Shoot 4 The Moon,: Love and Passion

An angel celebrating his first birthday!

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:14:00 GMT

Our little angel Mahmoud has celebrated his first birthday last night with a small crowd of family kids!

365 days ago, Mahmoud came to life to change the world in his own way! :)

As passionate parents, we can't wait to see Mahmoud growing up and becoming an independent mature man who takes decisions on his own and chooses his own path for life. I think that would be the best day all along our lives!

I think the Mahmoud's charming smile can say a lot, so I just want to conclude with this nice short quote for John Bowring. It says: "A happy family is but an earlier heaven."

Happy birthday, little Hammodeh... keep growing :)

P.S. a previous post predicting the future of our kids is posted here. enjoy reading it!

Amman Twestival '09 - The future of Social media in Arab World

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:03:00 GMT

100+ online fans rushed after Iftar time to join the 2nd Amman Twestival on the evening of 13th of September and at the Queen Rania Center for Entrepreneurship. The event was co-organized by Malik Shishtawi and sponsored by Aramex.

A Twestival or Twitter-Festival is a global series of events organized by volunteers around the world under short timescales, which bring people offline for a great cause. Twestival is run 100% by volunteers and independently from any not-for-profit; although the organizing teams do work closely to outline an achievable and measurable fundraising target. Twestival also sets out to identify key skills of volunteers and match these with the needs of the cause; particularly communications strategy, tech integration and social media training.

Twestival this year took place in over 140 cities around the world, Amman was not just another hosting city, but the capital that produces the most prominent Arab entrepreneurs in the domain of social media.

The discussion about social media was very interesting. I started by introducing the panelists: Razan Khatib, Zeid Nasser, Laith Qasem and Laith Zraikat. after that we went into and open discussion about the current situation and the future of social media in Jordan & the Arab world.

Lina Shehadeh -CMO of Aramex- talked about the value of twitter for a big corporate like Aramex and how is it utilized by the customer service department when it comes to B2C services aiming to resolve any raising issue with customers in effective manner in order to vent frustration quickly.

Hana Ramli was there as well. Her story was about how social media (facebook) helped her to recruit over 3000 volunteers in her impressive initiative "Ketabak Ketabi" and it is now becoming a regional initiative for Palestinians in refugee camps in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

Co-founder of Nakhweh, Kamel Al Asmar, talked about how Nakhweh is utilizing social media in promoting volunteering opportunities announced at Nakhweh.com and how people trust social media leads over other means of marketing.

The active blogger Osama Romoh described his fan page on facebook as primary source of traffic to his blog. He also believes that twitter functionality is embedded in Facebook feed, and that makes him more excited to use facebook over twitter.

Sabri Hakim -the co-founder of Talasim- shared his story during Amman bombs and how his photo was featured on CNN. According to Sabri, Talasim is now utilizing twitter as an alert/reminder for latest updates on their portal and this creates more traffic & interactivity.

Mohammed Alzubi - the managing partner at Arab Seed Ventures, a venture capital fund focusing on seed stage investments in the Arab region & Silicon Valley - elaborated on what attracts Angel investors to invest in the business of social media in the Arab world and how web startups are becoming a sizzling opportunity for VCs and Angels specially after the Maktoob-Yahoo deal.

Majd Shwikeh -CEO of Orange- talked about her personal experience with twitter and how she became addicted to it! :). Generously, Majd promised to send a special iPhone offer to all participants of Amman Twestival. The offer is available here.

I was so glad to see the audience interacting by talks and tweets, which were displayed live on the big screen behind the panelists (check #AmmanTwestival). I think that setup kept everyone active until the last moment and even after that during the "Qatayef" (Ramadani Sweets) reception! :)

The last and most important portion of event was announcing the donation from Aramex to Al Aman Fund. The donation was followed by a mini-speech through which Maha Saqqa -Director of the Fund- invited attendees to volunteer their time to support & empower orphans in Jordan.

Enjoy this short video about the best tweets during the event.

I also recommend visiting the following interesting blog posts about the event:

The Charming Sharm!

Sun, 13 Sep 2009 07:32:00 GMT

Early this year, we took a great decision to go for a full week of adventure, fun and entertainment in the charming Sharm! (Egypt)... the 30-second video can tell you the most exciting parts of story! enjoy :)

Wait for more special "short" videos.. stay tuned!

I lost my finger :(

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:46:00 GMT

I'm sorry, but this is what a delicious dish of fish may cost you!

For more details you may visit my wife's blog!

