10 steps to be more productive and have better days

1) Lay out the clothes you will need for the next day before bed

2) Prepare a lunch or breakfast waiting to grab out of the fridge the day before a busy day

3) Leave the house early enough to arrive at work a few minutes ahead of time. This will assure you have a bit of time to settle in before your day begins. Stop rushing yourself

4) Get 8 hours of sleep. Stop telling yourself I’ll switch of the laptop now and do it instead

5) Create or review your to-do list of what has to be done for the day. Prioritize the list so some of the items on it are optional

6)  Have at least 5-min of laughter a day. Watch America’s funniest home video or just relax for a bit with a scene from a friends episode, anything that cracks you up

7)  Tidy up a bit. This step shouldn’t take more than 2-3 minutes per room of your house. This is not the time to start a major cleaning project, just pick up the socks and underwear, wipe off counters, and be done with it.

8) Cut down on your internet and computer time.
Instead of surfing the internet for 4 hours a day, cut them down to 2 and use the other 2 hours left for calling up old relative and friends and making people you care about feel special

9) Do a 30-min exercise of your preference. Who said exercise has to be a chore, stop googling tips on exercise and do what you want instead, may that be dancing around, cleaning, jumping whatever just get moving for 30 min a day.

10) 10-min meditation or just laying around and clearing your head. 

Happy New Year!

Embark on a fresh start this New Year. May it brings sunshine to your life and embrace you with happiness, Love and Warmth. Best wishes for a happy New Year.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE

8 Reasons you should go to Czech Republic

 

1)Cheaper prices – It’s in the heart of Europe. It has the European feel & Spirit minus the expenses.

2) Prague Castle & Charles Bridge – Needless to say, Prague is beautiful. Walks are great in wenscelas square and around the city centre.

3) Beautiful Landscape – There’s a beautiful city called Olomonc and Brno has an old historical feel so it’s great as well.

4) Polite and nice people – They don’t get many tourists specially in other cities than Prague so they’re very interested in meeting people from different places around the world.

5) Great Nightlife – You can find great pubs and bars within walking distance from wherever you’re staying.

6) Cheapest beer ever – Beer is even cheaper than water.

7) Very Safe country & low crime rates – Pick pocketing maybe the only issue you can ever encounter there and the possibility of that happening is very slim.

8) Has something for everybody – If you’re a party person, you’ll find your place. If you’re a history-lover, there are places for you, If you want a beautiful place to walk around, you’ll find your place.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Merry Christmas everybody.
Happy Holidays to you and to your family.

Egypt’s current news and events: My testimony

The Parliamentary elections are this month, the end of this month. The thing that worries me is that there are a lot of bad guys from the previous National democratic party of the parliament (The ex president’s son was the head of this party) are running for the elections under very manipulating slogans. They claim they have been forced to do some of the things they’ve done by the previous regime….etc. so it’s like a whole big dirty game which is why I hate politics bec. everyone lies. They implemented a new law though that anyone who’s legal to vote and doesn’t vote will have to pay a fine which I think is a good and a bad thing at the same time. On one hand, it’ll encourage people to be more active than passive and have a role in developing their country. On the other hand it’ll drive very ignorant and uneducated people to just elect anyone without understanding anything.

My Testimony:  21st of November  2011 has been a remarkable day, I went to “Tahrir Square” today to help out the injured people.We set up a mini hospital in the basement of a building and the f****** police threw gas bombs inside the “hospital”. It’s so strong, I couldn’t see anything, my eyes, my nose, my mouth were burning, secretions were coming out of our noses and mouths and I was about to lose consciousness while looking for my friend to take her & get out of the place before suffocating then another friend helped me. It’s more like a war zone and I can’t believe they’re doing this to their own people. Really **** Them. I’m going again today. The bastards are KILLING people with live ammunition in the streets, with rubber bullets & they’re using the tear gas like crazy. The tear gas is imported from the USA (Thank you for that USA, Aren’t u supposed to be calling for Democracy?!. Talk about Hypocrisy) and it’s EXPIRED. I”m so mad bec. my parents are against me going and I have to lie to them bec. they believe the lies in the media. It’s all bull****. Do not believe everything you see or hear in the media. This is going to be a long road for freedom. I’m still pretty sure all Egyptians are willing to pay the price to get their freedom.

