i'm now working in a leading architecture firm in mohandeseen. today was my first day. i arrived at 8:45 and i spent 5 full hours doing absolutely nothing because there weren't any free computers. they assured me that this problem is only temporary.
anyways, they finally gave me something to do at around 3:00pm but there was no time i was going to be able to finish it by 6:00pm. i ended up staying until 9:30 and now i'm exhausted.
Sunday, September 09, 2007
Friday, August 24, 2007
long day
yesterday was a looong day...my whole family is in "sa7el" at the moment, so i try to spend the least time possible at home because it gets too boring...i was outdoors from 8:00 am till 4:30 am.
my day was pretty much normal until around 9:00pm - doing some errands in the morning, hanging out with friends in the afternoon.
i got a phone call from my dad at 9:00pm asking me to go home and look for some important papers.. i was in nasr city at the time.
the 6th of october bridge was jam packed. it usually isn't so crowded on wednesday nights but i guess there was an accident or something. my car's engine started to heat up, which usually happens in high traffic, but within the "normal" range.
only later did it exceed this level and i started to get worried.. i was about to stop the car before the temperature reaches the red zone, but i was too late... something exploded...steam was bursting out of the engine...alot of steam...i couldn't see through the windshield.
i got out of the car and i saw looks of sympathy on the people's faces. no less than 7 people in 4 different cars have stopped their cars, got out, came up to me and offered their help. i was amazed, no where else in the world would you find this helping attitude. unfortunately, there was little they could do.. the car's cooling system had burst...all the water in the car had either been spilled on the floor or evaporated...and i can't add more water obviously because it would all just leak instantly. they offered to give me a ride to my destination but i declined claiming that i can't just leave my car like that in the middle of the bridge. i thanked them anyways, telling them that their kind gesture meant alot to me.
so now i was left standing in the middle of a crowded bridge, not knowing what to do.
the car won't start because the engine is too hot, i can't call anyone to help because they won't be able to reach me in such crowded traffic, and i can't just leave the car and go home with a taxi (although i did consider that option seriously at one point.)
i finally decided to wait for 10 minutes until the car cools down a bit, take it off the bridge, then see what my options are.
as i was waiting, this police guy came up to me and told me to move my car since it was obstructing traffic...i flipped out and i started shouting my head off telling him to get the hell out of my face. after realizing how pissed off i was, he apologized and tried to cool me down..he then offered to push the car for me, which i declined..we were too far away from any exit... it would be too exhausting.
after 10 minutes of waiting i tried the ignition and it worked...so the car is now moving without any water in it, which is really dangerous since it's going to heat up much faster than before...especially in this awful traffic. as i was driving towards the nearest exit i found the temperature approaching the red zone again..luckily i found an emergency parking space ahead of me so i decided to park my car their until the traffic eases up. i considered leaving my car there until the next morning but i was afraid of it being towed by the police and i would have a really hard time finding it after that.
i waited for over 3 hours. the car had cooled down and the bridge now looked much better. i drove the car for over 15 minutes before it died on me again. .i was now 20 minutes away from home (remember i live in the 6th of Octboer city), so i had to stop the car and wait again...i waited for another hour this time... i repeated this process once more before i reached home feeling exhausted.
now that the situation is over, i think i learned something new about myself: i'm not comfortable asking for help.
i should have called any friend to come tow the car with me after the 6th of October bridge had cleared up, but instead i kept convincing myself that i could handle the situation on my own, without disturbing anyone.
P.S. i'm gonna be out of town starting saturday for around 12 days. probably won't have internet access.
my day was pretty much normal until around 9:00pm - doing some errands in the morning, hanging out with friends in the afternoon.
i got a phone call from my dad at 9:00pm asking me to go home and look for some important papers.. i was in nasr city at the time.
the 6th of october bridge was jam packed. it usually isn't so crowded on wednesday nights but i guess there was an accident or something. my car's engine started to heat up, which usually happens in high traffic, but within the "normal" range.
only later did it exceed this level and i started to get worried.. i was about to stop the car before the temperature reaches the red zone, but i was too late... something exploded...steam was bursting out of the engine...alot of steam...i couldn't see through the windshield.
