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2 Weeks Forward     Meet my new best friend, Otrivin. The two of us met a few weeks ago when I realized that spring took its toll on me, & without my friend Otrivin, breathing was going to be impossible. Must add it to my handbag's private constants list. Also, a new addition to my private constants would be the obsession with the iPod Touch loaded with every episode of Gossip Girl, ..and will soon hopefully have a camcorder as a permanent resident. I must admit though, seeing Vanessa flash her camcorder on one of the episodes tempted me to substitute it with the Sanyo HD that is already available in the market, I held it in my hands so tempted to make the purchase.. but I stood there, with my eyes closed breathing in & out & counted to 10 whilst the philipina saleswoman stared in perplexity at what looked like someone experiencing a mini heart-attack. When I opened my eyes, I realized that there's really no point in going for the Sanyo now and the Sony in 2 weeks time, ..I could wait a couple of weeks => Lots of good things happening in a couple of weeks, ..& although I'm less excited this morning to make a mention of them {mainly because I haven't attended our INSEAD Executive Education program}, but I'll get over it, & focus on the good things, no matter how small, and to make a list of those, here goes: 1) I'm expecting to receive I.B's jumping saddle, breastplate to hold his saddle in place, and a new set of mexican grackle bridle & reins - with his name embossed on each article. 2) My trainer promised me that by next Wednesday, I.B. would be more reactive to my leg aid to the point of making left and right turns without me using the reins. The trainer, however, forbid me from carrying a whip, nor using voice-aids to move I.B's arse, which is A LOT to ask when your pony is nearly senseless around the belly. 3) Rrrrrrrrrreally looking forward to time off this summer. Preferably with my favorite chaperon, & hopefully the coolest cousin ever. This could turn to be a blast, and they better not bail on me! 4) Our CEO telling me the niiiiiiiiiiiicest thing ever => {Okay, he already did this mOrning, it's still making me smile.. so it's worth making it to the list ;p} 5) My best fwendah in the wholllllllle wiiiiiiide world comes back home & spends a few days at my place. Can'tttt waittt <3 What are you looking forward to over the next couple of weeks? Labels: Daily, Pony Tales $12 in my moola box | link | email this post Tipsy Conversations 2 Years Ago: The day was good fun, & it was time to call it a night and retreat back to our hotel rooms and get ready to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo in the morning. Kyoto had been more on the subtle side of the trip; traditional, calm, and zen-like. It was just the two of us in the elevator before our quietness was interrupted by three festive japanese men who appeared well into their retirement age. The first two had a black suit on, but the third -& most cheerful- had a beige pair of trousers, and a camel jacket on and carried a vivacious bouquet of flowers in his hand. The three of them looked at my brother & I -the obvious gaijins- before the cheerful one burst into a smile wider than it should've been, revealing an imperfect set of teeth that have lost one or two of their guards to age.. "You ha like flawa!" he said pointing at his bouquet, before he continued "Wei ha you from?" -- "Abu Dhabi" I answered timidly, clearly over powered by the 1:4 ratio of testosterone in that small elevator. Whoaaaa... Abeuuuu Dabeiiiii? whoaaaaaa the three of them gasped.. Luckily, the elevator doors opened announcing the end of this conversation. As they walked out, my brother turned to me and made a note that they were drunk to the max.. I couldn't tell, but it made sense. 2 Days ago: I must have been riding I.B. when I received M's text message. M is an extremely bright person from England with a talent for looking outside the box, he's also the director of one of the companies we have worked with in the past, and although its been a while we haven't interacted with them, I was very pleased to receive a text from him, that is until.. M: Hey, you ok? S: Hey u! Yeah I'm good, what's up? M: I sent that text two days ago S: I just saw it, blame it on Shitisalat's network M: Ok. You well? S: Yes, I'm well. Why?? M: Why? Because you're hot, intelligent, and amazing S: Haha.. *seriously thinking he was being sarcastic* M: Answer me a question, are you attracted to me? *gulp* M: Answer? S: No. M: That means Yes! S: I said "No". I'm not attracted to you. M: Ok, but you're very attractive. Take care x S: Thank you. M: You're beautiful.. I recalled my encounter in Kyoto, which was when I realized he must have been drunk.  Going on a tangent here, I'm wondering if the real Rodrigo Pessoa is on facebook? ;p Labels: Daily $11 in my moola box | link | email this post How to Respond to That: Part Deux My respond was YesRemember your first diving lesson when you were a kid? When you were told that humans -unlike fish- cannot breathe under water, and you were told to inhale and fill your chest with air before your dive? -- My answer felt quite the same, systematically speaking, it was easy. I gasped for breath, closed my eyes hoping for the best, and said "Yes, I'll do it" I'd hate to burst your bubble, but unlike what many of you thought, it is really out of character for me to seek the opinion of my surroundings for matters concerning a lifetime commitment to another person, you should've known me better =) I think a matter with that kind of scale and dimension deserves to be addressed -for the most part- in places beyond a cyber blog. Nonetheless, I'd be lying to you if I said that that the outcome of this conversation and how I felt about it didn't make me reflect on the more private and personal corners of my thoughts, and my theory did hold merit: we tend to pursue what we cannot have, which is ridiculous really because in our pursuit we often overlook perfect alternatives who have always been there waiting for a speck of attention, but opportunity never struck in their course. I started thinking of those people and extrapolated many streams of thoughts built on what if, and what would.. and I'm still thinking. My thoughts -however- are now scrambled by the misfortunate events relating to my equestrian interests. They often say "when it rains, it pours", I'd hate to think that this is true for all miserable things, ..and even if it were, I'd hate to submit to it in weakness. My sister tells me that all will be alright, and that I'll find a way to reach my jumping aspirations with or without a trainer. After a prolonged Dr.Phil style phone conversation, I summed up my courage to go saddle up my pony and walk him to a closed arena to lift the jumping bar up a notch to a new high in front an audience of 1: my maid, who was filming on video -I thought to myself if anything, now more than ever the camcorder is most important- After every 2 or 3 jumps I'd stop to watch those videos to see what I did wrong, or how I could fix my style or this or that. By the end of the evening, every-single-muscle in my body throbbed and screamed STOP, & I did. She was right, ..my sister was right. I could do it on my own, even though the trained will no longer be there. But I more than anyone else