Ignoring the Scale

I have had the same weight at 52 kg and the same size clothes at 8 UK for the past 8 years.  My life style had been pretty much the same when it comes to the activities I do and the type of food I eat.  School, then University; studying and a lot of it; and not too much junk, apart from the weekend, were basically my thing.

Things changed this past year.  

First of all, working a desk job truly makes your life shorter in terms of back pain, neck pain, head aches, eye blurriness, and junk.  I find my self sitting for a minimum of 7 hours a day behind my desk, moving from task to task, and often reaching into my drawer to pull out gummy worms, chocolate bars, cookies, pretzels, candies, and gum.  Not to mention the last minute deliveries from international and local fast food chains.

Then comes my fiancé who has truly given me appetite to life, not just food.  We go out to eat at an average of 3 times a week; and when I say we go out to eat, I mean it.  We often order enough food to get the waiter asking if we were awaiting more company.  In addition to the pit stops we make at hotdog kiosks, ice cream and fresh juice shops, and other sandwich shops.  

Delicious!!

Lately, I have been ignoring the scale big-time but I can’t ignore all my tight jeans.  Therefore I have decided to go on a diet then turn it into a life style after I lose those extra 6 kg.  It’s not a strict diet were I have to eat specific quantities or types of food at specific times of the day; it’s not of a “avoid the extra carbs, fats, and sugars” thing.  You are welcome to join.

Food Schedule:

Breakfast Options:

Two boiled eggs, or two oranges, or ½ a brown bread loaf with white cheese or Kellogs Special K cereals.

Lunch Options:

Grilled fish, steak, or chicken with a salad or sautéed vegetables, or tuna in water with ½ a loaf of brown bread and something sweet.

Dinner Options:

Depending on what I had for lunch, but again Grilled fish, steak, or chicken with a salad or sautéed vegetables, or tuna in water, or fruit.

In between meal snacks:

Rice cakes, special K bars, or marshmallows.

I’ll let you know about my progress in a week’s time.

First Impressions

You can’t make two of those, they, in most cases, lead you to make fast and faulty judgments, and no matter how much time elapses, you will always remember them. 

I have never succeeded in not judging by the first impression I get about a person, place, food, or anything for that matter; but I have succeeded in not voicing my opinion that quickly.

The raid if first impressions began in late 2009 when I met my fiancé, or the person who was going to be my fiancé.

 My first impression was: Whaaaaattt?  

It wasn’t long before I was proven wrong, but that’s a whole different story.

In the spring of 2010, I was also guilty of judging upon a first impression when I got a new job and met Noor.  

My first impression was:  What’s her problem? Could she be anymore arrogant?

That lasted for only one day.  The girl turned out to be a 90% reflection of me, and my first blog follower!  Thanks for the support Nusou!!

The mother of all first impressions was the one I had when I saw the apartment my fiancé and I are supposed to move into after we get married.  The building is about 20 years old, and the apartment itself needed a massive makeover.  I was shocked to tears.

My first impression was: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The remodeling has been going on for the past several months; and I simply can’t wait till it’s done.  It’s becoming everything we need and want in all its details.   

They still haven’t found it yet! :(

Below is the letter I wrote to the Airline Company that lost my luggage. 

Sorry for the long post!  

________________________________________________________________ 

To Whom It May Concern:

I’m writing this letter to explain to you the incident of losing my luggage and express my deep regret for the matter.

Visiting London had always been a dream to me.  My aunt, uncle, and cousins all live there, it is a magnificent and great country, and the shopping is exceptional.  I am a bride to be and being so I had a lot of bridal shopping to be done, so I began planning my New Year’s shopping trip to London since I got engaged in July 2010.  The first week of January was an ideal time since there would be international holidays, stores would have some discounts and promotions, and I’d have enough time to save the money for the ticket and shopping expenses.

Considering the fact that I have been working for less than a year, I wasn’t able to take any paid time off from my annual leave, so I was obliged to take the time off for the trip on my own expense.  It didn’t matter to me, I was too eager to travel to worry about my salary deductions.

I bought my ticket on the 4^th of November 2010, about two month prior to my flight, just to make sure that no last minute mishaps would get in my way.  According to the ticket, my flight was scheduled for departure from Beirut International Airport on the 1^st of January to London Heathrow Airport, and return to Beirut on the 6^th of January.  From the above listed dates, you can infer that my trip was only five days long and for the purpose of bridal shopping.  Also stated on the ticket was that I had one piece of baggage allowed on the flight, both to and from London.