i got out of the car and i saw looks of sympathy on the people's faces. no less than 7 people in 4 different cars have stopped their cars, got out, came up to me and offered their help. i was amazed, no where else in the world would you find this helping attitude. unfortunately, there was little they could do.. the car's cooling system had burst...all the water in the car had either been spilled on the floor or evaporated...and i can't add more water obviously because it would all just leak instantly. they offered to give me a ride to my destination but i declined claiming that i can't just leave my car like that in the middle of the bridge. i thanked them anyways, telling them that their kind gesture meant alot to me.
so now i was left standing in the middle of a crowded bridge, not knowing what to do.
the car won't start because the engine is too hot, i can't call anyone to help because they won't be able to reach me in such crowded traffic, and i can't just leave the car and go home with a taxi (although i did consider that option seriously at one point.)
i finally decided to wait for 10 minutes until the car cools down a bit, take it off the bridge, then see what my options are.
as i was waiting, this police guy came up to me and told me to move my car since it was obstructing traffic...i flipped out and i started shouting my head off telling him to get the hell out of my face. after realizing how pissed off i was, he apologized and tried to cool me down..he then offered to push the car for me, which i declined..we were too far away from any exit... it would be too exhausting.
after 10 minutes of waiting i tried the ignition and it worked...so the car is now moving without any water in it, which is really dangerous since it's going to heat up much faster than before...especially in this awful traffic. as i was driving towards the nearest exit i found the temperature approaching the red zone again..luckily i found an emergency parking space ahead of me so i decided to park my car their until the traffic eases up. i considered leaving my car there until the next morning but i was afraid of it being towed by the police and i would have a really hard time finding it after that.
i waited for over 3 hours. the car had cooled down and the bridge now looked much better. i drove the car for over 15 minutes before it died on me again. .i was now 20 minutes away from home (remember i live in the 6th of Octboer city), so i had to stop the car and wait again...i waited for another hour this time... i repeated this process once more before i reached home feeling exhausted.
now that the situation is over, i think i learned something new about myself: i'm not comfortable asking for help.
i should have called any friend to come tow the car with me after the 6th of October bridge had cleared up, but instead i kept convincing myself that i could handle the situation on my own, without disturbing anyone.
P.S. i'm gonna be out of town starting saturday for around 12 days. probably won't have internet access.
Friday, August 17, 2007
my brilliant idea
as i was checking out my new website : greyscale.youaremighty.com i suddenly felt inspired...i found the most amazing idea for a business. Following the trend of private beaches in the north coast, you find La Plage, yashmak, and Oxygen among others... but no one had thought before of my million dollar idea:
A PRIVATE BEACH FOR MEN ONLY
you can only wear speedo swim suits inside and there would be tons of fun activities like wrestling tournaments and stuff..loads of fun!!
the Sunni's and gays will make an excellent combination.
A PRIVATE BEACH FOR MEN ONLY
you can only wear speedo swim suits inside and there would be tons of fun activities like wrestling tournaments and stuff..loads of fun!!
the Sunni's and gays will make an excellent combination.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
discipline
i went to visit my newly-wed brother today along with our neighbors. they're a young couple with a 4 year old kid who is the most energetic creature i've seen in a long time... the kid spent the whole night running around the house.
i noticed, however, that the father had the hardest time controlling his son. whenever he'd ask the kid to keep his shoes off the couch the kid would punch him in the face.
- " we won't take you to the zoo with us if you don't behave"
- "i don't care, i already went to the zoo"
i was laughing my head off the whole time, which i think encouraged the kid even more...but i couldn't help it.
his parents were trying everything to make him behave...shouting, threatening to go home, threatening to leave him with his grandfather all alone in the dark, no cinema, no cartoons, etc....nothing worked.
i know MY dad would've beat me as a last resort, but the kid's father apparently was against that. i'm not sure i agree with him though, spanking ur kid or beating him is a very useful way in making him behave himself. ofcourse too much beating will give the kid some issues regarding his character and lack of confidence. but u can't just leave the kid not knowing his limits.
towards the end i got fed up. he stained my brother's new couch with juice and he was running around pulling the veil off his mom's head. i told him to play hide and seek with me, he should hide and i would count to 50. it worked, i spent the rest of the evening counting as slow as i could..until it was time for them to leave.
i noticed, however, that the father had the hardest time controlling his son. whenever he'd ask the kid to keep his shoes off the couch the kid would punch him in the face.
