I Forgot

It's been long since we last talked
I forgot were the story stopped
I remember I stopped giving excuses
For the apologies I never heard
I remember I decided to forget
All the good moments
Those were only in my head
I forgot what was last said
Maybe you said take care
And I said see you soon
And you were right
And I was mistaken
As usual
You were right
As usual
I saw light
It's been so so long
I forgot how the story stopped
Have I forgotten what I should remember?
If I see you
Should I smile
Or Should I be mad
It's been so long
And I forgot
Forgot how the story stopped

Changes......

It rained yesterday and today… and I'm absolutely loving it…. I love the smell of the first rain…. The scent of wet earth… it smells so fresh… the air feels so clean and fresh...

Among so many transformations taking place in my life… changing seasons came in the most appropriate timing to lead my senses to a new beginning in a new season....

Changing seasons… changing colors…. It feels so fresh and great….
I'm welcoming all this change with an open heart and allot of enthusiasm…..
I'm loving it....

Ministry of Health-AIDS/HIV awareness Campaign

As much as I respect such awareness Campaigns and generally discussing the unspoken! I just wonder if the ministry's role is to create stereotypes, like do you know that the very beautiful girls might be having AIDS! or do you know that the strong handsome guy might have AIDS!!

and have you ever used a toothbrush that isn't yours!! that makes me question my own knowledge of the possible ways of VIRUS transfer... I should check this information out... maybe I dont have enough information about it... I'll probably call their hotline to check what does the sharing of toothbrush!!! If it happened has to do with AIDS!!!

on another note, calling homosexual a dangerous sexual act, will not encourage any homosexuals to call this hotline... I guess....

Strengths Finder 2.0

Since I did this online test "strengths finder" I really wanted to blog about it. I don’t like online tests, but when someone I trust his/her opinions suggests something for me , I do it! I take advice, which is not common for someone who combines an OX Chinese sign with a Taurus horoscope!! Which makes stubbornness level usually rise as a combination! But I guess I'm a unique combination of those two, I take advice! :)
The way I did the test? I bought the book "Strengths finder 2.0" for Tom Rath, and inside the book you get a free pass key to do one exam, and find your strengths online. I think there's a way to do just pay for the exam online without buying the book and get the same result!
The idea of the strength finder which is based on allots of research and surveys with people, is to focus on our strengths instead of our weaknesses. The equation that Tom Rath puts in his book is :
Talent * Investment= Strength

While talent is the natural way of thinking, feeling or behaving
Investment is the time spent practicing, developing your skills, and building your knowledge base .And Strength is the ability to consistently provide near- perfect performance.

By using this equation, he empowers the idea that allot of investment on poor talent will never make this aspect your strength. Thus you need to know your real talents (through strength finder probably) and invest on those, since those are what can make you excel if you invested the time to develop this talent into a real strength.

Tom Rath doesn't believe that " You can be anythimg you want to be, if you just try hard enough" he rather believes " you cannot be anything you want to be- but you CAN be a lot more of who you already are."
The exam is basically several questions that takes around 30 minutes to answer, you see two statements on the screen, one the extreme left side and one on the extreme right side, and you have several circles on a line between those 2 statements, you must answer quickly, which statement feels like its describing you, you check the circle closer to it, if you feel that you feel both statements resemble you equally you pick the circle in the middle between both statements. Your instinct guides blindly to certain statements that you instantly feel that's me… and away from other statements that you feel like… it may sound good but its not me… you must do it so quickly or the question will fly…
After you finish the test your 5 most important strengths, are identified in the sequence of their strength or relevance to you, the first is the strongest you have…etc.. you will also get a brief description about each theme, a description on what makes you stand out, and ideas for action.. the report you will receive will give you insights on what kind of career path best suits you.. and you might accordingly decide to quit your job! LOL! Or ask for different things from you boss based on your strengths, start the business idea you had in mind few years ago and ignored for a good while etc..
There are 34 themes that your 5 will be from which are in alphabetical sequence: Achiever, Activator, Adaptability, Analytical , Arranger, Belief, Command, Communication, Competition, Connectedness, Consistency, Context, Deliberative, Developer, Discipline, Empathy, Focus, Futuristic, Harmony, Ideation, includer, Individualization, Input, Intellection, Learner, Maximizer, Positivity, Relator, Responsibility, Restorative, Self-Assurance, Significance, Strategic, Woo (winning others over)

though the 34 are strengths ( All positve), even if the ego is sky high , you can easily say this isn't me or this is mroe like me... the name alone doesnt explain, the description of each theme best explains what Tom meant by that strength, or what qualiteis /charecteristics did he combine under that theme.. but no matter what guesses you try to make before you do the test, you might get 2 out of 5 right, if you are someone who know yourself well, and have worked enough to experience your strengths at diffeerent points... but certainly the test is worth taking...

