I am not quite sure that this statement is true … or it might be true for certain behaviors but not the person … so do people really change??

Today was my birthday and I realized that people do not change as much as we would like to believe; they will still do that same things they always did and to a large extent, they become predictable to those around them, but again; isn’t that what we call characteristics of a personality??

I have come to find that jealous people will always envy you for what you have even if it was a piece of crap … selfish people will never learn how to give to others … angry people will never calm down and they will always find a way to make your life miserable because that is what they do … We will always lose friends to marriage … we will always have fights with our families … we will always feel stupid after we say something we don’t want to say … and it feels really silly that I am not able to talk about what is really bothering me …Do people change?

I vote … NO

My dear friend Salam sent me this link and I really enjoyed it and sent it to all my friends who would actually relate to it, i.e. moms who are juggling a hundred things per minute …

Tribute to all moms … enjoy it and learn to appreciate your moms and wives … and to all the moms out there; you should be really proud of yourselves … bless you

Great, ha???

:D

What is it about a sleepless night that turns us into grumpy upset people? Is it that our bodies and brains did not get enough rest or is it that we are lazy creatures that cannot function unless we take off periods that make at least one third of our lives??

You can tell that I had a really lousy night and that I did not get enough sleep, add that to a hectic day full of meetings, covering for absent employees (my staff), complaints and requests flying all over the place and your friends ditching you at lunch time … if that is not a fatal combination for a grumpy lousy bad crappy mood and attitude; I seriously don’t know what is!!!

I had a meeting after work last night and it was a bit past 10 when I headed home. I wanted to pass by the supermarket to buy something and withdraw some cash, so I stopped by Safeway on my way home. Not only was it full and the people were lined up in tens waiting for their turn to reach the cash register, but the place was so full of kids :S
Wherever I looked, there were kids … they were shouting, playing race with the shopping carts and screaming at their parents that they want to buy this or that; I guess that they must have mistaken the superstore to be the park, playground or even wonderland … My God!!! What is wrong with these people?? It is a school night and kids are still shopping at 11 in the night? Is this normal? Am I being too picky here? When we were young kids, we used to be in bed by 8 or 9 max, so what are these kids still doing or more importantly, what are the parents thinking???

I just left the place without buying anything because getting anything would have meant standing in line for 15 – 20 minutes and I was dead tired by then with a bad mood that wouldn’t have been able to handle the noise so I decided to head home for everyone’s benefit including mine.

When I reached home, it was almost 11:15 and what is that? More kids in the street!!! :S :S
How are they going to be disciplined? How are they going to respect time and commitments if they cannot be trained to sleep early in school nights? Call me nuts, but I really believe that these are related and teaching these behaviors to children (positive or negative) will alter and affect the outcome of their futures.

No wonder we have so many inconsiderate people, no wonder we suffer from lack or morals wherever we go, it is not shocking then that we see rudeness as the norm, not surprising at all that we look at the polite with an exclamation point written all over our faces. It is the upbringing and the way one was raised that determines what type of a person he/she might become in the future, so if the mother was careless enough and the father was absent minded enough to leave their kids without so much to train them how to be committed serious people, then the coming generation would be a lot worse and more lost than the ones we currently have!!

Maybe this is my sleep deprived brain talking, or my deeper subconscious trying to break free, but I do believe that with each passing day, the crisis is growing bigger and a lot of people are becoming parents without being prepared for the role so they learn as they go, but I wonder where they are getting their knowledge because what we are witnessing is not a nice result by a far shot.

Having children might be the biggest responsibility one can claim by choice because you will be bringing human beings into this world, and since they did not choose to come in the first place or choose you yourself as their parent, you are obliged to do your utmost best to make sure you prepare them for life and give them a good future that allows them to move on and create more generations. Parenthood is not a journey in the park nor is it a fairy tale; it is a lot of hard work, commitment and dedication with a mix of tender loving care (TLC), parenting means that you will give up your life willingly for 20 something years until your kids are well on their way in life and even then you will still give them a big part of your life because that’s what it is all about … it is for this purpose that God demands respect and care for the parents but parents have to earn that by doing their job properly!!

