King Husein

Today is his birthday

our loving caring father who left us 8 years ago

king Husein was not just like any king..he was more like a father to every jordanian

we always felt his love sheltering us his kindness and compassion hovering over our heads

we were so proud when anyone asked us where are you from and we would say jordan..and to our amazment Europeans ,or most of them dont know what jordan is

but when we said king husein they used to say ohh..we love him

everyone loved him

children,grwonups,even those who were considered enemies respected him dearly

to our king's soul..to our late father..we still love you and you are still with us

may God rest your soul in peacce

Slogans that invade your life

Driving throught he streets of amman daily we are forcely attacked by the slogans and pictures of our new parliament candidates

this year i feel it to be differant from all other years..what will the falafel owner do when he is elected? or what would the children tv presenter do..more of wa2t il fara7? will ashraf forshayeh go to abdali with her? well i thought maybe she should have slogans like brush your teeth daily or isma3 kilmet baba w mama..

all those talking about fidelity,honesty,integrity..will they even rememeber these words when they reach their goals?

what about trashing the streets with their banners thats started to fall of with the very first showers of rain? will these banners be removed as eagerly as they were put?

or will we suffer from this trash after the electons are done

for me,i am still considering who to vote for

i might vote for a woman coz we wome shouldnt accept the quota and sit here like sheep waiting for the government to throw us a piece of leftovers

the eelctions are on the 20th and we'll see what happens then..till this is over i will still be laughing my heart out when i see the smiling faces of our dear candidates with promising eyes and sweet sweet featurres

The Last Holiday

A movie I watched the other day,simple movie nothing special,starring Queen latifa as Goergia byrd,

the movie is about a simple sales woman who has all those dreams that she keeps in her possibilities book,a man that she has a crush on ,a chef she would love to meet,a place where she dreams of visiting,and to her shock she was told she had a terminal disease and she only have 3 weeks to live..

now this was a turn for her and she decides to take all her savings and go for her dream trip to Karlovy vary in prague,There, thinking she has nothing to lose, Georgia undergoes a metamorphosis--and her transformation affects everyone around her.


Georgia's newly uninhibited personality shakes up staff and guests alike.the movie had a happy ending when she finds out that they were mistaken and that she will live afterall ,her book of possibilities is now her book of realities.this movie made me think :how many dreams do we postpone,how many things we want to do but we put off till later?and when is later?do we need to face death to live ?to appreciate life,live it to the fullest,making everyday a special one?

Just a thoughtwhat I really liked about this movie is the kind of vacation she got,the hotel,the massages,the fooood...oh I really need one like that right now!!

Love vs Addiction

Love VS. Addiction


Baby, To me, you're like a growing Addiction that I can't deny

So..have you ever stopped to think whats the differance between loving someone and being addicted to someone?

some people say: i can't live without you..is this love or addiction?some say: you run in my blood..love? addiction?

if you were given the chance to be away from the one you love for a while without any contact..how would you feel?

What is Love anyway?Is it the need to be with someone all the time?

is it happiness you feel when you're with him/her?is it the feeling of being complete with a certain person?

How can we tell the differance between love and addiction? how do we know that what we feel is love not mereaddiction..habituation..infatuation..passion..or just strong physical attraction?I wonder how many relationships are based on what is believed to be love..

Keeping up appearances

A visit to an old friend's house,a friend whom i haven't seen for ages,reminded me of Madame Bucket in the British comedy keeping up appearances(who insisted to be called Bouquet and answered the phone : this is the bouquet residence the lady of the house speaking)..

How important is it to have a bone china tea set,that you'd just keep in a Curio ,or crystal glasses just for special friends (as another friend said once ,and i was her best friend and never ever got to use those glasses when i was there..so :S)..


I really cannot relate to those people or even communicate well with them coz i am the kind of person who thinks of my home as a place to relax and be comfortable rather than a museum or a show room for visitors.

if I buy a nice peace of furniture or a set of glasses I would rather have fun using them than showing them off in a cabinet,or keeping them off limits for my family.I really feel sorry for those who see the world from a crystal glass or a silver spoon ..life is much too exquisite to be an item behind glass doors.

Summer vacation

Summer vacation is official

nowKids are home,and I challenge myself to go through the summer vacation without a nervous breakdown

Kids have to be entertained all the time,or you'll hear the "I'm bored" sentence a hundred times daily..my day starts at 7 am,husband has breakfast and leaves home,and this is the only time of the day I have for myself,I don't go back to sleep or start my daily chores,I try to begin my day as calm as possible doing the thing I love most,go online read, and write sometimes before anyone gets up .and that is when my day really beginsmy son wakes up and starts with the word" I'm bored"how can you be bored ?

You've just woken up!!a little time on his playstation while having breakfast an then again" I'm bored"I remember when I was his age,we had no computers,playstaions,satellite channels,mobiles or any of those new gadgets.all we had was our creative minds and we never used the word "Bored"our summer vacation was 90 days long and we found ways to fill every minute of it with team games,like football,hide and seek, and freeze.card games and handmade toys and kites,that we enjoyed creating and playing with.

