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Thursday, August 31, 2006

Weekend Trip

I'll be going to Al Ain this weekend. Need to get out of Dubai for a change! My friends and I will be staying the the Mercure Hotel on Jebel Hafeet. I heard its nice, plus my friend works there as well so I'm expecting a sizable discount on room charges!!

Does anyone know of any cool places to visit? I rarely go to Al Ain so I don't know much. My family and I stayed in Al Ain for 2 years from 1990 to 1992. There was nothing much there at the time. So, if you have any nice places in mind, do let me know!

Adios!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

No Answer To This Question! (humor)

A world-wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was: Would you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?

The survey was a huge failure because...

In Africa they didn't know what food means.

In Eastern Europe they didn't know what honest means.

In Western Europe they didn't know what shortage means.

In China they didn't know what opinion means.

In the Middle East they didn't know what solution means.

In South America they didn't know what please means.

In the USA they didn't know what the rest of the world means.

Monday, August 28, 2006

The 90/10 Principle

The article below is by Stephen Covey. When I first read this, I realised that I do get emotional in some situations. There have been times when I did lose my temper, get excited or just erupt and in the process gathered quite a few losses. However, changing one's temperament is difficult. In some instances I have tried the cool and calm approach and to some extent it did work. But then there are some people who deserve to take shit. Then the end result does not matter to me. Just as long as give him/her hell!!

The article is long, but very interesting. Please take the time to read it. Comments are welcome.

Discover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations). What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different.

You determine the other 90%. How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red-light., but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example. You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just what happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible.

As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive home, you find a small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter. Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?

The answer is D. You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened. Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "It's ok honey, you just need, to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs.

After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff.

Notice the difference? Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different. Why? Because of how you REACTED. You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle.

If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? (A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure sky-rocket? Do you try and bump them? WHO CARES if you arrive ten minutes later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?

Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger.

Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90/10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90/10 principle is incredible. Very few apply this principle. The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. There never seems to be a success in life. Bad days follow bad days. Terrible things seem to be constantly happening. There is constant stress, lack of joy, and broken relationships.

Worry consumes time. Anger breaks friendships and life seems dreary and is not enjoyed to the fullest. Friends are lost and life is a bore. You can be different! Understand and apply the 90/10 principle. It will change your life.

AND REMEMBER WE MUST LEARN TO CONTROL OUR EMOTIONS & NOT LET OUR EMOTIONS CONTROL US...

Sunday, August 27, 2006

Are You A Good Kisser?

Alright!!!! Come 'n get it ladies!!



Your Kissing Technique is: Perfect
Your kissing technique is amazing - and you know it.You have the confidence to make the first move.And you always seem to know what kissing style is going to work best.Sometimes you're passionate, sometimes you're a tease. And you're always amazing!

Sunday, August 13, 2006

Same ol' news!


Its human nature : we can't stay glued to one topic everyday. We need variety. You might not agree with this, but it's true. Your attention will be diverted to another event as soon as it happens and then to another and another.

We get excited and fanatical on these issues in the beginning, but eventually it dies down. For example, I was at a shisha cafe recently, and the news channel was on all the 7 TV screens, giving the latest updates on Lebanon. Some people started complaining that they are here to enjoy their time and relax and to switch to a music channel. They don't want to watch the same thing all night. Well, they switched to a music channel.

Same thing with the earthquake in Pakistan. It was total devastation. Thousands upon thousands of lives lost. It was a momentary thing, I would say about a month, and then we forgot. However, the repercussions of that destruction are still echoing today.

If I am pointing my finger at those who really do think about the world around them, try to help but eventually lose interest and move on, then I am also a part of the same crowd. There are very few among us who really do something about it. There's a big difference between making a difference and trying to make a difference. No one remembers the person who tried! We remember those who achieved. We are all such busy bees, what with all our jobs, friends and family that we do not really feel much for the affected, unless something unfortunate happens to those close to us. Even then we do not learn.

Well, I don't what happened, but just had to put my thoughts here. And I'm in the middle of preparing a report at work!