I think that having children is very beautiful yet very scary, it is miraculous but risky, it is something that must not be taken lightly and I never seize to be amazed how a lot of people do just that!!!

With each passing day, week, month or year, we all get our shares of good and bad news. Sometimes we are on the sad edge and other times we are on the happy one, some might argue that there is a little bit of both in each and every moment but why look for the drama when it is time to celebrate and party?

I have learned that it is best when we grasp the happy moment and enjoy it as much as we can because it does not last long, it passes us like a breeze, freshens our senses, makes us forget for a moment that life is full of worries and concerns and makes us see that with all these burdens, we still can enjoy a free minute of happiness that is well deserved.

Today; I would like to share my piece of happiness with all of you out there …
In our family; we are celebrating two different events, one that already passed and the other is about to take place at the end of the week inshallah …
As for the one that has passed; my sister has passed her comprehensive exam and ranked the first at kingdom level in her major which is marketing and she ranked the first on the 5% of students who get to continue their education at university. Now if this is not an achievement, I do not know what is!
In the period when she had her exams, she used to stay up at night to study the large number of books to be able to pass the exam. Although that I do not like the system of having to do one exam for 7 or 8 books at the same time, but I believe that she did a great job and I am so proud of her, so congratulations Nisreen

As for the event that is going to take place this weekend, it is my other sister getting married … you can imagine the amount of preparations that we are going through at this stage, be it her house and all the needed furniture, tidying up, buying accessories and new stuff … etc.

I am not much of a wedding person and people who have been following up on my blog know that I complained a few times about weddings’ atmospheres and how uninvited people show up from nowhere which reminds me of the famous movie “Wedding Crashers”, and all these ladies staring at the half dressed girls to pick brides for their sons who recently entered the marriage market, and those girls who compete on who dresses less and who dances best, and these old ladies wishing you to get married soon before you are expired and all these funny details that take place without any justifiable reason but hey; it is a wedding and that’s normal practice in our part of the world.

My sister decided not to make a big party in a hotel because she believes that this is a waste of money especially that the groom’s family insists on making a big traditional lunch (Mansaf) which will cost a lot more than a party in a 5 star hotel. I congratulate her on making this decision because all this wasted money does not make sense to me at all … but again; that’s just me.

Yesterday; I was in Mecca mall with a friend and as we were going out, I wanted to go take a look at jewelry. Damas has an outlet in the ground floor and so we entered and I told my friend that he better get some insight and practice because soon he will be here (or there) buying the ring and other stuff for the bride. We saw some wonderful diamond rings, really beautiful in cut, design and I might add price as well (pretty high) … so I was telling my friend that I don’t like the tradition of buying so many pieces of gold when you get married because in tradition, the bride’s family asks for gold in the range of 2000 or 3000 JD. This amount of money can easily get you a beautiful diamond ring that will live for generations but again; that’s only me!

Anyway; I just wanted to share the joy with you and wish my sister the best of what the world can offer in their future

The past few weeks were the craziest, with the heat and work pressure, you could say that I would have been lucky to find some time to sleep and do something for myself.

As I mentioned in my previous post, my sister got engaged and along with that came a lot of social activities both in and out of the house. My brother is also here and things are getting more hectic by the day. Work is also a very interesting front these days as we are in the process of moving from one location to another and that puts some pressure on us, but we are coping just fine as I was blessed with a great group of colleagues and my bosses are wonderful, so this kind of relieves a lot of the stress.

You can see from the clutter around me that I am doing a million things together

Last week; I was invited to attend a reception at the British ambassador’s residence in celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s Birthday. I was very interested to go and that’s exactly what I did. The invitation read my name as Mr. and Mrs. Khalidah so I had to choose a Mr. Khalidah for the night and go with him to the reception. My dear friend Bashir came to my rescue and he accompanied me there and needless to say; we had a wonderful time wondering around among ministers and ambassadors and diplomats.

The reception took place in the back yard of the ambassador’s residence and I can’t begin to tell you how the police have surrounded the place and how hard it was for us to find a parking spot; my guess is that you get the picture

On another family front, we were invited on Friday to one of my favorite and best friend’s house; Kinzi. She was the perfect hostess and I am really thankful and grateful to her for having me and my family in her home and for sharing their comfort zone with us for a few hours. We chatted and discussed many things and it was one of those days that will stay with you for as long as you live and are able to go back to those details that made the day so special.