How to listen and TALK to people in Gaza ?!

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 13:45:00 GMT

During the last 2 weeks since the beginning of the strike on Gaza. We've all seen millions of angry people across the world holding banners condemning the 'genocide' in Gaza and chanting anti-Israeli slogans on several TV channels and other media channels as well.

I'm sure that protesting is really a supportive action, in addition to in-kind and financial donations and other common means of support. But, I'm writing now to suggest another effective powerful way to support people in Gaza morally, and make feel them how much we do sympathize with them; it is basically to call them!?

Yes, you can really support people at Gaza by calling them and telling them how much we are proud of their persistence, braveness and resistance against this inhuman barbarian strike on Gaza. I've tried it and I can tell you how they would love to listen to us and find a listening ear from you as well.

To call a random number in Gaza, all you need to do is to dial:

+970828 XXXXX (add a random number composed of 5 digits)
+970820 XXXXX
+970821 XXXXX

Example: +97082812345

P.S. I will record one of my calls and post it her to share with you this experience. Please try it yourself, NOW!

Mahmoud; the Gentle Baby :)

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:28:00 GMT

It is my pleasure to introduce our little son to you:

Name: Mahmoud M. Khawaja
Date of Birth: 21st of Nov. 2008
Martial status: Single!!
Hobbies: sleeping, imagination and discovering the new world around :)
Occupation: jobless ?!
Dreams: Endless....

To know more about his "predicted" character, personality and style, I invite you to read this interesting post. :)

To Jood on her 1st birthday!

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 19:07:00 GMT

If you missed the first letter written to Jood (before she came to life), you can find it here.

Our little sweetie,

Hard to believe, but true, you have blown out your 1st birthday candle last week :)

A year full adventure and amazing funny moments has passed leaving special memories that will live inside us forever. So be ready to trigger your memory back when you grow up!

The love of a parent is something impossible to understand until you become a parent yourself. You were the naughtiest baby around who attracted the eyes and hearts of everyone and made them all fall in love with your innocence, intelligence, cheerfulness, playfulness, energy, curiosity and cuteness.

During the times we were travelling, you were the most beautiful thing to discover! We still remember how you were making new friends everywhere we go with your charming smile –whatever their language, skin color or age.

If there is one thing that I want you to know even at this young age, it is to know that every moment in life counts - each is beautiful in its own way, whether happy, painful, joyous or awful. Treasure the wonderful moments in life, and learn to grow by living through those that are not.

You are developing in so many ways, sweet baby, and each day I catch another glimpse of something new that makes me say with swelling heart, "This is another aspect of Jood!" we are so privileged to love and care for you. We are so excited to get to know more and more of Jood.

They used to say that everyone inherits the qualities related to his/her particular name. That is very true in your case; especially when you insist on feeding everyone around you before you start eating!

I cannot look upon you without thinking of how Allah gave us the tremendous blessing of being your parents.

Our hope for you is to grow to know, love, and change the world in your own way!

With Love,

Mama & Papa!

Jood ... a four-month-old fetus

one-week-old baby..

3-month-old little lady!

7-month-old naughty girl!

almost 1-year-old swimming in Wild Wadi - Dubai

إبدأ مشروعك.. تقدم لتتميز

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:25:00 GMT

الآن أصبح لديك فرصة أكبر لتحقيق حلمك بإنشاء شركتك الخاصة. في عامها الثالث، أتاحت جائزة الملكة رانيا الوطنية للريادة المجال لكل الرياديين – سواء كانوا طلبة جامعيين أو أشخاص طموحين من عامة المجتمع – للمشاركة في المسابقة والتنافس على جوائز يقدر مجموعها بـ 70.000 دولار أمريكي. فإذا كانت لديك فكرة مشروع في أي من مجالات العلوم والتكنولوجيا، لا تتردد بتقديم فكرتك لمركز الملكة رانيا للريادة من خلال الموقع الإلكتروني www.qrce.org لتبدأ خطواتك الأولى نحو النجاح!

تتميز الجائزة هذا العام بمساهمة شركة Google
العالمية في دعم جائزة إضافية تقدم لأفضل خطة عمل لمشروع على الانترنت، بالإضافة إلى الجائزة التي يقدمها مركز الملك عبد الله الثاني للتصميم والتطوير لأفضل خطة أعمال في مجال الأمن والحماية.