know what it's like to learn something completely on your own -No one said anything was impossible, it just takes longer, much longer when you're on your own. I often wish I had my own place, with it's own indoor arena and get a trainer of choice to train me beyond my own limits. My attempts to brain-wash my parents into building 4-stables in our place are at 70% {I really hope they're not joking nor agreeing to it for the fun of seeing me flutter around with heart-eyes}, but I have a feeling they'll neverrrrr buy into creating an indoor-arena *sob sob sob*            *sigh* Nevermind, whatever's meant to happen will happen, and for now I'll try to make the most out of what I have the in palm of my hands; a great livery facility for my ponies with people who really love them and take care of them, and well.. training solo. In an attempt to engage my mind in alternative zen-like activities, I spent the past couple of days gardening, & abusing my credit card. Shoes and dresses mostly, but my favorite is the new addition to my LV trunk collection: the Alzer cosmetics box, gooorrrrrgeous & SOOO does not match my room's theme and dressing table style, but who cares? I just lost a jumping trainer, I think I'm entitled to make this crime. And I'm eye-ing Kenneth Jay Lane's Jakci'e O cross breakfast at tiffany's style pearl necklace. I love his designs, and a bijou x frame necklace for my pony's photo I love my pony xx     Labels: Daily, Fashion, La Dolce Vita, Pony Tales $9 in my moola box | link | email this post Hibernation & Quest for Perfection  Beautifying Sultan's gorrrrrrgeous tail <3 I had my hair done the same style to match =>  I.B.'s coat soaked in sweat after 30 mins of jumping Everyday I wake up in the morning thinking Today, I'll submit a leave request for a week or 10 days, by the end of my working day I think to myself Okay, I cannot afford taking time off now, perhaps next week, but the truth is that the load never deflates, it always grows over time.. and I almost feel bad for not taking time off during the cooler months, at least I could've spent that time working on my jumps without risking a heat-shock -- Unfortunately for both I.B. & myself, we have no choice but to drown in sweat. That, however, does not compare to Sultan's reaction to our weather. A few days ago I decided to take a rather early lunch break - at 11:30 I took off to the stables, hopped into my breeches & boots at the speed of light, put on my cooling vest and ran out like a crazy maniac towards Sultan - the poor boy had already been swimming in a pool of sweat before even beginning a trot. I suddenly felt so sorry for all ponies that have to put up with our harsh weather & had a visual flashback from last summer's riding hacks and how beautiful horses look when they run relaxed and free in endless green fields. Aside from beautifying and riding my ponies, here's what I've been up to: 01. Investigating and making important career decisions- the status is working progress, & will elaborate more on a post later on 02. Hibernating- I've been sleeping a lot. I come back home from work & throw myself on any flat and comfortable surface for a 2-hour nap; the bed, the couch, or on the parquet floor - I napped on all, really. I think I also have mini-naps while riding my ponies because I yawn all the time, on canters too. I return back home & before I know it, I snooze off again on the couch.. my snooze is often interrupted by mum's voice persuading me to drag myself to bed 03. Researching the perfect camcorder- ..and found it! Yey! This one is a 100% for me. I love the look, the features, size, and feel.. The downside, you ask? Well, it won't be released until May 17th, but it's okay.. for that, I'll wait.       What do you think?It's time to go back to sleep, again. night night x Labels: Daily, Pony Tales $9 in my moola box | link | email this post Feeling Lost (and found) Do you know how many times I wrote, & wrote-off a post during my period of absence? Plenty.The past week was like a stroke: deranged, busy, & cluttered with a few gasping-for-breath moments -I don't do well with any of those, but I elect to bridle the temptation to dive into disclosure of the details now, because that's not a subject of concern when you've fully embraced the fact that nothing is ever permanent, & have come to terms with your strengths and shortcomings equally. I think I've come to terms with both. To be honest, that disorder which I made a note of is more intrinsic than anything else; deep-seated in me and the source of it is none but the lack of structure and focus in my days. I want too many things, and I'm trying to pursue all of them to the best of my ability without defining a measurable goal. I've become a slave to my fluctuating mood, which dictates the insensible and wise -both in less than stellar times and terms. My lack of focus was first evident in my riding. By the end of my work-day every muscle in my body ached of weariness and yearning to soak myself in the embracing warmth of a bath; instead, I zipped on my chaps, oiled them & mounted my horse for a course of jumps. Some days were really good, others were really miserable. The days with the good jumps sent me off home flying on cloud 9, and the bad ones left a residue of withdrawal and an exhilaration inhibited by brief -but frequent- reruns of every mistake in the eyes of my mind. After falling off of two different horses last night, I've made a decision: Jumping will no longer be an option, ..it will be an obligation, from me to me. I would leave my min-consuming-baggage at home and not take it with me to the stables, & would train every.single.freakin'.day. Period. You see, the past couple of weeks have been a bit like feeling lost, and then found again -and I really really have missed you all oh so much x P.S. ^above video guaranteed to shoe-away the blues ;p Labels: Daily, Pony Tales $5 in my moola box | link | email this post ?@?_?@? this is my new smilie: ?@?_?@? SO cute, non? {if you steal it, teeth will fall off!} Labels: Daily $8 in my moola box | link | email this post The Obsession That Turned into a Dangerous Addiction CEO: So, why did you take yesterday off, where were you? My lips just refused to stay glued to each other & I could not hold back the laughter.. He has a mind like that of a fortune teller, somehow he just knowwwwws things, just like THAT! He 'somehow' knew my day off had something to do with a horse. He just knew it. So yes, my stallion finally arrived at the stables, I decided to call him "Sultan Marciano", and well.. he's a little crazy now. The boy looks like he's been trapped in a box for a century & a half, he has his eyes fixed on the paddocks, frustrated and agitated by confined spaces. Nonetheless, he managed to create a fan base of his own, a small group of people who circle around his box like pilgrims ooooh-ing & aaaaah-ing at his beauty. What can I say, the boy is just stunning that way.To be honest though, as prettyful as he may be {& I'm really, rrrrreally proud of him for being all that} he hasn't taken over the beauty of my first pony, not even a little shred -- if anything, I think I love my pony (I.B.) twice as much now {& I thought I couldn't love him mOre, but his love seems to multiply like amoeba}.. It's an obsession that is slowly converging into a dangerous addiction; & I say dangerous