We can't blame the signs this time. This one time, the entire universe is telling us something. Something supposedly magnificant. Endless signs announce its arrival. With bright lights, balloons, candles, lots of cheering, dancing and celebration. All the signs bring along a wonderful feeling of euphoria as well. At that one point though, we are totally unprepared. Clueless and oblivious to everything that lies ahead.
Today marks the day when you turn 18. I'm 18 and, I can drive.
WOOHOO.
We own the world in our hands. I had the world in my hands, sitting behind the steering wheel of my very first car. The excitement of it all. The thrill that you're 18. I got my driver's license even before I got my ID. I was 19 I think when I actually did. Don't ask.
Anyway, it is a big thing. It's huge, it's of massive proportions. It was before. It will be for just about every teenager, the dream of turning 18 and owning an official driver's license.
I know so many teens drive around way before that. Driving isn't the point. The point is you're 18. It's that one calendar day. No other birthday compares. Not a single one. 18 is one of a kind, unique from every angle. You have an official ticket to grown up land. The land of dreams. You feel you are invincible, and you realize the endless possibilities that lay in front of you. You're young, but not a kid. You're full of life, full of energy, and you're 100% sure you can do just about anything you set your mind up to. 'gonna be 18 till I die'. Bryan Adams said it all.
Cue in life.
Now it's your 21st birthday, you're not a minor anymore. 21. That's another major milestone. No longer a teenager, regardless of all the joy and pride of being a teen. This time it's even better. It's exhilirating. Being 21 is another story; and there is luster involved. You're 21. Your opinion counts. The little thoughts forming through your head; they can be voiced. You can make decisions. You've officially become an adult. It sounds very significant. An adult. You can do things on your own. You have a life of your own. You are in control. Done with education, got your degree, and you decide what you want to do. You believe in yourself, and in your dreams. Get a job, begin your professional career. Earn your own living. Make money for yourself. That first paycheck - unforgettable. You can purchase anything your heart desires. You totally rock your world.
Cue in life once again. This time it's stronger than the forces of nature. Life just happens. (no pun intended)
Somewhere along the line; we get taller and older, and realize that our taste in fashion, shoes, chocolate, coffee and so many other unimportant things has changed. We inevitably face the real world out there. We seek and explore. We stumble and fall. We try to paint with all the colors of the wind. We stand up. We stand tall. We kick our fears away. We win some, we lose some. We make believe. We hide behind masks. We follow our hearts. We defy our logic. We ignore those who don't agree with us. We live and learn.
We're growing, and we're expected to be responsible, mature and serious - in one other word, a grown up.
Do we grow up though?
Our thoughts, our troubles, our worries, our problems, they're actually still the same. Some of us are still hanging on to the same dreams.
You could argue that so much changes, nothing stays the same. Some dreams come true, some are abandoned, and new dreams are made. Problems grow, sometimes they intertwine and get more complicated, some problems get resolved, and new problems emerge. We forget what troubled us a few days ago. Nothing is the same.
You're right. Everything changes. Every single thing.Yet in a perplexing and very subtle way, it's still the same. The essence remains the same. There are traces of us in there, back then and right now. We were young. We were naive. Some of even foolish. Now we're older, but are we ever wiser?
“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.” ~ Anais Nin
Showing posts with label Bits and Pieces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bits and Pieces. Show all posts
First Moment of Truth
First Moment of Truth is a concept invented by P&G.
"According to Proctor & Gamble shoppers make up their mind about a product in three to seven seconds, just the time it takes to note a product on a store shelf. FMOT is considered the most important marketing opportunity for a brand. "
The First Moment of Truth.
There's a certain look people get on their face, when their eyes widen as the 'truth' dawns on them. They go 'a ha', or 'aaaaaaaaaa'. In that exact moment, they get it. If life had animation, FMOT would most certainly be portrayed with a lightbulb going 'ting' above someone's head.
On a totally different note, from another perspective altogether, this quote below serves as a FMOT on its own. It's an eye-opener and it enlightens. You need to read between the lines.
"Ugh, you make me sick. Have some fire. Be unstoppable. Be a force of nature. Be better than anyone here, and don't give a damn what anyone thinks. There are no teams here, no buddies. You're on your own. Be on your own." ~ Christina Yang, Grey's Anatomy
"According to Proctor & Gamble shoppers make up their mind about a product in three to seven seconds, just the time it takes to note a product on a store shelf. FMOT is considered the most important marketing opportunity for a brand. "
The First Moment of Truth.
