-------- "This is the time for action not only words, use your God given gifts to develop this country, dont be afraid to speak up, and feel PROUD THAT U R EGYPTIAN." -------- Mohaly, Feb 2011

Saturday, March 17, 2007

Most FAQs...in Job Interviews!

Would you Tell Me About Yourself?

  • The interviewer does not want to know your life history.
  • He or she wants you to explain how your background relates to doing the job.

What Are Your Major Strengths?

  • This is a direct question with a little hidden meaning.
  • These are the skills employers are most concerned about.

What Are Your Major Weaknesses?

  • This is a trick question. Most job seekers don't handle this one well.
  • If you discuss what you don't do well, you may not get the job. If you say you have no weaknesses, the inter­viewer won't believe you.
  • The interviewer wants to know that you have learned to overcome them so that they don't affect your work.

Why Should We Hire You?

  • If you don't have a good reason why someone should hire you, why will anyone?
  • This question is not often asked so clearly, but it is "the" question behind many other interview questions.

How Does Your Previous Experience Relate to the Job?

  • Requires a direct response.
  • The employer is really asking, "Can you prove you have the experience and skills to do the job?"
  • The question is directly related to the employer's expectation on skills and training.

Compiled from different sources--

Friday, March 16, 2007

PERSONAL:::The Good Old Days!


This picture was taken in 2005....Just a small salute to Mohamed El-Khateeb in Germany...We missed you and hope to see you soon :))

Mohaly

L-R: Mohaly, Khateeb, Mina.

At Last ...Egypt names first female judges :)

I wish to see a female Prime Minister in Egypt....I believe that some estrogen is needed in our political life ;)

Mohaly

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) – Egypt’s judiciary chief has named the country’s first female judges despite opposition from conservative Muslims, according to a decree published Wednesday.
Mukbil Shakir, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, appointed 31 women to judge or chief judge positions in Egypt’s courts, the official Middle East News Agency said, quoting Shakir’s decree.
The move is expected to give a boost to President Hosni Mubarak’s political and social reforms that have been widely criticized as too restricted. But others said the announcement still falls short of providing women equal opportunities.
The decree said the women, who previously were state prosecutors, passed a special test before being named to their new posts.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Add to your Resume...Director, Self-Employed, & Beggar!! :)

I was thinking yesterday about who is the happiest, and what is the best job you can do in Egypt...hmm..think with me, which is the best??!!









- Working for a Multi-national....................till the last drop.
- Working for the private sector.................one man show.
- Working for the Government...................it at least covers a week expenses!
- Working for Yourself (self-employed).....welcome to taxes land.
- Working as a free lancer..........................idea is being installed in the Egyptian mind, give it 10 more years.
- Working virtually and from home...........toooo advanced for Egypt.
- Not-Working (unemployed)....................depends on daddy's status.
- Working as a beggar................................just choose the right people in the right place at the right time.



Mohaly

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

FUN:::Trapped in the Spa...Am I the wrong person in the right place!!

I position this blog as a serious blog with a fun posting every now and then; however, even for fun topics like this one, let's dicuss it in a way that can benefit as all..

Before you start, this story takes place in one of the few mixed Egyptian Spas, so please don't compare it to Europe or other places where this is normal.

I usually go to the gym at 7am, finish work out and have a 10 mins in the sauna or steam room. Today while I was there, I -surprisingly- found the sauna door opened and 4 or 5 TOPLESS women getting in!!!! I was scared, and rushed out to the showers. That is not the end of it, i finished the shower, and the minute I opened the curtain, I found one of them - Topless again- showering with the curtain opened!! I went to the changing room, and found a NAKED old guy singing and walking around...I didn't know where to run trapped between the topless women and the naked signing guy....No, I didn't wake up from the dream coz it is a reality....I just put on my t-shirt & jeans, and ran out of the Spa... This is the first time to happen to me -in Egypt- what is wrong with people!

Mohaly

P.S. To my dear friends who will say "som3et Masr", please try to be in a closed hot room with 5 almost naked women or in a closed room with a naked guy and tell me how do you feel!

Happy 14th of March!!!!!

Today, 14/3, one month has passed since the Valentine's Day..... Have you arleady felt silly about being fooled by the commercial loving day - i was but not anymore- or not yet :)

I decided to celebrate the Valentine's on 14th of March...the weather is even better on that day... just a small tiny problem; whether it is 14th of Feb or March, whom am I will give the flowers to?!

