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The Carla Bruni Effect Having a soar throat on work days is a pain. I spent most of my after-work time in bed, too tired to do anything else, barely dragging the derrière to my pilates sessions and visiting Sultan & IB at the stables. Yesterday, however, I woke up in the morning feeling like I was in cosmic bliss {for no apparent reason}, I fluttered around my room tip-toeing and turning in circles {again, for no particular reason}, got dressed & grabbed my 'hurro kity' tea mug & run outside of the house to head to work. Yesterday I also had my first voice over experience. Someone in our company decided that my voice would sound good on massive speakers for an event we've been working on for the past few months, what he didn't see coming -of course- is the husky Carla Bruni-ish voice courtesy of the soar throat. I stood there in the recording studio re-hearsing my Arabic & English lines over & over again with different tones: The 181 operator tone, Emirates Airlines tone, Aljazeera news tone, etc lol -- It was kind of fun, but I feel absolutely silly speaking to an audience of zero, and instead, I sat two of my colleagues in front of me & multiplied them in the mirror of my mind to make a room full of people... eventually, the tone became just right ;p I had spent the two days before tweaking a financial model for a concept I know like the back of my hand, & it gutted me so much that the business model wasn't working the way I had hoped for it to do. With the assumed figures, the company would break-even in its 4th year of operations -not so tempting ;( After re-shuffling the numbers & tweaking a few things here and there, I managed to break-even after 2 years, which is not bad at all, but Im still not very happy about the assumptions built in the model. All I want to do is have one GIANT screen that would fit ALL the numbers at once, super optimized research oracle that would give me actual market figures and statistics, ..and well, put my manager on Silent Mode for the time being, until I've fully worked out the numbers to match the ever-so-evolving concept. But you and I know that isn't happening, so for now, I'll just zip it, throw my opinions in the back burner, & work like a Chinese call-center girl: "Yes sir, No sir, Three bags full sir."   Deep-purple for the cadillac/reformer, mauve for the step-barrel, and bubblegum pink for the combo chair <3  The lighter very-pale-purple shade is the color of the walls of my studio On a much brighter note, the leather swatches of the perspective pilates equipment have finally arrived, & I think I have a I'm also on the lookout for thick yoga-mats for outdoors, in case I opt for outdoor wood flooring, & I'm thinking these ones would probably make the cut, or the Ashtanga yoga mat, about 1/4" thick -- & the color blends well with the the studio colors. How come we don't have a SweatyBetty store in town? Labels: Daily, Pilates Heroine, Yogafessional $5 in my moola box | link | email this post The Pilates Heroine The most recent project that I have undertaken has does not require feasibilities, business planning, and financial forecasting; it's NPV is the sum of all expected future The plan is to convert half my painting studio into a home pilates/yoga studio, which has a patio outside that would be p-e-r-f-e-c-t for Surya Namaskar-ing and half-mooning under the beautiful horizontal sun of early mornings {alright, maybe work-days excluded, but nevermind that lol} Over the past couple of days, I came up with this preliminary floor-plan of the studio and the patio, & even though it would take about 2 weeks for the equipment to arrive, I rose at the first break of the sun and headed to what would become the yoga patio, spread my mat on the not-so-squeaky-clean floor and posed into my favorite positions <3 it. felt. SO. good. Why a pilates studio at home? Well, as much as I think team-work is important to the keep up the spirit for sports, I've always had problems synchronizing my training schedule with my trainer(s) of preference at the gym, apart from the seemly common expectation to return social grace attempts and gestures by having a conversation with the person next to you while gasping for breath. Not fun. For now, the items I'm going for are: - Wunda Chair - Cadillac/Reformer combo - Jump surface - Spine corrector barrel - Foot Corrector {desperately needed} - Magic Circle - Roller - Box .. and other smaller accessories as per my instructor's recommendations who's -by the way- even more excited than me =D  I have no patience, & could hardly contain the excitement =D Labels: Deco, Pilates Heroine, Yogafessional $5 in my moola box | link | email this post I'm Lovin' It®    Yesterday, the first episode of the new TV Show Lipstick Jungle aired. It would be worth saying that this show comes from the same script writer of SATC, my favorite show of all time <3 & I must that that I'm quite thrilled that SJP won't be playing a role in this one; and instead, Brooke Shields would be the main character. Not that I dislike SJP, but for some reason I felt that she's the one to blame for bringing SATC to an end. She probably did not want to be type-casted as Carrie Bradshaw for the rest of her filming career, & towards the fifth & sixth seasons she seemed to have become mOre & more "let's do this & get it over and done with" kind of a person. Plus, I think that although Brooke Shields career prior to this one was in less than stellar conditions, she would be great for this role. I've searched for the show on iTunes but it doesn't look like they have it yet >_<; Surfing away from TV Shows to fashion: my new HOT & MUST HAVE AT ANY COST item is a Mantra Scarf! I've come across Mantra Scarves a while back, they're induced with vibrant colors & Sanskrit/Tibetan scripture which serves well my fascination with the 5000 year old traditions of yoga, shaven heads notwithstanding, of course. What can I say? I'm addicted like that, except that I don't think anyone stocks them here in the Emirates, & the high barriers of remote search in India would not have my quest ticket stamped "fast track", so I'm thinking