There's a certain look people get on their face, when their eyes widen as the 'truth' dawns on them. They go 'a ha', or 'aaaaaaaaaa'. In that exact moment, they get it. If life had animation, FMOT would most certainly be portrayed with a lightbulb going 'ting' above someone's head.
On a totally different note, from another perspective altogether, this quote below serves as a FMOT on its own. It's an eye-opener and it enlightens. You need to read between the lines.
"Ugh, you make me sick. Have some fire. Be unstoppable. Be a force of nature. Be better than anyone here, and don't give a damn what anyone thinks. There are no teams here, no buddies. You're on your own. Be on your own." ~ Christina Yang, Grey's Anatomy
There is a Land ...
There is a land, not so far away, which goes by the name Las Procrastinata. It's a beautiful land, with lush greens, rich landscapes, cool blue waters, breath-taking scenery, gorgeous bright sunflowers and so much more for the eyes and soul to feast on. Sounds like a haven. Perfect escape to soothe our troubled minds.
Actually, in this incredibly spectacular land, I am the Queen.
I have an unwavering passion to procrastinate, and I do it ever so creatively. I have the power and unwise wisdom to find endless ways to spend the day doing an infinite number of things.Totally meaningless things, which happen to be very amusing, entertaining, time-consuming and thought provoking. Everything aside from what I need to get done. It is very nourishing to the soul. Never mind the deadlines, the plans you already made, the decisions you really have to think over and well, make, or the reports you need to focus on to prepare. Every single one of those can wait. I am fully engaged in giving new meaning and a world of definitions to wasting time.
And I do have the nerve to plead not guily this time. I do admit, as a Queen, I have truly enjoyed every single indulgence. A clear head, surprisingly, gets things done. As a Queen, I need to ensure my sanity remains -in the chaotic, insane, moving-at-warp-speed-ride we call life.
In reality though, isn't it ironic ( and maybe even an absurd paradox of some sort) how our mind tricks us at these critical times and takes us to other lands, where our wild thoughts run free and breathe, totally carefree, totally oblivious to the price(s) we eventually have to pay?
"Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill." ~ Christopher Parker
Actually, in this incredibly spectacular land, I am the Queen.
I have an unwavering passion to procrastinate, and I do it ever so creatively. I have the power and unwise wisdom to find endless ways to spend the day doing an infinite number of things.Totally meaningless things, which happen to be very amusing, entertaining, time-consuming and thought provoking. Everything aside from what I need to get done. It is very nourishing to the soul. Never mind the deadlines, the plans you already made, the decisions you really have to think over and well, make, or the reports you need to focus on to prepare. Every single one of those can wait. I am fully engaged in giving new meaning and a world of definitions to wasting time.
And I do have the nerve to plead not guily this time. I do admit, as a Queen, I have truly enjoyed every single indulgence. A clear head, surprisingly, gets things done. As a Queen, I need to ensure my sanity remains -in the chaotic, insane, moving-at-warp-speed-ride we call life.
In reality though, isn't it ironic ( and maybe even an absurd paradox of some sort) how our mind tricks us at these critical times and takes us to other lands, where our wild thoughts run free and breathe, totally carefree, totally oblivious to the price(s) we eventually have to pay?
"Procrastination is like a credit card: it's a lot of fun until you get the bill." ~ Christopher Parker
A Million Little Things
This initially was gonna be a blog about friends. i just have no words to speak.
Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~ Author Unknown
it'll take more than one blog to talk about the million little things. one little thing here is a poem i wrote light years ago. and even tho am not that person anymore in so many ways, and i hardly remember those days, the words do linger.
One Of A Kind
Sometimes I sit & wonder how
I could have made it without you
I remember all those times you listened
& made me smile when I felt so blue
When I felt I had nowhere to turn
I knew I could turn to you
& although you couldn’t stop my pain
You still pulled me through
When my sun began to dim
You made me believe it will rise again,
When I felt all hope had gone
You showed me how to find it within
So if it all ends somehow
One thought still comes to mind…
The friendship we shared one day
is truly one of a kind.
~ misteca
Friendship isn't a big thing - it's a million little things. ~ Author Unknown
it'll take more than one blog to talk about the million little things. one little thing here is a poem i wrote light years ago. and even tho am not that person anymore in so many ways, and i hardly remember those days, the words do linger.