because: 1) I like their company more than that of humans 2) I now spend more money on my ponies than myself lol 3) I go to extreme measures of making sure their intake of nutrition is the crème de la crème of what the market has to offer {think american VS domestic hay, individually packaged SmartPak supplements by daily dosage for both freshness, & ..well.. because my ponies deserve it} 4) When I start talking about them, I can't stop.. {like you haven't noticed that much by now lol} 5) Braiding their mane is slowly becoming a hobby, adorning them with sparkling glitters all over is becoming an obsession, ..hoofs too! 6) When I get upset with people, I talk to to my pony, he's my own not-so-little version of Dr.Phil 7) I get this itching urge to buy them stuff. Going to tack shops feels like going to a theme park, ..shopping for them makes me happy -very happy => 8) I'm seriously considering 1-3 months horse psychology educational programs in other parts of the world.. I wonder what sort of look will I see on my dad's face when I break the news to him after I've made up my mind >_<; 9) My mom's love for ponies is slightly diverting to dislike, mainly because every time she calls me to ask where I'm at; my answer is almost uniform every single day: "with my pony" 10) I'm thinking of expanding my career horizons & doing something that previously was not an option: a career outside of the borders of the Emirates. The first excited thought-bubble that appeared on top of my head was: I KNOW the PERFECT equine logistics company that would take care of moving my ponies to wherever that may be {what? did you think I was gonna travel without them?} Enough about my pony-love, let's talk about you, ...what do you think of his un-braided curls? lol  Kidding. Seriously, enough about the pony-love. But if just for the records, pony-love & the gym are probably the only things that gets my mind off my work-related stress, & quite frankly, I've had quite a substantial amount of that today. I often allow myself the pleasure of sever opinions when asked, with little consideration for the delicacy of feelings; but that was not the case this afternoon. Instead, I chose to be politically correct, to just nod in agreement, smile, & graciously walk away. It was only when I got home that I had a good thought about it, I was at loss trying to understand the reason for the conversation I had today, your manager tells you one thing, & then his manager says another, & you're sandwiched in between. I have not incurred the displeasure of either, I felt like a chameleon, and that was anything but gratifying. ... I miss conversations with my favorite Gemini, I do. Muse & my favorite gemini are probably the only two people that I feel so completely & utterly myself with. I miss that feeling of discomposed recklessness around people -- they're both away. Labels: Daily, Pony Tales $10 in my moola box | link | email this post Break Out Of The Blue   As strange as this may sound, I honestly don't remember the last time I was in this state of mind - complete & utter peace. The past few weeks -more like months, really- have been mentally exhausting, so much that I felt part of me was melting away in the midst of all the chaotic voices in my mind that threatened to dim out the beauty of life around us. I love my job, even though less now than I did one year ago, but I still love it, & you may agree that when you love something it's easy to lose yourself to it. It becomes easy to forgo the jauntiness and overlook the other elements of -you- that make up what you truly are, & slowly drift away to become this person shelled with walls of weariness and see nothing but flashing numbers & calculations in your mind, and speak clauses and terms with your friends. My biggest fear when I first joined my organization was the Greenspan image I had in mind - the female version. Having said that, I missed out on the opportunity of attending his speech this afternoon at the Emirates Palace which was quite a disappointment to me ;( Reading his book made me see some things in a different way - besides, he made reference to Ayn Rand my favorite female philosopher whom I relate to the most in terms of thinking. For those of you who have not come across any of her books, I would recommend you fetch yourselves a copy of The Virtue of Selfishness, a title impregnated with what ought to be common sense, but isn't so common. Did I mention that I took tomorrow off? Well, I did -- This evening, I'm curled up in bed with both my MacBookah & Mr.Insert Name Here Sitting on my lap, reading this book, & listening to this song: Labels: Daily $7 in my moola box | link | email this post Gettin' Wiggie Wid It      I think Chanel & Tantra rank amongst the most stylish chi's out there *lol* -- Chanel reminds me of Tina Turner in that wig, Haha.. & Tantra, well.. her pink do is just plain wrong, in a veryyyyy cute way that is.. I can't stop laughing at that cuteness lol! <3 I've had a better day today, work was productive & I feel so much better now that I've communicated the fact that communication processes of sorting out PR plans and business brochures isn't really my thing. Yes, I enjoy the creative part of it -which in my case takes a few minutes to get across- but that's just about it for me. Period. The past few weeks I've been on this experimental mode in a new business venture, & with my design/web background I was elected to take a role in putting together a creative communication route - Fun but naah, not my thing really.. not because I lack the capability for it, but it doesn't make me feel like I'm being pushed to my limit, that I'm giving a 100% of my mental capacity, there's so much more than I can give & until all of it is utilized to the last shred; I won't be satisfied. My mission is to find that place. So far I can tell that I enjoy the business thinking more as opposed to support/process-oriented activities. A couple of weeks down the road I will be expected to make a firm decision as to whether I'd like to remain in this new venture as a full-time employee, or go back to the mother company where I was and get more exposure to different industries and develop higher business maturity. When I make that decision, you'll know. Meanwhile, how do you like my pony's braids? => Half way through the day I decided that the minute I was done from work I'd go have my pony's mane braided & leave it so for a couple of days before de-braiding him for a stylishly curly mane <3 Went to Clair's & picked up tiny little rubber braid bands, bought a wide-comb at The Body Shop & flewwwwwwwww to him; initially I reallyyyyy wanted to have diamond braids, but it turned out to be SO much harder than it looked >_<; ..so instead, I decided to opt for the low-effort good ol' classic: plain vanilla ! ~ The process which took nearly half an hour was the best de-stress activity I've had in weeks, I love him! & I knooowwwwww i've said this trilllllions of times before, but..