N. | One Or The Other

You hear the water dripping, the zippers zipping, and the kettles on the stoves whistling. You hear the keys clinging, doors slamming and car engines igniting.

The clocks are ticking. Every second counts. The engines roar, sucking up gasoline as the person behind the wheel waits… waits.. just a bit more for the car to heat up. Their feet press the breaks as their hands quickly swivel around the gear, and shift into D for Drive. Their feet compress the gas pedal, and the engine roars and the tires spin out of control onto the road…

…to work.

In other news, The Olympics 2008 have started in Beijing if you have not heard already.

Popularity: 11% [?]

Hello everyone, I’m back from my trip to the U.K. It was a great change and the weather there was just great.

I have tried uploading pictures but I’ve reached my limit with flickr, so I’m thinking now of upgrading my account. Just haven’t decided on it yet. You’ll probably see the rest of this trip’s photos next month :p I just upgraded it, so I uploaded most of the trip images now. I’ll upload the rest tomorrow. For now you can check the ones that I have managed to upload out on my flickr profile at http://www.flickr.com/photos/oneortheother/.

It will take me a while to catch up on everything that has happened the past two weeks. Work is a little more hectic now, but that is to be expected. However, It sure is great to be back.

P.S. If you have not voted, vote on the right and also check out the associated post here, http://blog.oneortheother.info/question/a-web-forum/.

P.S.S. I know I haven’t replied to your comments yet, but I will soon enshalla.

Popularity: 20% [?]

A while back I registered on twitter and created my own profile. I also added the status updates on the sidebar for those of you who have not noticed. The new term for Web 2.0 applications such as Twitter is Micro-blogging.

I’m going to be traveling in a few hours to the U.K. for a business trip. I doubt I’ll be able to follow up on blogs, or even post as much as I would like to, but rest assured there is much to be discussed and much to be posted.

I usually write thoughts in my pocket notebook that I carry with me everywhere I go. I scribble the notes in hopes to publish them and discuss them with those who are interested. Believe it or not, not all the stuff I write makes it here on my blog, only a tiny fraction does. The reason is, some of the notes are questions of the type that have no real or obtainable answer.

Before I conclude, I’ll share with you something that I have written a while back but never posted about.

Comparing life and death. What is life, [but] a conscious ability to experience.

fin.

Note: Also please check my previous post about the forum, and vote on the right side bar if you haven’t already! Thanks.

Popularity: 26% [?]

I was driving this morning and saw this on the highway. A car with a small carton of juice on it. Odd? Yes. Strange? Not really, you never know what you might see on your way driving to work. Every morning is an adventure!

Some of you may remember my tall friend Bojacob from my previous post about us walking next to each other in a mall. Now, there is nothing weird about walking with a friend, but only when there is a 33 CM gap in height between the two. I recently joined the team at the company where he works.

One day as I was going to pray, I used the washroom next to the praying area, and I was looking for a place to hang my jacket. I looked right and then I looked left, there was nothing there. I was planning on how to keep my jacket dry and clean in this place, and I was running out of options!

I hung the jacket on the door to the cleaner’s room, that seemed like the most reasonable solution thus far. I went over to the sink, looked in the mirror and that is what I saw behind me! A hanger! But wait, how come I missed it? I looked right and left but didn’t see it!

I turned around, and looked up. There it was, right under the ceiling. I could not reach it, I admit I am short. However, even my tall friend was having problems with it! (Or so he claims…). None the less, this hanger always gives me something to laugh about when I think about the wonders and small adventures in my life!

So until the next adventure, I bid you all farwell, and wish you a pleasant and wonderful day!

P.S. For those who have not yet voted, please vote on the poll on the right! Thank you for your participation! :)

Popularity: 57% [?]

The Oxford program of career change is a career counceling program focused on helping you achieve your dreams in terms of trying to find out the career that would fit you best.

One of the exercises in the program is writing down your commitments. It is said that commitments and wants are different, and that difference is the action actually taken to reach the objective you have in mind.

I have written out my commitments and promises, and wanted to share them with you. Write down your own promises, share them with the people around you, and put them in a visible place to remind yourself to always take action towards what you want.

This is what I have written:

My promise to myself is to live my life to my fullest potential. I will start by completing this program. I promise to conquer my procrastination and push myself whenever I need to be pushed to keep on moving. I promise to always be positive and optimistic in everything that I do in my life. I promise to always enhance my strong points and characteristics. I also promise to identify all my weak points and work to fix them. For all those weak points that cannot be fixed, I promise to find a way to use them positively in my life. I promise to live in harmony with myself, my family, my friends, all those who I love and the world around me. I promise to appreciate and recognize all that is good, and remind myself of all the promises I have made and will keep forever.

