454) Eight, Eight, Eight!!

This is the 8th second, of the 8th minute, of the 8th hour, on the 8th day, of the 8th month, of the 8th year!!

Make your wish, and start changing something important within you NOW. It is a lucky chance that you should think of grasping. I myself loves 7, but likes 8, so I am already doing it, so why don't you join me :)

N.B. This is the real 8/8/2008 not 8pm coz pm is 20:00.

Mohaly

The beauty of .... 8

453) Manage Your Vacation - Eps. 3 - How?!

How to enjoy your vacation?

Some of us really know how to get the best of their vacations, while many are not!

To make the best use of your vacation, you should:

1. Know why are you taking it and plan it based on it (see post 451.

2. Know what are the right place to go in the right time and plan based on it (see post 452.

3. Do NOT work during your vacation (a working vacation is a complete schizophrenia)!

4. Plan for the vacation as if it is work, there nothing called I will be happy if I did nothing. This is against human nature.

5. Avoid getting boared, this can be achieved by doing stuff that you are not used to do in your working days; e.g sports, painting, visiting different or new places in your city, knowing new/old people...etc.

6. Avoid the PVS (Post Vacation Syndrome ; bravo ya Shaimaa) by:

a. Preparing the first day after return from work on the last day before you take your vacation. Make sure that you consider your state as well so don't take meetings or set deadlines on that day.

b. returning home at least 1 complete day before you are back to work, and use this day in preparing for work (like 7ogret mo3adelt el daght).

Moh@ly

N.B. For my dear readers, these episodes are parts of my book (the forgotten wealth) so kindly if your want to copy or send them, please refer to me. Thank you.

452) Manage Your Vacation - Eps.2 - When?!

When to take a vacation?

In such hectic world, planning your vacation is not an option anymore. If you don't plan your vacation ahead (I mean long vacation not 1 or 2 days), you will be at risk of not being able to make it.

Remember that most of the people especially in Egypt are not organized, so the more you are, and the more you have planned time, the more they will plan based on what you have already planned.

Another common mistake is that we prefer to take the vacation all at once (1 month for example) and that is totally wrong. Too much of a vacation leads to same effect of no vacation. You should have at least 2 vacations per year ( 3 is the best).

So when you plan a vacation, be smart and plan it so that you insure minimal interruption in order to have the optimum output:

1. It has to be a down timing or a time that there aren't major need for your presence at work so that you will not be interrupted during the vacation.

2. If you are going with family or friends; make sure that the timing you choose is suitable for all.
3. If you are travelling abroad, make sure that that is the best timing in your destination, and give enough time for the VISA, bookings...etc.

4. Last and not least, if you are travelling for example 7 days, you should take a 9 days vacation so that you have 1 day or preparing for and getting into the mode of vacation, and 1 day for preparing and getting into the mode of work in order to avoid the PVS..

What is the PVS? ... In the next and final episode about How to enjoy your vacation..

Mohaly

451) Manage Your Vacation - Eps. 1- Why?!

Why should you have a vacation?

Many of us just take the vacation either for granted or by default, and this is one of the main reasons we do not enjoy it to the full or may be do not enjoy it aslan.

Vacations are like work, they have goals and things to do but different than work in nature and not the importance.

Vacations are taken for 3 main reasons that can contain sub-reasons as well:


1. To have a passive rest of doing nothing and discharge mind and body (i.e. Sleeping, eating, resting; i.e. Antakha)

2. To explore different worlds that the default or the routine you are used to (travelling, doing difference/crazy stuff, i.e Entelak)

3. To get out the energy (playing, gym, sports,...etc).

The problem comes when we take a vacation without knowing which of these reasons is the real reason for the vacation, even if a mix of the reasons. So it ends up doing something different and not feel the needed satisfaction, or even feel worse. E.g.: you travel and have fun while you need to rest, when you are back, you be happy about the fun and change, but will still be tired and want to rest in order to regain the strength needed for work, and vice-versa.

So when do what? that is our next episode in-shaa-Allah...

Mohaly

450) Manage Your Vacation Series Intro !

AUGUST is here, it is the month of vacation for almost everyone whether a student, employee, or even doing nothing!

But did you ever stop and think about Why do you need vacation, When you need it, and What kind of vacation I need most now?

This short series about Vacation Management (3 episodes: Why, When, and What/How) running during the 1st week of August, will be discussing this very important issue specially Egyptians who don't know how to really get the best out of their vacations.

Anyway, I hope it will help you if you are having a vacation whether in August or even next year.

Mohaly

P.S. As promised in post 432 I will start the What Women Want - Male perspective series, but I found that talking about managing our vacations is more relative to August. I will start What Women Want and finish it in August before Ramadan.

449) Explore the world within !