- " we won't take you to the zoo with us if you don't behave"
- "i don't care, i already went to the zoo"
i was laughing my head off the whole time, which i think encouraged the kid even more...but i couldn't help it.
his parents were trying everything to make him behave...shouting, threatening to go home, threatening to leave him with his grandfather all alone in the dark, no cinema, no cartoons, etc....nothing worked.
i know MY dad would've beat me as a last resort, but the kid's father apparently was against that. i'm not sure i agree with him though, spanking ur kid or beating him is a very useful way in making him behave himself. ofcourse too much beating will give the kid some issues regarding his character and lack of confidence. but u can't just leave the kid not knowing his limits.
towards the end i got fed up. he stained my brother's new couch with juice and he was running around pulling the veil off his mom's head. i told him to play hide and seek with me, he should hide and i would count to 50. it worked, i spent the rest of the evening counting as slow as i could..until it was time for them to leave.
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Saturday, August 04, 2007
things that happened in the past few weeks
- went to sa7el with friends...had a great time
- grades came out - i have now officially graduated ahl :) i could write ALOT about how i feel right now, but i'll save you the headache. "happy and proud" should do for now.
- had an interview with a leading architecture firm...i impressed them and they were willing to hire me, but i wasn't happy with the conditions...they improved the offer and i declined again. my family and friends think i made a mistake.
- my sister got married, beautiful outdoor wedding. now spending her honeymoon in Paris and Venice.
- trying to learn Interior Designing on my own through books and internet while searching for available courses in cairo.
- grades came out - i have now officially graduated ahl :) i could write ALOT about how i feel right now, but i'll save you the headache. "happy and proud" should do for now.
- had an interview with a leading architecture firm...i impressed them and they were willing to hire me, but i wasn't happy with the conditions...they improved the offer and i declined again. my family and friends think i made a mistake.
- my sister got married, beautiful outdoor wedding. now spending her honeymoon in Paris and Venice.
- trying to learn Interior Designing on my own through books and internet while searching for available courses in cairo.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
finally.
i'm done. after 7 years of torture i finally finished college.
how much time do u think is appropriate before i start looking for a job? keep in mind that i apply for the military service next january. so during these 5 months any job i take will not be with a contract.
how much time do u think is appropriate before i start looking for a job? keep in mind that i apply for the military service next january. so during these 5 months any job i take will not be with a contract.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
treat urself with some stand up comedy
found these guys on youtube, apparently they're a bunch of arab guys trying to improve our image in the states through stand up comedy. really funny stuff.
Monday, July 09, 2007
nope, not done yet.
they gave us an extra week to work on the project, so the final due date is next friday. only 4 days to go.
i got another phone call from this lady asking me to work in her firm as soon as i'm done with the project. i had already made up my mind that i didn't want to work in an architectural firm, at least not in egypt. so instead of excusing myself politely and thanking her for the opportunity (which would be the mature/responsible way of handling the situation) i decided to have a little fun and and let her have second thoughts about hiring me. childish and stupid? probably. but it felt like it would be something that would cheer me up at the time.
normally when someone is applying for a job he tries to give the impression that he's really eager to work, and that he can do anything they ask for. i did the exact opposite of that.
this is how the phone call went:
her: "introducing herself and politely asking if i needed help with my project"
me: thank you. so if i do work for you, what exactly will i be doing? working drawings, designing, photoshop, 3d modeling?
her: a little bit of everything.
me: ok will i be working inside the office? or will i be supervising the project's construction in the field??
her: both. you'll visit the field every once in a while to see how everything's going.
(here's when i started having second thoughts - it sounds like an awesome job : tons of experience and a flexible job description.....but if you know me at all, u'll know that i don't miss a chance to have a little fun. especially if i'm not hurting anyone....so i decided to stick to my plan)
me: ok but you should know that i'm still technically a student, and my main objective would be to gain experience about the architectural practice in egypt, and ur firm would be helping me alot in that. so i'll be more like an intern rather than an architect.
her: uuuhh- well we all need a little help at first. that's perfectly normal.
me: great. so when do u expect me to start?
her: well ofcourse ur gonna need a vacation after ur done..
me: (interrupting) yeah, i'm gonna need like 2 months or so...i've spent alot of time in college and i need some time to relax - feel like i graduated.