*sigh*.. I do! & there's nothing I can do about it. He's my baby! {mind you, a pretty LARGE baby lol} Must get some Zz..Zz.z's nightie nights everyone x Labels: Daily, Pony Tales $7 in my moola box | link | email this post Wasteful I don't know about you, but my day was bleh! -- I knew this by noon, but thought that when I'd go ride my pony in the evening it would all be gone -I was wrong. Not my ideal weekend-day if you ask; I felt that my day went to a complete waste. I didn't get around doing anything of significance. Nothing. I didn't read, nor did I experiment with a new recipe in the kitchen, & my jumps weren't all that good, I kept sliding out of my saddle at every jump & my right foot struggled to keep its' stirrup on.. to sum it all up: my day was just a total waste of time, effort, & breathing air *BANGS head on the wall* To make myself feel better, I decided to splurge on another Alberta Ferretti dress in this goooooorgeous color, the tactic worked, it felt great.. for like.. 10 minutes.. and now I'm back to thinking of how wasteful my day was. I think I'm gonna go curl-up with Mr.Insert Name Here, close my eyes & think of beautiful things in hopes for a better day tomorrow. night night xx Labels: Daily $4 in my moola box | link | email this post Diminishing Marginal Utility? With Ponies, Never. Nasser posted this video on my facebook wall first thing in the morning, I mean seriously, how cute is that song? Haha.. that's going to be myyyy song, one of many of course lol.. talk about possessiveness Haha Cantering bareback is so much easier & SO MUCH mOre fun than cantering with a saddle, especially when it's a Wintec we're talking about. Did I ever mention how much I hate Wintec saddles? No? Well, you DON'T want me to go there. The last time I rode with a Wintec saddle my inner thighs & knees bruised for a week. ugly. I hate bruises. So now, I am officially an addict.. of bareback riding, that is. I can't quite tell what is it about riding without a saddle that I'm loving so much {I'mmmm lovinnnn' it! echoes in the back of her head}-- It is probably a combination of the close contact with the pony.. that strange 'jello' surface of flesh, & the purity and simplicity of it. English riding costumes notwithstanding, I often imagine a camera craned around filming me in a scene for a historical documentary or a movie about Arab women and their infamous Arabian horses.. the feeling almost makes me want to step out of my breeches into a deliriously embroidered Arabic dress, undo my hair, & smudge my eyes in jet-black Kohl and gallop my heart out putting my pony's stamina into a test. He always wins, of course. Stemming from those animated visions was the urge to capture them in stills. I've scheduled a professional Hassleblad portrait photo shoot for the two of us, but that has been pushed back till about the end of this month, which is when my Stallion is due to come to the Emirates.. iffffff we find him a quarantine box, apparently those are rare in this time of the year >_<; Did I mention how much I love my mom for this beauty!! I love her => I dooooooooo       Martha entertaining in her stables *sob sob sob* -- I waaaaaaaaaaaant!  My ultimate dream-home would be a place where my place is built in the midst of a dream-like scape, with a thousand & one breathtaking ponies running free. Entertaining in the stables a la Martha Stewart would be SO much fun! But for that I'd have to have mOre than a couple of ponies, non? No problem lol, the law of diminishing marginal utility obviously does not exist on my books; I've decided that my next horse purchase will be a fairytale straight egyptian halter show pony, and after that either a baroque knabstrupper that I'll train for jumping, or a Friesian that I'll prep for dressage or just to toss his thick mane around in slow motion lol, & of course, the five of us will live happily ever after with Chanel & Tantra dorking around => The two girls have just been introduced to clicker-training. Nikki -their trainer- visits them twice a week for that, & as it appears, Chanel turned out to be the A+ student, while Tantra is the spoiled little thing that has her mind fixed on the chicken sausage treats and expects to have life easy.. & I know I should be angry at her for that, but it's quite the contrary: I love her for it! *lol* -- She just has a mind of her own, and to her the world is play play play Haha.. The good news is Nikki doesn't have my love-weakness, so Tantra behaves when she's around and does what she's asked to do with not so much as a blip. I'm excited though, I mean.. last night was their first fetch-training session, & I threw a round little thing and both of them went after it, grabbed it.. and well, Chanel brought it back, & Tantra decided to keep it for herself >_<; I wonder if I could train them to carry their own little handbags? Will keep you posted on any progress in that direction => Labels: Daily, Pony Tales $19 in my moola box | link | email this post Out of Battery      finished product ;p  *tears of joy streaming down her face* -- I'm FINALLY able to get the moroccan tea recipe right!! My very own recipe!!! & I've been making everyone have it just about every afternoon *lol* Yey! So excited!! Haha You know what's really weird? Sitting in a room with other people sitting & reading your blog & that's exactly what's happening now >_<; My cousins are sleeping over tonight, & it's fun => Anyways, apparently my MacBookah will need to have its charger replaced, so this entry won't be long.. Initially, I intended to jot down my thoughts on the Mind Feng Shui quote I posted earlier, but that won't happen as I only have a couple of minutes before my MacBookah dies ;( My day started with yoga-ing outdoors, AMAZING! Its been ages since I yoga-ed outdoors, & although the weather is not at its best, I loved the coolness of it, but now I'm just starting to get fed up with it. This afternoon, I went to take my pony for a walk in the garden, I've been doing this quite often as I've noticed that he has a tendency to freak out & jump at just about everything, which is NOT good.. So I'm starting to get him used to going out of his comfort zones: his box & his paddock. Why, you ask? Well, I've booked a professional portrait photo shoot for the two of us, & I want it to take place in the garden.. and I DON'T want him to send the photographer & the screw running *lol*  I love his mane <3   *heart heart heart* As random as this may sound, but, my cousin & her sister are insisting that I watch Fifi Abdu on TV now, & I'm thinking: I have less than 2 minutes left on my laptop before it dies! Fifi Abdu is the LAST thing on my mind now >_<; Having said that, it'll prolly take me a minute to publish this, so I better sign off now ;p Lotsssss of love coming your way & have a pleasant evening everyone xx  p.s. I know these are no high-heels, not peep-toes nor pointy, but they're über cuuuuuuute & irresistible, what do you think? I would so pair these with a cotton dress a la summer beauties <3 Labels: Cookery, Daily, Fashion, Pony Tales $12 in my moola box | link | email this post Mind Feng Shui  I'm in the lookout for gorgeous x infinity pink shoes, peep-toe or closed & pointy, high heeled but not wedged, ..any recommendations from awl you fashionistas out there? I'm gonna love you forEvErrrrr.. seriously <3 ..& if I don't find anything, I'll go for the pink louboutin featured here => So, great news: I finally have internet at home {Yay!