Mohaly

P.S. I didn't drink "7aga 2asfara" before writing this article...May be I will after ;)

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Committee Rules....Live Example: Egypt :)


These rules are written by Harry Chapman & Fred Allen, I personally believe that they have come up with it after visiting Egypt :) Mohaly

Committee: a group of men who individually can do nothing but as a group decide that nothing can be done.
  • Never arrive on time, or you will be stamped a beginner.
  • Don't say anything until the meeting is half over; this stamps you as being wise.
  • Be as vague as possible; this prevents irritating the others.
  • When in doubt, suggest that a subcommittee be appointed.
  • Be the first to move for adjournment; this will make you popular - it's what everyone is waiting for.

Monday, March 12, 2007

FUN:::Won a Bowling Game.....Is it Beginners Luck?!


We went bowling yesterday (my 3rd time in life). All what I wanted was to break my previous number (71), but surprisingly I scored (91) and was in the 1st place in the whole 10 rounds!!
I even took a snapshot of the scoreboard :)
P.S. I have even beaten the great Titi (scored 130 before), imagine!!
Mohaly

Take Your Time....


Take time to think – thoughts are the source of power.
Take time to play – play is the secret of perpetual youth.
Take time to read – reading is the fountain of wisdom.
Take time to pray – prayer can be a rock of strength in time of need.
Take time to love – loving is what makes living worthwhile.
Take time to be friendly – friendships give life a delicious flavor.
Take time to laugh – laughter is the music of the soul.
Take time to give – sharing brings joy to your heart.
Take time to work – work is the price of success.
Take time to dream – dreams show you what is possible.
Take time to do your work well – pride in your work nourishes the mind and the spirit.
Take time to show appreciation – it's the frosting on the cake of life.

Unknown Author

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Time Management ... Quick Tips


Some tips that can save you time and help you work more effectively. Please pass on these tips to any of your friends, family, or colleagues who may find them useful.

1. Decide upon your Goals.
2. Work with a Vision.
3. Draw a strategy to reach medium and long term goals.
4. Make an action plan for the short term goals.
5. Keep a goal journal.
6. Write things down.
7. Prioritize your list (Time Matrix).
8. Plan your week, month, and quarter.
9. Carry a notebook or reminder.
10. Learn to say no when you cant.
10. Think before acting.
11. Continuously improve yourself and others.
12. Think about what you are giving up to do your regular activities.
13. Use a time management system if you need.
14. Identify bad habits and work on them.
15. Don’t do other people’s work (even if you like them).
16. Keep a goal journal.
17. Don’t be a perfectionist (i'd hell becuase of it).
18. Beware of “filler” tasks, do what you really should do.
19. Avoid “efficiency traps”.
20. Enjoy what you are doing :)
.
This is a general list, I will be posting a small article about each in the near future.
Mohaly

Saturday, March 10, 2007

0900 numbers...a new trick!

I have noticed lately that the 0900 companies have started using the numbers in promoting fake vacancies in newspapers where the un-employed calls the number and leave their info. This is done without any specific Job title or requirments...i.e. NASABAYA...Please spread the word coz unemployed people are already suffering enough specially in Cairo.

Mohaly

My fellow 30ians - Part II: Body


The way you treat your body and the habits you get into in this decade, will play a big role in determining your health for the rest of your life. Check your cholesterol levels regularly, find some stress relieving mechanisms and keep as active as possible. You will be so grateful later on!

By our fourth decade on planet earth, most of us have learnt some new words. We’ve learnt some stuff about interest rates, bond repayment and ante-nuptial contracts. Things have started to get serious. What with needing to get the kids to soccer and ballet, getting to the PTA meeting and catching the cricket score, you’ve missed your workout … again.

This is the stage of your life that the habits – good or bad – over the previous years of your life come home to roost. Look at your waistline, and those of your friends. What’s happened to yours in the last ten years? Ideally, your trouser size should stay more or less the same. More importantly, it shouldn’t be more than size 36. Any larger than that and your run a heightened risk of heart disease.


(c)--Health 24.com

Friday, March 9, 2007

My fellow 30ians - Part I: Emotions

At least by the time you are thirty you should begin to feel more secure about yourself than you did when you were a teenager. But these are still potentially confusing times, when there is an enormous amount of social pressure on you to establish a career, to become financially independent, find a life partner if you didn't do so in your twenties and learn to cope with possible fatherhood.

It must be remembered that even positive changes bring about stress. How well you know yourself will play a great role in how you deal with the dramatic changes in your life. How healthy your self-image is, will also determine many of your choices, from sexual choices, to career choices to your choice of partner.

Despite a growing sense of independence, during this time in your life, friends and family will be very important support structures. If you are a good friend, you will have good friends.
Spending time with them will help you to destress. Family is also important, and not only because granny will babysit, so you can go to the movies. If however, you feel that your family of origin is more destructive than supportive, it may be an idea to minimise contact, especially if it stresses you out.