Here’s what the people want:
1) They want Tantawy’s Resignation because he’s practicing the previous regime’s policies. After all, he’s Mubarak’s long time friend.

2) They want everyone who’s responsible for the killing of the protesters to be prosecuted.

3) They want the formation of a new transitional government that’s run by honest people.

4) They want the police to stop the brutality against people.

5) They want the presidential elections to be held before April 2012 bec. we have been under military rule for so long and clearly they’re doing a very bad job.

This video is strict invasion of human rights, That’s how the police & the army are handling the protests:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zJ7FHUtxePw

Viva EGYPT. Proud to be an Egyptian.  We will NEVER be silenced. FREEDOM

Links you should check out =)

A very reasonable reason for not having a facebook:  http://collegecandy.com/2011/10/23/why-i-dont-have-a-facebook/

Does Technology make cheating easier:  http://collegecandy.com/2011/11/02/he-saidshe-said-does-technology-make-cheating-easier/

I’d rather give up these things than my cell phone:  http://collegecandy.com/2011/11/03/id-rather-give-up-these-things-than-my-cellphone/#photo=1

3 Reasons to travel while you’re young:  http://goinswriter.com/travel-young/

A very nice new fashion blog of a friend of mine:  http://petiteavenue.wordpress.com/

The perfect dresses for every party:  http://www.refinery29.com/party-dress-guide

 

A workout to make your “ehm” rear more curvaceous:  http://collegecandy.com/2011/11/03/dorm-room-workout-series-bringing-up-the-rear/

 

And don’t forget to type “Do a barrel roll” on Google.com =)

Also check out these Hilarious traffic signs:

Travel Post: Back from Czech Republic

Sorry I haven’t posted anything in a while. I was doing an internship in Czech Republic. The organization is called “AIESEC”. It’s a student exchange organization and it’s really the best but it requires you to be a college student or a recent graduate. Here’s the link to the Organization’s website if you’re interested http://www.aiesec.org/. 

Let me start by talking about the place first. It was my first time in Europe. I have to say “Prague” is the most beautiful city I’ve been to. It’s so historical, cultural and the nightlife there is just great. I highly recommend going there. The people are very polite and it’s so organized. I don’t know if that’s a catch for a lot of people but it is for me cause I come from Egypt so “Organized streets & extremely polite people” are kind of like a fantasy to me.  I’ve also been to Italy, Poland, Germany & Austria this trip.

The internship was basically an educational one. We went to visit High schools all around Czech Republic and teach the students there about our countries. We were 8 interns: Two Egyptians, a Chinese girl, an Indian guy, a Hungarian girl, a Romanian guy, a Mexican girl & a Brazilian girl.  The internship lasted for a total of 6 weeks and I have to say they were the best 6 weeks of my life. The Indian sense of humor + the Hungarian warmth + the Romanian sweetness + the Mexican spiciness  + the Brazilian fun + the Chinese goofiness + the Egyptian hilariousness made it a PERFECT combination. I don’t want to bore you with the details of our adventure on the first travel post so, I will just wait for the feedback on this post. If it comes out positive, I will continue to write a travel journal about all the places I’ve seen and the people I’ve met.

Open your mind, don’t live in fear. TOL: Thinking out loud

Home, Parents, traditions, a country, religion, relatives, relationships, education, costumes, careers, perspectives and brains. That’s what we’re all made of. Oneself is a combination of all those things. What I realized today is that the person I am right now is really not me. I have been so accustomed to getting all my info from “those who know better”, Older people. I have not been taught to think for myself.

I have always lived in fear. Fear of disappointing. Ever heard the quote ‎”Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known.” Chuck Palahniuk – Invisible Monsters?, I don’t want to be living proof of this quote. I am not planning on giving up everything I’ve learned in life so far. Actually I think I want to end up being the same person I am right now, but I want to get there my way. I want to think for myself and set my own standards. I don’t want to do anything because “I have to” or because “That’s how I was raised/taught”. I want to be free. I want a clean slate to start from and build up from there. I want my own perspective. I want to be rid of this inner conflict between what I think and what I’ve been taught.