The book describes each theme in detail, and even identifies ways to overcome this strength being a negative thing in your life… if not managed probably… which happens…
The reason I'm impressed with this test, is that I really got 5 themes that absolutely describe me! And the ideas for action and everything is very interesting and I can easily relate to it! and the test seemed to be very creative in its structure yet simple and apperently done with so much intellegence to reveal the right result. anyway, if you are curious, my themes in the correct sequence are :
1. Ideation : People who are especially talented in the ideation theme are fascinated by ideas. They are able to find connections between seemingly disparate phenomena.
2. Responsibility : People who are especially talented in the responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do. They are committed to stable values such as honesty and loyalty. ( I found that i suffer as well from this strength, by overcommiting myself sometimes & taking initiataive of taking responsiblity coz its my talent!)
3. Empathy : (I still can't understand this being a strength! I wish I can let go of it 80% of the time, my life would've been…. How?! I wonder) it means sense the feelings of other people, by imagining themselves in others' lives or others situations. (I found that i can be in a different career path that can make use of this talent, not sure if i'll go for that though)
4. Achiever: achievers have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive! ( I think that’s me too)
5. Adaptability: adaptable people prefer to go with the flow, they tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time. ( People who know me well, know that's certainly me)

So do the test if you have the time.... and share your results :)

Everything happens for a reason

Souls meet for a reason
Walks inspire stories
Steps craft steps
Talks drive walks
For a reason

Thoughts gather for a reason
Divine inspiration
Unplanned aspiration
Authentic escape of words
Running late
In a slightly humid rate

Walks happen for a reason
Overlooking the season
Wearing different colored hats
Passing jasmine bushes
Tunisian doors
Reading Familiar letters making unidentified words
Random Ideas and thoughts
Viewing silent boats
Water lights
Beneath an elegant sky
Giving the full moon an intimate good bye

Life happens for a reason
Life has an Intention
In creating every Convention
Forming Reflection

Abstract footsteps
Never intense
Yet Making Sense

Words slowing fast walks
To observe secrets of cycles
Footsteps witnessing reason
In a unique conversation

Souls do meet for a reason
Mapless walks
Leading to Destined talks
Everything happens for a reason

This poem is Dedicated to Laith Alqassem

Midnight Wondering!

For Several days
In the middle of each
Night
A
Soul
That lives within me
Has a question

I wonder

How many more midnights
Will I witness

Before I acknowledge the answer
Or
No longer seek it!

The art of life- Where Knowledge fails- by Earl Barnes I

It does feel good when words written in 1907, read in 2008... still make so much sense... and you can relate to every line..

Airports....

Different faces…. Each heading to a different destination… for a different reason… Faces loaded with feelings, questions, thoughts and wonders…..Features of hope… expressions of worry…fake interactions…love.. various scents…work….. quick judgments… sincere conversations……beauty….diverse opinions… coincidence…genuine eyes…. chance …. Accidents… stories … legends … fairy tales.…… endless number of motives…. Make us pack and move…… Endless reasons… makes me love observing faces at airports…… Makes me love to pack and move…

On the other Hand, DUBAI…. A unique experience of exceptional souls…

In an attempt to experience Dubai…. All images & expectations on what Dubai is, and how a week in Dubai would be like....failed. And a more real, lively, image was drawn. I failed to observe All the fakeness described by those who visited Dubai. I'm so glad that my Dubai's first trip was such a rich experience of human interactions in a wonderful way.

I'm glad , that if I'm asked what is Dubai today…. For me … It's a walk on the beach barefoot with inspirational people, talking about how we can make a change…. It's a sleepless night in the lobby, enjoying Egyptians sense of humor on everything and anything….. It's a sincere conversation with exceptional thinkers… who are young… but will make the change… It's a desert, full moon heart to heart conversation… It's a think outside the box experience….It's taking a step forward... into the future... It's an observation of transformation… it's seeing artistic ways of sleeping ( Lina )…. It's listening to your thoughts in a different voice…. It's sharing….. it's talking and walking and not being judged… it's tolerance… It's laughing and crying with people you have never met before, but deep within you , it feels as if we never really lived away…. It's a hot topic discussed in the bus…… it's being sleepy all the time, but yet try hard and THINK and try to be CREATIVE… it's checking in and opening the apartment door, and hearing someone calling "bring a fork and come share the delicious chocolate cake!" . That's how the trip started…. And that's how it continued… it was very similar to the first chocolate cake which Mohar and Areen made me share as soon as I Arrived, before knowing my name…. Dubai was that spontaneous, that real, loving, Sharing, and the cake was so delicious. It's unbelievable…..