She cooked for us; both Arabic and American meals and those brownies were from heaven … I am waiting for the recipes; not that I will be doing them any time soon, but at least I will have them just in case.

My parents loved and enjoyed the experience and they talked about Kinzi, her cooking, her wonderful gentleman of a husband, her warm home, her well mannered children, her sophisticated friends and the list would go on and on … I thank you Kinzi for doing this for me … this means the world

On Saturday; my sister celebrated her graduation from Arabic College and she was the at the top of the class in her major; Marketing. I am really proud of her and her achievements; with a limited time for studying and with all the football team training and traveling; she did a wonderful job and I congratulate her on this great performance.

Nisreen with Graduation gown; Mabrook my dear

My parents, my brother and his wife and my sister and her fiancé went to the graduation and my baby sitting days were back for a few hours. I had to watch over my nephews and I have got to say that this task really became harder with time or maybe it is fair to say that we develop less tolerance for kids as we grow older and don’t have ones of our own; maybe we just don’t get kids’ behavior!!

There you have it; that’s where I was the past period and by the way; I got invited by the German embassy to attend a workshop for bloggers and I am expecting to have a good time; it has been a while since I have seen so many people from those who will be there, so stay tuned for more after this one is over

Summer season is officially back with all its parties and family gatherings. It is like people wait all year long till these few months to finish all their social obligations whether they were weddings, engagements or even family parties. It happens to be that all graduations happen in the summer, students finish their exams in summer and holiday season also falls in the summer.

It is true that summer is easier than winter for all activities but it is turning into a summer of craziness and frenzy. By the time the sun starts shining every day and the temperature starts rising up that the girls start wearing less and less. We have become used to the mini clothes and exposed flesh with every passing year.

Yesterday was full; we had an engagement party for my sister and I have to say that I was really shocked with the outfits that the girls are wearing, as if you will not be trendy unless you wear as less as possible or as revealing as you can get away with. I remember ten or fifteen years ago, we were more shy back then and we would not wear anything that exposes more than half of our arms, but I guess people change with time or maybe we start seeing things differently when we grow older.

Anyway; the party was really nice and longer than I expected, because in these types of parties, people come and go very quickly but this one lasted for 4 hours or so. Of course; my day started really early because I had the task of driving the bride to the salon and stay with her to make sure that everything is done by the book, then drive her home, but one of her friends came over and insisted to drive her home so she followed me and the party officially started when we arrived.

Some of my foreign friends came to the party and shared the joy with me; the lovely Kinzi, Momma beans and Teta Beans and two of Kinzi’s friends; Ruth and Emilie. This was a good opportunity for them to experience a Jordanian party with all its ins and outs and they had so much fun. My eldest aunt approached Ruth asking her if she would accept marriage to her son and she was so insisting and would not let it go until they promised her that they will look for someone and get back to her. I guess that my aunt was living the American dream all the way from Jordan and was trying to assure a better future for son and no one can blame her, yalla 3o2bal el 7abayeb.

At the end of it; this was a very long happy day and I am really grateful that it ended OK and would be even more grateful if people stop wishing me a husband like saying: don’t be sad, maybe God will finally send you a husband!!!
This happened a lot yesterday and was so annoying and really impolite, but I can’t change the world as much as I can change my attitude on how to react to it!!!

Yesterday was very long and exhausting with all the preparations for my brother and sister’s arrival from USA. My mother was very excited and of course got us all working and preparing the meals and sweets that my brother is craving; he was away for almost two years after all.

He was supposed to arrive on Friday but his domestic flight into Chicago was delayed by an unexpected storm and it happens that on that particular day, RJ decided to be punctual and this led my brother and sister to miss their flight to Amman. To be precise; they have arrived before the take off but RJ staff would not allow them in and said that it was not their responsibility that they were delayed. Therefore; they had to stay in Chicago over night and catch the next flight to Amman.