} -- apparently, my internet has been functioning forever, but I never got the chance to mess around the settings of the DSL router myself, & last night after I've returned from my meetings in Dubai I decided to make a choice with the very limited time I had on hand: Go to the gym? Or fix the internet? verdict: internet. My heart sank at the thought of me slacking off & favoring internet over some workout, but deep inside of me I knew it wasn't a matter of favoring, but rather knowing that if I fail to make it a priority, it never will become one. So, whilst resisting the huggable charms of my chis Mme Coco Chanel & Tantra I lied down on the floor with my MacBookah, DSL, & lots of cables and made up my mind that there will be no getting off before the internet issue is resolved. It happened. You do know what this means, don't you? Exactement! More posts on weekends, and proper outlining& watermarking of my photos =D ..Not only that, but now I can synchronize my Apple TVs to my MacBookah & have access to my iTunes library from everrrrryyyywhere around the house, including the bath-tub <3 Yumm! See, once you get used to being connected you really can't get used to the lack of it, & perhaps i'm hardly fair when I say that it's an addiction that multiplies like an amoeba, because, I can't have enough of Apple, and I can't do without RSS on my Blackberry, & music pouring in my ears, & cannot be in a car hitting the highway without watching my favorite videos and shows. Speaking of those, I'm soooo loving Gossip Girl -the TV show- & although I don't have the chance to watch it as often as I would like to, I carry it with me everywhere.. & now I'm thinking: with my ever growing obsession with Dr.Rey I should download those episodes on my iPod too <3       *lol*   ta-daaaaaaa Amongst other obsessions that I'm hoping never to grow out of ;p are Ladurée's macaroons, this week another box of macaroons found its way to me, lotssss of fleurs d'oranger this time <3 {my faaaaavorite} & i'm posting these photos especially for B6y *evil grin* {I know you compllllletely wiped out your share in one sitting, you omnivore you! Haha} Anyways, won't make this post any longer.. I fell asleep on the couch waiting for Dr.90210 to air, & woke up to watch it {& write a post?}, now it's time for me to go back to sleep. Enjoy your weekend you gorgeous people, & for now, I hope you enjoy the mental feng shui quote below [via Kosh, thank you] <3 night night xx ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. $11 in my moola box | link | email this post News Digest Every now & then I drop a bullet-point email to my closest friends highlighting the biggest things happening in my life at that time, or marginal random pieces of information that I think may be of interest to them. There are times when we call each other several times a day, & there are other times when we don't hear each others' voice for weeks, hence the news digest emails I send out. To build on that concept and compensate for my absence the past couple of days -which is by the way attributed to a 'working-progress' internet line- I'll let you in on what I've been up to lately, so here goes: 1) I received the official letter from HR stating that I've been promoted to associate manager! Ta-Daaaaaaaa! -- if anything, I'm hoping this would make my mom understand that I have a real job, & that I “just can't leave work conveniently at 2:00” 2) I am contemplating taking a career jump, which I've been thinking over for a while but feel less confused about now. I also intend to discuss this with a person who knows better. 3) Realized that work is so much more fun when you don't have someone micro-managing every bit of what you do. Brilliant! 4) Also realized that men in white breeches, black knee-length riding boots, & jackets are very, very attractive. 5) My fortune cookie du jour said "Love is for the lucky and the brave." *scratches head in deep thought* Considering the fact that I didn't allow myself to take a second glance at the 1800's knight-look-alike rider with piercing dark eyes, and hair brushed back like a fairytale prince - does that make me a coward who'll never find love? 6) Had the best canter on my pony just yet, it was like a dream.. for several minutes there, the two of us were in perfect harmony on lose reins, it was like heaven on earth, a feeling so unique I cannot even begin to describe it, so much bigger than anything I've experienced before & would absolutely LOVE to have that seamless harmony again, and again, and again..x infinity 7) I did a whither-tracing for him, & took his saddle measurements on my own {yey! feels like a true horse-wow-man!} It was a pleasureful experience. 8) The two of us went for a walk in the garden where I held him by the halter, and walked for an hour or so in the midst of long trees and on muddy grounds. We {I, is more like it} ran while he trotted -- it was an absolute delight to be in the company of something so beautiful. I love him! I love himmmmm! I do love him!! 9) Although acrylics dry much faster than oils, I find oils so much more original & colors never lose their vibrance with age. The older the painting, the better it looks. 10) I have a "thing" for philipino style 80's love songs lol 11) G thinks men find me intimidating, & that I should "lower barriers of entry" 12) I think "the greater the risk, the higher the expected return" -- if there's anyone out there worth my time, I have no doubt he would take that risk ;p 13) G also would like a solid affirmation that now he sits highest amongst my bestest fwends list ;p As you can see, he is VERY demanding like that {I hope you're reading this G} 14) My co-worker swears that I do not -in any way- resemble an accurate sample of what Virgos are, & according to him, I cannot be anything but a Gemini. And of course, you & I know exactly how I feel about Geminis ;p so, in all ostensibility I welcome the casual remark & pick a date of birth off of someone else's calendar, the 14th of June. Why did I pick Che Guevara? -- Well, let's see: #1) Umm.. because I'd like some of his influential nature to rub-off on me? No? You don't see that happening? Okay, at least I tried >_<; #2) He's latin, which means that hot by default lol, #3) He had an asthma growing up, we have THAT in common. #4) He is also brutally honest, which -more often than not- got him in trouble. I can tell you a thing or two about getting in trouble for being honest. But to be more realistic, I like the 14th because it falls right in between the birth dates of two people I admire and look up to in many ways, the first was born on the 13th, and the other on the 15th. And now, yours truly is sandwiched between the two =D Having said that, I do not forgo my right to the 14th of September, I like the fact that the woman who invented contraceptives was born on the same day. See, we're party poopers by default *evil grin* >=] ..and, before I go, I'd like you to watch The Motorcycle Diaries & once you've done that, let's talk about it here.. I'd like to know your throughts, all of you => I love this movie, one of my faaaaaavorites, like, EvErrrrr =D I love the production, and the music, c'est très très bon =D Listen to these music files by the composer:     
