Housing Project for the Poor

I personally think that this is a great thing to do

A large sector of the population are suffering from poverty, and by that I mean; they literally don’t have a roof over their heads.

Every morning when I am driving to come to work; I tune in to Fann FM channel and listen to Mohammed Al Wakeel and his phone conversations with people. He reads the headlines from the major newspapers and this morning this was the most important. His Majesty the King launched the first stage of the housing project for the poor, and there is actually a reward for the governorate that finishes its project first; this reward is half a million JD's.

Really; thank you Your Majesty.

You can read the full story here

The first sight of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left.

- Chicago Tribune

I am sure that we all remember all the times that our moms yelled at us to turn the volume down cause everyone in the house are not able to listen to each other. 

My mom used to fight with me all the time because I just thought that it is not the same if you listen to music at a lower volume; it will not give the same effect. The eighties were quite crazy in this regard and I remember telling mom that Tina Turner was actually related to me and that’s why I feel so attached to her, and mom used to call me "majnooneh"

I can't help but smile when I think of those good old days. I was never able to study unless I was listening to music or watching TV. Me and my friends; we all had collections of posters and photos of our favorite singers, but we did not dare hang them in the rooms as that was just too taboo J

I really don’t remember when the first sign of maturity appeared with me, because I got so tied up with studying and working and it became of minor importance that I listen to loud music. Of course I still listen to music; but not too loud!

Actually; I give my sisters at home a hard time about this, asking them to turn it down, but naturally; they never listen to me and mom keeps laughing as they are actually getting back at me for her, so I guess it is true what they say: what goes around does actually come around.

When you live in a small place like Amman; its likely that wherever you go, you will run into people you know or knew at a point of time.

This happened to me lately in two different occasions, and boy they were different.

The first time; it happened at Safeway where I usually do my grocery shopping. I was so absorbed in my task going through the place and walking from one aisle to another to find my stuff (on a side note; this has become a difficult thing after the expansion they did; Safeway now is too big!). Anyway; while I am doing that; I hear someone calling my name. I turned around to come face to face with someone I really wanted to erase from my memory.

She was standing there with her family surrounding her; her husband ogled me and then left her side pretending to look around, and to tell you the truth; I never thought about why he did that, because I couldn't care less.

I really did not know why she wanted to talk to me; after all; we were not friends, we have nothing in common and she never approved of my "actions" back at uni.

I wished I could have turned away and just left her standing there; but being the polite me; I shook her hand and smiled, and she started chit chatting about her work, her life, her kids … blah blah blah

I haven't seen her in 11 years, and all she could ask me was: did you gain some weight?

Did I gain some weight??????

God! What a stupid question! As if it is not so obvious that I did gain weight.

She did not ask about where I work, or if I got married or what I am doing now or if I am seeing some of the old friends … NO!! she just was interested in my weight!!

For a moment; I thought: how do you answer such a question? And I decided to go for the simplest form of an answer and said: yes, I did.

If I told her that I am suffering from a bad case of lazy thyroid; and that stupid doctors of Dubai gave me wrong medication for a year … etc., she would have thought that I am justifying my situation in fear of her judgment, so I decided to keep my mouth shut and say bye with a smile.

The second time happened today, but it was Cozmo this time. I heard her calling my name and I turned around to see an old friend whom I lost contact with a long time ago; I was actually happy to see her. She introduced me to her son (5.5 years, pretty face and nice hair), he smiled and kissed me saying hi aunti. WOW! I really loved the kid. We talked and exchanged numbers to keep in touch from now on. It was a pleasant 5 minutes, and it felt like we were never apart.

What is so amazing about this is that I realized that I have the same feeling towards these ladies as I had a decade ago; the one I liked I still like and the one that stood on my nerves; well, she still does.

This makes me think about reunions. If we ever have one; would I be interested to go? Would I be comfortable seeing people I almost forgot about? Am I willing to put myself in a situation where I am judged according to how I look or my marital status or any shallow standard that shadows the way we are perceived?

Come to think of it; why would I do that? And what would be the gain? Do I need anyone's approval to feel successful?

Well the answer is NO! N and O

That was a stage, and it is over. There is no need to go back and open closed wounds, because if you do; you will never know what you are going to get.

Wear a smile and have friends; wear a scowl* and have wrinkles

– George Eliot, 1819-1880, English Female Novelist (pen name of Mary Ann Evans)

 

I was talking to one of my best friends last night, and he was telling me that if I force myself to smile; I will feel internally happy and this will reflect on everything I do or say; it will even affect those around me and they will start feeling happy as well.

 

Thinking about what he said; I believe there is a ring of truth to this and that it does make a difference to you and those around you if you were wearing a smile rather than a gloomy face.

 

We all remember the great saying that you move less muscles in your face if you smile and this translates to less wrinkles (I don’t think that cosmetic companies would appreciate what I am saying here … kidding J)

 

This small humanly gesture that we call a smile; it makes your face look more beautiful, yet we are so mean to ourselves and those around us by not smiling. It has become a culture in Jordan that we Jordanians do not smile, and keeping the scowl is actually "wajaha" or reflects seriousness. But who said that a mile contradicts with this? Why do we deprive ourselves from this feeling?  