Break your routine, and start thinking about new resolutions, and things you wanna do and achieve after the summer. Don't wait till the end of the vacation to decide, DO IT NOW!

As Americans say: "To discover new oceans you need the courage to lose sight of the shore."

Sometime we are too afraid to let go of what we have wether it is good or bad coz we don't have the guts to lose the sight of the shore. We have to realize that there are bigger and better shores, but in order to see it and feel safe again, we need to leave the current one.

Mohaly

448) Good Bye Great Egyptians !

It seems that 2008 is the year of loosing our great Egyptian figures. After Gamal Badawy, Younan Rizk, Abdel Wahab El Mesery, Magdy Mahana, today (27-7) we lost the Great Youssef Chahine, one of the cinema landmarks not only in Egypt, but in the whole Middle East & Arab World.

10 years ago in 1998 we also lost many great intellectuals, and Amr Diab then has sung "Ana mahma kebert soghayar". It seems that it is a cycle every decade. A whole generation (between world wars generation) is almost gone. A generation that produced the last breed of the great men in this country.

Kan nefse ye3molo film men ta2leef Naguib Mahfouz, we beteloet omar el sharif, we ekhrag youssef shahin :(

God Bless Youssef Chahine, and grant Egypt new intellectuals to fill-up all these empty spots in our cultural and social life.

Mohaly
P.S We were born on the same day but with a 50 years difference, and we met in Zurich in 2001!!

447) The Seven Areas of Masculinity !

Janet Saltzman Chafetz describes seven areas of masculinity in general culture:

1. Physical : virile, athletic, strong, brave. Unconcerned about appearance and aging.
2. Functional : provider for family, defender of family from physical threat.
3. Sexual : sexually aggressive, experienced. Single status acceptable.
4. Emotional : unemotional, stoic, never crying.
5. Intellectual : logical, intellectual, rational, objective, practical.
6. Interpersonal : leader, dominating; disciplinarian; independent, free, individualistic; demanding.
7. Other Personal Characteristics: success-oriented, ambitious, aggressive, proud, egotistical, moral, trustworthy; decisive, competitive, uninhibited, adventurous.

Hmmm, What do you think?

Mohaly

446) Mr. Omar Soliman !

Will Omar Soliman be the fifth president of Egypt when Mubarak term ends, or at least the vice-president after his powerful role in Regional political scene?

I don't know and I guess no one has the answer to that question (may by President Mubarak). I personally see some pros and cons:

Pros:

- The EIC (mokhabarat) is still one of the reputable and most respected entities in Egypt, and this directly is reflected on its Chief.

- The Military will be supporting because of his military background.

- Well known and respected in the Arab Region, Europe, & the US.

Cons:

- Too old to start a presidency (72 now, 75 when Mubarak term ends in 2011).

- I don't think there is an agenda for a breakthrough change to solve the current problems.
- He has been working with Mubarak regime for too long and never objected.

"Although many have voiced that these rumors are true due to many factors including power, respect amongst Arab leaders and Israel, neither Suleiman nor the National Democratic Party spoke of this or commented on any future political role for Suleiman." The Atlantic

Mohaly

445) 1952 Revolution - The 1st communiqué !

Egypt has passed through a critical period in her recent history characterized by bribery, mischief, and the absence of governmental stability. All of these were factors that had a large influence on the army. Those who accepted bribes and were thus influenced caused our defeat in the Palestine War [1948]. As for the period following the war, the mischief-making elements have been assisting one another, and traitors have been commanding the army. They appointed a commander who is either ignorant or corrupt. Egypt has reached the point, therefore, of having no army to defend it. Accordingly, we have undertaken to clean ourselves up and have appointed to command us men from within the army whom we trust in their ability, their character, and their patriotism. It is certain that all Egypt will meet this news with enthusiasm and will welcome it. As for those whose arrest we saw fit from among men formerly associated with the army, we will not deal harshly with them, but will release them at the appropriate time. I assure the Egyptian people that the entire army today has become capable of operating in the national interest and under the rule of the constitution apart from any interests of its own. I take this opportunity to request that the people never permit any traitors to take refuge in deeds of destruction or violence because these are not in the interest of Egypt. Should anyone behave in such ways, he will be dealt with forcefully in a manner such as has not been seen before and his deeds will meet immediately the reward for treason. The army will take charge with the assistance of the police. I assure our foreign brothers that their interests, their personal safety [lit. "their souls"], and their property are safe, and that the army considers itself responsible for them. May God grant us success [lit. "God is the guardian of success].

How far are we from such situation?
mohaly

444) Standard of Living in Egypt......We ba3den?

El denya ba2et ghalia awy! Begad, prces are going crazy!! Egypt used to be a cheap or even moderate place, now it is really getting expensive. Try eating out in a fast food restaurant, you will pay about 10 dollars, go for a real restaurant you will pay around 30 dollars, go to a fancy one, then not less than 100 dollars.