I am not planning on giving up my religion or my traditions. I am not planning to pretend I’m from another country or a different background. I just want to be my version of me. Yes there are some things I want to change completely. There are things I’ve always wanted to do but didn’t because of this “fear” of disappointing which is just ridiculous.I realized these walls around me were built by me. The narrow perspective is my fault for thinking I can’t think the unthinkable or anything unfamiliar or against what I’ve been told. Because this is my life and I only get one. This doesn’t mean I’m gonna run wild and act like a child.   I will still make responsible choices and I will consider the consequences of my decisions but only I will decide if it’s worth it or not. I will take my own risks and I will make my own life. 

Doesn’t it drive you crazy sometimes? All the stereotyping in the world?. How sometimes religion is used to control people?. I also hate how traditions are sometimes used to justify inexplicable actions.  It’s sad how some people would let things like that take over their lives just because they don’t want to be different. 

We were created with a brain and a heart for a reason. A brain to think, analyze and reach conclusions not to be stuffed. Make your own thoughts. Think for yourself. A heart to be compassionate, kind, considerate towards others and most importantly to feel because you don’t live alone in this world. Yes consider other people’s feelings and lives, how they would be affected by your choices but do not be a soul-less copy. We were not meant to be the same and follow in the same footsteps. Yes there will be similarities and differences but it still has to be you who decides that you want to be like this. Everyone is entitled to live the life they want. It’s a birthright. Do not let anyone make you think that you don’t deserve what you wan’t. Or that it’s Impossible because it’s different.  Sometimes where you’re scared to go is BLISS.

Today, I decided I am free. Free of this fear of disappointing. I am not giving up the things I learned or the parts of me I want to keep. Today, I speak my mind and free my soul. I am thinking, I am open to the possibilities of who I could be.
Open your mind, let go of the fear and you can do almost anything. 

Fear of Change

Yes I was one of those people with this strange excruciating fear of change. You see, this is because my experience with change hasn’t been all that good. And so at the time when I hit rock bottom, the mere sound of the word “change” gave me shivers. Because I know the consequences, I know the feelings that come with it and they were not pleasant in my experience. Losing the comfort of the familiar was one of the worst feelings I’d ever encountered. I did not want to experience any kind of change. I shut people out and lived in a bubble with a few close friends for almost two years.

My experience with change had been heartbreak. It was a change of heart and a change of mind from just this one person that turned my world upside down. For the first time in my life, I knew how it felt to be sad all the time that you just can’t feel anything anymore. That you’re just numb. All those years, I’ve taken pride in being independent, outgoing, daring and almost heartless. I was not meant to be in that state ever, I made sure I didn’t. But CHANGE came by and I was in that state of helplessness. The strong independent girl was no longer the same. I didn’t understand how anyone could let any person affect their life and happiness in that way. And then it got worse when my relationship with my dad became confusing as well. My dad had always been my role model and my rock. But something happened that year and it made me realize that just because he’s a parent, doesn’t mean he’s perfect. It doesn’t mean he’ll always be able to do the right thing. He CHANGED. It was not the same when I saw him and it felt horrible. The people I had counted on for all those years were CHANGING. They had a life on their own, a life that I was not a part of and that hurt me. Although I have been doing the exact same thing to a lot of people for years. I didn’t know what it felt like before until it happened to me from people I care about the most.

For those two years, I lived in the past. Remembering how it was before the CHANGE. All I could think about was the CHANGE. How it happened, why it happened, I needed an explanation. I wasted those two years trying to figure it out. How can this weak dependent person be me. I couldn’t recognize myself anymore. I felt I was too young to experience this. I just didn’t understand. The fear of change grew stronger and stronger. I couldn’t even hear that word in a movie without my stomach turning. I linked everything that happened in my everyday life to this experience. I stayed away from all kinds of opportunities for fear of change. I pulled away from everyone. Until I started changing how I see this experience. I looked at it from a different angle. I didn’t see a silver lining but I saw a truth I have to accept. An inevitable one just like death. “Change is CONSTANT”.  And I realized that I myself had changed without even noticing. So how can I blame those people for the inevitable?. It’s not always good but it’s not always bad as well. I learned to accept it. Cherish the memories without letting them hurt me. Remember the past without dwelling on it. I learned not to let all my life slip by just looking backwards when I should be looking ahead to my future. I had to get back to being me but I couldn’t. At first, I thought it was a bad thing because I’d CHANGED and god I hated that word. But then I realized it’s not “Change” that’s bad. It’s “Fear of change” that drags you down. It’s your inability to accept what you can’t control that does.

