word; stupid, stupid, stupid!!! I went down all levels and then climbed up again; no use! Finally; I came across someone who recognized me from VIVA article! He introduced himself and strange enough; I had just come across his blog that very same day! Although he works for Maktoob (kidding), but I think that God was looking after me at that time!

Samer told me that I had to go to the hotel to get the IAA papers and complete my registration and off I went. Anyone who knows this hotel well will know that it is not a picnic in the park; it was a long walk! Finally; I arrived that Level B and was able to complete the task I came for, and then headed back.

I had set up an appointment with my dear friend Lina to show her a catalogue of traditional dresses that my mother makes and met her at our booth at webex. We took a small tour around and out of no where; an elderly guy comes to me and insists that he talks to me. I thought that he was about to ask me why I was taking pictures or that he will pitch me about something technical or give me a brochure, but no, it was none of the above. The main reason he wanted to talk to me was that he has a cure for my obesity! He has some magical recipe that will turn me overnight into Miss Jordan; that is if we had one! I said: thank you but I am really not interested, he said: but I can prove it to you, I said: thank you but I really don’t want to, he said: are you sure? It will make you lose weight and I said for the last time: I really, really don’t want to know about it.

Lina was shocked how he had the courage or the nerve to approach me like that and I told her that I am used to these nice gentlemen trying to cure my problem for me; every time I go downtown; someone pops up with yet another magical recipe to lose weight. Lina said that this is worth blogging about and here I am!

She said that she is happy with how I deal with the issue and I told her that I had learned to come to terms with my weight problem and accept these gestures with an open heart and not take them as insults. It took me four long years to understand what lazy thyroid, PCOS and hormonal imbalance really mean and I am doing my best to work on the consequences of all of the above, so I am not going to worry myself with little intrusions like that one.

After I showed Lina the stuff I brought and I hope she liked them, I gave her a short ride to the front of the hotel where she had parked and found my sister waiting for me there, took her and drove to Jebal Al Hussein were I bought some shoes; I promise you that if I did not desperately need to do that, I wouldn’t have gone but that was that.

Finally home at 10:30 and already feeling dead, I saw the family a bit and then tucked in my bed at around 12:00, I was ready to sleep deeply.

I woke up this morning at 7:00, showered and thankfully did not slip like Hala did, and made it out of the house at around 8:00. I dropped my sister at her work and headed back to Hayyat Amman Hotel to attend the first day of IAA conference. This was a whole day event with interesting speakers, but talking about it will have to take another post; probably tomorrow. All I remember now is why the hell did I have so many things in my bag? Boy! it was really heavy! Right now; I really want to get some rest because I had a really long couple of days with little rest in this hot weather; God save us in the summer!

JP Meeting on Independence Day!!

Khalidah — Thu, 25 May 2006 23:57:00 GMT

I just came back from Jordan Planet’s meet-up for the month of May and I really had so much fun today. It was not a large number, and every one got engaged in different discussions and shared some good laughs.

We had the meeting at Salad House in Abdoun; I really like this place as it is quiet, food is great and the service is above average, so we chose it to host our meeting for this month and it was a good choice after all.

I was in a social mood tonight and I enjoyed the chats I had with all fellow bloggers; it is amazing how you always find something to talk about with people who have so much to say and share with others, so when you are a part of s bloggers’ meeting, silence is just not invited.

Some of the bloggers who attended do not belong to Jordan Planet yet; however; they applied and awaiting approval such as my friend and colleague 7ala and my other friend Fadi K.

It was a small meeting and it was lively especially with Laith Majali as a part of the group; this guy really knows how to stir an audience and I am glad we had the meeting with him in town.

A lot of the regular attendees were a no-show this time but it is quite understandable with the long weekend and the special occasion. Speaking of which; Amman was buzzing with activity tonight, and like every year; Fastlink held its fireworks fiesta in Abdound, Al Hussein Gardens, Jabal Al Qal3a and Al Qwaismeh. Cars were decorated with the Jordanian Flag. Even some of the bloggers like Jad and Laith Majali left early to go to Al Hussein Gardens to attend the musical celebration and fireworks, and I asked them to take a lot of pictures but not to use flickr when they post them on their blogs so that fellow Jordanian bloggers in KSA and UAE can see them because of banning flickr in these countries; they promised they would do that!