Yesterday; RJ was delayed for an hour and a half in Chicago so we headed off to the airport to be there when they arrive. The flight arrived and we started watching passengers going out and meeting their waiting families with lots of hugs, smiles, laughs and tears. The terminal was literally full of people and 80% of them were smoking despite all the “No Smoking” signs and the fact that the airport is actually a “Smoke Free Zone”. It seemed that all smokers have a tendency to disobey and disrespect all the rules and laws when it comes to their cigarette cravings. They handle this issue as if the world and everyone in it owes them something and that they should be allowed to do whatever they wanted and get away with it.

When you have a couple of hundred people smoking in the same space; what do you think will happen? You got it; the fire alarm was set off and boy was it noisy!

It kept ringing for almost 10 minutes and I kept looking around and people were still smoking and lighting up new cigarettes and at the same time having a big frown on their faces exclaiming why this alarm would not stop ringing!!

This got me wondering; why do all smokers have this tendency to break the law? Why are they so careless about the wellbeing of others? Why do they put others in danger and act as if it is their right to do so? Why do they think that they can get away with it?

I will tell you why …

Because the “No Smoking” signs are just that; signs. They were put there to make us believe that we are doing something about the health risk that smoking causes, they are there to make us believe that we are acting to enhance our image since we are on top of the list of countries with alarmingly high rates of cancer, they are there to tell people who object to smoking and smokers that there is something being done, but the sad truth is that people are bragging about breaking this simple law; they smoke right under the sign and show it off.

It seems to me that signs stating certain laws in the country like “No Smoking”, “STOP”, “Give Priority” and the likes are just there to give us the illusion of being a civilized community, while in reality; all these signs mean absolutely nothing if not followed. If people are left to their own judgment; they will always be inclined to break the law if they know that they can get away with it.

My uncle lives in France. When my dad visited him once and he took him out for a ride, my dad noticed that my uncle was stopping at every “STOP” sign even if the street was completely empty and he could really get away with it, so dad asked him: why don’t you just keep going if the street is empty? My uncle answered: if I do not stop, I will be paying a huge fine and maybe persecuted, so it is better safe than sorry because you never know when there is a policeman standing around the corner!!

Why don’t we have the same level of law enforcement? Isn’t it better to have laws that are followed than having signs that are not respected and are disregarded at every chance people can get away with it? How can we create the urge to respect the law even if there is no one watching? I suggest that the government starts fining these law breakers every chance they get because only then, we can say that we are a community that respects the law and does not break it, because what are the chances that someone who breaks a small law would have a higher inclination to break much bigger and more important more critical laws?

Anyway; my brother and sister arrived safely but their luggage didn’t!!!

Let’s hope that RJ can locate them and bring them back!!!

I woke up this morning in a desperate need for more sleep; you see, I stayed late last night and now I know that I shouldn’t have, but the problem is that there is always so much to do and it seems that I need longer days. I woke up feeling tired and really craved a massage for my exhausted shoulders; sitting behind a desk for the most part of the day is not healthy at all, trust me I know the hard way.

Driving in the morning is another ordeal that one has to deal with especially among drivers who are late for their work or trying to get their kids to school or maybe just sleepy like I am this morning.

The weather outside my office is amazing and I would give anything to spend the day outside, or get a chance to walk around Amman’s suburbs without having to rush back somewhere. How I would love to be in Aqaba today and enjoy the sea that I miss so much; I guess a couple of days off are in order ha?

Last weekend, I went with my friends to see 300. This movie was really overrated because we all did not like it. It was more of an animated flick that reminded me of Sinbad’s adventures where the hero is aided by the forces of nature, but I told myself: this is a myth and it is normal in such tales to have these scenarios but the overall assessment from all of us that the movie was more comic than tragic because we did not stop laughing and that applied to everyone in the theatre, strange ha?

This weekend was different because I spent it at home and dad made us one of his famous BBQ’s but I had a fight with my favorite sister over a silly matter. It is true that things almost went back to normal without us having to say we were sorry but that’s the way things happen among sisters and that’s exactly what I like about family; you can go back right to where you started as if nothing happened because the main thing never changes; we are family!

Yesterday I finalized things with Royal Jordanian and I am now free. Wow! It is quite liberating to put closure to a stage and move on to the next; loose ends are always a big problem because they always come back to give you unnecessary headaches. The irony is that two weeks after I submitted my resignation, they ended the contract with my boss which was a great relief for me as he was the only one keeping me there.