One Of A Kind
Sometimes I sit & wonder how
I could have made it without you
I remember all those times you listened
& made me smile when I felt so blue
When I felt I had nowhere to turn
I knew I could turn to you
& although you couldn’t stop my pain
You still pulled me through
When my sun began to dim
You made me believe it will rise again,
When I felt all hope had gone
You showed me how to find it within
So if it all ends somehow
One thought still comes to mind…
The friendship we shared one day
is truly one of a kind.
~ misteca
In Silence
Silence.
Silence is deadly.
The silence before the storm.
Our inner silence.
In a truly rare moment, when there is just silence around you, you become aware of your own breathing. You feel your heart beating. Your consciousness rises to another level. You actually notice you're blinking. Your senses are so acute; picking up signals and glimpses of things around you haven't noticed before.
Yet silence numbs somehow. Silence awakens the senses yet it numbs you. It's like time stands still for that split second. You can move, but ure really immobile. You are numb. Numb while you listen to the silence.
In another kind of silence, so many words are spoken. In silence, we actually say something. The message is in that silence. It's just a message without words.
They say some things are better left unsaid. Are they?
Especially when the sound of their silence is defeaning and it's all you can hear?
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends ~ Martin Luther King, Jr
Silence is deadly.
The silence before the storm.
Our inner silence.
In a truly rare moment, when there is just silence around you, you become aware of your own breathing. You feel your heart beating. Your consciousness rises to another level. You actually notice you're blinking. Your senses are so acute; picking up signals and glimpses of things around you haven't noticed before.
Yet silence numbs somehow. Silence awakens the senses yet it numbs you. It's like time stands still for that split second. You can move, but ure really immobile. You are numb. Numb while you listen to the silence.
In another kind of silence, so many words are spoken. In silence, we actually say something. The message is in that silence. It's just a message without words.
They say some things are better left unsaid. Are they?
Especially when the sound of their silence is defeaning and it's all you can hear?
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends ~ Martin Luther King, Jr
Believing
" I believe in a lot of things .... I believe that, inspite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, we will all be okai.... I believe that believing we survive is what makes us survive. " ~ Izzy Stevens, Grey's Anatomy
I've Been Thinking
I have at least 10,000 different thoughts goin thru my head. Seriously, I think too much. Don't we all? We're always thinking. There's always something on our minds. That thing that's been buggin u at work all day,why did so-and-so do/say that and what does that mean really, what gift to buy for ure friend's bday, what to wear on the katb ketab on the weekend, how to explain why you did what you did, whats gonna happen on the next episode of bla bla bla,why is the street not movin, whats with so-and-so's attitude, hmmm if only ....
See what I mean? It's like this massive spaghetti-like network of thoughts interwined and goin non-stop.
So I've been thinkin, why don't we have an off button? Yup, OFF button. A cute red one, or a cool black one for the guys. When we can stop our brain from thinking. It needs the rest. I sure do! Okai, if an off button is stretchin it, how about a pause then? A little pause, a time-out, a break and we get to enjoy a moment or two of shhhhh.. no thoughts cloudin our heads, no little voices in our heads, no one in our head. Not a thought, not a single idea, not even a half thought. And most certainly no one's face.
Now, wouldn't that be true peace of mind?
Maybe we can all think about that instead!
So while we wait around, wishfully hopin for the pause button to miraculously exist and ease our troubled little minds. Here are two quotes to ponder upon :
Life isnt supposed to make you feel good. Life isnt supposed to make you feel bad either. Life is supposed to make you feel ~Author Unknown
Life is simple, its just not easy. ~Author Unknown
"Sigh" You know what am thinkin right now? Isn't life beautiful!
See what I mean? It's like this massive spaghetti-like network of thoughts interwined and goin non-stop.
So I've been thinkin, why don't we have an off button? Yup, OFF button. A cute red one, or a cool black one for the guys. When we can stop our brain from thinking. It needs the rest. I sure do! Okai, if an off button is stretchin it, how about a pause then? A little pause, a time-out, a break and we get to enjoy a moment or two of shhhhh.. no thoughts cloudin our heads, no little voices in our heads, no one in our head. Not a thought, not a single idea, not even a half thought. And most certainly no one's face.
Now, wouldn't that be true peace of mind?
Maybe we can all think about that instead!
So while we wait around, wishfully hopin for the pause button to miraculously exist and ease our troubled little minds. Here are two quotes to ponder upon :
Life isnt supposed to make you feel good. Life isnt supposed to make you feel bad either. Life is supposed to make you feel ~Author Unknown
Life is simple, its just not easy. ~Author Unknown
"Sigh" You know what am thinkin right now? Isn't life beautiful!
