Things i wanna do in 2010

1. Spend Easter in Macedonia :)

2. Visit 5 new countries... that i haven't been before.. for the sake of it. (Preferably : Italy, Malta, Russia, Norway and UAE )

3. Visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth.

4. Oh Ya.. Explore Petra entirely! (i know!)

5. Enrich my home library with 25 New books (novels).. and read them.

6. Master the art of making cakes :D

7. Blog more..

8. Relationship? am still thinking about it :D

9. Surprise my mom and dad with sth they have both wanted from a long time.

10. Make a stronger impact on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.. as well as the Greek-Macedonian dispute.. to break down the sterotypes connected to both issues.

نفسي في ... وتفو عليه

Last week.. i watched "The Ugly Truth".. and two days ago i watched another movie titled "he is just not that into you" - i know pretty long title.. am not sure if its the exact name of the movie.. but hey focus on the meaning.. Anyway, both movies are discussing similar topic : "Rules of Dating"... they are both interesting.. and informative.. though the first one is funnier.. the second one is more realistic..

Many of you already think.. ya right.. another romance - comedy movie.. that has nothing to do with reality.. but in fact..i find those two focusing on real issues.. on painful moments.. happy ones.. things almost everyone is ignoring or pretending they don't exist.

Let me draw you a picture there... you meet someone that you like.. u wonder how shall u call him/her out.. or lets get more specific.. if u r a girl.. how should u make the guy ask u out.. or if u r a guy..how should you ask her out without being rejected.. is there really a rule that the guy should ask the girl out? can't the girl ask the guy out? or does that make her look desperate and needy?

Lets imagine you did manage to ask her/him out or get his/her phone number one way or another.. and the date goes well..you enjoy your time.. have good laugh... flirt.. joke around with some sexual associations maybe.. but then what? the date ends.. who will do the first step? who will call the other.. and ask him/her on a second date.. maybe a romantic dinner? many challenges suddenly appear.. and life gets very complicated... I won't go into more details in how deep a relationship might go.. but trust me.. the mind games continue to increase with every step forward you go...

This mind game .. is all about the Ego... many.. both guys and girls.. believe that if they do an honest step forward.. and deal with the relationship exactly how the gut feeling says.. that they will be the weak part of the relationship.. Both movies suggest a theory.. that i personally agree that it happens.. but don't agree that its the right thing to do... nor have ever done it to anyone. The theory is based on one single thesis : if you ignore someone..you actually wants that person... u send a message that you are independent.. and don't need anyone.. and hence you hit the other person's Ego.. so basically he or she decides to crush the other person's Ego.. and thus becomes trapped in the dating-mind-ego game. Many by the way fall in love during that game.. but that is not necessarily bound to happen. Unfortunately.. if you think u r mature enough... not to fall into this mind game.. well.. sorry.. i have bad news for you : game over - u r single.. Unless.. you find an exception.. or you are an exception yourself.

When does this mind game end? In Jordan or at least in our eastern culture.. usually ends when a commitment or marriage is declared.. but generally thats not true.. since rules are in general intended to be broken eventually... if and only if.. the relationship is based on the theory i rambled about above..

Myself.. i had my doubts if this theory is actually the case with me.. or with the society surrounding me.. i had my ups and downs.. believing that it actually is true.. but after some thinking... i still believe that honesty... directness... and more honesty.. is the key to a successful relationship.. I firmly believe that any relationship that starts because of rejection (which actually means acceptance) .. is just the first sign that this relationship is going to fail. Small kids do that.. when they try attract girl's attention by hitting her.. or by stealing her notebook.. or by using practical jokes.. bad ones.. to give the impression of dislike.. but we are not kids anymore.. and those who still practice those methods.. well.. with all due respect.. they are not relationship material.. and will end up single.. or unhappy.

Today is the best day of your life... Love it !

"How to tie a tie" pre-interview action!

Ever since i came to Jordan.. a month ago.. i've been job hunting.. i know iknow.. its the worst year to be a fresh graduate and to job hunt because of the economic crisis and all.. but i had to go for it.. So my job hunt started through the regular recruitment websites (bayt, akhtaboot, the Jordanian Engineering Association) and ofcourse the most popular soruce of job vacancies.. newspaper! I worked hard on my CV.. and on a universal cover letter.. and made accounts everywhere.. and the process officially started in mid August.

I started responding to most of the ads that are closely or remotely related to my major.. or submajor.. and this process was repeated almost everyday.. things started to get boring... and i know.. these things take time.. so i was patient and waited.

I saw that these methods weren't effective enough.. so i decided to work more aside of the ads and started to search for companies websites and send my CVs to any possible contact available on their website.. with the subject "Job Application"... desperate? well.. i had to try this way as well :) ..