Kids these days are spoiled rotten,they have everything to keep them busy and yet they complain all the timeone week passed and many to go..And I am wondering what can I do more to stop him from using that word that gets on my nervesI think that schools should stop the three month vacation and try the quarter /semesters,that would take the heavy load of the summer vacation .I miss school days!


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p.sthe word I'm bored is nothing compared to its Arabic equivalent(zah2aaaaaaaaaaaan)

while rolling from the couch to the floor
some of the things he's been doing in the past week:
(just a little reminder for ME)
playstaion2
psp(playstaion portable)
Computer games(2 or 3 games bought weekly at least)
Internet with broadband connection
going to networking cafe
Going swimming
T.V with hundreds of channels (Showtime added lately)
Going to the Movies with friends
Spending the day at friend's house,or friends coming over
kicking football on the walls when frustrated

Memories

Memories light the corner of my mind.

Misty water color memories Of the way we were.

Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind,
Smiles we gave to one another For the way we were.

Can it be that it was all so simple then,
Or has time rewritten every line?
If we had the chance to do it all again,Tell me?
would we? could we?

Memories may be beautiful and yet,
What's too painful to remember We simply choose to forget.

So it's the laughter We will remember,
Whenever we remember
The way we were;The way we were.

The way we were by Streisand is one of my favorite songs,it brings out many thoughts in my mind.
how long does it take for a really bad experiance to turn into a memory?

we will always cherish and keep our memories inside us,go there whenever we find the need to,live there for a moment,then get along with our daily lives.memories can be a good teacher if we listen carefully

and back to old song

elvis said once

Memories, pressed between the pages of my mind
Memories, sweetened thru the ages just like wine

Quiet thought come floating down And settle softly to the ground
Like golden autumn leaves around my feet
I touched them and they burst apart with sweet memories,
Sweet memoriesOf holding hands and red bouquets
And twilight trimmed in purple haze
And laughing eyes and simple ways
And quiet nights and gentle days with youMemories, pressed between the pages of my mind
Memories, sweetened thru the ages just like wine,
Memories, memories, sweet memories

Ibelieve i can fly

If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to itI believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly
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We've all been told or heard at some point in our lives that if you truly believe something - have faith that it will happen - it will happen.
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Our thoughts are magical. Thoughts are powerful forces of energy. Thoughts create everything you want in life. Thoughts can even create the things you don't want. Thoughts can only come from your mind - and you are the only person in charge of your own mind. So you create the thoughts that create the circumstances of your life. Since your thoughts create your reality - you create your reality.
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We get started on something new and we have this tremendous positive energy. Everything goes well in the beginning. Whether it's a new job, a new relationship, moving to a new area, a new project - anything. We start off with this tremendous zeal and passion. But after a while we grow tired. Our positive energy now turns negative and our thoughts begin to work against us. Before you know it - you start creating things you don't want.
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Yes your thoughts that are created by your own mind create the things you don't want. In the end it is you and your negative, self- destructive thoughts that create the things you don't want in life - and you do this without even knowing it!
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It all starts when you lose focus what you want and stop creating the goals you had set out to achieve. Instead of creating what you want you start saying things like: I hate my job,, I don't like it here anymore - and the pattern continues.
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Now believing that You can do something puts you on the right track,positive thinking,making affirmations,daily thoughts, think of them as simple statements that you repeat to yourself to the point where they penetrate your subconscious mind. Your subconscoius then acts on the affirmations by creating situations, circumstances and events that mirror those affirmations or the statements you've been saying.
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Your affirmations should focus on what you want - not what you don't want. In short - affirmations are thoughts that you repeat over and over again until they become beliefs to the point where the subconscious acts on them.
so If I beleive I can do something,no matter how fatfetched it was no matter how impossible the idea seemed to be ,I can do it.
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I tried it,and it worked.
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Now as for flying,at this stage I recommend Royal Jordanian Airlines. :D

Occupation:Housewife

Since I got married I was awarded with a housewife title and was satisfied with it.

When I had children I got promoted to Mother now many huge responsibilities came with that promotion,and I took it all wholeheartedlyalthough my new Job included all the duties of the old one plus many new,I never complained.

My Job specifications require a lot of Love,patience,order and discipline,wisdom,tolerance,passion and lots of hardworking.

I have no specific working hours, I have no vacations or holidays and I am on a stand-by mode 24/7I am neither affordable,nor replaceableButwhen someone asks me: do you work? I sheepishly say: NO

Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Dr. Jekyll And Mr Hyde ,

this fascinating novel explores the curious turnings of human character through the strange case of Dr. Jekyll, a kindly scientist who by night takes on his stunted evil self, Mr. Hyde.