Same thing for clothes, car stuff, entertainment,....etc. I spent the last 10 days alone, and had to buy every single thing, and realized that it is becoming harder and harder to JUST KEEP within the standards I am used to, ya3nee the goal now became to MAINTAIN, where DEVELOP is kind of a luxury with such dramatic increases!

Goodbye to the Single House Dream!

Mohaly
P.S> Still believing that we gonna be better, just don't ask me how!

443) Sex Education in Egypt - Again!

This is the tv program I was talking about in my last year article http://mohaly.blogspot.com/2007/03/sex-education-how-and-when.html

Again, I guess proper sex education should be embeded within related subjected like science, religion,..etc. as early as prep. school. People get wrong info and act accordingly leading to many men who have wrong info and many women who don't have info aslan, and this causes lots of problems before and after marriage.

Mohaly

443) Hanan Tork !

You know what, I really do miss Hanan Tork in the cinema. It has been couple of years now, and no other actress has succeeded to fill her shoes. I believe that if that 33 yrs actress has continued, she would have been categorized with the great Egyptian actress like Shadia & Faten Hamama.

Mohaly

442) At the tip of your finger !

Approaching the minority report, isn't it?

WOW!

Mohaly

441) Love & Loving !

- You don’t love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her.

- Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get, it’s what you are expected to give.

- Love can sometimes be magic. But magic can sometimes…just be an illusion.

- Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age.

- Only love let’s us see normal things In an extraordinary way.

- There’s always room for love; You just have to move a few things around.

- If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

- The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

440) FUN ::: Busy Pee !

Walahi ana nesfsee to comment but maksoof :)

Mohaly

439) The White Desert!

Do you know where this beautiful desert is?

Sob7an Allah...Amazing!!

It is called the white desert and it lies in a country that has enormous resources and tools for the travel industry but really lacks the right management to make the best use of it. I guess you know the country by now..Don't you?


Mohaly

438) Hassan We Morcos, and the dual Nature!

Couple of days ago, I went to watch Hassan & Morcos for Omar El Sheirf & Adel Imam (Intentionally writing Omar first coz I wasn't convinced that Adel Imam should precede him in the credits as in the movie). '

Anyway, the movie was really nice and it tackled (didn't recommend solution) the problem of suppressed feelings between Muslims and Copts in Egypt.

The thing I liked most in the movie was a very honest part that is personalized in a short talk between two priests entering the event of national unity walking down to the Cairo Conference Center, complaining about the severe obstacles the government imposes on constructing churches and the near-lack of Coptic representation in both Parliament and Cabinet.
On the other hand, two Muslim clerics claim that Copts control the economy; that whenever they build a Mosque, the Christians insist on building a church in front of it; and that the Coptic calls for Eastern Christmas to be a national holiday have led to an influx of vacations. Then once inside the conference, the four men are shown holding each others' hands, and chanting “Yahia El-helal maa Al-saleeb” (Long live the crescent with the cross).

"The brilliance of the scene lies in the novelty of watching these widespread remarks uttered candidly on the silver screen, of the shock behind watching one of cinema’s primary taboos finally shattered for the first time." Critique.

I guess this is the main problem that we have this dual nature in many things, and one of the most serious is the religion. These conference should be a place where people get out all what they have, agree on the common ground, and respect each other's beliefs even if they disagree with. This way we can live in peace and fear no threat.

Anyway, it is a nice movie, and highly recommended specially with the smooth yet deep and classy acting of the super star Omar El Sharif.

Mohaly

437) Egypt : 10 Things I Love about you!

I guess I can't pass post 436 without writing this post too coz couple of decades ago it would have been hard to find 10 things to hate in Egypt, we -Egyptian people & government- has turned it almost the opposite in such short time!

So the 10 things I love in Egypt are:

10. The Diversity of People (blend).
9. Devotion of women to their families.
8. Long & Rich History.
7. Ramadan Spirit.
6. El Nas El Taybeen (most of them).
5. The Moderate Weather (no natural disasters, kolaha unnatural).
4. Egyptian Food (Molokhoia, Koshari, Ta3meya..etc).
3. Amazing ability to adapt to any situation!
2. The beautiful Nile (specially in Aswan).
1. It is my homeland after all :)


Mohaly

436) Egypt : 10 Things I hate about you!

Because I love this country so much, I wish I wouldn't have been writing about this but I feel that I have to... Egypt has lots of wonderful stuff, but the negative side has been dramatically growing through the past couple of years.

I was thinking, is there really 10 things I do hate about Egypt, and surpizingly I found 10 and even more!!!