2 weeks later.. it actually worked.. one pretty big company** actually responded to me..and the response came from the CEO.. i was impressed.. the email stated that i will be contacted by the HR for formal application and arranging interview.. i got hyper and all.. but then something happend.. Ramadan started..

i kept on waiting.. and waiting for their response.. and nothing.. i lost hope.. and expected that if there is any possibility for them to call it will be after Eid.. since productivity is always low during Ramadan unfortunately. But few days ago.. i was surprised by a phone call from the manager of the department i'm applying for asking me to come for interview the next day at 1! i got all hyper and stressed and started calling my friends for tips and advices on what to do on my very first interview... as an Engineer.

The interview day came.. and i was planning to dress smart casual... but phone calls interrupted the harmony i was in.. with hyper notes like "walak you should be wearing your suite! Gosh you should show them respect! " or "a shirt without a jacket and a tie.. ?! are u nuts?!" and "if you don't wear a suite you won't get the Job samer... " .. so i gave up.. and decided to obey my friend's advices.. and wear my suite.. but 2 hours before the interview.. i faced a huge problem.. my dad is at work.. nobody else is home.. and i don't know how to tie my tie! i know i know.. make fun as u want.. am

23 years old man who still havent learnt how to tie his tie.. well in my defence.. there was always someone around to do that for me.. and never imagined things will get that dramatic someday :D.

So being hyper and stressed wasn't a problem any more.. my biggest issue was how to tie my tie..! I tried to be creative.. and the results were a huge disaster... the clock was ticking.. i had an hour and a half to be ready.. and my tie hasn't been tied yet.. i thought of calling a friend to ask how.. then i realised life isn't "who wants to be a millionaire" contest.. but we are in the age of internet..! so yea yea.. am geek.. i googled it! :) and here is the result :

I tried it few times.. having the steps above in front of me.. and after more than 20 attempts.. it actually worked! I learnt how to tie my tie.. in the geekiest way ever! hehe..

I dressed up.. and was very happy for my achievement.. i know it may sound silly.. but that very small achievment.. gave me the neccessary self confidence that was shaking due to stress.. that i can do anything under pressure... and moreover i can be successful under stress.. and thats something if they are proffessional enough.. they should notice.

I went to the interview happy and calm.. and gave the best i can.. and it actually worked .. :) i am un-officially accepted to be part of their engineer's "gang" ... and during mid october things will become inshalla official.. :) **Once i sign the agreement.. i will announce what is the company i will be working at..!

It was a day to remember ... :)

My friends.. the greatest gift of Amman.. am back

It has been a while since i blogged and checked on you guys.. But the past 2 weeks were extremely hectic.. there were so many things to talk about.. and blog about.. i even made soo many mental flags about events and things i passed since i left Macedonia and started my road trip towards Jordan.. but i never found the right time to write them down.

Its great to be back to Amman.. too many things have changed.. but even more things have remained the same. Probably because i was following the news and the events about Jordan.. so i wasn't surprised by most of the things.. my friends were even surprised that i knew some details they didn't know..!

My friends.. the greatest gift of all.. have made it quit great to be back in Amman.. i never imagined it will make me that happy. I never knew how much i miss them.. and love them until i left.. everytime i go out with them.. order some food for dinner together.. i can't stop smiling.. and thanking God for having them..

I wanted to write so many things... and i wanted to comment on so many topics..but i would like to dedicate this post to my Friends.. who made it so much easy to leave my best Macedonia.. to my dearest Jordan :-)

Things i miss in Jordan

- Abu el Abed coffee (@ the cliff )

- the noise of Amman's Taxis

- going by bus to JU.. ( mojtama3.. zera3a... 3oloom..w ra2eessee :) )

- Hummus, Foul and Falafel :D.. + fatteh from Kal7a el Gardenz..

- Mansaf.. (ever since i travelled everyone started promising 3ozomet Mansaf when i come back... yalla prepare jameedatkom ! :D )

- buying DVDs from Downtown Amman.. ( Abood probably thinks i switched to someone else :) )

- a freshly squeezed Orange Juice in Downtown Amman..

- Cocktail Ranoush - Jabal Hussein

- Shawerma 3arabi ..

- Nescafe from JU - Engineering Cafeteria...

- Irth Academy outings.. :)

- Orthodox Club family dinners..

- singing with my Choir..

- trix ! - naa i hate that game.. i just liked how my friends get competitive during the game.. while i couldn't care less!

- Shopping from Safeway Shemisani @ midnight

- Madaba..

- my friends "birthday" gatherings..

- dancing on Arabic music..

- Cups&Kilos coffee latte..

- Hani Mitwasi's events..

- Sport City running track..