it might be a lot easier to find myself a nice scarf that I like & have a mantra of choice hand embroidered on it, non? ..Naturally, the next question would be: what should that mantra be? => The lack of posting over the past couple of days was courtesy of a fever. Spending plenty of time in bed isn't particularly my thing, but I drowsed off into deep, deeeeep sleep on several occasions, I would wake up thinking that I had slept for a few minutes only to discover that they were hours. Not a nice feeling if you ask, but the good thing is that it didn't last long & it has subsided by last evening so I picked up & decided to go bareback riding & screaming McDonnald's catchie phrase I'mmmmm Lovinnnnn' it! I decided that it is going to become my new phrase ;p  Labels: Fashion, Pony Tales, Yogafessional $7 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: Cookingfessional, Daily, Fashion, Pony Tales, Yogafessional $12 in my moola box | link | email this post For The Sweet Toothed            Seeing friends after work during week days is not a bad idea at all. I often push social gatherings with friends, family, & acquaintances forward to the weekend because during work-days, I could never predict what time will I be back home & hence I may -or may never- be able to make it on time. Time uncertainty didn't get in the way of our gathering yesterday though, I came back home at 6:00 & were coming over at 8:00.. I barely had time to put anything together {coming from someone who spends 2 hours in the shower - literally!} I knew exactly how I wanted the girlie setting to be, but at the same time, I didn't know {get it? i know i just confused you mOre Haha} -- The point is, flower arrangement & table setting are like making a painting, you know the colors you wanna use, you know there feel you want to create, & when you start your painting; you really don't know what the final result would be. The evening was a vibrant painting, a coalescence of beauty infused with prettyful colors in prettyful strokes.. Claude Challe played in the background, & although there were barely any moments of silence and laughter deficits; my heart oscillated like a pendulum between the grandeur pleasure of the evening, & the heart-sinking feeling of having to wake up early in the morning the day after. I rose like a headless hen this morning, missed out on my surya-namaskar & skipped breakfast, snatched a cup of tea on-the-go & frrrrrrrrrr-ed out the door. I made it 15 minutes late to work, I felt guilty.. for like, 5 seconds. Verdict? a friends get together in the middle of a working week is worth it. SO worth it => *mental note: do this more often* Labels: Domestic Goddess, Yogafessional $14 in my moola box | link | email this post Eid, Dorothy, & Cravings: Which's what? I think the best thing one can do on Eid is travel. Having said that, Eid also happens to be the only time I get to see my indirect family {i.e. aunts, cousins, etc} ~ so I often make a point of gluing myself to my phOne & go through my phone book contacts one by one for sms's & calls at times. This Eid however, it was different.I had gone to sleep the night before like the dead, ..I couldn't remember much -- the last thing I remember was that my hair was wet, & telling G that I'm too sleepy to go dry it, & that I would get up and do just that in a few minutes. Well, I didn't. I passed out with my bedroom lights still on & only put them off at 5:00 am before curling back into bed again. The morning was spent amongst family, slowwwwwly devouring foods of all sorts, I was full.. completely full, but I still had an appetite of a horse. Honestly, I missed having breakfasts & not secretly praying under my breath that my tummy wouldn't growl in the presence of my co-workers at the office >_<; I missssssed sipping my fortnum & mason elderflower green tea at random hours of the day <3 & stopping by Galler for a cuppa! But most of all, I missed a *propper* lifestyyyyyyle! ..my pre-ramadhan system I had in place of early sleep, early rise.. surya namaskar-ing & riding every morning before going to work <3 ~ I am now hugging my yoga mat with tears of joy, & lotsssss of promises of abuse >=] This Eid I didn't make any phone calls, nada. None. Zip! This ties back to my new found philosophy of doing what feels right in the realm of the here & now. Horses occupied my mind the whole morning, a specific one to be precise, so I had to ditch the protocols and formalities of today & do what felt right then & there: I took off & went to his stable with Madeleine Peyroux singing away ..I'm allright, I'm aaaallll right.. You know what else I'm totally loving right now? This: & this: Yesssss, I'm getting in the spirit for Paaaarissssss => Latest fashion craving: #01. Perfectly perfect ruby dorothy shoes <3 I've always had a *thing* for red shoes, I was looking at some baby photo albums stacked in my mum's room & notice that in almost awl of my baby photos throughout my teenage-hood I've been wearing red shoes irrelevant of outfit color, I called them Dorothy shoes *lol* Consequently, at the moment, i'm in the hunt pour quality Dorothy shoes, for Paris *blush* {no blue-check outfit}  Me, several months old {Okay, overlook the fat please lol}  Me, several years old {Yoga in heels? lol} #02. Chrostian Dior style trés chic off-white extra extravagantly exaggerated organza shirt =>  #03. /\/'s gorgeous orange kelly bag *gulp gulp* {mashaAllah x1000} #04. Agent Provocateur opaque hold ups in fuchsia and purple #05. Bubble dresses <3  #06. Baby pink imperial-waist winter coat --this one i've been craving for a whiiiiiile.. still no luck ;( *sob sob sob* #07. Hat nets! OMG HAT NETS! <3  *yaaaawwwwwns* ~ it's time to recharge my beauty sleep <3 nightie night everyone & sleep tight & have a gorrrrgeous tomorrow xx Labels: Daily, Hermes, Kelly, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post Love Flutters By  Olive oiled & balsamic vinegar-ed toasted fwench baguette   Say cheeeeeeeeeese <3  fancy some egg white sandwiches?  Orrrrr smoked chicken breast with fresh homemade pesto?  