You will, at this stage of your life, probably learn the very liberating skill of saying no. Knowing where to draw the line with your children, your boss, your parents, your partner and your friends. This is not a selfish thing to do – on the contrary. In this way you will not get burnt out or feel used as you would if you always bent over backwards to accommodate everyone, except yourself, that is.

It is also during these years of your life that your personal values will become clearer and you will prioritise your life accordingly. It is a time of change, of growth, of major decisions and of hard work – take a deep breath and get the most out of the experience.

---to be contd.
(c)--Health 24.com

Thursday, March 8, 2007

Wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time!!

Some great Quotes from a great Man...



Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them-a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.

Mohammed Ali (the great boxer)

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
Mohammed Ali (the great boxer)
Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.
Mohammed Ali (the great boxer)

Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Others stay awhile, make footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same.
Mohammed Ali (the great boxer)

The man who views the world at 50 the same way he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.
Mohammed Ali (the great boxer)

I respect the man, but still against considering boxing as a sport.
ly)

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Sex Education ... How and When?


Last Saturday I have watched a new program on an Egyptian private channel dedicated for a subject that many of the Egyptian and Arab societies consider as a taboooooo!!

The whole program is a series of episodes about sex education from a scientific and religious points of view. The program actually raised a very good issue that -in my opinion- is one of the main sources of the dramatic increase in divorce rates, and marriage problems even if it doesn't directly relate to it.

The Egyptian/Arab man -not all of course- gets his sexual knowledge from friends, porno pictures or movies, wrong info, and/or sometimes trying couple of times paid or fun sex. The notion of sex in his mind turns into using the female body for pleasure without thinking about how she can have fun and get satisfied too. Believe it or not, prophet Muhammad has ordered us to make sure that our wives are satisfied, and not to mate with her like animals..

On the other hand, women -again not all- are raised in our society fearing sex, sometimes hating it because it is associated in her mind with virtue, pain, or even disgust. Women are also raised with a great fear of doing many activities to keep their virginity without knowing that it isn't that easy to loose it for a sport or hard work - and now actually you cant really tell coz of the advanced operations-.Anyway, women at the end become afraid from sex and face a great stress before marriage & sometimes after as well.

Back to men, some men want to have fun with their wives as they had in their past experiences; however, if they noticed that their wives have the know-how about it, they start being suspicious!! what a sick contradiction!!!

I think that towards the end of the engagement period and before "tying the knot", the bride-to-be, and her fiancee, should talk about it -politely- and know where do they stand and what to expect. Not only that, after marriage, they need to be trained together, coz sex is like a sport - tennis for example- where the best entertainment and satisfaction come when the players keep the ball going in court, and it will be the most boring game if it is one-sided, so the more you get prepared, the more you score ;)

Enough for now, let me hear your opinion first...

P.S. for sick minds, please no "2elet 2adab"..

Mohaly

Tuesday, March 6, 2007

Wanna waste more than 2300 years in a month?!

Of Course I am not surprized to see Cairo on the top of the clogged cities in the world...official numbers say Cairo's population is 15 Million - not including 3ashwa2eyat and some new area if added it will reach 20 Million + people coming or commuting in the daytime...

I am afraid to just think what is Cairo gonna be after 10 years (that is not much...same distance between now and 1997!!)...According to studies Cairo will be a completely clogged city by 2020 where the average ride will be around 2 hours!!! Imagine how much time you need to go from Heliopolis to Tahrir!!! I guess you need to rent an apartment somewhere midway....

The problem other than hot weather, crowd stress...etc..is the time of the people commuting...if you multiply the hours wasted everyday by the no. of people stuck, you will be shocked...if only 1 million commute everyday (government employees only are 5 Million by the way) in cairo and they waste only 1 hour, then we have 1 million hour wasted everyday...in other words on this minimized assumption, we will be wasting about 2300 Years of production every month!!!!

M O H @ L Y




Cairo, Egypt
Population: 15.2 million (official 2nd city) / 25 million (unofficial 1st city)
Density: 36,618 persons per square kilometer.
Egypt's capital also happens to be the cultural capital of the Arab world and the largest city in Africa. Its traffic is overwhelming. It has to be seen to be believed. Compounding the ever more horrendous noise is the variety of vehicles: autos, buses, bikes, vans and trucks on narrow streets with the use of the sidewalk almost a must. The traffic rarely stays in lanes, instead weaving its own tapestry. It is an elemental force.