10. El Fahlawa.
9. Dirty & Bad Smells.
8. El Wasayet.
7. Traffic.
6. Educational System.
5. Lack of Vision.
4. Hypocrisy
3. Lack of Democracy
2. Illiteracy
1. Passiveness

See, it was very easy to fill up, I bet everyone of you can post 10 of his or her own!

Mohaly

435) Malkom ya Banat Masr!!

I am surprized from the increasing amount of Egyptian girls who became VERY open in their relations with guys in different social classes. Many girls now talk openly about stuff and needs that is beyond expectations from the default shy Egyptian girls.

I think the semi-nude video clips & singers that has been running for the last 5 years had made a great impact on the general level of shyness in this country specially among girls. See Doli Shaheen in this photo, she is in a Corporate Event and wearing like this!!!

Howa ya3nee ya matsalemsh ya te2la3!! What an extreme society we have become!

Allah yer7am ayam Abdel-Halim's girls..

We 3ala ra2i Sonbol: MALKOM YA BANAT MASR!!

Mohaly

434) FUN ::: Emsek 7aramy!

1. Shoese, ya3nee wala 7arf sa7!

2. El aham: Why would any one call his store El 7aramy, ya3nee is it a new marketing technique to grasp attention, or is it the family name, wala the man is honest and setting our expectations right from the beginning?!!

Mohaly

433) I don't wanna be a Pimp!

Summer has started, and the culture of Sa7el will dominate over everything else, then will come Ramadan, and after that no body will remember any of the current challenges and problems.

Sometimes I do feel that Egypt is a bitch, and the people are acting as her pimp!! and I really don't wanna be a pimp. I really do care. I am giving all my time to the development of this country (paid and unpaid), but it is like Taming of the Shrew! People are enjoying the role of the pimp and selling Egypt to whomever pays more, but the country is not that sexy anymore, and I am afraid that one day the pimps will be bitches themselves!!!

Mohaly

432) What Women Want; A Male Prespective -Intro!

After the Success of What Men want, and bena2an 3ala talab el gamaheer, I will start the "What Men think Women Want" series this summer.

In this new series I will be talking about what men think women want, and what women actually want. It is a tough series since I am a guy, and since the majority of the blog audience is girls. But anyway, the floor is open for suggestions, comments, and even corrections.

Men -in general- find themselves hardly able to understand what women think and what women want from them. Men think that women a complex subject, and they will take everything from them especially their freedon. It is a tough experience that men have to aquire.
On the contrary, women just hope to receive more attention, love and care from the men regardless their financial and social status. They just want men to praise them, to support their mentality, spiritual and basic needs.

Mohaly

431) Bill wel Ezz !

جيتس يترك مايكروسوفت ويتفرغ للعمل الخيري :‏
بيل جيتس
بعد‏33‏ عاما من الابتكار والتطوير في شركة مايكروسوفت الأمريكية العملاقة للبرمجيات‏,‏ كشفت وكالة الأنباء الفرنسية النقاب أمس عن أن الملياردير الأمريكي بيل جيتس مؤسس مايكروسوفت‏,‏ سيعلن في‏27‏ يونيو الحالي استقالته رسميا من عمله في الشركة‏,‏ منهيا بذلك رحلة عمل بدأت منذ أن شارك صديقه بول ألين في تأسيس الشركة عام‏1975.‏ وكان جيتس قد تخلي عن منصبه في جامعة هارفارد الأمريكية المرموقة بعد أن عمل فيها لمدة عامين‏,‏ حتي يتفرغ بشكل كامل لشركة مايكروسوفت التي جعلت منه أغني أغنياء العالم ـ حيث تقدر ثروته بأكثر من ثمانين مليار دولار ـ وهو واحد من أكثر المتبرعين للأعمال الخيرية عالميا‏.‏وفي محاولة لرسم صورة الشركة بعد اعتزال مؤسسها‏,‏ نقلت الوكالة عن مات روسوف المحلل الخاص لمديري الشركة قوله إنه لا يتوقع حدوث تغيرات كارثية بعد رحيل جيتس‏,‏ وأشار إلي أنه سيظل محتفظا بمنصبه كرئيس لمجلس إدارة الشركة‏,‏ خاصة أنه أكبر المساهمين فيها‏.‏وكان جيتس قد أعلن في وقت سابق من العام الحالي أنه يعتزم تخصيص ثلاثة مليارات دولار لمصلح صندوق بيل وميلندا جيتس الخيري‏

my comment on this article is "homa 3andohom BILL Gates, we7na 3andena Ahmed EZZ" we howa da el far2 benna we benhom en homma el fe EZZ we7na el benedfa3 el BILL!

Mohaly
I have met him and presented him a project when I was Managing the Development of MSN in the Arab Region and he is really an impressive person.
http://mohaly.blogspot.com/2007/04/mohalygates.html