Looking back now on those two years, I see myself back then and I remember how bad I felt but it all makes sense now. It happened so I can let go of this fear of change. And welcome it as a part of life just like sunset and sunrise, It’ll always happen even if you’re not there to see it. Don’t fear change and seek it when you need it. Life goes on.

Heartbreak … Will Pass.

ONE

THIS TOO SHALL PASS!!

IT’S REALLY NOT THE END OF THE WORLD!

TRY TO REMEMBER THIS!…  No matter how heartbroken or distressed you are or how much pain you’re in now, try to remember that, amazing as it may seem, THIS TOO SHALL PASS – – eventually.

You will not always be in this much pain and sorrow.  Time does have a way of healing us – though it can be hard to believe that when we’re in the midst of feeling so hurt.

TWO

IT’S HORRIBLE TO HAVE YOUR HEART BROKEN – HORRIBLE.

WE SYMPATHIZE COMPLETELY – BECAUSE WE’VE BEEN THERE!

Yes – let’s acknowledge that what you’re suffering is truly painful – difficult – hard to endure.  We can sympathize because we’ve been there – and so have most people.  As we’ve said, those of us who suffer from insomnia tend to be the sensitive ones, the ones who feel things deeply – no thick skins for us! – just lots of raw pain! 

REMEMBER, YOU’RE NOT ALONE.  Do remember that most people have been there.  Very few of us get out of adolesence without a number of stabs to the heart – and for some of us – those “stabs” were a frequent part of our young adult years.  So, you’re not alone.  It’s part of being a feeling, interacting human being to every once in a while get your heart broken.  Doesn’t make it hurt any less, mind you – but it gives you a bit of a philosophical view – in case that helps.

FOUR

ALLOW YOURSELF TIME AND SPACE TO GRIEVE.

You need to feel your pain and sorrow for a while. Sure, go ahead and play that great music you danced to/made love to/laughed with – that brings back searing, haunting memories – that really gets to you – do all those things – for a while.  Cry your eyes out – of course! – that’s what heartbreak does to you – you cry a lot.  It’s healthy to cry – important – crying helps you get through the worst of the pain and it moves you along the path toward healing.  Heart break is, of course, very much like losing a loved one to death – and so you must go through a grieving process similar to that. Allow yourself the time and space to get through that process at your own individual pace.

FIVE

BE GOOD TO YOURSELF NOW  Treat yourself to whatever will help you to feel better: a fragrant bath, a new pair of shoes, a therapeutic massage, Chinese take-out, a Broadway musical – whatever will cheer you up a bit and help you to feel just a touch “special” – even without your love.  Buy a beautiful book of poems, listen to gorgeous music (like Mozart – or Chopin), take a walk in a beautiful garden or a picturesque hillside.  And be sure to EAT RIGHT! – that means healthy, wholesome foods – not fatty, sugary junk food.  Ok, we’ll allow you an extra milk shake for now – one or two – but try not to binge or gain weight – or lose it (whichever is worse for you).  And do take vitamins and minerals that help to build up your resistance.  And of course, TRY to get some sleep! 

SIX

DO NOT FALL BACK ON ALCOHOL, DRUGS, CIGARETTES OR FOOD!  All of those are terrible things to do to your system (in excess) and we caution you to try to avoid getting back into any kind of previous habits you’ve had and managed to shake. There are better ways to cope with your loss!

SEVEN

LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE   That’s one thing you can get from even the worst experience – WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM THIS? A great rabbi once said, you can learn something from everything, meaning there’s no experience that can’t teach you something worthwhile.

