Finally an Apple user !

This all started last Wednesday when a tragic incident happened to my ancient laptop who lasted with me for around 4.5 years ! I was working so hard at night till 3 am; watched an episode later, then went to sleep for couple of hours

My hard disk crashed !! :(

I'm really grateful for the IT support for being able to extract my data from the broken disk

I really wanted to change my laptop when I graduate to open a new page for my life after graduation but life surprises you when you least expect it and well that happens to almost all things you plan for!

I was confused between choosing Mac Pro or Mac Air

either way I was gonna kiss Windows goodbye

analysing my needs I figured that my uses will be well taken care of using Mac Air as I'm not a heavy user to go for pro..

 so I went to Sharaf DJ and the sales person gave me a second thought with the new model of Mac Pro, the features are better, weight is lighter than the old pro and price is closer only 1000DHS difference.

It might be funny but I don't like the black frame around the screen in Mac pro and I didn't like how thin is Mac Air .. in fact I don't like very thin technologies as I don't trust my femininity with it lol 

and YES these preferences seem so naive but it does make a difference and NO I'm not so dumb to go for an expensive technology based on outer shell only !

I went home took a second opinion and more research and then settled for that choice

for now I'm still exploring the new features; I thought its gonna be really bad shifting from Windows to Mac but it was just fine !

Unboxing Mac

the long lasting battery is an awesome feature because now I don't have to carry heavy charger in my bag :D

 customisability, speed , weight, elegant look, retina technology, backlight keyboard .. are all features I loved and the list is still growing~

I only have a complain about the price but friends said its worth it and that what I want to discover by time..

for now I got some more discoveries to make, praying this Mac will last with me for the next 10 years

p.s: I don't know why but ever since I got a Mac I get the feeling that Steve Jobs picture on his book is glowing lol

which reminds me I should go back and finish reading his book !

Peace,

Amna

Jobs Day at a public kindergarten

I was supposed to pack my bags for 4 days in Abu Dhabi yet couple of hours earlier my mom suggested I join her and go to my little brother kindergarten as they had "Jobs Day"

This is not my first time attending my siblings schools as a guardian in place of mom; being the oldest sister I had to take responsibility in her busy days

It is different going there as a sister. you catch a glimpse of motherhood and understand how mothers society is so different than those of single people

yet some days its not as thrilling as it may seem;being a young parent will get u in really awkward position being surrounded by moms investigating looks

Anyways my brother is supposed to wear a fireman costume; a day ago my sister was sarcastically saying "why the hell did they choose a fireman for him?!" and I was like " well good thing they didn't picked him to be Bob the builder cuz he is chubby enough to be so mashallah lol"

My lil brother posing "Yeah a fireman but as cool as ice"

I got there a bit late but I was able to catch the first speaker; honestly speaking I thought the event was a bit complicated for kids at first, and I suspected that its a way for moms to feel better about the time spent by their child at school..you just wouldn't expect them to appreciate adults being dragged down from their busy life to talk about their jobs. But on the contrary; they were really bright, interactive and proved me wrong !

the kids were divided into groups based on their jobs/costumes there were policemen, doctors, engineers, firemen, cooks, soldiers and artists !

The first speaker was a pilot who was really smart with interacting with kids and he was able to own their little hearts by talking about his job as a game filled with adventures and amusing air tricks 

The policeman did a good job too and he let the children talk more about what they know on police duties
 a little girl explained a whole scenario about when she would need to call the police .. I mean that was WOW, the girl words are beyond her age and mothers were clapping enthusiastically!

Another child said "I would call a policeman if my car tire went flat!" - typical emirati boy lol he owned the audience haha

Boys and policeman having fun setting the rules

Unfortunately children didn't know the role of an engineer so he got the least attention; in the british children media for example, they had a character named Bob the Builder. Through this show children get to see how engineering and hand crafty work can solve life's problem like a fallen bridge, stuck truck or simply a broken door including the naming of the tools a builder would need !

Now that's a way to get to children and make them appreciate other professions

Engineers success to attract children finally

After that the artist came to talk and oh boy he asked a silly question to these smart kids : who is better me or a pilot ?

and BAMMM he got it right in his face and on top of their lungs "THE PILOTTTTTTT" xD !

moms were laughing and saying "you got what you deserve for comparing urself to a pilot " lol

When the talk was over we witnessed the cutest thing ever, all the girls gathering around the artist as he taught them how to draw trees ! hehe girls appreciate art more than boys apparently 

With the artist

Le chefs

making pizza, orange juice (left picture) and prepare salad (right picture) independently, cooking gets more fun when you get your child to participate in it I used to let my little brother help when he seeks my attention while cooking and he turns to be more quiet and useful around the kitchen :D

The doctors !