إذا لم تتمكن من مشاهدة العرض التعريفي لجائزة الملكة رانيا للريادة خلال الحملة التعريفية للجائزة في الجامعات والأماكن العامة (النقابات، غرف الصناعة والتجارة...) فيسرني دعوتكم لمشاهدة الفيديو الخاص بالعرض بالصوت والصورة

إذا كانت هذه المرة الأولى التي تسمع بها عن الجائزة فأدعوك لزيارة موقع مركز الملكة رانيا للريادة للتعرف على دور الجائزة في تحويل الإبداع والثروة الفكرية إلى قيمة اقتصادية عالية من خلال تشجيع أصحاب الأفكار والريادية على تحويل أفكارهم إلى منتجات وخدمات مميزة في السوق العالمي

ملاحظة إذا وصلتك هذه المقالة بالبريد الإلكتروني فيجب عليك زيارة الموقع حتى تتمكن من مشاهدة الفيديو

Jood is responding to NLP!

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 22:52:00 GMT

Since few years, I’ve been reading about the impact of applying Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) in my daily life and how it can REALLY affect our lives POSITIVELY. If you do not know what NLP is, simply it is an interpersonal communication model and an alternative approach to psychotherapy based on the subjective study of language, communication and personal change. (Definition from Wikipedia)

I used to utilize and apply what I have learned on myself and my small family, but I never realized that a 6-month-old baby like my little daughter “Jood” could respond to NLP at this early age.

The story started when Jood was rejecting the nose cleaner suction syringe as soon as her mom tries to put it inside her nose to clean it. Jood used to cry, move her head irritantingly and “fight” with all her mighty to stop her mom from placing it inside her nose.

We wanted Jood to accept the nose cleaner, thus, we started using it as a toy; we used it to pamper her by pointing the cleaner on her cheeks -not nose- and make her laugh and enjoy the soft air coming out of it. She started to feel that this toy may bring her joy and fun, too!

The good news is that Jood’s attitude toward using nose cleaner to clean her nose has changed tremendously after doing that exercise for 2-3 days, and now Jood fully accepts the cleaner with a smile on her face :)

So I would like to urge parents and parents-to-be to consider NLP as a smooth effective way in changing the attitudes of their children positively. It worked on animals, so why it wouldn't work on your kids!?

Do-It-Yourself!

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 14:53:00 GMT

Do-it-yourselfers are simply people who dare to build and compose innovative products out of basic things available around. In fact, the term do-it-yourself didn’t enter the language until the early ’50s, and the abbreviation DIY soon followed.

A year ago, I’ve read an article by Paul McFedries, that says we live in the age of tech DIY in which geeks of all persuasions and both sexes engage in various forms of digital tinkering and hardware hacking. It is interesting to know that the vast majority of the DIY widgets fall under the new category of open-source hardware. The recipes and constructopedias that explain how to create them are shared with anyone who wants them. That brings in more DIYers, and the hobbyist renaissance grows even bigger.

Bashiti Hardware –a specialized hardware retailer in Jordan- organized a national DIY competition last year as part of its role in supporting this culture among Jordanians. Unfortunately I was not able to join or -at least- be there take photos and meet the DIYers but I’m sure it was an extraordinary experience for everyone.

I was really impressed when I read a news release that says MIT has recently released fun-filled comic-book called: “Howtoons” that is designed to inspire youngsters all over the world with a sense of can-do adventure, and to teach them a few principles of science and engineering--and a sense of the creative possibilities all around them--along the way of just having fun.

In this comic book, cartoon kids Celine and Tucker set up a home workshop and then proceed to build a whole series of toys and gadgets out of leftover items. The idea for Howtoons came about when Bonsen and Griffith were MIT graduate students. They organized few workshops that include few of the construction projects - for local schoolchildren and invited MIT professors to come and bring their families. The book evolved spontaneously as people attended these workshops tinkered and experimented with a variety of simple materials.

The impetus for developing the concept into a business plan came when they took a class in developmental entrepreneurship taught by Legatum Center founder and faculty director Alex "Sandy" Pentland.

The projects range from rockets and goggles to simple electric motors, a marshmallow-shooting blowgun, and a simple way of making homemade ice cream. The materials are mostly everyday items like plastic bags and bottles, rubber bands and paper clips.

The idea of publishing this comic-book is to make the instructions as visually self-explanatory as possible, so that kids anywhere can use them without having to read the words (although the book will also be translated into several languages – hopefully Arabic language would be one of them!).

I would like to conclude by a quote for Bonsen – one the co-authors of Howtoons: "We want to inspire them to think about the world around them not as it is, but as it could be."