I can’t but say that I truly had the best five days of my life.  From the moment I landed in London, till the moment I left, my family went out of their way to make my trip worth while.  They took my to the best tourist destinations and the best malls and shops available.  They really made sure that I make the most of my short stay, so we ended up leaving the house early in the morning and not returning before all the shops where closed.  On the last day, and in between the sad good byes, they helped me pack my big bag with everything I had bought, took me to the airport, and waited for me as I checked in and handed over my luggage.

  

I honestly was tearful with joy when I finally got on the plane heading to Beirut.  After landing in Beirut and finishing all the necessary paper work, I went to the luggage conveyer to claim my bag.  Here is where my nightmare began.

After waiting patiently for my bag to appear, I was disappointed not to find it.  Luckily, I had kept my wedding dress with me on board the flight.  I directly went to the Luggage Service Desk for some assistance.  I reported my missing bag and got a slip with a file reference number, my bags tag number, and other flight details.  At the same time, I contacted my relatives back in London and told them about the incident, hoping that they could get some information on what exactly happened.  According to the information I received from your office in London, my bag wasn’t boarded on the same flight as I was on, and that it was found and would be sent on the MEA flight to Beirut the very next day. 

On the next day, the 7^th of January, I went back to Beirut International Airport at the same time the flight from London would arrive, hoping to find my bag waiting for me.  Again I was let down.  On the next day, the 8^th of January, I went back to the airport at the time of the London flights scheduled landing, and again found nothing.  I was advised by one of the supervisors to fill out an inventory form, describing in details the contents on the bag in addition to my passport, flight, and contact information; hoping that these details would help identify my bag among others in case the tag had fallen off.  After that, I made it my chore to call the airport every day in order to be updated on any news about my bag.  During that time, my relatives in London had also been using all available resources to find my bag.  Now, eighteen days later, there is still no sign of it.

This ordeal has truly been a huge inconvenience and distress to me.  I had placed so much hope, time, and money on the trip, the shopping, and now, on finding my lost property.  In addition to the unpaid leave I took from work and the trip expenses I had paid, I spent a lot of time and money on international calls, local calls, contacts, and trips to and from the airport just looking for my bag.  My relatives also spent their share of time and money helping me.  On the emotional level, I was, and still am, completely devastated, hurt, and bitter.

I would really appreciate it if you would give special consideration to my situation.  I understand that this is not a rare incident at airports, but it is to me.  I expect to be granted the maximum compensation for such cases, and also request to keep my case open for my future reference at any time.

A New Zodiac

I hadn’t heard about this new Zodiac Sign until I saw a friend’s status on facebook.  He referred, and showed discontent, to a new sign, “Ophiuchus”.  I immediately copied the name and pasted it on Google.  Very interesting!

According to different online sources, there is a change in the 12 houses of the Zodiac.  Due to a gravitational pull from the Moon, the Earth’s position has shifted and changed alignment.  Consequently, the sun is spending about 19 days in a star constellation between Scorpio and Sagittarius.  This constellation is what astronomers are calling “Ophiuchus”.  The new chart released shows New Zodiac Signs 2011 with a new 13th sign “Ophiuchus” along with shifts in already existing ones.  Other sources claim that there has always been a 13^th sign; however it was ignored to keep them at 12 with reference to the months of the year.  Similarly, Libra was introduced into the known Zodiac in the era of Julius Caesar. 

  

Weather it be true or false, word of the new Zodiac started when Parke Kunkle of The Minnesota Planetarium Society brought forth the concept.  “Ophiuchus” is depicted by a man holding a snake who symbolizes “Imhotep” of Egypt with snake symbolizing the Medicine. 

The online world has got into debate whether to believe that the Zodiac date chart has changed or not.  Personally, I believe it’s true.  The universe is alive and always expanding; changes in the galaxy can be tracked over the centuries through pictorial reviews, and other astrological findings.  Stars are born, others die, and planets are discovered as they rotate into our path after millions of years. 

So why wouldn’t it be true?

Even though change is difficult, especially to something as personal as a horoscope, people should start getting used to it.  Checking a different horoscope reading everyday, reviewing new personality traits, and changing that tattoo or key chain might put things off balance.  Or simply be your own person, and live your life according to you and not the stars around you. 