- Nutella Saj.. from Saj Haretna Rabyeh

- Ka3ek from Salahdein Backery in Abdali...

- Village Cafe..

- my friends..

- my friends..

- and my friends :)

Officially coming soon to Jordan :)

10 Years anniversary of being online! :)

Inspired by Ruba's post i started thinking.. when i had my first experience with the Internet, and how it all started.. and i realised that this year.. i should be celebrating 10 years anniversary since i started my "online" life.. !

So lets go back in time, in 1998 i left Jordan to continue elementary school and high school in Macedonia, and my brother was Tawjihi at that time.. so he stayed in Jordan instead. The first year, we were communicating through phone calls (which were very expensive) and well the classical way Post mail (yea in 1998!) until the big day came.. when my bro came for the summer vacation a year later to Macedonia telling me the great invention called EMAIL.. and at that time i was computer illeterate even though i was 7 th grade, but we didn't own a computer at home.. and at school we were taught Computer on a "machine" called Sa5er... ma 3alena i didn't know what Windows is.. nor Microsoft is .. well because the "advanced" Computer lessons start from 8th grade at that time.

Few weeks later, in our small city.. the first internet cafe opened!! :D.. and to the astonishment of the owners.. who thought they will have to teach people.. my bro was the first one there.. almost everyday.. checking his email :D.. and teaching me!

Anyhow, that summer , he travelled back to Amman, and he didn't have time to teach me how to make my own email (i know!) .. i just learnt how to use my brother's email :D.. so he created another one.. and i started using his yahoo account.. so it was like.. i am Ayman.. and he is Ayman..sending to each other..

A month later.. we started taking it at school.. things started to get more clear! :D.. so.. i wanted to create my own email.. and thought well .. here is a chance to be creative..I was the one teaching what is the invention of EMAIL to my class mates.. :D.. and u know puberty and all.. u want to impress the girls... and the gang .. by ur "knowledge".. so i found out this cool ( at that time) email service page "lovemail.com". That year.. everyone was afraid from the 2000 issue.. and i stupidly enough wanted to have cocacola in my username :D.. so the output in my head was : cocacola2000@lovemail.com.. but ofcourse.. that was already taken (DUH!).. and i settled down with one of the suggested usernames : olala2000@lovemail.com.

So excited enough..i emailed my brother from it.. and he was like "shu hal mas5ara ya walad.. e3mal email 3edel".. hehe. So i started thinking of a new one.. i wasn't creative about the username.. and went from extremely funky domain.. into extremly boring one.. (mail.com) and since i was inspired a lot by the word "explorer" (IE) my next attempt was: samerexplorer@mail.com ( i know.. my brother still makes jokes about it.. until now).

Btw, i forgot to mention, that at that time.. since i was still learning (in my defence) i didn't know how to print out an email.. and sometimes the guy who worked there wasn't free.. so i used to copy my brother's emails handwriting..! so that i can read them to my parents!! poor samer.. was so stupid at that time :)))

A year later..i realised i should make a normal e-mail at yahoo.. or hotmail..! and my Mom suggested using my nickname in the family (which is abu samra).. to be as my username withsome prefixes or suffixes...

I tried that.. but it was already taken... so i tried samamiro.. which was how my brother used to call me since i was a kid.. up until today :) but .. my clever mind .. suggested samamiro15 (since i was about to turn 15 that year) @yahoo.com.. which was my first decent email address.. that i used for almost 3 years during which i went t Jordan.. :)

When i became 18.. i thought that its stupid to have samamiro15..! and at that time gmail appeared.. so my first gmail experience.. was with samamiro18@gmail.com. One year later.. i started realising my own stupidity (its good to be self critic no? :P) that its not practical each year t change ur username.. and decided to make a more sustainable email address that won't need any further change.. so the lamp over my head lit up.. and the samamiro86 idea emerged ! :)))

When i started second year university.. i realised i will need more professional email.. to send my homeworks at University.. and since i felt gmail is more professional (less colorful and adds compared to hotmail or Yahoo)... i created my current email (name.surname@gmail.com) .. for all official purposes.. and its the one assigned in my CV.

As time passed... my knowledge in the internet domain.. grew.. as i took courses in HTML and webDesign.. and became interested in blogging.. chatting.. skype.. facebook.. downloading.. groups.. and now twittering :D..

So from the stupid 13 years old boy..:D.. ( i was clever in other things hehe) who was afraid to print out an email.. 10 years ago.. now am twittering and blogging.. and designing my own webpage.. with a Mechatronics Engineering Bachelor Degree in one hand.. and faith and Optimism in the other to start my career.

I am really glad that things are a lot easier for the younger generation nowadays to learn.. and progess with the internet.. but they won't have such a stupid story to tell.. right?

Happy 10th Anniversary to my Internet Experience !