(c) --Forbers

Monday, March 5, 2007

Egyptian Bloggers....What is the limit?!


I think the shocking news of throwing an Egyptian blogger in jail for 4 years is really disappointing and a major draw back for the blogger community in Egypt (more than 4,000)...

I am a believer in the freedom of speech even if it is against what i think and believe. The freedom is a responsibility and should be used to express one's opinion and thoughts without fear; however, the freedom has a limit...the limit is to express the opinion without insulting what other believe in...you can criticize, provide new point of view, but don't insult.

But even if you did, the reaction is not locking you up...that doesn't even work with Children anymore!! The right reaction for someone insulting is to ignore his/her blog so that he/she writes for him/herself....if they are criticizing, you should answer back or be convinced, but if they are insulting, then ignoring is the best punishment.

Anyway...I am sad about that, and hope that this is not a start of an anti-blogger era.

Mohaly
--
.

Sunday, March 4, 2007

Hurghada ... The right place at the right Time!


Guys, if you can afford to move to Hurghada, you should....Cairo is the Capital of Stress in the Africa and the Middle East...Dont waste your life in stress, traffic, worries, pollution, crowd...Believe me, you wont regret it.


Hurghada saved me from an ugly depression phase that I have been passing through in 2006. After 7 months of living between Cairo & Hurghada (actually last 3 months I spent half of it in Hurghada), I am back on track...better in production at work, working out and moving towards getting in shape, back to my friends, and finally looking for a wife (dunno the wife thing is good or bad ;)


In Cairo, you need an agenda to plan your weekend....parking, friends, traffic...etc...in 1 Weekend I had been to makadi, and Gouna....can you do that in Cairo?!



Mohaly

Saturday, March 3, 2007

Studies: Love lasts only 3 years!!!!!


I have read in today's newspapaer that a recent Study has proved that - chemically speaking- love only lasts 3 years at most!!!


That is the natural inertia of Love at its best. Unless you work on, and exert effort to keep the heat through activtives, plans, surprizzes, presents, appointemnts, traveling alone, not taking each other for granted...sorry but "Love will expire in 36 months" and you will need to buy -ops- find a new one :(


Mohaly

Friday, March 2, 2007

Management in the 21st Century :))

Any resemblance between the comments in blue and real characters or organizations is a mere coincidence :)


1) MANAGING BY WALKING FASTER THEN THE EMPLOYEES

These kind of managers you will always see in the corridor, ten steps away. "We'll have to talk" you can hear them say, just as they have disappeared around the corner.

2) MANAGING BY POST-IT'S
Some managers forget everything. They want to impress you with their 'busy'ness by continuously writing on Post-it's while you are talking. And never doing them

3) MANAGING BY DELEGATION TO THE SECRETARY
These managers just delegate everything to the secretary. If He is good, He knows what she must do.

4) MANAGING BY KNOWING NOTHING
These managers don't really know anything at all. They let YOU give answers. Meanwhile they fill the time with nice anecdotes of irrelevant cases.

5) MANAGING BY CONCEPTUAL THINKING
These people try to explain the present from a theoretical view of the far future. The idea that this never will work, completely satisfies them: They will always have something to talk about.

6) MANAGING BY HIDING INFORMATION (do you know any company who does that! :)
Information hiders are aware of the market value of strictly secret kept information. You must be very thankful to get any information at all. Beware of simulants from category 5!

7) MANAGING BY WALKING ONE FOOT BEHIND THE BOSS

In hierarchical organizations you can watch those groups walking in the corridor. The more equal managers are directly followed by the lesser equal managers, and so on.

8) MANAGING BY SMILING AND WEARING NICE SUITS
If you drink beer with them, lunch with them, smile to them and also wear nice suits, nothing can stop your career anymore. (Why does it always start with a K)

9) MANAGING BY OPEN DOOR AND EMPTY ROOM
This is a major improvement of the older 'OPEN DOOR' management style. Now you can really walk in and out anytime you want. Nobody ever knows where these managers are.

10) MANAGING BY SPEAKING WITH OTHER MANAGERS
This kind of managing is very popular. It will give them within a few hours the same information as an employee can tell them in 15 minutes.

11) MANAGING BY HAVING A NON SUPPORTING INFRASTRUCTURE
In an organization with a hopeless infrastructure, managers are really necessary. These managers will naturally prevent the organization from having a better infrastructure.

12) BUA MANAGEMENT ( BY USING ABBREVIATIONS )This management style is ATRASACWOC. ( Adopted To Reach A Shorter And Clearer Way Of Communication ) (hehe what about PMS)

13) MANAGING BY USING BUZZ WORDS
These managers like to bluff your head off with hip, nearly undefined, terms.
What is wrong with monetized capitalizing of productization!!

