Miss Ice's Igloo

Sweet November

I have finished my third month at my new job on October 26^th. It was an interesting/frustrating period. I’m happy to report that I have passed my probation period and didn’t need to go through the usual three months trial.

It seems that there are things that will never change. I’ve been in the workforce since 2004, and since then I worked in three different jobs, the longest of which lasted for three years (I never thought I could last that long!).

All new jobs are the same, it starts with a feeling of being lost and not belonging, and then suddenly everyone notices your existence, so they start bombarding you with tasks you need to finish in a week or two. They talk to you expecting you to nod and completely understand what is required from you. If you screw up, they’ll ask you. “So you’re new here, eh?” if you did a good job, well, expect more work to come!

One thing I did differently this time, I started to express what I dislike. I usually express what I like when I’m working with someone. The look on their faces is just priceless. So, anyways, I started on the wrong foot with the person I work with. I was offended but swallowed the statement I took as an insult to evaluate the situation. A month later I got the same attitude and took it lightly since it appears that that person didn’t know any better. I simply stated what I think and the way I’d like to be treated to get the job done. In return I got a surprised chuckle which gave me the impression that this person has never encountered my request and eventually I got a more respectful way in communication.

Anyhow, I’m very thankful that I have developed this ability to accommodate and accept anything comes to my way. I have this strong ability (that I gained over the years) to detach myself from situations, places, people when I get the feeling it’s time to move on and look for something new/challenging/adventuress. Don’t get me wrong, there are certain places and people that are dear to my heart; you’ll see me trying hard to keep in touch, but for some reason I always fail at this. I get swamped with work and my hectic daily schedule to the point I completely forget to call or visit, the only thing I can assure you of is that I’ll be always the same.

My birthday is coming up soon; I’ll be 29 in less than 3 weeks… It feels all the same to me. What I’m sure of is that November is going to be a very hectic month. There are so many things I want to do, not much of time.. Oh well.. Hope it all goes well. 

Give because… You can

It was like this time of the year when I joined Change Your Life group to help in the renovations of pediatric cancer ward at Shumaisi hospital. For more details refer to this blog post.

Now, where was I? Yeah, one of the kids who helped us “Sara” is no longer with us, may she rest in peace. A couple of months ago, a friend of mine showed me a video of Sara when she was in  her late stages of the disease. I felt sad for the little girl yet I was amazed at how strong she was. 

This year, a group of young enthusiastic girls decided to gather up at the beginning of Ramdan and go to King Fahad Medical City and visit the pediatric’s ward to give the kids Qarqe’an. I told my mom about it, she was excited. Later on, I went to get small gift bags, mom got the candies and sweets and my little brother took care of the packaging. I loved the fact that the whole house was involved in the preparation process.

On Monday 16th of August, mom and I went to King Fahad Medical City around 9:30 pm. We met the group and started our visit with greeting the kids and their families and giving them the goodie bags. It was an overwhelming experience. Seeing kids and infants sick was very devastating. The only happy thought was that we were able to make them smile with our simple gifts.
 
A lady from Jeddah was so touched and happy with our unannounced visit; since she hasn’t been out of the hospital for quite sometime and she doesn’t know anybody in town.

I was telling myself on the way home, that the whole thing didn’t cost me that much; a couple of hours of my time, a hundred riyals for the bags while mom took care of the sweets and candies.

I remembered reading a sweet piece of information in A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. It says in order to overcome the depression and negative feelings; one should participate in selfless activities. It gives this great self-worthy feeling as you are contributing to this community and helping others. It makes you feel that your presence in this world has a meaning no matter how big or small it is.

I noticed that there are a lot of active groups like Change Your Life and Yalla on Facebook. It makes me smile to see young people working enthusiastically in such activities. I decided to write this blog to post and share my little experience and hope that it’ll inspire someone to do the same and write about it.
 
Give without expecting something in return.. Give because you have the power to do so.. As someday when you feel that your world is about to crash, these little deeds that you did mindlessly will be the source of light in your darkest nights.  

A New Chapter..

It’s been almost two months when I left my job and took some time off. I had the intention to look for another job that suits my personality and utilize my skills. I have to admit I enjoyed my previous job, despite the drawbacks we faced. I had a great chance to meet wonderful people and I dealt with a handful of obnoxious ones too to even things out.

The question that I had in mind is, do I see myself working there for the next few years? The answer was certainly not. It is a huge problem if you find yourself starting new projects with people who don’t have the strength, boldness, or dedication to follow through and finish what they started. Anyways, I’ve learned a lot about project management… Had the opportunity to lead an excellent team and when I felt I did my share of the bargain I decided to leave.

Now that I’m starting a new chapter in my life, I got this anxiety of what will happen? Will I like it there? I mean I love the job, it’s the environment and people that concerns me the most. Oh well, I was thinking a lot during the short vacation I had. I’m very grateful that things are going as I hoped, thank god.

I had a couple of plans that didn’t work out as I wished. But I was happy nonetheless with what I’ve done. So far I read 5 books; you can find my reviews on my account on Goodreads. I loved the feeling where I just curl up in bed and read without any care in the world. I went to the gym and attended spinning classes which were the highlight of my days. Got a chance to hang out with friends and reconnect. Something I enjoy doing when I’m with the right crowd.

I was able to finish a little project I was putting off for years now. I’m crossing my fingers that it would be a success. Lastly, I relaxed and recharged and now I’m ready for this new step.

I keep wondering where I will be five years from now. What will I do? I keep thinking and rethinking of the chances I grabbed hold of and the ones I gave up on. I ended up with the usual conclusion; that Allah has a better plan for me. All I have to do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst and take some action!