The most focused little professions of all, there were a bunch of dentist discussing a case another doctor injecting a little sick doll and ...

These two cracked me up, the kid is so into his job haha

My brother doesn't have the patience for painting or drawing so he finished first with a line and circle and went to show off to his teacher so she surprised him by asking the most critical question : "WHAT IS THIS?" he was like "how can I explain that to her" all over his face..

The firemen drawing their tools

It was joyful being around kids and even though when someone talks about kindergarten the image of seeing crying babies would come to our minds but children are really easy to go with when you master the art of keeping them busy and interested !

and when you participate in such events with them, the children are not the only thing to explore but the bond between mothers and their children. Women become different beings when it comes to their children.. you would see friendly mother who would like to share the experience, protective mothers where its always the other kids' fault, proud mothers who wouldn't stop talking about her child uniqueness..etc

and it made me think how would life be when you have a piece of you ~

These angels no matter how they look or act are someone else's precious..

we have to excuse parents when they act so protective and aggressive and respect their chosen strategy to raise them

I had this magical moment where I said to myself wow I would love to spend some time to explore these kids further more; wish I can get the chance to be a teacher for a day .. although I know it would be a challenge

when you try new things in life you start to respect work in any form it comes and you open to urself a whole bunch of options :)

may god bless our angels,

Amna

Spiritual Haven: A Day in Oman

I can tell that Al Ain people are most familiar with Oman  than other areas of UAE

the close boundaries they share pulled few immigrants from Oman to Al Ain and vice versa over the years

It was a fine Friday and we were two days away from starting the next semester so my mom's family wanted to hold a family gathering and I was tempted to go

Now when we speak about Oman the image that comes to our mind as emiratis is a splendid journey to childhood memories and simplicity of shared heritage

I really love Oman for keeping us a decent space to get away from this smothering modern life

so I said YES ! I don't want another friday spent on window shopping at Bawadi mall or sipping up a cup of my usual coffee at Starbucks/Nero, Lets welcome the opportunities and see how it goes 

well I haven't got the chance to meet my mom's family after coming back from Korea so this is like .. 6 months that I haven't seen them ? I know.

 So our trip goes from Al Ain city to Al Buraimi city -where we stop at the usual Dukan (Grocery store) for beverages and some fresh fruits- then voilaaa~ we are in Wasit village our destination!

To make the picture clear here is a map from my google account, As you can see Wasit is not far from the emirati borders

Road Trip Map from Al Ain to Wasit village

in around 1 hour we were there at our peaceful village of Wasit, most of its people has already moved to Al Ain but still keep their houses for holidays. The village was only inhabited by the famous family of "AlShamisi" which I never knew till recently! The people are very friendly, generous and really attached to each other :)

when we got there it was the habit to be served coffee and fruits at the beginning of every visit; It is a must in a decent hospitality and that's agreed on in both UAE & Oman. In modern houses though; Its not a mandatory thing to have fruits but were substituted by other international deserts. Yet it all depends on the guest and their age and level of openness.

after few talks around the circle; the lunch was served and god I can't resist the aroma of feasts especially when its homemade!

I need lessons on how to eat using bare hands x)

Note: in gulf area we prefer goat meat over lamb cause gulf people were not used to raise sheep for meat that they consider it more dense and smelly. However in Arabian countries around the Mediterranean sea its more common and preferred

After lunch,there were many women talks and catching up going until the sun went down alil and that was the best part of the day a walk around the oasis !
people calls it alnakhal النخل which mean palm trees area
 It was the resource of agriculture & food

This oasis used to be fulled with people who lived through it and worked most of their days

The diversity of trees was extraordinary !

cotton, mango, banana, lime, lemon, oranges .. I didn't even knew Arabian Gulf area would be able to produce such fruits in such climate !

Mango Trees

Unfortunately though with people leaving the area as it lost its value, these trees were cut down or abandoned to death 

Front yard of one vintage house

More interesting area is the neighborhoods spread around the oasis, I would estimate the age of these houses to be more than 100 years old based on local people sayings and tracking down generations. Wonderfully they still stand in quite good condition!
 