$11 in my moola box | link | email this post Charmed This post was provoked by Shammany's comment 2 entries ago. Watch the videos, look at the photos, & you'll know the answer to your question ;p <3        ..and on On Q104's blog Labels: Daily $3 in my moola box | link | email this post CEO Talk "I want you to be blunt, critically blunt & not make any consideration for anyone's thinking, not even myself. I will ask for your opinion, & I'll ask for it often, and when I do; I expect you to tell me what -you- think, not what I'd like to hear" Can you even begin to imagine how that felt? It was muuuuuusic to my ears! Here's someone who constantly asks for my input, believes in it, & gives me enough room to execute - That's like someone giving you a pair of wings asks you fly in every direction as you please, with one condition: deliver upon your tasks. Micromanagement was never the way to get me to do something, it's something I can't play well with. There's nothing worse than having someone constantly nit-pick your work, or 'crow' around your head holding you by the leash. I hate it. When I was little, I had serious trouble submitting to bossy teachers in school, those who wanted to have it their way with students with no explanation, & no rationale; the "You'll do this because I said so" type, if you know what I mean. I hated that too. Unless it's a call center that you're running, micromanagement probably isn't the greatest way to extract work out of your team, much too less win them over. I read somewhere that a good horse trainer can get a horse to do what he wants him to do - a great trainer can get a horse to want to do it. I hope it isn't much of a surprise to you to know that human capital functions very much like that too. Good managers make their subordinates do exactly what they want. Great managers -on the other hand- are able to make their teams want to do it. Labels: Daily $8 in my moola box | link | email this post Cozy in the Outdoors  Mme Coco Chanel in rabbit fur outfit lol  Strike a pose!  Tantra's super poofy eyeZz lol   The best part of a weekend is that time when we first wakeup, we stretch in bed, tossing & turning from one end of the bed to the other, & if in the mood, pick up the phone to speak to our friends & favorite people at the risk of exposing the person at the receiving end of the line to near-deaf experiences with your husky & barely-there voice singing. Priceless! Friday evening, I decided to spend the night outdoors. Tantra & I curled up together in this round daybed outdoors where I like to spend lazy afternoons in the company of Chanel, Tantra, & a book. Tantra looked soooo adooooorably cute, she found herself a cozy little corner by my shoulder with my arm wrapped around her & fell asleep immediately. Mr.Insert Name Here kept us guard, lying there static I wondered if he we're in a position to speak, what would he have said? The three of us woke up squinting our eyes at the sun above us, it stamped kisses on the exposed parts of me, making me the human version of an appaloosa. Tantra woke up with the poooooofiest eye EvErrr, Haha, so poofy you couldn't tell where her eyeballs were hiding.. Hilarious & cute at the same time lol! As soon as I put my feet on the ground getting ready to walk back inside our house, she protested by jumping from where she was lying down to place herself on my lap, and lower her chin in a very "I want to sleep here & you're not going anywhere" manner. ADORABLE! ..but of course, I got up. Highlights of my weekend: + Packing my Nikon film camera & lenses for a photo-shoot of my pony. The outcome? FABULOUS half-wall size photos of my gentleman to beautify our home. I <3 him. + Sleeping in the garden for the first time, of course. + I cut my fringe, again. This time cascading style. + A phone call to confirm the do-ability to alter this goooooooooorrrrgeous Alberta Ferretti chiffon dress that I tried out & couldn't find in my size. I thought twice before making the purchase, but I simply couldn't resist its beauty <3 + AED 80 pair of tres stylish shades! super superrrrrrr hot, lol + Seeing an Andalusian stallion for real, for the first time. MASSIVE! + 70% done with re-arranging and unpacking boxes inside my painting studio, which means I get to paint again <3 + New music CDs *Yey!* Also on the bright side was karroozi's email that I received this morning, lol, here goes: "I dreamt that u bought 2 croco birkins..black and green! the black one 7ag ur sister -so kind of u- lolFirst of all, OMG! LOL! I laughed so much at this email, I was in a meeting with official people negotiating the terms of a contract, and I was meant to keep a poker face, but this email made it nearly impossible *lol*.. first I lost sense of location and setting & imagined that her dream was true. Next, there was this GRIN on my face staring at my blackberry -not cute-, & then I came back to my senses and attempted disaster recovering by squinting my eyes at my blackberry screen, lifting one eyebrow in cap 'A' letter, and lowering the other in tick point shape pretending to be extremely concerned with what I was reading on my device {which I was of course, 'cept that it wouldn't have mattered to any of those in the same room}. Sometimes I wonder how can my interests be so wide apart, I wouldn't want to imagine their standard deviation graph {now i'm thinking: neeeerrrrd}! But seeerrrrriously >_<; I sometimes wonder if I'll ever explode of harboring such diversity & constantly switching between the business-me, and the 'me'-me. Anyways, ..so, karroozi's email was super cute because it meant that some of you out there have the same feeling I have: everyday that goes by is actually a step closer to my lovely birkin *grins from ear to ear* -- A friend of mine promised to list my name in the NY boutique which I'm hoping will have a more realistic time-frame >_<; ..So yeah, I'm feeling goooood about this! I'm also feeling other things in the air, let's not talk about them now.. because now, I'd like you to listen to one of my newest favorite artists who has a beautiful voice with tres authentic arab-cross-andalusian music, she sings & plays the guitar like oud, how original is that? Listen to her here: ..and here: Have a faaaaaaabulous day xx $5 in my moola box | link | email this post Coco Chanel celebrating her new year's eve with a brand new pair of boots While the world out there was getting excited at fire works and the start of a new calendar year, I chose to spend the last day of 2007 in the company of my pony blowing bubbles in the air and watching his perplexed body language at those floating short-life sparkling round object flying around. He hates them. I thought for a very long time of resolutions for the new year, it's what everyone does for new years, non? After many days of pondering upon the question I decided to submit to the fact that I have none. No resolutions whatsoever. There are no fundamental changes that I desire to incorporate into my life now. Intrinsically, I feel "at bay", that aura of peace of mind stemming from knowing that you're being the best person you can be & welcoming opportunities -no matter how small- for self-development. Extrinsically, there's that profound sense of satisfaction with my surroundings: I love my job even though I know that my full potential cannot be realized at my current post just yet, it nonetheless adds so much to me as an individual & as part of my community. I am also grateful for being here, in this part of the world, I think this is an exciting time to be around with the amount of economical growth & the strain that puts on the need for equal effort into developing the minds and psyches of humans to match that growth. Growing up with a system in place is very