What Happened to All the Nice Girls?

Today’s post is written by a dear friend of mine ArabicRihanna from twitter. She’s one of the most fascinating people I’m blessed to know. A smart young lady with a distinguished sense of humor. I could go on talking about her, but I know she wouldn’t want me to do so as she’s a very humble person. So I’ll leave you to read the post now. 

But before you do, I highly recommend you read “What Happened to All the Nice Guys? first, as this post is written to answer this question. 

Enjoy! ;)

I saw this answer posted with some foolishness on CraigsList, so I thought I’d take a minute to explain things to the gentlemen out there that haven’t figured it out. 

What happened to all the nice girls? 

The answer is simple: you did too.

See, if you think back, really hard, you might vaguely remember a shy girl who always seemed to want to spend time with you. She’d make time for you, hang out with you, and be extremely kind to you. She’d even listen to your dilemmas with other girls. She’d offer you advice on how to treat them right. Just like she wanted you to treat her.

Remember that shy girl who was always standing on the side, looking at young people mingle and be merry?

Well she had her eyes on you, but she was sure as hell that she would never catch your attention. You see, you were young and full of potential. Girls were literally running after you, flirting with you, ready to fall at your feet if you only winked at them. 

You were funny, full of energy and, admittedly, full of charm. You had everything you wanted, and scored the best girls.

But let’s be real, the best girls were those after which other guys were running. It was a mere competition on the hottest chick out there. And you, like many other guys like yourself, wanted to win that competition. 

Remember that shy girl on the side?

Well she sat there, looking at you, looking at those girls, and looking at herself. She actually had to review her entire set of principles to see what was wrong with her. What made other girls successful with guys and not her?

And you know what happened to that shy girl? She’s happily engaged in her professional life and getting slowly past the traditional “right maternity age”. She’s bravely dealing with society’s pressure to get married, to just about anyone.

And instead of turning into a douche and blaming it on the not-so-nice guys out there, shy girls know how to pick their battles wisely and remain true to themselves.

And you? You have lost your charm, and your energy has turned into bitterness. The old hot chicks got married to someone else. The new hot chicks wouldn’t even give you a look, because there are younger and hotter dudes around. 

So, if you’re looking for a nice girl, here’s what you do: 

1. Build a time machine. 
2. Go back a few years and pull your head out of your behind. 
3. Take a look at what’s right in front of you and grab a hold of it. 

Or I suppose you just want to get over your infantile choice in girls and act like your age. In which case I suggest that you screen girls with your mom’s eyes, and finally settle with one of her friends’ daughters. Because a former hot chick in your scene, who’s equally bitter as you are, will prefer someone who’s younger and richer.

Too late for you, douche!

Sincerely, 

A Recovering Nice Girl

 

I know it’s late.. 2009

So here I am finally writing this post after it took me months thinking of it and finding a moment for myself to catch my breath and sit down to type it. I’m happy to say that I’m writing this from my new mini Toshiba which I got to help me get back to writing, as it’s one of my goals for 2010.

Now, back to 2009, overall it was a good year. Had its up and downs, but generally I look back at it and smile… as it bears very good memories that will always draw a smile on my face.

It was very educational on so many levels too.. I know for sure that I’m not the same person I was last year.. I made a promise to myself to get out of my comfort zone and do the things I never thought I’d be capable of doing as I always like to play it safe.

I’ve came a long way at work as I started as a simple content author and now am leading a team whom elected to me to be their leader.. I didn’t like it at the beginning, I mean being responsible of a whole team and following with their tasks, meetings, resolving their conflicts is a big pain in the neck, with time I learned to cope with it. Deal with their issues, appreciate their work, make them feel valuable and having them as a part of my team is a great asset.

I must say, I have worked with the greatest people this year.. Some of them are close friends now which makes me thankful I went through this experience.

I have alhamdulillah accomplished 8 of the 10 goals I have put for myself last year. I’m not going to beat myself up for the ones I didn’t accomplish though. My motto was do things I haven’t done before, be spontaneous and have fun!

I’ve learned a lot of lessons, some of them I have blogged about during last year and some I’ll list here:

• I’ve learned that life is all about choices, so it’s never late to make the right ones.

• I’ve learned that you can speak your mind, have disagreements with others, and it all can be stated in a civilized manner that doesn’t have to affect how you treat the other person.

• I’ve learned that real friends will stick around, help you go through the rough times.. They’ll entertain your crazy moments, and give you a wakeup call when they see you getting off track.

• I learned that passiveness is the easiest way to ruin great things you have going on for you.. I’ve witnessed a great project falling apart because my boss couldn’t take action.

• I’ve learned to deal with people from different walks of life, different attitudes and yet love some of them for who they are.

• I’ve learned that those who make the loudest noises are most likely empty inside. And those who are quiet add great value with their wisdom.

• I learned to share and be open about myself.. It’s amazing how you get connected with people just by opening up.

• I learned that charity work is the best solution to get through bad times, as it helps a lot to give selflessly to those who deserve it.

• I learned that it’s never too late to tell the people you care about how you feel about them.. Trust me it really does matter!

Oh I forgot to mention of one the most important great things that happened to us this year, having a nephew, his name is Misha’al! I love that little thing; he just turned one year old a couple of weeks ago.. I love him to pieces, May Allah bless him. It’s amazing how I got attached to Misha’al; I call to ask about him, I make time to see him.. He’s just adorable.. Can’t wait for him to say my name!

That’s it for now.. I have set my goals and plans for 2010 but I’ll leave that for another post. ;)