A funny thing happened; all through the meeting, Roba repeatedly declared her desire to get a flag, and as we were going out, my sister’s friend gave her a ride so that she can go home with me, and he had 2 flags; a big one that he spread on the back seat of his car and a small one that was posted on the rear of his car, so I snatched the latter (after his permission of course) and made Roba’s wish come true!

Roba, that felt so cool!!

Here are some pictures from tonight, and Happy Independence Day Jordan!

Ibrahim Yaqti and Abdelaziz

Ibrahim Owais, Laith Majali, Joe, Nadir and Roba

Jad Madi taking a picture of me :)

Nadir, Mira, Roba, Hala and Fadi K

Jad Madi and Laith Majali

I really loved loved loved this picture :)

Something you don't see every day!!

Khalidah — Mon, 08 May 2006 20:46:00 GMT

The other day I went to Salad House in Abdoun area only to find this out of place scene, so my camera was ready to document it and share it with every one :)

And now you know how we pamper our cows, they graze in Abdoun!

A Prominent Egyptian blogger needs HELP!

Khalidah — Mon, 08 May 2006 13:34:00 GMT

All those who read my blog probably know by now that I am not politically oriented in any direction. Regardless of the reasons; my blog is purely directed towards culture related issues and relationships between genders in our Arab Muslim communities.

Having clarified that; I can get to the purpose I am posting about this.

I was approached by fellow bloggers from Egypt to post about Alaa Abd El Fatah who is one of the first and prominent bloggers in Egypt. Alaa was detained while participating in a peaceful protest as the links stated below.

I am responding to the kind request that I received so that more people can read about this and contact the Egyptian embassies to demand release of Alaa. You can find all the details and contact information in these links below.

Good luck to all.

From Rantings of a SandMonkey

Alaa Arrested
Its War

From Haitham Sabbah

Prominent Egyptian blogger arrested and several other activists

From Ahmad Humeid

Prominent Egyptian blogger arrested and several other activists

Disclaimer: posting about this is only to respond to a kind request I received from fellow bloggers and does not necessarily mean that I agree or adopt any of the opinions they believe or stand for. Their own opinions are a refection of their beliefs and this post is in no way related to them.

Picture I took of a newborn child!

Khalidah — Sun, 30 Apr 2006 01:03:00 GMT

I have a new baby niece ... please meet Mira, born on April 29th, 2006 at 10:30 P.M.!

The minute she got out of delivery room

In the nursery

April Jordan Planet Meet-Up ... Refreshing as Spring!

Khalidah — Fri, 14 Apr 2006 00:10:00 GMT

Today was great! We had our Jordan Planet Meet-Up!

New bloggers showed up, and old ones were also there, and here is a list of their names in no particular order, total number of 31, and forgive me for not linking to the blogs at this time!

- Isam Bayazidi
- Nasim Tamimi
- Darwish Naji
- Abeer Bayazidi
- Jad Madi
- Laith Zraikat
- Anan Al Wanneh
- Yazan Jaber
- Ibrahim Yaqit Yakti
- Abdelaziz
- Muhannad Malkawi
- Wedad Fallas
- Kinzi
- Salam Najjar
- Roba Al Asi
- Amin Malhas
- Sarah Mbeideen
- Marcy Newman
- Lina Ejeilat
- Amin Matalqa
- Natasha Twal
- Batir Wardam
- Sasha Abzagh
- Manar Abed
- Mira Shnoudi
- Nader Shnoudi
- Ibrahim Oweis
- Ammar Ibrahim
- Dima
- Ala'a Ibrahim
- Khalidah

Here are some pictures of the nice meeting:

Roba, Amin Malhas & Sarah

Marcy & Lina

Amin Matalqa & Natasha

Natasha & Isam

Abeer, Jad & Darwish

Isam, Nasim & Abeer

Muhannad & Wedad

Lovely Kinzi

Jad, Laith, Abdelaziz, Muhannad & Wedad

Salam, Roba, Amin Malhas & Sarah

Jad, Laith, Manar, Ibrahim, Yazan, Abdelaziz, Muhannad & Wedad

Abeer, Ibrahim Oweis & Ala'a

Ibrahim, Yazan, Nader & Mira

Marcy, Amin Malhas & Amin Matalqa

Part of the Cafe

The Cafe from outside

Indeed! A Picture does speak a thousand words! ... Enjoy!!!

