Cinnamon Zone

Office Graffiti

Wed, 07 May 2008 08:47:00 GMT

Phobias You Never Knew Existed

Fri, 02 May 2008 10:38:00 GMT

Yesterday I was out shopping when I saw this issue of Cartoon Network Magazine, with the picture of Courage the Cowardly Dog freaking out on the cover. Well, I like this cartoon it’s pretty funny and my little brother is a big fan of it, so I decided to take it home.

As I went through the magazine I found something really interesting. It was a two-page spread titled: Courage the Cowardly Dog Top 20 Phobias. And I’, saying it was interesting because it turned out there are types of phobias much more than I imagined. I mean, it’s like people can be afraid of everything, weird things.

For example, why would anyone be scared of knees? Yes, there’s actually a name for it, Genuphobia. Maybe it’s the fear of having someone’s knee banging against your head. Well, what are the odds? Anyway…

It even gets more ridiculous when it comes to the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth. Yes, it’s out there and there’s a name for it: Arachibutyrophobia. Well, how about Nutella sticking to the roof of your mouth, makes any difference? I know someone who doesn’t like to drink orange juice because it gives her that sticky feeling in her throat, I wonder if there’s a name for that!

Anyhow, it also turned out that “being afraid of your own shadow” isn’t just an idiomatic expression, seems like some people are actually afraid of their own shadows and that has a name, Sciophobia. So the next time you’re having a conversation with someone and you’re trying to look smart you can go like: Oh, that man is unbelievable! He’s such a sciophobic chicken! Yes, you might lose a few friends…

Now let’s go back in time a bit. Have you ever as a child looked underneath your bed before going to sleep? I used to call that obsessive compulsive disorder, but it turned out there’s a name for it, it’s Clinophobia, the fear of going to bed because you’re not sure what’s going to be hiding under it.

Well, probably if you have read thus far it’s safe to say you don’t suffer from Logophobia, or fear of words. You probably don’t suffer from Sophophobia, which is the fear of learning. Still, you might be suffering from Hippoptomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, that is the fear of long words. You might want to check that out, let’s see: Antidisestablishmentarianism, now how does that feel?

It might not be a big problem to be afraid of words that probably few people can pronounce and even less people often use. But it you’re a guy and you suffer from Caligynephobia or Parthenophobia, which are respectively the fear of beautiful women and the fear of girls, then you might want to use the help of a shrink. Unless that beautiful woman you’re afraid of is more than 60 years old, then you might be suffering from Gerontophobia, the fear of old people.

All of the above might be of little of no significance when compared to suffering from Panophobia, the fear of EVERYTHING. Or, maybe you’re not afraid anything except phobias themselves, AKA Phobophobia. Well in that case, good luck with your life!

What puts "Labour" in "Labour Day"

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 23:12:00 GMT

Ever wondered why Labour Day is on the first day of the month?

Wednesday, 30 April

It’s a new day! Rise, shine and behold: it’s the last day of the week. Having a Wednesday as the last workday is an unspeakable joy for any employee. That day being the last day in the whole month, double so.

It’s around 8:20 AM, I’m approaching the company and as I take a load of the gigantic glass windows I think of the work waiting for me behind those walls, and to tell you the truth, it didn’t make me exactly cheerful. But still, something in the back of my mind reminded me that it’s the 30^th of April, and in order for today’s work to be counted as a bonus, it had to be done before May strikes.

I arrive at the office, and honestly I’m having a hard time remembering whether I’d chatted with anybody before I unloaded my stuff and switched my computer on. However, I can clearly remember that the clock on the screen read 8:23, at which time I started working keen not be disturbed. I tried not to open any conversation with anyone and shunned those as politely and quickly as I could.

I was so absorbed that I didn’t even notice Amjad doing his daily routine errand: comes by with a mug in his hand, stands at the door off the office, throws a teasing remark and goes back to his office quickly. I was setting a time limit for myself to finish each and every part of what I was working on. I didn’t stop for long even when Ruba rushed into the office all angry and infuriated after the program she was working on encountered a fatal error and her work wasn’t saved, yet again.

Naturally, I wasn’t the only one swamped. The whole office seemed to be on a rush. After all it was the 30^th of April, and we were finishing up the month. Even when I went to pray, I could still hear the sound of phone ringing and people walking in the hallway. Not to mention the endless talk about salaries, bonus, overtime, deductions, etc.

By 1:00 o’clock, I was starting to doze off. My head felt so heavy and my eyes hurt. A break? Well, a 15 minutes doze wouldn’t kill anyone. When it comes to taking naps on hard wooden desks, I’m the one to turn to. Later on, Sireen, who was desperate for a nap and has an urgent work to do came by sulking, and we all shared the same notion: We all want this day to end.

By around 4:20, I’m done. My head feels like one of those African Zulu drums. But, still, it’s the 30^th of April, and I could feel that I earned the day off. I was having raptures of joy, the month is over and it was officially announced that whoever finished his work could go home anytime. Have a nice weekend!

At home, a nice healthy meal, a walk and a sniff of fresh air could turn your world around. To top all, a blog post just before bedtime for all the workers in the world, whether you were the CEO of a multi-national company or just selling newspapers at the traffic lights, for each and everyone of you making this world unstoppingly viable: It’s labour day, and you’ve earned it.

On April 18...

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 13:46:00 GMT

On 18 April 1996, during Operation Grapes of Wrath, a Fijian UNIFIL compound in the village of Qana was shelled by Israeli artillery, killing 106 civilians and injuring around 116 others who had taken refuge there to escape the fighting. Now, 12 years later, Qana Massacre is to be remembered. 10 years later, it became known as the First Qana Massacre, after being encored on July 30th. Truely, history doesn't repeat itself, it just rhymes. The same village, the same atrocity, the same criminals, the same silence by the international community, only different, new more victims.

This is a video with facts and pictures from both massacres...

Jordanian Filmmakers Blog

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:54:00 GMT

Here's something interesting for you! The Jordanian film industry join forces with the Jordanian blogosphere as the Jordanian Filmmaker's Blog is finally up and running. Check it out and stay tuned for updates...

http://jordaniansustrip.blogspot.com