her: 2 months?! ummm..(i could feel the disappointment in her voice) well that's fair i guess. but if you feel like you want to drop by at anytime during the vacation just to see what the environment is like, feel free to do so.
me: (really surprised at her tolerance) yeah sure, i'll do that definitely...thanks again for this great opportunity, and i'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
her: great! and if you want, u can bring a friend or two to work here as well.
ok so that phone call showed how cool that lady is. i felt like a complete idiot afterwards. she actually got me seriously thinking about working for her.
i hopefully will visit the firm as soon as i'm done, and if i like the place and if the pay is good enough i probably will be working there after i graduate. just because of that lady- seems like she would make a good, understanding boss.
i got another phone call from this lady asking me to work in her firm as soon as i'm done with the project. i had already made up my mind that i didn't want to work in an architectural firm, at least not in egypt. so instead of excusing myself politely and thanking her for the opportunity (which would be the mature/responsible way of handling the situation) i decided to have a little fun and and let her have second thoughts about hiring me. childish and stupid? probably. but it felt like it would be something that would cheer me up at the time.
normally when someone is applying for a job he tries to give the impression that he's really eager to work, and that he can do anything they ask for. i did the exact opposite of that.
this is how the phone call went:
her: "introducing herself and politely asking if i needed help with my project"
me: thank you. so if i do work for you, what exactly will i be doing? working drawings, designing, photoshop, 3d modeling?
her: a little bit of everything.
me: ok will i be working inside the office? or will i be supervising the project's construction in the field??
her: both. you'll visit the field every once in a while to see how everything's going.
(here's when i started having second thoughts - it sounds like an awesome job : tons of experience and a flexible job description.....but if you know me at all, u'll know that i don't miss a chance to have a little fun. especially if i'm not hurting anyone....so i decided to stick to my plan)
me: ok but you should know that i'm still technically a student, and my main objective would be to gain experience about the architectural practice in egypt, and ur firm would be helping me alot in that. so i'll be more like an intern rather than an architect.
her: uuuhh- well we all need a little help at first. that's perfectly normal.
me: great. so when do u expect me to start?
her: well ofcourse ur gonna need a vacation after ur done..
me: (interrupting) yeah, i'm gonna need like 2 months or so...i've spent alot of time in college and i need some time to relax - feel like i graduated.
her: 2 months?! ummm..(i could feel the disappointment in her voice) well that's fair i guess. but if you feel like you want to drop by at anytime during the vacation just to see what the environment is like, feel free to do so.
me: (really surprised at her tolerance) yeah sure, i'll do that definitely...thanks again for this great opportunity, and i'm looking forward to seeing you soon.
her: great! and if you want, u can bring a friend or two to work here as well.
ok so that phone call showed how cool that lady is. i felt like a complete idiot afterwards. she actually got me seriously thinking about working for her.
i hopefully will visit the firm as soon as i'm done, and if i like the place and if the pay is good enough i probably will be working there after i graduate. just because of that lady- seems like she would make a good, understanding boss.
Monday, June 25, 2007
don't need the money
if you've been through the 26th of July bridge/me7war in the past 2 weeks you would've seen a huge billboard that says:
i'm sorry i do not have its picture, but i'll try to take a photo of it soon.
why would someone do that? a billboard that size on that road would cost alot of money - around 100,000 LE a year. which means that if he rented it for only a month that would be around 8000 LE.
not only that, he rented 2 billboards, so that you could see it if you're going to the 6th of October City, or the other direction - to mohandeseen. which means he spent at least 16000 LE to let people know he's getting married.
why?
unless this is some creative way of advertising a new product or something, which i doubt because i don't see how they can make a connection, then i'm afraid something's wrong with this fellow.
