Walk the mall

To beat the heat, swap a walk in the park for a stroll through the mall

AMMAN — For people reluctant to exercise under the scorching summer sun, or wanting to avoid walking leisurely on the gym treadmill next to someone who is speeding along, a new initiative hopes to attract them to the most unlikely of workout places — the mall.The Jordan Health Communication Partnership (JHCP) banded with Mecca Mall yesterday to introduce “mall walking.

”The programme is designed to encourage people to lead healthier lifestyles by integrating leisure and sport.“I find the problem with physical fitness maintaining and keeping it fun... I already do the walk three to four times a week with my wife, she enjoys the window shopping,” said Suleiman Farah, chief of party for JHCP.A path marked “walk on” on the mall floor follows a 2.25km course.According to web sources, the benefits of mall walking include not only a climate-controlled atmosphere and easily accessible restrooms, but also the avoidance of traffic, auto fumes and path obstructions.Scientific studies prove that exercise 30 minutes a day three times a week can help prevent heart disease, blood pressure, obesity and diabetes, according to JHCP.Mohammad Shahjahan, director of the Bangladesh Centre for Communication, and a John Hopkins University representative, attended the launch to learn about health activities in Jordan and share ideas from his country.

“I am interested in seeing people doing good things for their health as well as being entertained... I will bring this idea back home with me,” he said.Meanwhile, Eman Ahmad, who came to shop at the mall during the launch, told The Jordan Times that she would much prefer exercising outside because it is more fun and invigorating.Salameh Al Kurdi, managing assistant director of Kurdi Group, disagrees. He would like to change this perception because in his view the streets are not “pedestrian friendly” and the mall is cool in the summer and warm in the winter.In 2004, a five-year strategy funded by the USAID entitled “Gateway to the Future” was initiated, with the goal of promoting health in Jordan, according to JHCP.“We are working to attract different corporate companies to fund health programmes across Jordan and create this trend as a norm in the private sector to help the public even after our plan ends in two years,”
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said Karen Aghadjanian, marketing and private sector specialist for JHCP.Jordan TimesBy Linda HindiTuesday, September 19, 2006




Now that is really interesting.women now can find another excuse to go shopping.I'm going for some excercise..I need some money..

Old Friends


When life goes by and as you go from one stage to another ,you meet new people whom you later call friends.

I am not very easy going when I use that word,not every acquaintance is a friend and not every friend is a good friend or best friendwhen I was in School I had many school mates,and few friends,when I graduated and went to college,I had also other college friends.

.I got married and when you do that many things around you change,the kind of people you call friends are different than those you had in school or college.and when you have kids you also gain more friends,somehow closer to your style in life.after this long introduction,what I really want to talk about is meeting old friends after long time of separation.when you meet an old friend after so many years you feel that years melt away,as if you were together only yesterday as if the years that passed by meant nothing

Meeting old friends gives me such an indescribable joy, ultimate happiness every now and then I meet some of my school friends or college friends by accident, we talk to each other after hugging and kissing sometimes some tears and we try to catch up on each others news promising to see each other again..But we rarely do..

We all have our new lives,new worries and many new events that keep us busyafter I got hang of the Internet,I started looking for my old friends back in Saudi arabia and I managed to get their emails and we reconnected againmy friends there were a mixture of cultures,many jordanians,palestinians,and those i was able to meet when they came back home.the others were lebanese and those I planned to see 2004 as I visited lebanon I got to meet my two friends

.our children joined in and we all had a great time remembering what we used to do and not getting over the idea how children have grown up in age and size parted and we promised to try and see each other every year..

But that didn't work for 2005 , I couldn't go to Beirut and they couldn't come over to Ammanso 2006 was the ideal time to see all of them..Emails were sent but I didn't get the chance to read the replies ,didn't matter much,I said to myself,I';; read the emails when I get thereGhada was still outside Lebanon and was planning to go there on the 15th of July,that was sad ,my vacation ends on the 12th,I spoke to sana and she had some family matters that prevented her from seeing me,but leila showed upI was so delighted to see her again,we sat and talked for hours..


Talking about old friends and new events..16 years were like a sugarcube in a cup of hot tea.we parted and the next day i left to Amman,the same day Lebanon was attacked..The whole trip was like a dream..I called her the next day and she was in tears..We kept in touch till she safely left Beirutduring the war other Lebanese friends came to Jordan,although it was a time of sadness for all but I was happy to see Samir and Jacky again now the war is over,as they say,and hopefully next year we get to meet again