I will give myself the chance to experience new opportunities. I will not be put down by the negativity around me. I promise to make my own path if I have to. I will find my ideal profession and work that I love to do. I will keep going in my search for as long as it takes. I know I will only be truly happy doing something I love doing. This is my promise.

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Popularity: 60% [?]

Warning: Crude content ahead.

What does it take a person to have his privacy. The bathroom at work has a window that overlooks souq sharq. There are no curtains or shutters up on the 7th floor, why should there be? I had just finished cleaning up when I hear a strange whirring sound. I didn’t mind it thinking it has to be something with the aircondtioning.

I felt safe, in my sanctuary. I felt at peace with the world. I got up to get dressed and there he was staring at me through the window! What the heck! I stood there shocked! I was speechless, and motionless. The man was moving lower, and I see behind him cables and equiptment. He’s working on the outter part of the building.

I can’t imagine what they do when they reach the lower floors because some are women’s bathrooms other are mens bathrooms depending on the floor number. Honestly, did they really have to put the construction elevator next to the bathroom windows!

Popularity: 58% [?]

First off, note the new poll on the side :) Thank you for your contribution!

Yes, I have orange and carrot juice on my cloths. I know I shouldn’t have forgotten my bib at home!

You see, today is a special day. My gym routine has gotten an upgraded and my time has been increased on the elliptical machine, the tread mill, and the bicycle. This means I have even less time to eat, less time to shower and even less time to change, since I have to get back to work by 4pm.

I decided to have some lunch at the gym, it was actually very good and quite tasty, however the food arrived late which meant I was definitely going to be arriving late to work. I didn’t care much, I still tried to make it back in time. If you saw a black jeep whizzing by on the first ring road, that was me, I apologize!

I actually made it just in time (4:05), however in the elevator one the customers pointed out that I have juice on my dishdasha. I looked at it, and said, "Ah, 3ad hatha 3a9er bortaqal o jazar, shesheela al7een?" (Oh, This is orange and carrot juice, what’s going to get this out now [for those who don't read arablish]) With a half-disappointed "Oh Well" sort of smile.

I looked up at the guy, he seemed more distressed than I was! Not a smile, not even a, "Everything is OK" look. He actually had a, "OMG We are doomed!" look. I kept smiling and exited the elevator to sign in, and take care of this sucker.

Thank God for the Qutra, a little improvising does wonders. The stain is now covered up, and hidden well under my qutra well. Alrighty then, back to work (or sleep. Those 3 hours I slept are taking a toll on me, looks like I’m going to pass out on my desk).

P.S. I’d also like you to welcome a dear friend of mine, Mrm (http://mirimthemirim.wordpress.com/) who only recently joined the blog-O-sphere.

Popularity: 51% [?]

I have been thinking quite a bit about the things that I like to do. None of them involve following a schedule and meeting deadlines. I’m working on a project at work. I have lost inspiration to keep working at it. It is tedious. I have to do (sort of) weekly reports. I also have a vague deadline. The pressure isn’t helping.

Update: Heads are going to start rolling!!! (For those who didn’t understand that, it means I am going to behead some people!) Here I am trying to get this done, and my colleague/semi-supervisor flips through my papers, asking me needless questions.

Sigh.

Popularity: 30% [?]

Don’t you just hate nosey people, especially at the office? What is with those who just stand there, stare at you do your work, or stare at your computer screen. I’ve had my share of encounters with nosey people and it seems you just have to draw the line with some people.

Earlier, I was working in the conference room drawing up some diagrams, mapping things out on the white board. An employee came in and just stood there close to the door looking inside staring at what I was doing. I kept looking at him, but it seemed he was trying to understand the diagram. It bothered me, so I asked him if he needed anything, he lost his smile and kept walking.

Not two minutes later, another employee comes walking by, and stands by the door looking inside impressed by the diagrams. As soon as I turn to look at him, he disappears. I just ended up closing the door. How do you handle nosey people?

Popularity: 41% [?]

I work in the very top floor in the building. Recently construction started, and they have begun from the top and will continue down the building. I can’t explain the details of what they are doing but so far they have ripped the windows out and replaced them with a thick cardboard. It is getting hotter by the minute.

Random Q: Do/Would you swim in the sea at night?

Popularity: 44% [?]