Reading a person is not like meeting the person- Personality VS Character

What truly never stops astonishing me after human emotions development is the character VS personality aspect of humans. And I can never and will never use both interchangeably.
People can have an amazing personality which you can easily feel drawn to but once the character is revealed a different impression may be created which usually over covers any impression made on personality. But the opposite is not true. What's interesting is that personality as a word is derived from "Persona" a Latin word meaning "Theatrical Mask"! Which absolutely proves my point. I would care less of a personality which is trustworthy, witty and has so much citizenship and honesty represented by a shy character which doesn’t take initiative to show that trait of citizenship or responsibility , who finds it hard to say jokes in public to reveal his/her personality in real life .
Character is a combination of social and cultural acquired acts, habits, qualities and attributes. Character is the real you, the personality traits along with how they were developed and presented by you. We often say he/ she has a character, which implies uniqueness.
Online, a personality can be easily exposed, whether a person is funny, caring, fair, and responsible or sweet is easily shown. You can read someone's blog, work virtually together online, or chat with him/her and come up with conclusions on such personality traits. A false assumption would be that you think meeting that person face to face would bring a similar judgment. In reality character is what attracts us. Character is what makes a person unique. In theater, stories or film the characterization of characters is what makes us get emotional, feel with them or be able to fully imagine the person. When reading a book, you cannot be fully involved and living the scene with full imagination if the characterization of characters is not clear and detailed. How they walk, dress, behave, act, what made them act the way they are acting. And a series of disappointments that may come out of a book made into a movie is related to how each one of us imagined the character, not the personality. Personality cannot be imagined. Personality can have flows and can be judged, but character cannot be blamed, judged or mistaken. It’s a chosen way of being!
In short, I am interested in the offline part of you. The part which I can see the reflection of your soul through your eyes. And where I can see you walk, imitating your dad. And talk imitating your mom. And speak imitating a role model you have. And dream of a character you wanna be. I am interested in this socio- cultural context that caries these personality traits and expose them in a unique character. A character which I cannot compare to another, A character that is complete by being itself, and doesn't need a check list to evaluate. A character that developed through living…. Socializing…. Crying…. Laughing….dancing….. I am interested in the real you....

Would you rather be normal or an extremist?

Dear reader, if at any part of the post you didn’t get it, you're not slow or stupid. I'm just insane. So pick a normal post .
I just hanged up the phone with Rula. Long conversation, since she's still not blogging whenever I quote from her I will put ® :) so we had this long heated argument, which I would like to put into writing. Would you rather be neutral (normal, common, go with the flow, ordinary) and happy OR be you, different (unique character, extremist, opinionated on certain issues…etc) and not enjoy this "normal" life and not be happy always. Coz apparently you might not belong. If on a Monday evening I went out to have a cozy dinner with one or two of my close friends with my curls, and tennis shoes and jeans( which I usually do) instead of on Thursday night taking an appointment at the hairdresser STRAGHTEN my hair, put on the high heels and scratch some make up on my face(until this part sometimes I do !!) then fake a smile and go meet a group, half of I don’t really get along with well, or relate to, the other half are nice to me so I'm here as compliment to them though they might not be happy with my presence. Choosing the first , I will be out of this world- an extremist!
Rula says you can't be a real unique producer , unless you are an extremist® , but would you really rather be a producer, change the world, do something unique? Or would you rather get the majorities acceptance? I believe there's no shift back, there's no such thing as being normal and happy after you being an extremist. Coz I don’t believe you would enjoy going with the flow and imitating others after you have felt how it feels to be yourself. A whole unique identity, which rather have tea on the couch with Rula than go clubbing on a Thursday even if that's the trend!!
I am always changeable ® I literally brought my new note book which Rula doesn’t believe is artistic (though I thought it is) and quoted her while she was talking on the phone!! Can you imagine, architects can be that inspiring :)
She is not only accepting others diversity which is relatively normal, she is accepting her own transformations and changes. She is adaptive ® but could she adapt to normality? For how long?
If tastes are changeable, probably values are as well, but it takes much longer to change those.
Can someone be an extremist when it comes to work, or talent, and in social life be a normal person. What's normal? What's sane?
aren't the Neutral category keen to find their real core and become the extremists too, aren't they normal coz they probably can't be different?!
Why is it more normal for me to go out with fake straightened hair, than to go out with my wild natural curls? This question can be reformed on all the questions that relates to life, my hair is just the closest example. The same statement is true for everything, natural instincts are considered wild and insane while faked coldness is actually what's accepted!!!
Please note: I'm not judging anyone here, I'm just thinking out loud!