I guess that my blog loyal readers already know a good part of my character. I always preach about peace and forgiveness. I admire Jesus Christ as a person for his message of love. I adore Ghandi for leading his nation in a peaceful matter to achieve their independence. I don’t like an eye for an eye, and I support turning the other cheek (in a strength matter).

Things are easy said than done. It bothers me that at a personal level I find my ego preventing me from doing what I preach for. I call for peace at a national level while I find myself weak to forget about a silly behaviour of a friend.

I do forgive, but I find it hard to forget. When I am offended, I try to avoid offending back, but I also find it difficult to initiate any kind of peaceful initiative. One has to be so strong in order to turn the other cheeck. Stronger than his own ego.

Instead, I usually, and in order not to make a war, keep some distance. I ignore. I hold my feelings. I become cold. I wait for an initiative from the other side. Mainly because I don’t feel myself mistaken. It is a red line for my ego. To my pride. No matter what I would lose in the process. Even friendship, which I value the most.

I didn’t think that I would be posting anything this week, but a friend’s post triggered me to write. I find it funny that he mostly post when we fight. I am not sure how many of you have gone into trouble because of his blog. I know that a blog is a personal space for its owner, but it is also a public space as well. When I mention someone in my blog, does that mean it is my way of sending an indirect message to him?

Can blogging be a mean of sending a message to someone that you prefer not to confront face to face?

How many of you find it bothering when your personal stuff is posted on a public blog? Sometimes it doesn’t have to mention you by name. Most of the blog readers won’t realize who the person’s posting are talking about, but you know that he is talking about you. He is making a discussion about your personal issue with public. While you stand there reading what he wrote, trying to ignore what you think is wrong in what he said, and holding yourself from engaging in the discussion because you just don’t want to make the situation any worse.

I want to wish all blogger and my blog readers Merry X-mas and a happy new year.

This year was a good one for me. I have achieved some great things that I have always dreamt to have. Next year sounds a promising one as well.

I am glad that I can reach many through my blog. Yesterday I had some good time with my fellow bloggers at the Quiz Night. I am sure many will write about it and show some pictures. I guess I won’t be posting this week because of the holidays.

Wish you all the best in the upcoming year.

Love you,
The Observer

Have you noticed the current ad campaigns of Fastlink and Omnia telecommunication companies?

Fastlink started with a nice concept, a creative idea as of *Close your eyes* in order for them to surprise us when we open them. They had several ads of people with hands on their eyes, then removing the hands to see a happy look on the person’s face for their new plan and fees.

Just a day later, and I wonder who is this brilliant person behind it, Omnia came up with a quick ad campaign as a response to Faslink’s one. They said *Open your eyes*, implying that their competitor wants us (clients) to close our eyes in order to not see the difference in prices between the two companies.

To tell you the truth, the prices of Omnia are much cheaper than those of Fastlink for the pre-paid cards. It is even cheaper than Fastlink’s companies relatively cheap lines. After seeing the Ads, I felt like converting to Omnia. Unfortunatly I have to wait for another couple of months because I have bought my cell phone with a lesser price for committing to Fastlink for a year.

Omnia has a strike. Fastlink is in a bad shape. I guess that they have to act.

Does anyone remember the freezing phone Ad campaign of Mobilecom 2 years ago? It was hilarious how they used it against Fastlink when Fastlink netwrok coverage went down after a heavy snow storm. The gloated for months that their netword did better in tough weather conditions.

I love him so much. I have dreamt of him. More than once. And even before he is born, that is if he ever would be. I can feel it. I can understand parents love for their children even before bearing one of my own.

He is a part of me that I wont let go. With the amount of love I believe that I am going to have for my child, I know that I can’t hold such huge responsibility of bringing a new soul to this world.

Life isn’t easy. There is joy and happiness, but there is also sorrow and misery. There is pain. We have all endured somekind of pain, and most definatly any upcoming human to this earth would endure his share. I can’t afford subjecting my child to a minimum amount of pain. I won’t be responsible bringing another soul to life.

Thinking about the whole idea of reprocreation. It does seem to me to be purely a selfish act from the parents side. An act that they hold responsible for for their entire life. They try to make up for that selfishness by loving their child and live their life in order to support his.

I remember that I heard this from someone used to work with me. He used to live in the US. He said “We, here in the Arab world, live FOR our children, while people in the west live WITH their children.” It horribly true. Somehow our society arranged its values to place reporcreation at the top of the pile. I guess it is evolution which dictated us to behave this way. With the risks we feel about our race, we run to reprocreate.

While I do understand the need for reprocreation. I feel weak for doing so myself. Don’t get me wrong. I do love my life. I don’t know whether I would choose to be born or not. I do admire my parents and so thankful for their efforts in providing me with a decent life, but I also know that I have endured pain. I know that I will have endure more. I know that at some point I would loose a close person to death. I am not sure how would I be able to handle this. I know that at some point I would die myself. It scares me. I won’t subject my child to this. I simply won’t.