The New Zodiac Signs Chart of 2011:

Capricorn: January 20 to February 16
Aquarius: February 16 to March 11
Pisces: March 11 to April 18.
Aries: April 18 to May 13
Taurus: May 13 to June 21.
Gemini: June 21 to July 20
Cancer: July 20 to August 10
Leo: August 10 to September 16
Virgo: September 16 to October 30
Libra: October 30 to November 23
Scorpio: November 23 to November 29
Ophiuchus: November 29 to December 17
Sagittarius: December 17 to January 20

Armin ONLY - Mirage

Armin Van Buuren’s Mirage tour was scheduled to reach Lebanon on January 22, 2011.  Beirut was the only country in the Middle East chosen to host the Mirage tour, one of less than 15 countries worldwide.  In addition to the world’s #1 DJ, Armin Van Buuren, the show encompassed dancers, performers, live band and orchestra.  The show included, for the first time in the Middle East, the largest LED, lighting, laser, and sound structure.  Alongside Armin were a group of international singers and artists such as Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Nadia Ali, Christian Burns, and Eller Van Buuren, all performing their hits live.  Armin had told the Daily Star that he had “too many great tracks to share for a typical three-hour DJ set”, so he opted for an exclusive performance.

I WAS THERE!!

It was the first time I had ever been to a concert, let alone a concert of this magnitude.  My fiancé and I arrived at BIEL, the venue selected to host the event, at about 10 p.m. and it was already jam packed and the music was blaring.  Armin arrived at about 12:30 a.m., and the party truly began.  He entered from a trap door in the stage with the orchestra playing in the background, dancers on the sidelines, and laser and LED lights flashing all around.  The whole venue was booming with life.  Armin played track after track of his new album and greatest hits.  My personal favorites were “Not Giving Up” ft. Sophie Ellis-Bextor and “Feels So Good” ft. Nadia Ali. 

I left Armin ONLY at 4 a.m. thinking Amazing ONLY!  I just can’t wait for the next Armin concert to hit Lebanon.

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This is not my job! :@

In my previous post, I had mentioned that I graduated with a marketing emphasis, but working in risk management.  I have a friend who studied finance, but is working in marketing, and another one who studied interior architecture, but is working in civil architecture.

Why?

Because there are too many university graduates filling a jobless market, a matter of imbalanced supply and demand.

  

I know that Seth Godin would severely criticize me for this (my Lizard Brain), but there are just not enough marketing or advertising jobs around here.  Lebanon is known, among other Middle Eastern and Arab countries, to be the hub of advertising.  In such a small country, there are a large number of local and international advertising agencies (about 60 according to the Advertising Agencies Association, www.aaa.org.lb)

Not the case at all!  These mentioned agencies form a mafia. Like any other sector in Lebanon, you need to be very well connected to get the desired job.  Education, social background, experience, and extra curricular activities all play a vital role in getting you selected for the job, but not as much as being “connected” does.  Let’s say that two candidates were applying to the same job; both are 22, both graduated from the same university, both have the same GPA, both have interesting experiences, but one of them knows politician “X”, and can get word in.  Naturally, they go with Mr. Connected.

This all feeds into the corruption surrounding us!

In an attempt to break free from the “This is not my job” situation, I have been applying (again) to some of the ad agencies that are hiring.  Optimistic.  I got a call back from one of the top agencies for a copywriter position…let’s just say I have my fingers crossed.

Has it ever happened to you?

Has it ever happened to you that you have all these ideas running through your mind but you can’t put them on paper because they are too mixed up? That’s not called writer’s block, is it?

Me.

(I feel like I’m 13 again, using msn messenger to talk to a stranger who suddenly asks me: asl?)

I’m Serene, 22, female, living in Lebanon. I was born here, moved to Canada at age 3, then to Saudi Arabia, then back to Lebanon. I graduated in 2009 from the American University of Beirut with a degree in Business Administration and an emphasis in Advertising and Marketing Communications. I’m currently working in Lebanon and Gulf Bank as an Operational Risk Analyst.

(This is turning out to be the beginning of a CV cover letter.)

I’m engaged, planning to get married in September, and currently in the middle of planning the wedding and remodeling the apartment. This calls for an “Aww” and “Argh” at the same time.

I have always wanted to start a blog, but never knew what to write about. It doesn’t really matter, as long as I am out there and voicing! However, I can’t seem to read other people’s blogs! It’s too complicated! 