different than growing up with the system & having the opportunity to create, and develop that setting. I grew up in a very military oriented family where my dad was and still is my greatest example and influence in my work ethic, he was amongst the few that created and assembled the very initial pillars holding the internal affairs of the newly united Emirates, I've always admired that fact that he had the opportunity to create something and make it sustainable for years to come, but I never thought that I as an individual would have the opportunity to be part of a development of that size -- The fact is, in my mind my father's silhouette is larger than life, so big that -in my mind- I never noticed the growing fixity of purpose inside of me. When the two of us have our unwinding talks in the evening as I place his feet on my lap to smother them with lotion and play chinese-reflexology-masseuse-wannabe, he's always that pillar of confidence that you know you can stretch your back against anytime and at any point of your life. From him I learned that each one of us has an opportunity to give back to that & those we love, and that if we look close -really close in our surroundings- we'd realize that an abundance of opportunities lie in the banks of self-driven efforts, because deep down in every human heart there is a hidden longing, a deep impulse and ambition to do something fine and enduring. I <3 him. Bearing in mind the vivacity of all that resides in my mind of which I've shared a little of above, why would I want to be anywhere else? I'm happy -very happy- with the the person I am today. I like it here,& this is where I reside, it is my home. Nonetheless, there are less significant gaps that I'd like to bridge, if not in 2008 then sometime this lifetime. Namely they are: + Returning phone calls: People often have a better chance reaching me by email than phone, I often neglect my phone & forget it in the strangest places.. it would run out of battery & die and I wouldn't even notice. I don't enjoy telephone conversations, especially long ones, I prefer face-to-face contact but I do understand that it is difficult at times, especially in the presence of geographical limitations, which means that sometimes its okay to have long conversations, and it is always okay to have long phone calls at times of emotional crisis. + Ignore curious extroverted people at the gym? And if required, be rude. This point is rather absurd I have to admit, and unlike me {I'm polite, most of the time} but seriously, how many of you out there get this random person come speak to you or try to make a conversation just because they're occupying the treadmill next to you? I often make a point of lagging behind in answering questions pretending that my iPod screen is taking up all my attention, but apparently, some people just don't understand the need for solitude to others. I like going to the gym to exercise, for socializing I prefer doing that in parties and formal social settings. + Fresh Flowers: Somewhere over the past couple of years I fell short of sustaining my long-as-I-remember habit of surrounding my living space with fresh flowers regularly. This week I intend to pick up at least 5 white orchid plants, & beautify my space with fresh bouquets of Casablanca & Cala lilies. Does anyone sell large poofy pink peonies here? + Green crocodile birkin: I have a feeling, a strong feeling, that this year I'll be able to get the long sought crocodile Birkin bag. I decided that I will no longer wait for the Dubai boutique to charity one to me. I know, it's hard to imagine that any salesperson would make you beg for a purchase, especially when we're talking crocodile leather, but it is the truth, & I don't beg anyone. No one. Thus, I decided to list my name for a green *faints* crocodile birkin in US and Europe Hermes boutiques, and wait for it to arrive. I'll have it whenever I'm meant to have it => + Experiment outside of my comfort zone: I elect not to elaborate more to this point, all I can say is "even destiny sometimes requires pushing" & finally before I go, here's a japanese style happy new year wish from my friends to you => Labels: Daily $12 in my moola box | link | email this post Weekend Discoveries       Not having internet is really miserable for a blogging addict. We've finally moved, & things are pretty much settled now, 'cept the fact that there's no internet in our new place yet. All elements required for a functioning interconnected wire-free environment is in place, & if everything goes as planned, our place would be a geek's heaven {okay, besides tokyo's Akihabara that is lol} ..I'm so excited, Yey! ..Apparently, however, it takes Etisalat a century & a half to process & install an ADSL line in a new place.. Which makes it hard for me to make photo-rich posts without leeching off someone else's internet connection ;p The weekend was very much needed to restock on sleep & catch up on TV and movies. I've also spent quite a bit of time 'observing' certain things and how I feel about them, here are some of my observations for the weekend: 1) Purse hangers are a GREAT invention! Etiquette schools dictate that a lady must never hang her bag on the arm-rest of the chair, instead, she should place it on the table, on her lap, or behind her back on the chair. I mean, seriously, can you imagine a 35cm birkin behind your back? even worse, on your lap?! I think that part of etiquette is dated. Fashion trends & fads come and go, and handbags now aren't as puny as they used to be back in the days. To me, handbag placement formed a struggle for a while when out, especially in formal settings. Alas, no more fretting over that anymore, my handbag hangers are now an essential part of my purse-contents, it doesn't matter whether or not its a formal setting, purse hooks make tucking away your bag so convenient, and so elegant <3 I love them! <3 2) Moving is *not* fun. Seriously. Especially when you're this perfectionist control-fweak with OCD tendencies that throws tantrums when the rug moves 2 centimeters to the right. This weekend was spent unpacking boxes of shoes & bags; neatly arranging them in a closet according to occasion, size, & color. Seriously. 3) Dr. Sheperd's cheeky smile is so cute. The first episode of season III was heart-melting. He also has great forearms ;p Those were thoughts that made me think of how lucky {or not} our men must be? The kandoora {pretty much like the abaya for ladies} works miracles in understating bulging bellies & behinds that would cause a threat of competition with billboards over ad space. The ghutra works another miracle in concealing baldness. Not fair. 4) Macaroons are so much harder to make at home than I thought. Alright, so I tried making those juicy chewy macaroons at home, but na'ah.. I would've had more luck getting a 1-million-piece-LEGO together than get those right. My macaroons were rather flat, & lacked that perfect "shoe" at the bottom; the base on which the macaroon seems to rest.. even worse, they had cracks on top. A total disaster. When it comes to cooking; I lack that spirit of persistence.. I will however revisit the recipe again & try to experiment some mOre when I'm in the mood. For now, I'll stick to buying macaroons as opposed to making them at home. Mental note: add enrolling at Les Ecoles Lenotre to my 2008 resolutions! 