I love kids, and most definatly dream to be a parent. I need to be a parent. Adoption sounds to me a good solution to my delimma. I am most definite that I can love and raise another person’s child as my own. I am so aware that there are plenty of kids around the world living without parents. They need parents. I can help. I can make the life of a born soul better instead of bringing one to this world.

Sometimes I try to think of it in another way, as of the souls of human being created by God long time ago, and are waiting their turn to come to this world. Maybe my son’s soul is waiting. Maybe he wants me to bring him here. I am resisting for now, and I guess that I will keep on resisting till further notice.

Love you my son…

My little brother just started his new blog. He is 14 years old. He posted several poems that he wrote himself. They seem good. Check it out…

Farah’s Blog: www.abo-elfoof.blogspot.com

Like mazes? I have created this a while ago. Try it.

I have to warn you, it isn’t easy 🙂

Talal Abu-Ghazaleh & Co. International (TAGI) buildings are NOT for SALE! Lol

This is what my eyes caught as I was driving back to my work after lunch break. HUGE 3 signs on 3 buildings indicating that those building are not for sale.

It is hilarious as I have never seen something like this before. Why would anyone assume that a building is for sale if there isn’t a sign indicating so? and why would people in charge of TAGI decided to tell the world that their buidlings are not for sale? I guess there is more to the story. If anyone has an explanation please let us know!

Check out the pictures below:

Sometimes it is hard to think for yourself when everyone around you seem to think in the same direction. When we talk about nation matters and all the backup against a certain enemy, things can be even harder.

I know that my opinion would upset many, but I guess when a thing has to be said, then it has to be said. I at least can benefit from the space of freedom of speech we have in Jordan.

My question is: Would it be that bad if there wasn’t any Iraqi military resistant after the American occupation?

Why don’t we stop for a moment and think how things would have been in the past couple of years in Iraq without any resistance?

The major argument military resistance advocate base their stand is their claim that the US has invaded Iraq in order to control Oil revenues and dominate the region.

How bad would it be is they actuallu took advantage of some of the Iraqi oil revenue and let the Iraqi’s benefit of the rest as well? Wouldn’t it be better than the current situation we have in Iraq where no one is benefited?

One has to understand the nature of the US in order to build a judjment. If we are going to talk about interests, one has to pay close attention to the big companies busnisses in the US. While the strong lobby of Military companies business have succeeded in pushing towards the war, I guess that other big American international companies were waiting to grab the chance and benefit from entering the Iraqi market.

Would it be bad if we have let them?

Sure they would have gained much profit, but the Iraqi people would have gained much as well.

How bad would it be to have American infrastructure to re-build the country? How bad would it be to have American construction companies, IT companies, Telecommunication, Banks, Technology, Insurance, Autmobiles, …etc

Would it be worse than what is happening in Jordan for instance? We don’t have any American occupation, and still we have the invasion of their inltinational companies.

If we adhered to a peaceful means of resistance, the Iraqi people would be having now far better lives than what they are having now on the ground.

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” – Ghandi

I came across this Ghandi quote a couple of days ago. It loved it instantly because I have always admired this man, and have always heard people talking (especially on TV – Egyptian series) about the other Hamurabi quote “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” and never agreed with it.

Then while contemplating this morning about the recent world affairs especially the situation in Iraq and the whole idea of the war against terror. I can see clearly that the world has really gone BLIND.

I have always wondered how people claiming to defend a specific religion can ignore basic aspects of it. I am talking specifically about George W Bush, who claims to be a conservative Catholic, who at some point was stupid enough to call the war on terror a crusader! How come he forgets a basic principal of Jesus teachings and goes after Hamurabi’s law?

He doesn’t have be buddhist, or to even hear about Ghandi, but how come he gives himself the right to claim to be a defender of Christianity while he lacks of the basic spirit of its teachings?

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Matthew 5:38-42, NIV) – Jesus

Click here for Hamurabi’s Law

Jesus said “Do not let your right hand know what your left is doing”

Unfortunatly Jordanian churches seem to forget the words of God which they claim to serve and protect.

I have wrote about this before, but now as I went to church again, it angers me to see all those names of people on the walls of the church (and they aint the names for saints). It is the names of people who donate for church, and in return, they seem to have their names painted everywhere in order for anyone going to church for praying to see!

Seeing Church practice what seems to contradict with a basic Jesus teaching for the sake of more donation does only help distance me even more from following such Church.

This time, I made sure to take pictures. I hope that there are some priests who read blogs where my voice can reach them. Maybe one can act to stop this insanity of converting the Churches walls into an advertising billboards!

“Snakes! You sons of snakes!,” said Jesus to the Pharisees (Matt. 23:33).

13 And the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the moneychangers seated.

15 And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the moneychangers, and overturned their tables; 16 and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a house of merchandise.”

17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Thy house will consume me.” (John 2:13-17).

I wonder how Jesus would feel about this.