A flare of pink in our kitchen table setting tonight ;p *e'hum, clears throat*  I bought these napkin rings especiiiiiiialy for my dad *lol* ~ he loves camels, so I thought I'd bring a camel at hOme ;p    sushi boat dinner sometime last week  Ebi <3  Did I mention how much I loooove ebi tempura rolls? with lotsssss of wasabi, lotssss of soy sauce & sweet-sour topping <3  & i've recently been soooo addicted to cinnabon's mini-bons, I could devour a whole box & still be hungry for mOre One of the maaaaaany reasons why I love my parents & brothers {especially Abdulla when it comes to this part} is for the ego massage I get when I assume the role of Martha Stewart at hOme -- I love making new foods without necessarily following a recipe, just inventing something right then & there on the spot by combining flavors.. & I often opt for the odd and risky of flavors {i'm these days contemplating the thought of making chocolate, wagashi, & icecream sushi rolls -- It's weird, i know!} but don't fret, somehow they work out in the end.. Abdulla, however, is my favorite because of his unique taste glands, he would always be the first to try something I cook for the first time and would provide his feedback on which dish sits first, second, & third on his charts *lol* ~ he's also someone who has a sweet tooth, & I'm one to looooooove making dessert mOre than any other cuisine <3 Sooooooo, this weekend was great, 'cept for the part where I lost my yoga book that I was half way through ;( but never mind, I have plenty of books waiting to be read {so she tells herself to feel better} ~ I've been waking up every morning filled with love, lotssss of good feelings, I'd be lying down in my favorite star-fish pose facing the ceiling with the most prettyful thought bubbles forming shape on my ceiling.. Today, however, that loving feeling was over flooding.. & the spillover found its reach to those I care for around me & it felt good to shmy loveow them how I feel.. Seriously, life's too short to hold back your emotions for tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. However, my love didn't have arms long enough to reach out to Matiné, Andreas Helgstrand's blue horse that's aaaaaabsoluuuutely a charm, i love herrrr so much & can't have enough of her dancing videos {I love you too, YouTube} watch the video: & while we're at it, I'm stilll not over how the horse of the Qatari prince could do this in the midst of thousands of people, loud music, & flashing lights.. awesome! soooo admirable & deserves a genuine round of applause <3 It's 9:00, & I have to rush out to my appointment. I miss blogging everyday, I really do ;( Labels: Daily, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post Hapression: That Perking Feeling I cut my fringe porcelain-doll style, & i'm sooooooo loving it =D i love it! i love it! i love itttt! -- I'm going through this re-style/re-construct/re-organize phase with just about everything around me; my look, my lifestyle, home, perceptions, & even my pets -- & you know what? it feels GREAT! I've made up my mind that I would live everyday as it comes {this I'll try, really, with as little planning pour le future as possible}, but mOre importantly; I've made up my mind that I will no longer wait for things to happen & build castles of sand somewhere in the future of my imagination, ..that I won't deprive myself from what I ought to pursue thinking it isn't "the right time" -- the fact is: it's always the right time -if we allow it. Invisible walls of limitations, boundaries, & rules have been knocked down: I'll do w-h-a-t-e-v-e-r makes me feel good given two conditions: #1. It does not conflict with my principles #2. It is socially acceptable In other words, I'm going to Paris, with or without Prince Charming & will enjoy Paris sans him to the exploding max. It also means that I've never been more confrontational than now, & taking many, many leaps of faith without compromising independence. I do not owe anyone anything, & I intend to keep it that way. ... Back to my porcelain doll fringe, did I mention that I'm loving it? lol Yes, I'm starting to obsess now! But irrelevant of that; the past week I've been experiencing strange behavior {and perhaps hormones?} -- I've been waking up in this über hyperactive perky mood, bursting out in laughter at random times of the day for no apparent reason {seriously, it looks so silly when you're in a room alone lol}.. & been having real trouble keeping a straight face at work >_<; -- I walked into my manager's office to discuss a serious work-related matter, serious to me, & there's nothing about it that's funny.. It nearly took me 3 minutes just to stop laughing & consumed ALL of my cheek muscles to just make my face go into default-mode.. seeing me laugh for no reason made him laugh in return, & from then on for me there was no stopping even though I made it very clear that I do not find the topic of our discussion funny & that I've been waking up every morning in that condition.. Have I been infected with Hapression? {that's the opposite of depression, in case such word exists} --I'm not complaining, really ;p ... "This is a simple, poignant short film, shot on a budget of $150: a man with a survey stops passersby and asks them, "Are you anybody's favorite person?" What a heartbreaking question, for somebody who DOESN'T come first in somebody else's heart! Miranda July, who wrote the short story this is based on, had just finished shooting ME AND YOU AND EVERYONE WE KNOW and made this film in the week between shooting and editing the first rough assembly. Miguel Arteta, who directed, was still in love with her at the time, and in an interview with WHOLPHIN said, 'The shoot was painless but sure enough, by the time I started editing, we were broken up. This little short is like a rear-view mirror that survived a fabulous, painful crash.'" I watched this video on YouTube the other day, & it got me thinking.. Am I anyone's favorite person? I couldn't get that question out of my head; I asked friends & some family members about their favorite person(s).. I know I have a favorite person, ..they're two actually: Muse {my bestest friendah EvErrrrr}, My favorite Gemini, & G is slowly escalating up the ladder ;p Each one of