Despite the peaceful image people always made excuses to fight and so there were tribal wars going on and people got killed out of misunderstanding and pride. I found few mosques built here and there and called by the name of each tribe, its funny though because each one is far by 1 min walk lol
they were really ridiculously proud people who didn't want to pray in the same spot! you gotta problem wid that! hehe~ :)

View from the building on top, all houses were built to serve the basic needs of humans

The following pictures shows an abandoned well, not sure how they made it though these stones of hard nature. As it is shown the well was between houses and on the top of the hill, the reason for that is that the power of a tribe relies on how well they hide their resources; mainly water resource!

The following picture shows a police station with a different kind of architecture almost like a fort with small holes as windows

 and here we were there fascinated by the view at the top then rushed back to our residence before the sunsets, you don't wanna be wondering around an oasis with no flash light or farmers to guide you out !! reallllly risky. My mom said it was not as scary in old days because people were really brave and would help each other unconditionally. And when the oasis was blooming many farmers stayed around for late hours.. I could imagine that scene in my mind and it seemed great to live at that time !

Sun hitting on an old fort making it stand out beautifully

I think the Omani archeologists should pay more attention to the national treasures in this area before they vanish for real! The place is breath taking and less stressful. When you are young you appreciate such places less but when you are captivated by the new lifestyle you feel like whaoo this life is so fast and frustrating and I need to catch a glimpse of my childhood where everything was as this village wide, free and natural !

Sunset by the end of the tour

After that long trip we went back home for dinner followed by hot milk tea! we were really exhausted and sleep was all over our faces. The trip was supposed to end around 5pm yet it got as late as 11pm ! and by that we ended our day~

What about you readers did you spend the weekend somewhere inspiring and interesting :)?

Peace,

Amna

Book Review: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom

Tuesdays with Morrie

by Mitch Albom

This book is a true story first published in 1997 takes the scenario of a course attended by one student and his favorite teacher every Tuesday

It tells the story of Mitch Albom reuniting with his favorite teacher Morrie Schwartz after losing contact for around 16 years! Unfortunatly Mitch reconnected with Morrie when he saw him on Tv interviewed about his fatal disease the ALS or what is known as Lou Gehrig's Disease ( refered to the famous baseball star Lou Gehrig who got it around 1930)

 The ALS attacks the nerves in the body gradually paralyzing its parts until it hits sensitive organs as lungs so you can no longer take a breath or as throat muscles so you get choked by food..and both are terrible deaths..

I was just discussing this book with my friends and they asked me about the last lecture by Randy Pausch and I said well every book has its beauty where Randy was trying to teach us how to live, Morrie was trying to teach us how to die !

if we were in that spot of as Mitch called it "crossing the bridge" how will we interact with life matters ?

The reason why this book has moved me to tears is that I'm living the same story with my Math teacher at high school. I've heard about this disease from the Japanese drama "One liter of tears" which was a piece of art representing a girl's journey with this disease till her last day. However, whats on tv is nothing like living the experience with someone used to occupy a part of your memory. My teacher used to be an active smart teacher who believed in me and always put up good words in front of other people although she was very strict in classes and that's what I always admire in a teacher. I talked with a lady I know from her relatives and she said "no one knew what she had; in fact this disease is scarily wide spread but very rare in a small country like UAE.." and still there she is with a smile raising her 6 kids mashallah.

Now I'm left with thoughts of wanting to see her again but I wonder if I'll ever find the courage to do so.

The books discussed the ideas frightening this generation like death, relationships, marriage, money ..

and Morrie focused on loving and forgiving repeating those two words again and again in his speeches.

Picture from Tuesday class

The book gave these thoughts an access to my brain

• is it worth it to hate a person and never give him a chance to explain or move on?
• My grandmother constant complain about her knees; how hard it is for someone who used to run one day?
• Family is a bless and we shouldn't hesitate when it comes to starting a new one
• Go back to Nature, technology is sucking the life out of us
• We are equal as long as we share birth and death (As Morrie once mentioned)

Beautiful piece, easy language, meaningful advices and a touching story!

 

peace,

Amna

Book Review: The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene

The 48 Laws of Power 

 by Robert Greene

This is one of the smartest books I prefer to call the BLACK book of power !

While I was reading this book I felt this kind of enjoyment and motivation as if I found my guru for acquiring power! And since during university I had a chance to be exposed to the field of leadership and power it is not a foreign topic to me and I was reading each rule saying yes I did this, I've seen that and some people did that ! but this will not be less exciting to those new out there !