 

So remember that after you brush your teeth, show them off by smiling even if to yourself in the mirror, and see what this does to your morale. Verify these theories of the connection between smiling and happiness; maybe these guys are right after all and we have been left out all that past time.

 

Don’t forget what they say: Keep smiling because you will never know who is falling in love with your smile.

 

*Scowl: Frown

The most damaging phrase in the language is: "It's always been done that way."

 -Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

Once I read a story about five monkeys: "What Fools Can Learn From Apes." The story goes:

"Start with a cage containing five monkeys. In the cage, hang a banana on a string and put a set of stairs under it. Before long, a monkey will go to the stairs and start to climb towards the banana. As soon as he touches the stairs, spray all of the monkeys with cold water.

"After a while, another monkey makes an attempt with the same result -- all the monkeys are sprayed with cold water.

"Pretty soon, when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it.

"Now, turn off the cold water. Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and wants to climb the stairs. To his horror, all of the other monkeys attack him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs, he will be assaulted.

"Next, remove another of the original five monkeys and replace it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked. The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment with enthusiasm. Again, replace a third original monkey with a new one. The new one makes it to the stairs and is attacked as well. Two of the four monkeys that beat him have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs, or why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey.

"After replacing the fourth and fifth original monkeys, all the monkeys which have been sprayed with cold water have been replaced. Nevertheless, no monkey ever again approaches the stairs.

"Why not?

"Because that's the way it's always been around here."

It's really funny; how we follow the way things have been done always without asking ourselves why or what can be done to improve it. Why are we afraid of change? Is there an internal feeling inside each of us to stop us from daring and attempting to reach out for what we really want? Are we afraid of the cold water?

Think with me; isn't this what is really holding us back from realizing our full potential and making our dreams come true?

Why don't we have the courage to change?

Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work

--- Aristotle

That says it all.

I can't remember how many tasks I performed with great joy regardless of how difficult or unpleasant to others they are ... I really enjoyed and they turned out to be perfect.

On the other hand; there were tasks that I did not like, and they were the hardest to finish.

Sometimes it is not about how easy or difficult a task or a job is; it is actually how we feel about it. Are we happy where we are? What pulls us out of bed every morning to come to work and carry on with tasks; some see them as easy and others see them as hard?

I remember that I read somewhere; that others' jobs seem easier than ours, and the more they perfect it the easier it seems.

I think what makes a difference is how much these people are enjoying their jobs and how much they are loving doing it.

What about you? Do you love what you are doing? And if not; what would you love to change about it?

If you were born lucky, even your rooster will lay eggs.

-Russian proverb

There are two philosophies in life; one that says that luck does not exist, and the other states that everything in life is based on luck.

In all cultures; we have read and heard about luck. Poets and writers mentioned it many times and they believed that some people were born under a lucky star and that made their lives easier and more comfortable.

Let's face it; if you look around you or scan the people that you know; you will realize that there are some people who did not have to struggle for anything; life just came to them as simple as that. So what is it? Is it luck? or attitude? or luck? :)

This morning; the first thing that came to my mind is this proverb. I don't know why; but maybe I am just not feeling lucky today, or as they say: I woke up on the wrong side of the bed, but then I remembered; my bed has only one side.

There must be a reason why this became a proverb the Russians inherited and spread it to other cultulers, and there must be a ring of truth to it; otherwise; its spell would have been broken ages ago.

What do you think? Does luck exist? And does it really affect our lives? Should we believe that some people are lucky and some aren't?

Waste your money and you're only out of money, but waste your time and you've lost part of your life.

-- Michael Leboeuf (an internationally published author, business consultant, and a dynamic professional speaker)

Isn't it amazing how a simple sentence holds so much meaning?

It is true that when you waste your time, you are actually losing precious minutes of your own life, not someone else's.

Each moment we spend is an investment in ourselves, and everything we do is a result of a choice, so if we choose to waste our time or allow others to waste it for us, how smart is this choice? and what is the Return On Investment (ROI) that we will get?

If we ask ourselves every time what we will gain if we do something or don't do it, I believe that we will have better control and management of our time and life in general.

Save yourself from emptiness and use your time wisely!

My future starts when I wake up every morning…Every day I find something creative to do with my life.

- Miles Davis

Go on ... read it again and again
It means that today is the beginning of the rest of your life, no matter how long or short, it starts today ... so stop wasting your time and energy thinking and crying over a past that will never come back ... there is no time machine that will take you back and allow you to make things better ... so what can we do?

The only thing we can do is to keep moving forward, because the journey will not stop because one passenger decided to step down and think of going back ... he will be left behind!!!