them has a set of specific reasons why they've become my favorite people.. Muse -for instance- I've known for a little over a decade, there were those times when I'd wake up in the morning feeling blue & she'd jump into her car {still in her PJ's} & hit the highway to come and see me. I love her because we can hate each other for a fraction of a second in the midst of an argument & still able to talk openly about things & express how we feel about them, and i <3 her for the fact that she's the only person i'd trust with an open-budget apparel & accessory shopping for me when I'm not able to do my shopping myself =D My favorite Gemini? Well to make it short & precise: A person who's in many ways a reflection of me, a person that I can talk to about anything! literally. My bon vivant that appreciates the same elements of lifestyle as myself; the largest spectrum of music titles, horseback riding, art, culture, & yoga to name but a few. Gemini is one of the most positively positive people I've come across, & it's so refreshing because you know it takes a lot of strength for someone to see the light in the darkest hours -- "the rastafara still play reggae, still smoke ganja, and roam around jamaica....everything changes, but good things remain". The Tibetan chants are another reason ;p G? I'd say one of the most logical, confident, & emotionally stable people I've met. Communication with G is often flawlessly seamless. G is also one of those people who are able to look at matters from a 'zommed out' lens.. see them in a way you haven't seen them before, & has the same-kind wisdom aura my eldest brother has, which I personally find a great thing to have in people around us. So now that you know about my favorite person(s), it's your turn.. tell me, who's YOUR favorite person ever? & why? Labels: Daily, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post Somebody's Me I am writing this with a heart-crunching feeling of unfairnessss *sob sob sob* -- I finally got a taste back of the ol' days of blogging every day when I was on my vacation {attributed to joblessness of course, but i'll choose to omit that fact here} but it felt sooooo goood.. & I realized that -in my head- I write a new blog post every day, sometimes several times a day on random occasions, ..say while getting ready in the mOrning, or.. while taking a shower.. or even as I prepare to go to sleep.. I just never have the time to actually jot down my thoughts nor keypad them onto my MacBookah I dislike the fact that work is sucking me away from blogging, & many things.. And although I'm enjoying at least 66% of the projects I'm working on at the moment; I don't feel too comfortable when meetings are scheduled *after* 5 PM.. Not that I do not want to work on these projects, but more often than not my evenings are populated with inflexible plans.. In fact, my mum has been wanting me to select curtains, sofas, & head boards for my brother's place & I -literally- haven't been able to fit than in any of my evenings during the week, simply because -like I said earlier- my days are filled with inflexible plans. Language classes, & riding namely. I'm scheduled to fly back to London for a week, & as tempting as the idea of spending my birthday in London avec my bestest friend might sound; I actually do nottttt want to go.. I get this sinking feeling in my very gut at the thought of it & I think I'll bail out on the whole thing. I mean, ..seriously, no can do. I just got back less than a week ago, I missed this place & I missed having 'me' time.. Spreading my Yoga mat in my room & meditating every evening in the comfort of familiar surroundings {I meditated only once in London.. bad, bad, BAD >_<; }.. & I feel sooooo guilty for lagging behind on Spanish, I feel that i'm pushing myself to the limits, trying to do everything at once {so typical of me} but that's enough. So, as you can see, my cost-benefit analysis yields a major deficit on the feel-good factor, so why go when I have the opportunity to be perfectly happy here? {minus the staying late at wOrk part, that is lol} I won't leave. This will proooobablyyyy come in as a disappointment to my best friend, nyxx, & a third friend who's been insisting to have Joe's date pudding with me on Sloane.. bu.. buh.. but i love you awl *fweaked smile* I dooo I dooooooo, it's just that.. *another fweaked out smile* ..that.. I'm not 'feeling' this trip <=) ..& on the brighter side, we can always do Momo's moroccan tea and macaroons in Dubai {karroozi, now don't you go feeling left out, you can join too xx} ... Meanwhile, I must run a bath now, ..every move of my body makes me flinch in pain.. my sore muscles begging for a hot salted bath & plenty of sleep to recover from yesterday's adventure with a crazy hyperactive pony that scared the sweats out of me & squeezed every muscle in my body to bitssss >_<; ..BUT before I go, here are a few of my favorite finds that I'd like to share with you.. Things that make my heart tickle.. 01. This book is for the Goddess in you, Goddesses {yes, you know yourselves}.. & it's an aaaaabsoluuuute must for every gorgeous girl out there, ..I <3 what Gisele {the author} has done with it, it's looks every bit gorgeous in a trés girlie girl way <3 <3 my cuppa tea! ..this books makes a perfect gift for every fashion/lifestyle/well-being addict, & I think no girl should be without several copies of it.. one for the bedroom, one for the car, one for the bathroom, & one just in case ..{Bonus: the cover makes another gorgeous decorative item to throw around your room *winks*}  02.Crystal Icing is trés cuuuuute way to smother l'oooove onto your favorite possessions; think your makeup brushes, your riding helmet {yes, i've sent them my horseback riding helmet for a crystal icing ^.