Like Duh!
am crammin for my Managerial Economics midterm tomorrow, and this question (with its model answer mind u) epitomizes sarcasm. Seriously, this is the best they can do for Grad students?
"Individuals who choose to attend business school have made a decision to invest in human capital".
Use terminology of Net Present Value Analysis to explain why ure attending b-school.
The model answer given is:
Net Present Value of attending school is the present value of the benefits derived from attending school (including the stream of higher earnings and value to you of the work environment and prestige that higher ed provides), minus the opportunity cost associated with attending b-school.The opportunity cost of attending b-school is generally greater than the cost of books and tuition.
I'll say! Thanks for stating the obvious. I didnt realize that my b-school was costing me more than books and tuition! The whole expression "the opportunity cost of attending b-school!" That is, in my humble opinion, the understatement of the year! la2 bgad, gebt el tayha!
Grad students invest time.. valuable time. Time that cannot be equated to some one-digit interest rate that they could have earned in a bank instead.
It Rained Today
It rained today. I missed it tho. Didn't notice coz i was home feelin somewhat delirious.
Rain.
Rain is beautiful. The minute my bro told me it had rained I just felt good. I was just tellin him how I woke up super late with a screamin headache - no thanks to the constuction chaos goin on in the building rite next to my room. It's Friday people. I thought no work was done on Friday!Crash. boom. bang.bang.bang. Seriously, non-stop bang.
Back to the rain. I love rain. Never did get why people get depressed in winter when it rains, or why they hate rain and act all miserable.
You get to breathe clean fresh air. Now that doesn't come by often in the wonderfully polluted streets of Cairo, does it. Rain gives you that.
The trees and grass all look green. Real bright green. Everything is fresh and crispy. So many layers of dust and dirt find their ways to the drains. Rain washes all that away, almost bringin them back to life.
Ever noticed it gets quiet when it rains? That ever so loud noise - from the sounds of all the cars hustling and the horns, people screaming, people shouting, music blaring, and more horns. All that noise that's become the soundtrack to our daily lives fades away in the background. There's the soft drizzly sound of rain. There's rythm in the raindrops.
I almost forgot! Dancing in the rain, or just walkin under the raindrops. Feeling those little drops from the sky as they come down on your face. Precious moments you enjoy in the arms of nature, only when it rains.
Rain is divine. Rain talks to the soul. Rain inspires. Which reminds me. I was flippin thru Gmag last nite. A line in the editor's note really stood out;"the second we stop bitching and start laughing is the second that life gets a little bit better."
There's a mysteriously magical quality to rain.
Rain makes me smile.
It rained today, and am smiling :)
Rain.
Rain is beautiful. The minute my bro told me it had rained I just felt good. I was just tellin him how I woke up super late with a screamin headache - no thanks to the constuction chaos goin on in the building rite next to my room. It's Friday people. I thought no work was done on Friday!Crash. boom. bang.bang.bang. Seriously, non-stop bang.
Back to the rain. I love rain. Never did get why people get depressed in winter when it rains, or why they hate rain and act all miserable.
You get to breathe clean fresh air. Now that doesn't come by often in the wonderfully polluted streets of Cairo, does it. Rain gives you that.
The trees and grass all look green. Real bright green. Everything is fresh and crispy. So many layers of dust and dirt find their ways to the drains. Rain washes all that away, almost bringin them back to life.
Ever noticed it gets quiet when it rains? That ever so loud noise - from the sounds of all the cars hustling and the horns, people screaming, people shouting, music blaring, and more horns. All that noise that's become the soundtrack to our daily lives fades away in the background. There's the soft drizzly sound of rain. There's rythm in the raindrops.
I almost forgot! Dancing in the rain, or just walkin under the raindrops. Feeling those little drops from the sky as they come down on your face. Precious moments you enjoy in the arms of nature, only when it rains.
Rain is divine. Rain talks to the soul. Rain inspires. Which reminds me. I was flippin thru Gmag last nite. A line in the editor's note really stood out;"the second we stop bitching and start laughing is the second that life gets a little bit better."
There's a mysteriously magical quality to rain.
Rain makes me smile.
It rained today, and am smiling :)
The Reason Being?
I have this thing for Grey's Anatomy. I love it! It's the first medical series I get hooked to. The characters, their lives, their crap, the surgeries and all that surgical info!! It's amazing. To someone with absolutely no medical background, and no interest whatsoever,it's facsinating in a way! Doctors are human too. There's this other side to them aside from them diagnosing your condition, prescribing medicine and telling you to really take better care of your own health.