Life is a wonderful experience ... open your heart and mind and make the best of each day because guess what? you will never get the chance to relive any second that passes, you only have one shot ... so you better be good at aiming

Wedaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad

Sometimes I feel that she really is the office Santa ... she brings stuff to the office all the time ... loves sharing with others ... always smiling ... always fun ... as if Christmas is a full year event with her ... that's why I gave her the costume ...
Thank you Wedad ... Love your spirit

Rasha

She is the level girl .. so demure with the way she talks, walks, eats, laughs ... you name it
I like hearing her thoughts because she gives me some insight on a totally different level ...
She is a bride to be ... and this makes us excited and wish her a happy life with her groom

We wish you all the best

7ala

I call her the office sweetheart because that's exactly what she is
She is always swamped with the members' emails and sometimes I wonder if she even hears what goes on around her ... poor thing
This makes her miss some of the fun we share ...
Relax honey ... work never ends .. and you must think seriously of taking tiny breaks every now and then
Love you

Omar Abu Arisheh

The youngest among us ... still enjoys the student space and mentality ... but hopefully not for long .. he is graduating soon
Omar is active .. fun and always present
You can see his comments every now and then ... I guess he always has something to say and gives the point of view of a different generation
He is the DUDE

Muhannad

Accurate time keeping ... very quiet around the office ... Awfully quiet .. speaks with a lower tone ... and almost always talks logic
He always gives a different perspective
At the moment; he is graduating in UK
We miss you Muhannad

Hassan!

He is the early bird in the office ... always the first to arrive ... very punctual and committed
Hassan likes his space to be respected .. and I respect that
He is the Work Guy ... but this does not stop him from sharing the fun with us
His comments and remarks are usually sharp and smart
Perfect IT Mentality

_____________________

OK
Hassan did not like the picture I chose for him ... I hope he likes the new one ...
Check it out
Wish we could do that in real life ... hahahahahah

_____________________

Hassan demanded that I delete the first picture and keep the new one ... so its his right and I oblige :)
It will be archived though ... lol

Shadi :)

Every time I see Shadi; I imagine a guy in authority ... I don't know why .. but he does look like a Wazir ..
He has his own office space ... and is next to the server ... hmmmm ... see? important stuff
I hope we did not offen you ma3aleek!!

Ibrahim or as we refer to him "BOB"

Ibrahim likes to say "NO" kteeeeeeer
and it is for the sake of saying it ...
He is a fun person, a friend to all of the colleagues in the office
Ibrahim is going out selling Jeeran and for that he needs all the support he can get from us and that I am sure he will get
Good Luck BOB!

Laith
He is the serious guy in the office
Believe it or not ... some of the employees are actually intimidated by him and I just can't get how a smart sweet personality like Laith could have this effect!!!
I guess that you have to break some ICE Doc!!

I have been around the bsuiness world maby longer than any of my colleagues ... yeah! I am the eldest
Anyway; never have I encountered a more fun boss like Omar
Omar is trying to create a new type of workplace and so far; he is succeeding
He is fair and firm, just and lots and lots of fun

Way to go Omar

Addicted to the software I sent to you guys ... I went back and started to create the characters of my colleagues ... I will post them here with some comments and waiting to get yours

I start with the funky me ... just having some fun

A cool colleague of mine (Omar Abu Arisheh) came to me at the end of the working day and told me that he has elected a character from the south park show to represent me

As a south park ignorant; I did not know what he was talking about till he showed me the characted he chose, and I was amazed of how creative and fun this simple idea was. This set me on a mission to google these cool characters. The fun part is that I found a cool flash tool that allows you to create your own south park characters (but they are copywrited of course, i.e. you cannot claim that you drew the character yourself). You can access this cool tool here (http://spstudio.linda.hosting-friends.de/sp-studio.swf) and have lots of fun creating as many characters as you like

I created one for me ... hope you like the south park me :)

Check these out guys ... I did not know we had such beauty in Jordan

These were taken by my good friend Khaled El Masri. I am telling him that he should post all his work for everyone to enjoy, what do you think?

There comes a time in our life when we feel our hearts growing clod!
A heart is the source of life and passion; it is the indication of how we feel, as if it is triggered when we feel a rush of different emotions; happy, sad, afraid, secure, in love or in hate; it is all monitored and gauged by the heart.

The rush of intense emotions would cause the heart to beat faster, as if a hand crawls inside and gives it a squeeze; it tickles the whole inside of your being, and you feel it jumping up and down, causing your breath and words to be stuck in your throat, and then comes the calming feeling of relaxing after this effort, like a racer who just finished a marathon.

But what happens when your heart is no longer affected by anything?
Not a smile, not a touch, not a gesture, not a tear ... it just grows cold like a blue rose, frozen by the lack of emotions and feelings for a very long time ... nothing affects it anymore; it lost the color and texture of its true nature, and turned into something you don't recognize ...

A cold piece of stone that does a mechanical function, it gives life to vital organs, but the heart itself, lacks it

Irony? maybe, exaggeration? probably, but one I don't wish you to experience

FROZEN