^}, your blow dryer {yes, i did that too *lol*}, & even a pepper spray *gulp* <-- how cool would that be? -- i'm loving the super mario face on a DS <3      03. Seamed point-heel stockings by Gio. Why do I love them? well, aside from the fact that they're the essence of femininity, and the embodiment of delicacy, Gio hand-manufactures classic fully fashioned stockings on the original Reading machines from the 1950s {think Dita Von Teese lol}. I've alwayZz loved stockings & tights in vibrant colors & fishnets, but classic seamed is something I never seem to get off my 'all time favorite-slash-must have items' list, nonetheless, the problem with seamed nylons is that they're sooo very delicate that one-time wear is all that it can handle before it snags.. The other day I lived through the self-condemning shrinking feeling of having to walk with a ladder cutting through down to my decollete louboutins >_<; I promised me self not to leave home again without an extra pair in my bag! ..but Gios have come to the rescue, they're delicate & substantially mOre durable than any other kind i've tried before =) 04. The über HUGE foam in my 'appuccino =)  05. This song: a'ight, now I need to go get my doze of meditation for the evening; so until I post again, you have my love {& care for it} =D xx Labels: Daily, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post Too Tired to Type           listening to music @ HMV  mom & pop style Italian food with my bestest fwendah EvErrrr  my über blinged gorgeous leica sitting on top of the table enjoying the attention the waiters give her lol  cuteness? I <3 the color  OMG! i hovered stella mccartney's yoga outfits, yoga shoes, yoga EVERYTHING! they're über cute, über gorgeous li'l thingies <3  ...a McKinsey knock-off?    ..@ the theatre   lunching with my bestest fwendah   the besssssssssstest, classiest, trés chic hat makers in town -- if you're a fan of gorgeous hats like me, you MUST have yours made here =>      ..seriously, why awl the unnecessary additions to the car? Too tired & physically exhauuuuusted to type an entry >_<; ..enjoy the photos & you'll read the stories tomorrow {inshaAllah} -- lots of love coming your way xx Labels: Photo speech, Travel, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post He Wears His Hair Like I do - "I love the pic with him sitting down. he also wears his hair like you wear yours." Day 1: Whilst conversing with a friend, I asked "Do you believe in love at first sight?" -- the answer came back as "yes, I do". I remained silent, trying to decompose what I just heard, & make some sense out of it.. How is it possible that a person of such intellectual caliber have such simple answer for a question like this one? .. I curtailed judgement & chose to keep my opinion to myself.. In my head, however, there was never love at first sight, just infatuation at first sight. Day 7 (evening): I left work feeling like I've been run over by a truck.. It could have been the heat, ..it could have been the diminishing satisfaction that I derive from what I do at work; I do not know really. I do not recall the events of my day, the only thing I could remember was the way I felt seeing him, for the first time. He stood tall, ..the color of his skin, his hair, his commanding presence, his posture, & his walk released a daunted gasp. For several minutes, the world froze, I lost sense of all of my surroundings, my utmost priorities marched to the Plain of Forgetfulness & drank from the river of Unmindfulness.. In my newly found universe, there was no one else: Him, & my thoughts that revolved around his arena. I came back to my senses knowing that I had lost something, I just didn't know what. There was a smile on my face, & my eyes grew misty; I giggled at his Jazz walk, & the mystic jaunty air that surrounded him. There, I experienced a rare kind of happiness, one I couldn't associate with anything nor anyone else. Day 7 (night): After sipping a cup of fortnum & mason's unsweetened camomile tea, it was time to curl up under my sheets, ..it was time to evict my mind from every vision I had of him. All of them. That night I favored Estée Lauder's Private Collection scent over my Vata pillow spray. I smothered on a handful of lotion, slipped into white english cotton & slept like a baby. That night, I also saw him in my dreams 4 times. Day 8: My alarm went off at 4:00 AM, ..I squinted my eyes at the small digital display only to realize that my sleep was interrupted twice last night, just twice. An accomplishment. It felt good.. So good that I traded my Surya-namaskar & Co. for an additional 4 hours of sleep.. At 8:00 I jumped out of bed like a headless chicken, took what seemed like the shortest shower of the century -another accomplishment-, & made it to the office 20 minutes late. It took my cubicle-neighbor less than 10 seconds to spot signs of a good night's sleep on my face before he fired away with his comment, & took me less than 1 to attribute it to that magical cup of camomile tea. Everything seemed normal, except.. ..I felt like I had forgotten something at home. Something was missing; bag? no. iPod? no. My magenta book of inspirations? not even that. I couldn't tell, & I left it at that. Part of me felt hollow nonetheless. Before I knew it, there it was: the image of the one who captured me at first sight animating its way through my mind. The images were coupled with a gutting feeling, a feeling of a sinking ship, one with no survivors. Day 9 (morning): I could not rest my agitated soul, I could not sleep without seeing him in my dreams. In my sleep, my soul escapes me in search for him, for his captivating aura, for that missing part of me that he took hostage, & for that part of him that reminded me of me. He is The One. He was made for me, & I was sure of it. Day 9 (evening): My certainty was short lived. I had come to know that he was off-limits, he was someone else's, ..and I do not window-shop -No. Never. Day 10: His apparitions became more frequent & apparent.. At work, I found myself staring blankly at my screen on several random occasions. I pasted his photos on my wall, wallet, & blackberry.. and I shared them with my cubicle-neighbor who seemed understanding of my most recent low-esteemed appearances at work. What I felt for him was certainly more than a mere infatuation. Could this be a lesson? The universe's way of inscribing Love at First Sight in my books that lacked any definitions of it? Was it the voice of the universe telling me "Never say Never"? -I wondered, but I found no guidance to calm shores. I felt as if I were living on a pendulum oscillating between my need for him, to make him -mine-, & my full awareness that he's no low-hanging fruit. As I spoke to my friend I realized that it was the first time -in my whole entire life- where I learn that I cannot have all that I desire, where some things can be too far fetched, for now. Yet, the core of me resents the very thought of him belonging to someone else. He ought to be mine and everybody else's forbidden fruit. Posessive? Perhaps.. You'd be too had you seen him. I do not know how, nor do I know when, but this I know very well: Sooner or later, he will be mine, by wisdom or woe, I will have him. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device Labels: Daily, Pony Tales, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post Dance Like an Egyptian  He resides everywhere..  phase II  arab-infused coasters courtesy of karroozi  new technique, phase II of this painting  japanese flag?  phase I of a 3x2 meter wall mount canvas {oil} It has become harder & harder for me to drag me self out of bed at 5:00 AM lately, ..I now hate the jazz tunes on my omnipotent alarm. The only problem here though is the fact that I am stubborn, even with myself.. so, now, instead of setting my alarm to wake me up at 5:00, I have it set for 4:00 AM.. it should take me approximately 21 days to get used to this, & things will be better afterwards. I dragged me self out of bed into the shower, ..& before i knew it, i found myself leaning against the shower wall, my right cheek enjoying the coolness of the tiles as i slip into one of those japanese-standing-naps >_<; Sleeping hours are still fragmented as you may have guessed, nonetheless, the 15 minutes of meditation before going to sleep & my own version of surya namaskar this morning exhilarated just about every particle in my physique & gave me a lump dose of energy.. so, from sleeping in the shower to dancing like an egyptian, watch this video for an animated 'feel' of the dorky dance moves that randomly strike yours truly 8) I must run now, this is going to be a pretty long day with a public speech.. my throat is killing me, & my voice sounds like a long distance phone call from world war II, i've gobbled hot oats & herbal tea, still no use >_<; ..will keep you posted on how i survive the public speech xx p.s. @ fashy: this photo-induced post is pour toi *muah* Labels: Daily, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post 10 to 10 That's it! No mOre playing 70's & 80's music first thing in the mOrning, percisely when Caramel is within 5-meter radius from my music player. Not only is she tone-deaf, but she also does not seem to have a sense of how her vocals don't exactly compliment the tunes =/ So, for today.. First, I'd like to get the ranting part over & done with.. Its my least favorite, but I do realize that for me to get over it, I'll have to release these feelings.. So, I'll make it as short as possible: < RANT > I slept @ 10:00, woke up at 00:34 thinking it was 7:00 am {felt like I had slept 12 hrs, which is a rare feeling I haven't experienced over the past few months}, nonetheless, went to sleep again, woke up @ 2:45 & squinted my eyes @ my blackberry screen, read a couple of emails & slept again.. Woke up @ 4:32, slept again, & woke up at 6:04.. The thoughts racing through my head made my insides shrink, expand, & wobble like jellyfish.. It was impossible to sleep, not with those flash backs of conversations & scenes. < /RANT > I spread my yoga mat on the floor, thinking that I could detach from those thoughts & make a peaceful home of my mat anywhere, anytime - this time, I was wrong. When 5000 year-old meditation schemes failed to interrupt those compelling visions projected in the back mirror of my head, I opted for trying out the gorgeous splurges I picked up at S*uce & practice catwalk with no spot lights & no audience, in the comfort of my room. - "Are you going to marry this beautiful lady?", on a piece of paper the old English man wrote. - "I keep asking, but she keeps refusing." - "You must be presistent, you must try hard, very hard." the old man's lips broke into a smile as I looked cluelessly at the notepad making its way back & forth between the two. When I was finally filled in on the contents of the mysterious note, I asked myself the question: why does the universe make a point of sending me the right person at the wrong place, wrong time? -- in other words, why can't the universe use its resources more efficiently & send me this old man when the time is right? Say, a few weeks back, or save him for some point in the future? Why percisely here, now, & with this person? I gave up thinking at the point where I realized that it could take me a lifetime to figure out the complexity of the universe, &.. well.. it would make much more sense for me to try & figure out why people lie instead, at least I might be able to gain back my ability to sleep like a baby had I found the answer to my question. An array of thoughts triggered by unplanned circumstances mushroomed in my head.. that night, mushrooms turned into fungus, & fungus crept through my spine to kindle a fire of doubt: I've been here before, I know this feeling well, so well.. This time, do I really want to know the answer to my question? ..At this point, I inked a period to end this one-way conversation. Bag? check. Phone & blackberry? check. iPod? check. Agenda? check. Business cards? check. I slipped into my abaya & headed out to my 10:00 AM meeting. Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device Labels: Daily, Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post Old School  sushi roll in the making   tabloid's horoscopes whilst sushi-ing, lol.. some things never change  there are a few things in life more precious than a table full of food, lol, i loved, loved, looooved our table  wuvth me, wuvth me not.. wuvth me, wuvths me not, ..wuvth me, ...  