 

this book is not only for those who seek power but those who need answers of how things work in a world filled with power seekers or protection against power itself! It helped me deal with problems accompanying power including how to deal with those above you, jealous enemies and even yourself when it gets drifted away by the seduction of power

 

So there is an extended version of the book but I went for the concise one with around 500 pages, its international best seller by the American writer Robert Greene and shocking thing is the book was first published in 1998 !

The laws might seem really malicious and deceiving that you would doubt your ethics while reading them and question yourself whether to apply them or not at some point, However; there is a reason why you should follow it and side bar stories and quotes from famous people, kings and philiosphers from centuries ago showing the success of their tactics and methods! The stories are really pleasant and interesting !

From my opinion there's no book as straight forward as this book, it would literally drop the boom over your head and let you stand in shock saying that is actually right !

This a must have book and I would gladly refer to it for any issues in future !

peace,

Amna

Welcoming 2013 !

Happy New Year~

2012 is not the end of the world and I'm still alive :D haha in ur face you.. donno know whoever was claiming its the end lol ~

I know its kinda late but there was no way I'm gonna be able to write a decent blog after arriving on new years  to my home country 

The tiredness, cultural shock and formalities kept me from having any fruitful time with my blog

Now that I'm back on my feet again I thought I'd write a new post before January passes by!

First and before I spill out my plans I wish to thank 2012 for being a year filled with adventures and a year that is a blissful gift from god. I met so many new people, learned a lot of things, visited new places and become a satisfied calm person

in 2012 I started writing in this blog more seriously and I'm willing to keep it up during 2013 :)

In 2013 I wish to be the change for every single day

I want this year to be more organized and awarding

 and for a change I want to relax and let life take the wheel from time to time :)

so for the time being I'm on vacation and I came up with this list to fill my time and plan well for the coming year! There are many interesting stuff over the internet but I loved these the most and started applying them myself !

1- 2013 Diary/Planner

Yes its a must and it works amazingly well for busy people like me! 

technology cannot replace written papers! I find it more enjoyable to hold a book in my hands instead of an electronic reader

I can edit my notes much faster 

& I can flip back and fourth to feel the sense of time with papers !

so go to the nearest bookshop and pick your one !

Tips: 

• choose a light weight diary if you will carry it in your bag and always pick an elegant one that you will love to open every single day

• avoid super fancy tho and never buy the most expensive out there.. in the end its just a planner !

• oh and always check the paper pattern from inside, diaries comes with different style! I rather get those with enough space for each day (almost half page) and I love the maps attached at the back it gives me a space to dream about traveling to places I've never thought about :) *childish lol*

2- Happiness Jar

I've seen so photogenic pictures of Dreams Jar but I didn't like it as dreams should be written clearly in front of you not folded into a jar ! However this year I heard of the happiness jar where you can place all the happy moments you had through the year and then by the next year you can talk about and review all the happy moments in the past year !

Tips: 

• you can get the shape and size you prefer or which you think will fit perfectly on your desk. Nice cheap jars are hard to find in bookshops so I suggest visit the kitchenware section in any homecenters you will find plenty, colorful and cheap jars !

• decorate you jar with ribbons, stickers and writings this will not only makes the jar beautiful but enchanted~

for my case I went for simple cylinder shaped plastic jar so it won't break if it fell from the table :3 

3- Pictures on the wall

I've always appreciated pictures as a happy thing in life. I'm not into buying very expensive professional heavy cameras to take a picture of a tiny bug ( although I admit its worth the quality). However, I believe that no matter how ugly or hilarious you look in a picture it will never matter in the future when you look back at those pictures ! So with the growth of my gallery I wanted to keep my dear ones around instead of piling them in harddisks that I only check every couple of months

and I know I kept bragging about Korea so much now but honestly those people know how to design their cafes and restaurants with photographs, art crafts & simple antiques !

and it got me wondering why mom is so obsessed with white walls? if you can utilize the white spaces in a right way it will not look beautiful but will have a touch of personality and uniquness !

and so I'm filtering some pictures this weekend for printing and gonna buy some ropes and nails to get the work done !

Tips: 

• Don't stick to colored pictures even black n white ones will give you a sense of elegant vintageness! 

• if burning images in studios are expensive print them at home! 

• for more crafty touch you can design paper frames around your pictures and leave a little cute note !

 4- Books, Books and more Books !