They have their ups and downs. They think like us! and, here it comes .... they save lives.
So I was watching an episode from Season 3 (a rerun, e7em) and there was a part that just really got to me. It got me seriously thinking.
There's Bailey and Alex operating on a nine-year-old kid, who believes she's a superhero because she doesn't feel pain. She has like a sky rocket tolerance threshold for pain!! She does not know pain. She keeps telling kids to beat her up and punch her in the stomach, because she can really take a beating and it wont hurt her one bit! Not one. No pain at all.
Turns out tho it's internal bleeding from a fancy chromosomal disorder that causes her not to feel hurt, even when she is.
While Bailey is fixing her up, she says " This girl should be put on a poster somewhere to remind us pain is there for a reason"
They have their ups and downs. They think like us! and, here it comes .... they save lives.
So I was watching an episode from Season 3 (a rerun, e7em) and there was a part that just really got to me. It got me seriously thinking.
There's Bailey and Alex operating on a nine-year-old kid, who believes she's a superhero because she doesn't feel pain. She has like a sky rocket tolerance threshold for pain!! She does not know pain. She keeps telling kids to beat her up and punch her in the stomach, because she can really take a beating and it wont hurt her one bit! Not one. No pain at all.
Turns out tho it's internal bleeding from a fancy chromosomal disorder that causes her not to feel hurt, even when she is.
While Bailey is fixing her up, she says " This girl should be put on a poster somewhere to remind us pain is there for a reason"
I just found myself asking... and the reason being?
Random
What's wrong with looking at the world thru a dark-colored lens?
Everything you see is a dark shade of grey. Our lives, the reality of which is ... it bites.
Rosy pink and sunshine are way over-rated.
What's wrong with intuitively feeling glass half-empty?
Emptiness....That stirs up alot. I remember part of a GooGoo Dolls song "emptiness is nothing you can share". That feeling of void, of nothingness. Then there's its best friend - loneliness. Feeling all by yourself, all alone, when you could be surrounded by hoards of human beings.
Yet you still feel alone. You feel like you you don't belong.
No one is standing by your side. Nobody understands, and worse ... nobody cares.
am just sayin glass half-empty!
What's wrong with wanting to sigh?
Try to take a deep breath and then just sigh. There's alot to a sigh, I realized. It's not a sigh of relief or regret (as in the The Road Less Travelled). It's just a sigh.
You let it out. You vent. Nothing's changed. See, the trick is to keep breathing. When that gets difficult, start with a sigh.
What's wrong with dressing in black?
Not sexy black, not funeral black, not smart black, or chic black. just plain black, with a touch of color to avoid all the unnecessary "what's wrong?" questions.
A silouette...of black.
What's wrong with not wearin a smile on ure face?
A smile is beautiful when it's sincere. Fake smiles are a terrible terrible thing. A smile, being sincere, brightens your face and your eyes shine. You light up in a way. People see that. They sense it. They feel it too. It's priceless. A very precious moment.
Why on earth fake that?
Everything you see is a dark shade of grey. Our lives, the reality of which is ... it bites.
Rosy pink and sunshine are way over-rated.
What's wrong with intuitively feeling glass half-empty?
Emptiness....That stirs up alot. I remember part of a GooGoo Dolls song "emptiness is nothing you can share". That feeling of void, of nothingness. Then there's its best friend - loneliness. Feeling all by yourself, all alone, when you could be surrounded by hoards of human beings.
Yet you still feel alone. You feel like you you don't belong.
No one is standing by your side. Nobody understands, and worse ... nobody cares.
am just sayin glass half-empty!
What's wrong with wanting to sigh?
Try to take a deep breath and then just sigh. There's alot to a sigh, I realized. It's not a sigh of relief or regret (as in the The Road Less Travelled). It's just a sigh.
You let it out. You vent. Nothing's changed. See, the trick is to keep breathing. When that gets difficult, start with a sigh.
What's wrong with dressing in black?
Not sexy black, not funeral black, not smart black, or chic black. just plain black, with a touch of color to avoid all the unnecessary "what's wrong?" questions.
A silouette...of black.
What's wrong with not wearin a smile on ure face?
A smile is beautiful when it's sincere. Fake smiles are a terrible terrible thing. A smile, being sincere, brightens your face and your eyes shine. You light up in a way. People see that. They sense it. They feel it too. It's priceless. A very precious moment.
Why on earth fake that?