Anticipating modern psychology, Jekyll And Hyde is a brilliantly original study of man's dual nature .Stevenson's story of the kindly scientist who drinks a potion that transforms him into a stunted, evil version of himself is a story of horror, which preceded modern psychology.

Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory states that an individual’s personality is divided into three different parts: the id, ego, and superego.

The id consists of unethical, irrational, driving instincts for sexual gratification, aggression, and general physical and sensual pleasure.

The superego represents the outer expectations forced on the personality by society and culture.The ego acts as the mediator between the impulses of the id and the superego. The ego allows the personality to cope with the inner and outer demands of its existence.

The balance of these three parts determines a person’s personalitySo this Novel suggests a co-existence in the human body and soul of goodness, morality, and idealism along with evil, depravity, and sadism.

Dr. Jekyll, manages to isolate and separate his evil side from the whole, creating in the process two very different people; Jekyll, who represents not pure good, but the whole of a person, and Hyde, who represents pure evil, and contains little, if any, of Jekyll in him. These two characters stand in stark contrast to one another

Stevenson was writing before the advent of psychology, and thus had no language with which to talk about repression, sublimation, or denial, terms, which come much more easily to the modern reader.

Yet a clear subtext in his work is the repression and denial of the existence of evil.

I Find Hyde's name appropriate, for he truly hides and is hidden by Jekyll*******


I've always been a big fan of this novel,but nowadays and after many encounters with persons of more hyde than jekyll in them,I find it more intriguing,and more convincing.

How much do we know about others or about ourselves in that matter?

Is there any person on earth who knows YOU inside out?who knows every tiny hidden anticipation,fantasy,desire,evil thought,inner incentive,or even frustrations?

I believe that every person you meet in life knows a little bit about you,if you put all what those people know together you might as well get the whole picture..or wont you;)


just a thought

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,”
\
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

Good bye my Friend

Today,I got the news that an old friend of mine,whom i 've known since sixth grade had a heart attack yesterday and that she is in critical conditionI talked to my sister so we'll go and see her but the news of her death preceded my visit

MY Friend lost her son who was only 18 in car accident seven years ago,yesterday was the anniversary of her loss and she couldn't take it anymore.

she cried herself to death

Now they are together again,but i feel for her daughter who was a friend and schoolmate of my daughter, she is left motherless

what I feel now is disbliefe and shock,we ran into each other while shopping last year,and that was when i last saw herI feel that life has driven us apart,each in her own worries and daily stupid events,and I could have seen her more but i didn't.I will always regret that.


I Pray God to grant her family the strength to go onand you my dear friend i will never see you again

Sometimes when we touch

And sometimes when we touch
The honesty's too much
And I have to close my eyes and hide
I wanna hold you til I die
Til we both break down and cry
I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides

Grab a book

Grab a Book


Books were my best companion since I can remember, I started reading when I was so young, and never stopped.Reading kept my mind alive , added a lot to my experiences ,helped me through sleepless nights, enriched my heart and soul and entertained me when everything else failed.I just cannot comprehend how young people nowadays fear books and hate the mere idea of reading.my children don't read, I never managed to get them to do so no matter how I tried.


when they were young I bought them books, colorful ones to encourage them to read, I read for them at first but seems they enjoyed the idea of story telling more than the idea of reading .when they grew up ,their teachers asked them to read and summarize books, they managed to find the summary on the net and got away with it.Nothing seemed to work into pushing them to read, even when a best seller book is produced into a movie they preferred to watch the movie rather than read the book. what's the difference, that's their argument,. a whole lot..thats mine.


reading is nothing like watching a movieMany movies were based on best selling books but a 2 hour movie cannot give you the same thrill of reading the original book.I don't like others to imagine things for me, so for me watching a movie is not the same as reading the book.no one can change my mind not now or ever

one year

One year since you left.. and i miss you more

One long year without you and I cannot still imagine that you left

one year..I havent heard your voice,seen your lovely face,or touched your handone year..

and I still cant get over the idea of losing you

Can life be joyful again?

Can I smile or be happy without thinking of you?

without saying to myself:I wish you were there..and I always do..I say it daily..I wish you were there..Whenever I am happy..I miss you

whenever I am sad..I miss you

whenever I need an adviceI need to talk to someone..I miss you

and I always say..I wish you were there nothing is the same since you left..

We never had the time to really talk to each other till lately..

when you got sick and when I was there with you..as selfish as it may sound..i was a little happy i got to spend some time with you..we talked..we argued..we argued a lot..

I loved to argue with you,I loved the look on your face when we fought .

maybe coz i am a lot like you,we both had this hot temper..the last 5 months were the hardest in my whole life..you were there in front of me suffering and I was helpless.all i can do is be there with you and I did till the last minute..last second..till the moment you left ,while I held your hand..and your last words to me were: alla yerda 3aliki ya baba..

I will always miss you ..you will always be around..everytime i look into the mirror i will see you coz I am part of you and you live inside me..

may your soul rest in peace my dearest father..