14) MANAGING BY REORGANIZATION
If they think there is nothing more to organize, they reorganize.

15) MANAGING BY FORGETTING PROMISES
If you remind them to one of their promisses, the priority of that promise is to low to remember. (Multiple choice...choose only one: A. bonus, B. raise, C.promotion, D. None of the above)

© All copyrights with Zebra Networks.

Z 3 Ls!!

I got this lately over the net...What do u think?

Your first love (usually your high school sweetheart), this is the love where you realize that love does exist and during the chaotic time of teenage adolescence find out for yourself what love is.

The second love, shared with a person with similar interests in love and in life, usually the person with whom you raise a family and settle into middle age.

The third and final great love of your life is the person you choose to grow old with, someone to share the memories of life and the mysteries of death.

Mohaly

What to Balance in your life?

There is no perfect “one-size fits all” balance you should be striving for. The best life balance is different for each of us because we all have different priorities and different needs.
  • Life Balance does not mean an equal balance.
  • Trying to schedule an equal number of hours for each of our various work and personal activities is usually unrewarding and unrealistic.
  • Life is and should be more fluid than that.
  • Individual life balance will vary over time, the right balance for you today maybe different for you tomorrow. The right balance for you when you are single will be different when you marry, or if you have children; when you start a new career versus when you are nearing retirement.

Mental (mind)
o This includes the amount of stimulation and variety of interests and challenges we face, also our capacity for coping. We need to take time out to expand our knowledge in the fast moving world in which we live, trying to solve problems with a fixed knowledge set is not going to help or support us.
Activities: Thinking & Brainstorming, Reading, Writing, Learning, Working, Investment,...etc.

Physical (body)
o This takes account of our current energy levels, eating and exercise habits, illnesses and relaxation time. Many of us know what we should do and need to learn to take better care of our bodies. But how many of us get enough good quality sleep, eat a healthy diet, know the consequences of what we eat or take sufficient exercise.
Activities: Eating, Drinking, Practicing Sports, Handy Activities, Sex,...etc.

Emotional (heart)
o This is the level of humour and enjoyment and sense of security and trust we have, also our sense of feeling valued and having a positive outlook on life. We need to consider our emotional reactions and develop approaches to managing them, this results in positive outcomes which build relationships.
Activities: Playing, Watching Movies, Listing to Music, Loving,...etc.

Spiritual (soul)
o This involves having an awareness of things that matter, a feeling of congruence about life and a sense of purpose and of “who I am”. This is our inner self, the essence of our individuality. For our life to have meaning and purpose we need to understand our own beliefs and values. Activities: Praying, Fasting, Meditation, Helping other creatures...etc.

Thursday, March 1, 2007

Happy New Year....2500 Years ago

March was originally the first month of the Roman calendar before the winter months of January and February were added about 700 BC. It ceased to be the first month of the calendar year (the year when displayed as twelve months) about 450 BC when January assumed that position.

Good Minds....Develop Egypt, or Fly Emirates?!




The painful subject....to be or not to be in Egypt!!
Lately i wont be exag. if i said that 70% of the good minds I know (colleagues, friends,..etc) have re-located to Dubai...Actually when I go to Dubai I feel like I am back in AUC!!

What happened to the people...is it because they want to live a better life - which is our dream- or because they dont care about the development of Egypt.

I have been always torn between the desire and temptation...dont get me wrong, specially tamer mokhtar ;)

The desire is to stay in Egypt and take part in developing the country, the system, the people...build it again to cope with the world...while the temptation is moving to Dubai where I live easier life, have more money, but develop no one but myself.

I know that many of you will say, "kabbar" buy your head ;) and live...you only live once....but that is exactly my point....we only live ONCE, if everyone will focus on him/herself in this "once", then who will develop the community, who will build it....hard, yes very hard, but not impossible.

The people managing Egypt now are doing it according to the culture they know, but one day -and not very far- our generation (people born in the 70s) will be in power, and if all the good minds went to the US, EU or Dubai; we are simply leaving the floor empty to the ones who dont have a vision or even a plan.

I am not dreaming, and I am not asking you to forget about your dreams, but I am sure that spending couple of years to establish your career/money is fine but come back and develop here, one after another, something new will be born, a new culture, a better life, if not for us, then for our kids or even grandkids.

The point is our kids will be considered as forigners in US, EU, and even Dubai, so let's not make them foriegners in their own country as well. And If we feel this way, then let's develop this community in order for them to lead and live in a better Egypt that we lived in..

Mohaly