I have a slight headache because I am still sleepy, Panadol anyone???

So today was my birthday … yeah yeah yeah … another birthday and another year has passed by and when I think about my birthday last year, it seems like a hundred years ago because so much has happened since then … but isn’t that what life is about?

This year, I spent a happier birthday than the year before and the day was full of warm wishes and nice surprises and did I tell you that I am loving this facebook? It is really cool how everyone wished me a happy birthday on my wall there and even though I could not be with all of these friends in the same location, somehow that’s exactly how it felt …

I received flowers and the family had a small party for me at the end of today … so all in all; I can safely say that today was really one of the good days, so I would like to thank all those who participated in making it a nice day after all

My sisters sent me this to my office and it was a very nice surprise … thank you girls

My nephew got me these beautiful yellow flowers … and they smell nice too

The cake

Mom got me one of her masterpiece as a gift … thank you mom; I love it

And there you have a full report … hope you enjoyed it

Today I am bringing to you an announcement of an event that is being organized as we speak. Events UnLimited is a Jordanian-based event planning and management company that adds value to the events industry in Jordan and the Middle East by carefully identifying and producing events that foster better business partnerships.

This company is now organizing The 2007 Wedding Show that will take place in April. As I read their press release, I was eager to tell everyone about it because I believe that the program that they have arranged is professional and I predict that it will be a great success. I quote below their press release; please read more …

Information Sessions by Family Flavours at the Wedding Show Enrich the Content of the Event

Amman, 5 March 2007. The Organisers of the 2nd Wedding Show that will take place from 12 to 14 April 2007 at Zara Expo, Events UnLimited, have added a new educational dimension to the event this year enriching its programme by offering visitors the opportunity to sit in on several important information sessions that address topics ranging from health, beauty, fitness, relationships, interior decoration to cooking.

“We are pleased that Family Flavours magazines has teamed up with Events UnLimited to enrich the programme of the Wedding Show with several important information sessions delivered by expert speakers”, said Samar Shawareb Ashqar, Managing Director of Events UnLimited. “The information sessions address several key aspects of planning for that special day and the first two years of marriage”, said Mrs Christine Mougin, Family Flavours Publisher and Managing Director. “We are delighted that many of our expert contributors will share with the public, at The Wedding Show, valuable information for a healthy and happy life”, added Mougin.

On the first day of the show three sessions will take place between 5:30 and 9 p.m. Ms. Amal Nasser, a leading nutrition and diet consultant, will explore ways of staying healthy through proper nutrition. Ms. Rita Qub’ain, a beauty therapist, will show both men and women how to look radiant on their special day and have a glowing complexion. While, Noor Biltaji and Najwan Al Khatib will discuss interior design and decoration trends offering listeners a lot of inspiration to decorate their love nest.

On the second day of the show, three speakers will explore fitness, relationship and beauty topics. Mrs. Samira Dajani will shed light on staying fit offering attendees 37 years of enduring advice through exercise, yoga and Lamaze.

Dr. Hala Dabbagh Shekem, a counselling psychologist, will offer couples and newly weds advice on how to prepare and cope with the first two years of marriage, while Dr. Larissa Al-Uar will talk about teeth whitening and dental hygiene to insure a perfect smile on the big day.

On the Third Day Ms. Hevin Kurdi, a child development specialist, will offer a new perspective to weddings with her presentation on “How to Entertain Children at Your Wedding”,
Lastly, Mrs. Alma Lou Annab will speak to attendees about “How to Cook Together” and share recipes with men and women, tips and trends that encourage closer collaborative work in the kitchen.

The 3-day event is the ultimate event for the brides & grooms-to-be. Set in a sophisticated atmosphere, the Wedding Show will feature a wide range of products & services; elegant fashion and jewellery shows; wedding cake competition; live music & entertainment; table setting competition; floral arrangements, zaffet and dance shows, in addition to, a Family Flavours’ information sessions.
END

• For further information kindly contact Events Unlimited on + 962 6 5656550 or e-mail: info@eventsunlimited.com.jo. Further information is available on www.eventsunlimited.com.jo.