wuvth me not.. *thniff thniff* -- *gets started with her nobody loveth me drama* lol Several months ago, my colleague who occupied the cubicle next to mine told me that I reminded him of Fuu, & knowing how obsessed he was about Samurai Champloo, I took it as a compliment, even though I could not really make the connection. He has been away for 8 months, & like having his name stuck on the nameplate on the door of our office isn't enough of a constant reminder; I still remember him everytime I watch an episode of Samurai Champloo, or when the alarm of awl of my phones, blackberry, & computer calendar goes off to remind me of his birthday. The 25th was his birthday, & even though he'd prolly nEvErrrr read this, I truly wish him a HaPpY belated birthdaaaaaY with many, MAAANY more to come till he's old & wrinkled =) Now, let me tell you what i've been up to since my last post.. well, it's my last MBA semester, & just like the last of everything; things get pretty much crammed up towards the end. I'm registered for 2 modules at the same time, & besides CFA that i'm so, soo, *breathes-in, breathes-out* sOoooo struggling with in terms of time; i've been doing quite a bit of yoga first thing in the morning, & reading before bed, 'cept for the past coupla nights when me adooowable fwend put me to sleep by playing this lullaby.. & as cliche as this may sound: i slept like a baaaabyyyy. Speaking of babies, ..does anyone call you "babe"? I mean, to me.. this word goes right into my "reserved words" list, a list of words that I'd *only* be comfortable using with special people, ..{stressss upon special here please}.. in other words: my prince charming.However, over the past couple of weeks, 3 different people decide to -randomly- to call me that. & although i'm *sure* as the air that I breathe that there are no other dimensions to it other than casualty, I still find it odd dealing with "Hey babe! How are you?".. or "Alright babes, have fun!", ..or "Babe, here's an interesting thought...", ...I *very* rarely hear or comprehend anything beyond the word "babe", ..everything they say afterwards just sounds like a long, loooong beep >_<; ..but then of course, I could be over analyzing the words, no? & perhaps what someone once told me really is true: nothing in life is black or white, ..there'll alwayZz be a combination of both.. & they say with time and repetition, one gets used to anything, ..though, I do not see myself giving into this. Most of us are nostalgic about one thing or another, ..these days I'm very nostalgic for many things, & here are the few topping my list: + Kalemaat, by Majda Al-Roomy.. it's been repeating on my playlist for the past 4 days. + Nintendo's super mario theme & yooshi island game + Our farm house + the last year of high school, & awl of the stupid thughts I had {& I actually THOUGHT they were significant back then}, ..I still have awl of them recorded in my mickey mouse journal locked up in my safe + playing stupid paper games like jallad-mofatesh, loves me-loves me not, FLAMES, MASH, & & actually believing in them. + the smell of NIVEA gel face wash + Khaled Abdulrahman's songs + Shirehaan's fawazeer theme song that i've been humming to myself {& my sister over the phone} over the past week.. the humming would alwayZz end with actual singing, my sister joins me too. lol + winter.. rain, cloudy clouuuuudddyyyyy weather & walks in the garden or along the beach + Summer of 1999 For those of you who are nostalgic for Shirehaan, here's a video pour toiiii.. Enjoyyyyy XOxXOxoo Labels: Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post 4 letter word       'Blog' is like 'Work', a four letter word. I am a morning person {generally} & in the morning I can either go to work, or blog. My greatest thoughts & observations surface up when I start my day, precisely in the shower, or whilst praying {this applies to prayers throughout the day}.. So I started making mental notes of things i'd like to share with the rest of you out there.. but mh, ..my 3-seconds memory span is not much aid to this, now, my notes are saved on floating post-it notes everywhere.. on the walls of my room, ..my bathroom, ..the li'l pockets of my purses, ..my car --they're e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e I also thought of the correlation between the amount of work I have during a typical day at work {inclusive of MBA work} & the amount of Blogging I do -not that anyone would give two cents lol, but i've noticed real right-brain/left-brain activity here, which makes the correlation positive, ..as in: the more work I do, the less I blog, & vice-versa. Today for instance, I hopped out of bed at 5:30 AM, & freshening up & 20-minutes of wut i'd like to call basic yoga {& other would call stretching & daydreaming lol} ..and, well, now that my BlackBerry is dad {will feed you on the amusing story of its death later on} I rose to reply back to emails the good ol' fashion way & schedule a meeting for this afternoon in dubai.. And after that, I thought to me self "Blogging over a cuppa tea sounds just about puuuuuurrrrrfect now" Don't get me wrong, it's not that I do not have things planned for the rest of the day -but you see, 'Blog' is also like 'love'; a four letter word, .. I love to work & blog. Labels: Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post Rule of 4
- "Oh my Gawd! ~ Bye, bye, byeeeeee..." & I kicked off my warm blanket as I sat in bed -- I made it back home at around 6:30 not able to visualize anything beyond my warm sheets & fweeeeZzing room.. & after a prolonged bath-salt procedure in warm, waaaaarm water & scented candles whilst julio iglesias chanted 'Fragile' in the background I decided to retire to bed early tonight. my fwend & I spoke of many things, & much like any other conversation with fwends, there's always that mention of "sometime in the future" or.."a few years from now" talk.. at 11 years of age: I made up my mind that I would have 5 children: Saif, Saeed, Sara, Shamsa, ...