You Definitely Must Get Your Hands on VIVA This Month!!

Khalidah — Thu, 13 Apr 2006 16:06:00 GMT

Inspired by my friend and fellow blogger Tololy; I am posting my own VIVA page here for everyone to see. Click to enlarge;

We were supposed to take the pictures in one of the most famous cafe's in Amman, but for some reason they retracted from the commitment and told us that it is not allowed to take pictures there, so we went to another restaurant and took many pictures. All I remember is that the photographer was urging me to smile and so I did; I hope you will like the picture; I do and my parents, my colleagues also do.

I would really like to thank Kinzi for all the great stuff she said about all of us, and for this great exposure. Many thanks to VIVA Magazine for shedding light on talents like the beautiful fellow lady bloggers featured with me and maybe next time focus on some of the great guys out there as well.

The featured Bloggers are: Natasha, Roba, Salam, Tololy, Lina, and meeeeee

Update on: To Date or not to Date??

Khalidah — Tue, 11 Apr 2006 11:47:00 GMT

I have posted a review on an article "To Date or not to Date??" that was featured in VIVA Magazine – March Issue. The feedback I got on that specific post was great and the author of the article Mrs. Laura Haddad thought so too. Your great feedback was featured in the magazine in this month's issue; click on the image to view the PDF File;

I would like to thank you all for the great feedback and for getting your voices heard, and I would like to specially thank VIVA Magazine for following up with us and for the great topics they feature every month.

Today is my Birthday!!

Khalidah — Wed, 29 Mar 2006 15:00:00 GMT

I was not going to mention this on my blog because since morning; only a couple of friends remembered that it is my Birthday today and one of them was so kind as to post about it, thank you Ramroom. Not even family members recognized the date which was expected, I guess!

What I did not know till an hour ago, that all my colleagues in Jeeran were planning a surprise party for me when I did not even know that they were aware of the BD thing!

Not only they invited me for lunch, but everyone was there and they have even brought me a cake and gave me a BD card that held all their kind wishes and signatures; frankly; I did not see this coming!

Thank you Jeeran team for making this day special, memorable and enjoyable!!

Goodbye is the hardest word …

Khalidah — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:39:00 GMT

She is really leaving, and we only have a few days left with her to share for the last time what it feels to be sisters in the same household; fighting on who gets to shower first or what show to watch on TV, or why she never returns the stuff she takes from my room, and now she is preparing to leave and I am finally realizing how much I will miss her.

I still remember the day she was born; all I knew is that I had a new baby sister. She was an angel that added flavor to our routine life at the time. From that moment on; I became her babysitter, her protector, her everything.

I remember all the times I took her out to play and all the times that I was there for her when she needed someone or when she hurt herself, or when someone hurt her. She used to turn to me giving me a sense of deep responsibility and attachment towards her and her whole life.

I watched her grow and become more beautiful; I really don’t know how the years passed by so quickly and all of a sudden, she was no longer my baby sister; she is a grown woman who is set on her way to start a new life on her own.

On her wedding day; I felt like her mother not her sister; I was always like a guardian to her and she was being taken away to be on her own. I think I understood then how parents feel when they are forced to let go of their children and here I am; forced to let go of her as she prepares to leave not only our house, but the whole country.

Suddenly; there isn't enough time to hang out with her and the sense of loss is sinking in very quickly. I am imagining the house without her presence and it does not feel good, she is really going away and her room will be clod and empty.

I realize that there comes a point when each is of us will be on their way to start a new life with a partner that they love and care for, but we are closing a mutual phase to enter separate ones. We will no longer hang out like we used to do, and she will not come to me when she needs to talk, because she is leaving the country to be with the man she chose to be her husband.