5) I'm addicted to educational abuse. I'm considering enrolling for a secondary master's degree, I don't need it, certainly don't have the time for it, & the thought of putting my life on pause -again- for two years gives me the shivers. But I love the idea of a second master's degree, in finance this time. Daddy loves the idea too, & here I am, trying to choose whether I want to spend two years getting another degree, or spend 6 months to a year with the guys at Boston Consulting Group. Both options are open, & I have to make a decision within the next 4 weeks. I have mixed feelings. What I have firm feelings for though is riding bareback, its my recent favorite thing to do =D There's something about riding bareback that is just so, ...so, ...so natural. This time I tried a different horse though, he had a very good trotting pace, & an annoying canter.. I couldn't quite spot what is it that annoyed me about his canter because I was too busy trying to avoide any possible direct contact with his skinny spine bones for which awl of my attempts went down the drain, I couldn't last more than 25 minutes before rising an army of white flags. I should have bought that bareback riding sheepskin pad I saw in Paris >_<; side notes: @Muse, I miss you more than anything, I hope you're enjoying India. @G, Sometimes, I think I don't understand you at all. Labels: Daily $28 in my moola box | link | email this post Do You QR?  I'm obsessing over Claude Challe's Just Good Music, 3 CDs of brilliant music for all moods: chill, vibe, & dance. Vibe is my current favorite & Rasheed -my driver- automatically plays track #2 the minute I seat me self in the car, clinging to my steaming cuppa tea first thing in the mOrning on my way to work. It puts me in a great mood instantly. Listen to it here: And, Oh my God? I now like low-tinted windows SO much more! They're so much brighter on the inside, & reading your book becomes so much easier without having to dig for the lost book light under the mats lol  Another great album that I came across is TheOne's Eargasm, it has 2 CD's, the first is "Play" which is more along the animated edge, & the second is "Feel", a playlist on the chilled/mellow side, brilliant really! I couldn't find it on amazon.com to link it directly, but my suggestion is that you drop by the nearest TheOne showroom & pick up a coupla copies pour toi & your friends, they'll love it <3 Speaking of love, I'm LOVING this time of the year here at the office *lol* -- it's so quiiiiiet, & I actually have time to blog in the mOrning, i LOVE blogging in the morning. Everyone is out of the office {& country} for christmas, I'm so happy that I'm wishing everyone a merry christmas, ..my mom too, who replies back with a shrug & a look that almost spells out What do I do with my girrrrrl Haha.. I don't see what's wrong with fluttering with happiness, even if that meant capitalizing on other cultures' special occasions <=)   Moroccan cuisine has also been a prominent resident of my love-list, & although my attempts at making the perfect pot of Moroccan mint tea have pretty much been hopelessly sad; that hasn't stopped me from deliriously experimenting with desserts. I'm still experimenting. My 'experiments' went a little beyond the kitchen and into the garden. Last night I put the final touches to what's I've been cooking in the back of my mind for a while.. A gazebo in the garden with lanterns stuffed with  Aaaaannnnyyyyways, just to let you know of the changes that are happening around here: 01.Comments After many hours spent trying to desperately resolve my php commenting system, I figured the register_globals/PHP5 upgrade problem will take much longer to tackle, most of your comments get lost in translation, & to answer your emails and concerns: no, I haven't been ignoring your comments, in fact, I don't even receive them. For that reason, I decided to adopt Blogger's built-in commenting system, it's a little different, but SO much more stable, & this way, I'll get ALL of your comments & have the opportunity to answer you back =) 02.QR Code my blog! I decided to adopt QR Coding for my blog. What is QR Code? -- For those of you who don't feel like getting techie and awl, basically, this little pixelated square is a graphic that you snap a photo of with your phone camera, and it automatically saves this blog's URL on your phone. You can access my blog from your phone without having to type the full URL, & if you ever travel to Japan, you'll use it to save other URLs, contacts, flight schedules, and much more. This is what my QR-Code looks like, and it will soon find its place on the left column:  If your phone doesn't come with a built-in reader, download a reader here.    Other modifications coming up: + The Book of Love is being updated with an additional page, & a menu. + Post archives sorted out by title of entry. Meanwhile before I go, I wish you a faaaaaaaabulous day, filled with joy, happiness, and lotssssss of love <3 xx Labels: Daily, Domestic Goddess, Music, Tech Talk $8 in my moola box | link | email this post Lately, my mum & I have been arguing more intensely than ever, also more frequently than any other time before. Subject of the matter? Marriage. It's always Marriage. "A good man from a well reputable family." is her criteria, which quite frankly forms only 15% of my criteria. Nevermind that though, last night I thought it would do the two of us good to go out & get some air, and so we did. Ten seconds after getting into the car the argument starts, & being inside a car in motion, there was no escape. I dislike arguments. In fact, I cannot stand them. They're often irrational because of the effect temper has on those engaging in one, and well, I just don't get why can't two {or more?} people talk about things and take their actions/behavior seriously from that point? -- Arguments with mum are nothing of that nature, actually, I don't think it would qualify as an 'argument' per se - It is often a one-way conversation with minimal reactions restricted to "yes" and "InshaAllah". Of course, the mind has lots to say, but the way I see it is that she's my mother, & she wants the best for me from what she perceives as "best", ..& well, I love her more than anything. A couple of minutes later I reached out to my blackberry inside my bag only to discover that the idiot {my blakcberry} placed a call on its own to our CEO's family member whose contact details are saved in my address book. For a second there, I hoped and praaaaaaaaaaaayed that he didn't answer the call, but no.. apparently that would've been too good to be true. My heart sank when I saw the placed call duration, & for a second there my eyes shrank to a fraction of their size, & tears of extreme embarrassment rapidly rose to block my nose first, and then blur my eyes. Seriously, I felt like asking the universe "did he rrrreally have to witness this conversation? I mean rrrreally?" I recollected myself, and recomposed whatever was left of my -by now- publicly traded privacy & dialed his number to make a perky & brief apology on behalf of my otherwise stubborn blackberry that dials random numbers off my contact list. It was hard to maintain a business-tone, but at least I tried. What do I take back from this experience? KEYPAD LOCK is placed there on my blackberry for a good, GOOD reason. Use it. Helpful links: | |||||