Dr.Tamer Something
C H E E R S
Soon To Leave the Bachelor World
C H E E R S
Soon To Leave the Bachelor World
i'm sorry i do not have its picture, but i'll try to take a photo of it soon.
why would someone do that? a billboard that size on that road would cost alot of money - around 100,000 LE a year. which means that if he rented it for only a month that would be around 8000 LE.
not only that, he rented 2 billboards, so that you could see it if you're going to the 6th of October City, or the other direction - to mohandeseen. which means he spent at least 16000 LE to let people know he's getting married.
why?
unless this is some creative way of advertising a new product or something, which i doubt because i don't see how they can make a connection, then i'm afraid something's wrong with this fellow.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
lots of stuff going on.
i was able to keep my word this time and not smoke sheesha for one full month... i know i'll eventually get back to it (i can't imagine summer without smoking sheesha), but it's good to know that i still have some determination left in me when i need it.
in the past few weeks i got like 4 different job offers and i didn't even graduate yet...i didn't apply anywhere either, i get these phone calls from a friend's friend or a distant relative's acquaintance telling me that as soon as i'm done with the graduation project i should go and work in their architectural firm. cool. but that doesn't change the fact that i'm still gonna be spending A LOT of time considering which career i'm going to get myself into first.
my brother's wedding is tonight. he wants me to give a small speech/toast in the wedding. i don't know what i'm gonna say. also the whole dancing bit i talked about before in my earlier posts is making me nervous.
my graduation project is turning into a nightmare. we were supposed to submit our pre-final phase a week ago, and i didn't. i'm really falling behind in the project. the professor gave me a final chance to submit it next saturday. that gives me thursday and friday to work on it. and as you already know i can't work today because it's my brother's wedding. so that leaves me tomorrow only to finish up my whole project. sort of an impossible task but i'll do my best.
ok gotta run.
i was able to keep my word this time and not smoke sheesha for one full month... i know i'll eventually get back to it (i can't imagine summer without smoking sheesha), but it's good to know that i still have some determination left in me when i need it.
in the past few weeks i got like 4 different job offers and i didn't even graduate yet...i didn't apply anywhere either, i get these phone calls from a friend's friend or a distant relative's acquaintance telling me that as soon as i'm done with the graduation project i should go and work in their architectural firm. cool. but that doesn't change the fact that i'm still gonna be spending A LOT of time considering which career i'm going to get myself into first.
my brother's wedding is tonight. he wants me to give a small speech/toast in the wedding. i don't know what i'm gonna say. also the whole dancing bit i talked about before in my earlier posts is making me nervous.
my graduation project is turning into a nightmare. we were supposed to submit our pre-final phase a week ago, and i didn't. i'm really falling behind in the project. the professor gave me a final chance to submit it next saturday. that gives me thursday and friday to work on it. and as you already know i can't work today because it's my brother's wedding. so that leaves me tomorrow only to finish up my whole project. sort of an impossible task but i'll do my best.
ok gotta run.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
random thoughts
- i feel safer with a tank full of gas than with a pocket full of money
maybe that's because i live far away from the city... maybe it's because i own a credit card.
- i've been told several times that using credit cards to borrow money via ATMs is considered "7aram", yet i still use it occasionally.
- five years ago, i would spend most of my free time watching tv... now i only watch tv once a week or so, and it's only to see Amr adib's "el qahira al youm" or "el 3ashera masa2an" on dream tv...
- i enjoyed watching the interview with naguib sawiris in "el 3ashera masa2an" a couple of days ago..i was surprised to see him shed tears in front of the camera.
- i'm 3 weeks away from graduation and i'm not excited. i hate college, but i'm afraid of the responsibility of achieving my dreams...i don't want to be another "mowazaf" who waits till the first day of the month to get his paycheck and goes home to his routine-saturated life.
- i'm worried i'll get called to do the military services after i graduate which will waste another 1-3 years of my life.
- i'm bored
maybe that's because i live far away from the city... maybe it's because i own a credit card.
- i've been told several times that using credit cards to borrow money via ATMs is considered "7aram", yet i still use it occasionally.
- five years ago, i would spend most of my free time watching tv... now i only watch tv once a week or so, and it's only to see Amr adib's "el qahira al youm" or "el 3ashera masa2an" on dream tv...
- i enjoyed watching the interview with naguib sawiris in "el 3ashera masa2an" a couple of days ago..i was surprised to see him shed tears in front of the camera.
- i'm 3 weeks away from graduation and i'm not excited. i hate college, but i'm afraid of the responsibility of achieving my dreams...i don't want to be another "mowazaf" who waits till the first day of the month to get his paycheck and goes home to his routine-saturated life.
- i'm worried i'll get called to do the military services after i graduate which will waste another 1-3 years of my life.
- i'm bored
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
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