Suddenly; I want the life clock to stop working and spare me some time with my sweet little sister who has become a woman overnight.

Nothing in the world can help us prepare for the moment that we will finally say goodbye, and just watch her leave. Words, tears and heartache are not enough to will never express the true feelings that are buried inside because we want her to leave with an open heart and look forward to the shared happiness and stability of a good marriage with a good guy.

To my beloved sister; you have always been and will continue to be a part of my heart, and I wish all the luck in the world to be on your side. I wish you and your husband a good happy life that is full of good fortune and future.

You are now going into a new era of your life, one that will be sometimes tough and sometimes good. My advice to you is to be always moderate and not expect life to always be a journey over the rainbow; some days will be good but some other days will be bad, so take enough of the good fortunate days to help you take and get through the bad ones.

Even though we are saying goodbye now, we will always be together and share wonderful memories and moments that no one else can take away, make these memories your resort that you go back to whenever you miss us or feel like you want to take a piece of the past and plant it to give you roses for the future.

It will never be the same and as hard as it is to set you free and watch you leave, with all the love we have for you in our hearts, we wish you the best of luck for your life and future, May God bless you and always guide you in your life.

Personal Accountability … is it so hard to adopt?

Khalidah — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 10:21:00 GMT

I have just finished a great book about practicing personal accountability at work and life; this book is called "QBQ!", and to translate this acronym; it stands for: Question Behind the Question!

I enjoyed reading this book a lot because it is not your ordinary self help book that takes you through pages and pages of explanations and examples of how we should do this or that and how it would affect our attitudes and lives to change what we are doing and so on and so forth.

This book is digestible that I finished it in a few days. The author takes you in a lovely journey of discoveries within yourself that lead you at the end of it to grasp the concept and believe that it will truly affect your behavior, attitude and life in general.

One of the things that I liked about this book is that it is written in a very simple language and without unnecessary long paragraphs. Each chapter is 2 or 3 pages; concise and right to the point.

The most important thing I learned is that the questions we often ask ourselves are as important as the way we ask them and what words we pick to include in them as these words are an indication of something deeper than the surface.

Questions like: why me? Who did this? When are we going to get proper assistance? Are questions of blame and dependency and instead of asking these questions in any situation we face, be it in our work or personal life; we should switch to questions that give us power over any of these situations. Such questions should start with "What" or "How", and they should contain the pronoun "I" and have an action verb that urges us to take action proactively and claim the responsibility to ourselves. This is what we call "Personal Accountability".

Listing some of the bad questions we usually find ourselves asking; and ones that we should adopt instead: (BQ = Bad Question, GQ = Good Question)

In Customer care:

BQ: Why does the customer expect so much?

GQ: How can I serve them?

In Sales:

BQ: Why won't the customer call me back?

GQ: How can I add value for my customers?

In Management:

BQ: Why aren't my team members motivated?

GQ: What can I do to better understand each person on the team?

In Executive:

BQ: When are they going to catch the vision?

GQ: How can I be a better leader?

The Front Line:

BQ: Why do we have to go through all this change?

GQ: How can I adapt to the changing environment?

In Marketing:

BQ: When will the salespeople deliver our program?

GQ: What can I do to understand the sales reps' frustration?

In Parenthood:

BQ: When is my child going to listen to me?

GQ: What can I do to improve my parenting skills?

Teenager:

BQ: When are my parents going to get it?

GQ: What can I do to communicate more effectively?

Spouse:

BQ: When will she appreciate me more?

GQ: What can I do to help her out?

The list goes on and on and I think you get the picture now as to how to implement this in your own lives. The point is that the choice is really ours to make, we can decide and choose our attitudes and reactions towards everything that takes place in our lives. So take a moment and ask yourself; how willing are you to get out of your dependency shell and take responsibility once and for all? Are you ready to become accountable for everything you say or do? Are you ready to work on yourself and those around you to grasp and adopt personal accountability?

If you answer these questions positively; then don't wait and take action to make it happen. If you answered negatively; then maybe it is time for you to start a journey within your soul to determine when and how you are going to start the new path towards becoming accountable.