We are a nation that reads, maybe the past decades weren't our best but that's only because our grandparents didn't get the chance for proper education and worked hard for their family survival. No matter how developed we get or how many technologies we invent the book is still a valuable piece of knowledge that won't be replaced.The beginning was tough with books for someone who started reading late but now its a daily pleasure.   

Tips: 

• take your time when you want to borrow/buy books, the secret to love books is to follow your field of interest. I realized this late cuz I depended on others' choice at the beginning.

• Novels are wonderful source of amusement but read an educational or inspirational book for a change.

• When you're done reading a book write a review for it, give it to a friend or neatly put it on a shelf for others to read ! 

• Some book fairs and libraries allow books donation or exchange so make use of such places if you didn't like a book you poses or read it many times !

5- Own a business 

University is the best place to test your capabilities of running a business. Of course people would say that the real world is completely different from this controlled environment but where else can you try your skills in marketing without being punished ?! After many presentations, workshops, projects maybe you can make use of your knowledge to go for the next challenge of opening your own business ! Currently I've been enrolled in a small business with a group of creative local ladies and I hope we will establish the company we dream of soon enough :)

Tips: 

• Always keep yourself inspired by attending talks about others success story and find the time to think about what you want to do after graduation. 

• If the road is not clear ask your friends for ideas you will be surprised by their responses or maybe you will find a person with a gold worth idea but was waiting for a strong person like you to take the lead !

• A business doesn't have to be an individual work it can start with the hard work of a group!

• Focus on what you are familiar with as its a strength point for you! Innovations and ideas can come running after you formed a strong basis for your business 

All in all, never give up to the depressing routine always find a way to appreciate, love and change ~

Be a person who lived every single day and tried as much things as possible than others from your place !  

Happy New Year Everyone !

Amna ❤

p.s: let me know about your 2013 plans, your opinion about my blog and what you love to read in the future ;)

First Snowfall

First snowfall in Ansan 5th Dec 2012
 

I’ve been watching the weather forecasts one week ago waiting for the sky to snow. I woke up early on the claimed day but found outside as dry as any winter day here.

I went back to sleep in disappointment and was planning to uninstall that weather application on my phone. However, few hours later the fuzzy window glass was glowing, that hope was still there !

I rushed toward the window and slide the glass and there it was .. the most beautiful scenery!

if autumn was amazing then winter is breath taking. Everything was wearing a white gown !

I don’t remember how I changed my clothes so fast and went down stairs but I do remember my stupid question .. "when it rains we take an umbrella but do we need one when it snows?" hehe~

Even if we had to use umbrella I wanna feel the snow without it NOW !

some people were with umbrellas others just with coat hoodies so since it was my first snow I didn't care much.

 

 The feeling I got when walking on snow was new ! I can hear & feel the snow cracking down my feet it made me ask myself is it my converse rubber that is being crashed ? *NERD* haha ~

the snow was soft that once it gets on ur hands it melts so fast to have a good stare at it

on the way to that lab and in the middle of this happiness I bumped into one my good brothers, Rafin! actually the best to put the beauty of nature in words. :p we sneaked out from the lab to witness this beauty and we were blabbing on about how freaking awesome it was ! 

we decide to skip the lab for an hour more and go check Hanyang Campus lake :D It was covered with SNOW and there were ducks -strong ducks-!

 

Snowball fight followed that *most awkward childish act lol* we called that break over and came back to our labs.

View from Aimori Bakery at Lunch time

later that day I remember having pasta at dinner at Ivy’s with my oppas. I left a note on the guestbook to mark this wonderful day <3 span="span">

 Caution when walking on snow: snow looks very nice but its very hard to walk on it with your normal sneakers and almost impossible for high heels. I've seen many people fall including my lab partner :p as funny it is you really don't want to be the next one to fall ! the situation got worse when the snow started to melt and streets were covered with ice layer. I was so frustrated cuz walking daily to the lab needed so much balance and concentration exactlllllllly like skating lol 

and yes so far I fell twice :p 

who said its too late to experience new things such as snowfalls? sometimes having those experiences late in your life will make you more grateful and absorbent to their beauty :)

today 21st Dec it started snowing again only this time students are all gone on winter vacation and the campus is all ours to play and act crazy :D

few days left for me in Korea, its becoming hard to post new stuff as I don't have much time to sit on a computer but I'm collecting good stuff to write about and its all coming soon here :3

xoxo,

Amna