You WANT to learn because you don’t want to be in pain like this often in your life – right?  So you’ve got to learn what you can so you can help yourself avoid this kind of pain.  Was this broken relationship/love affair part of a pattern for you?  What does that tell you about yourself?  Can you pinpoint where your problem is?  Why you’re attracted to lovers/ relationships that consistently behave/ end up this way?  Or did you, perhaps, behave in a way that didn’t help the relationship grow and flourish?  There can be so many complexities to these things.  We urge you to be careful how you analyze the situation.

EIGHT

DON’T BEAT YOURSELF UP.  Don’t heap scorn on yourself for either being attracted to that person or for something you think you shouldn’t have done. That won’t help anyone!  And don’t trash your former lover, either. There must have been something nice/good/appealing about him/her or you wouldn’t have fallen so hard, right?  Best to be reasonable and balanced – and to learn from experience.  If you think there’s something within you that laid the ground work for disaster, but you don’t have a handle on it, you don’t know how to resolve it, you feel this could happen again, you’re not in control of the situation, you may want to consider seeking professional help.

NINE

REMEMBER THAT IT USUALLY DOESN’T WORK TO DEPEND UPON ANOTHER PERSON FOR YOUR HAPPINESS.  As important as relationships are – and they are important – truly central to our lives – we all must find our own true selves and our own true paths in life – independent (to some extent) of our relationships.  If you have been dependent on this relationship to resolve your problems, to make your “empty” life seem full, to finally get the love you never got as a child, etc. – well, not all relationships can withstand such pressure.  Best to get your own act together – to be reasonably happy, content and fulfilled, in certain ways, on your own – and then seek out a relationship that can add to your life.  Being dependent on another for your happiness is a good set-up for heart break.

TEN

REMEMBER THERE ARE OTHER FISHES IN THE SEA – IT’S JUST A FACT OF NATURE.  Do you think Mother Nature would set up a system whereby there is only one single person in all the world who could make each one of us happy – when the world is such a gigantic place?  That wouldn’t be a very good system for world harmony – or propagation of the species!  We have often marvelled, in our life, at how the NEXT love has proven to be so much better than the one before.  And then the NEXT one after that was so much better than that last one, etc., etc. And that doesn’t seem to change – perhaps because we do learn at least something from each of these unsuccessful relationships.  So, when you’re ready, (no rush here! – you really can’t rush these things) start looking ahead – to the next possibility. 

Socialize – get out there – meet new people – make some new friends! It will feel good.  Of course it’s best not to expect to meet someone “dazzling” right away.  It truly does take time to meet someone special – but lay the ground work by getting out there and circulating – that’s usually a good thing for a human being to do, no matter what.

ELEVEN

RE-ESTABLISH, RE-AFFIRM YOUR RELATIONSHIPS WITH YOUR FRIENDS.  There’s nothing like good, warm, understanding, loving and lovable friends after a heartbreak. Thank God for friends!  Now is the time to seek them out, talk with them, do things with them.  Of course you must try not to talk one friend’s ear off about your situation – that can be very hard to endure.  If you need that much help, it’s time to consider seeking professional help. And do be grateful for the kindness shown to you by others who reach out to you at this time. Once you feel a bit better it would be very lovely – thoughtful – of you to send a thank you note, little gift, flowers or whatever to any friend who was especially comforting, understanding and helpful to you during the period of difficulty.

TWELVE

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY…AND – THIS TOO SHALL PASS – believe us – THIS TOO SHALL PASS…

We would like to recommend an excellent book we discovered while researching this topic: LOVESHOCK – How to Recover From A Broken Heart and Love Again by Stephen Gullo, PhD. and Connie Church. (1988 Simon & Schuster). We cannot say enough good words about this book.  Dr. Gullo has studied this very subject and broken it down into understandable patterns and stages – and he helps you with each. Give yourself the benefit of this kind of positive expertise and help – And get your hands on this book as soon as you can!  It will truly help you – no matter how broken your heart is now.

Having a broken heart truly is terrible. But REMEMBER this too shall pass, shall pass, shall pass.  I promise.
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