& one more that i never gave a name to. at 19: i convinced me self that 4 {2 boys, 2 girls} would be the ideal thing to have.. & they were Khalid, Hamed, Sarah, & one more girl that i would leave the job of coming up with a name for her to her father {she'd grow up to be the apple of his eyeZz} now: the whole naming scheme changed -- I think the ideal number is still 4 Khalid, Marwan, Eissa, & Lamia {i think 'Lamya' is simply a boooootyful name that is -unlike 'fatima' & 'aysha'- overly used & abused in this part of the world. Khalid would be named after my almost +fave person in the world {If you're reading this now, i'd like you to simulate the 'nulid' sound-effect now please lol}. All 4 would speak/read/write a minimum of 5 languages of their choice with arabic, english, & fwench being mandatory. Marwan will grow up to be an extrovert, awl the way {2nd childs have a tendency to be extroverted} he'd participate in school musicals & be elected president of class every year, he'll also be extravagantly obsessed with cars.. while Eissa would learn how to program in C++ or any other object-oriented language at the age of 7 or 8, ..he'd also excel in maths & physics, & will have a weakness for home made cream caramel {he'll also be a tad bit over-weight, but with the invention of treadmills that can easily be taken care of lol}.. Lamia would have a natural drive for arts, her long slender hand fingers would make piano lessons an enjoyable experience, she'll alwayZz sit straight, stand tall, & walk gracefully.. she'll go for ballet, & when a li'l older, perhaps she'll want to join both her parents Yoga-ing =) ~ Khalid will grow up to be the Yoda of the family, a walking Oracle of information.. in other words: a mobile encyclopedia.. he'll be the book worm of the family, & be obsessed with pistol shooting & alwayZz getting his targets right, be it anything he wants in life. a li'l too far fetched? >_<; perhaps *lol* ~ but seriously, how many of you have had that "wut would you name your children" conversation before? ~ i've been having those conversations with my peeps at different ages & stages of my life, ..& although i'm not committed in the meantime, the classical question does surface in our conversations quite often, so let me turn the table around & have you answer it this time: whether you have your own little ones or not, how many would you like to have eventually? & why? ..names puh-leeZz 8) Labels: Personal Philosophy, Yogafessional laptop case search: blythe
a quest for style Dubai wuz its' usual: fabulous! ~ being there for social reasons i didn't get around taking many photos, but the albums i'm uploading today will make up for that, i pwomith ^.^ i had this guilt-provoking dream last night about my dad, awl attempts to push it outside my head box failed.. "it wuz a dream... just a dream, .. dreams aren't real, none of that is real!" i kept reciting that the whole entire day, but no.. useless. It wuz scaringly rigid, & felt *so* real that when i woke up i took a deep, deeeeep breath "THANK GOD FOREVERRrrrrr" x infinity . . . ... *siiiiiigh* anywayZz, in a search for a *really* hip/stylish/funkaaay gym & laptop bag i came across some yummy results, & i'm *sure* those of you style addicts out there would absolutely L.O.V.E, so here goes: + topping the list is this metallic SUB by Not Rational *p!nk one for me puh-weeeeZz* + the mike exit, barcode, & chevron bags! {not really my style, but i think they're absolutely hip!} ~ they also have some hip 70's style cases for your iPod! + LOL! LuvZz it! + Yoga? *so* my sister's cuppa tea -- sorry, not mine. i just don't have that kind of patience *lol* + the library duffel, if you're the nerdy nerd & not ashamed of it -- i know i would carry one of those ^.^ if only it were less brown, i hate brown >_<; + this absolutely funky guitar sling ~ great for travellers walking on foot & looking for a roomy, practical, & most importantly stylish bag to throw in just everything 8) + & finally, this iPod hoodieis definitely too small for a laptop, but it's guaranteed to keep your baby iPod warm & scratch fwee =) ..so i've drifted away from my main search, & didn't find a less boring laptop case 'cept the ACME's i've got my heart set on the polka dot pink one, but if you have better suggestions puh-leeZz do share =) anyhooZz, before i get going.. here's wut i pwomithed you awl: the authentic japanese dining, & fwesh air @ the farm albums! Breast Cancer Awareness' pix are yet to come =) samsoomah, & kitten, i'm luving my Paris Hilton blythe lol.. did you actually choose this specific one on purpose? the card says that her +fave color is pink, she likes peacocks & classic piano? & that she wuz born on the 26th of august.. which makes her a Virgo? something is fishy here o_O Labels: Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post
hello world! i'm VATA according to Ayurveda -- no, that wasn't chinese.. vata = air -- & here's what i've been told: "Your metabolism is fast and you tend to have irregular eating habits, eating on impulse. To regain your natural balance its important for you to become more regulated. Try to set specific mealtimes, it needn't be strict, just a rough guideline. For example, eat breakfast everyday between 7am and 9am and try to stick to this. If you are vata, you are most likely to lose your appetite when you are feeling upset or stressed. Again, having some routine and regularity to your meal times should help to combat this. Warm and hearty food is the most beneficial to vatas. Eat fresh bread, stews and soups. Cold foods and drinks are best avoided, as they tend to cause an imbalance in this category. Raw fruit and vegetables should form only a small part of the vata diet. As far as exercise is concerned, this category needs the least activity to maintain balance. You should stick to dancing, yoga and cycling, although overdoing it should be avoided. Walking is good for all doshas but as a vata you should do slow, steady, long distance walking. Vata people have restless minds and weak memories. They avoid confrontation. Have active and sensitive natures and express themselves through sport and creative pursuits. Likely to be artistic and creative with a good imagination, they will sometimes overindulge in pleasures." my first encounter with Ayuveda was in the summer of 1999, ...but, what is Ayurveda? & under which of the 3 categories do you fall? Vata, Pitta, or Kapha? Labels: Yogafessional $0 in my moola box | link | email this post |
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