To start a day,,,

I can never imagine starting my day at wrok without nescafe! What happens is that due to the fact that Im used to few sleeping hours, I go to work with closed eyes. And most of the time i'd be wondering how on earth do I drive every morning when im half asleep.

It's the same routine everyday, so robotic... but i guess it's the same everywhere... at least with us, we get some interesting stories (and i call that ACTION)! Like the guy who missed the flight because he was late arriving at the check-in counter yesterday, and was insiting that it's completely our fault!!! Or the woman who requested a hamburger sandwich but with no tomato on board!!! A hamburger sandwich??!! And her allergetic to tomato...!
Weird... ha? And demanding..!

Silver - Shades

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No matter if it was X or Y,,, it's OK

Today I got an email from a European guy whom I've met in one of my recent courses, and he was asking about the places that he can go to visit when he comes, as he's planning to be here for his vacation and enjoy the beauty of Amman.

He was asking if it's safe in Amman now, and if what's happening is affecting us. But the sentence that really drew my attention, and made me read it over and over again was this:

'What is the situation in Amman? A lot of refugees from Libya at the moment?'

From libyaaaaaa??? And this is from someone who lives in the gulf for a year now! So I was seriously wondering, what information would the foreigners who actually live in foreign countries have about this war? Would they know that it's Lebanon who's involved? Would they even care to bother and hear the news without changing the chanel?
Would they care about the number of deaths? Would a crying baby makes any difference? Would the many pictures of blood and the ghost of death move their rigid hearts?

Another weird similar incident happened, I called our help desk in Germany to get a confirmation for a Lebanese passenger, and this is when the help desk guy told me that it's not possible because 'Birut's War is not the LH fault, it's the problem of Israel and Hamas!' -

Hamaaaaaaaas?

Apparently, none of this really matters! As long as they are safe,,, No matter if it was country X or Y , it's ok .... As long as it's far and they're safe... then it's ok!

Loneliness

When the world becomes too big and the sky looks too dark,,,
When the dreams are no longer dreams and running away no longer helps,,,
When it feels lonely even when surrounded by people,,,

For all the ones out there feeling lonely for a reason or another... have faith, have hope,,,
one day it'll loosen up...brighten up, and lighten up...

When there's a will, there is a way...

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No...NO

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The System is Down

We've been here for 3 hours now and the system was and still is down! So it's an obligatory break I guess..

And since everything is not connected locally, all we can do is wait! They said it's a world wide problem...

'This is why you answered the phone'- (the only response we got from everyone who called)! Mean... Mean... Mean !

But hey, I got a full box of choco from a passenger, who flies with us to Dublin... he said Im not to worry about the diet it's zero calories... haha! That was cute!

An afternoon @ books after Jara walk (2)

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An afternoon @ books after Jara walk (1)

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A busy summer- (to remember)

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Confusion

I've been really confused lately, with so many random strange thoughts going on in my mind.
My lebanese colleague was telling me when I called her to check on her, that she was about to send me an email a day before this started to ask me to go for a vacation with her to Rome in August.
Isn't it ironic?!

I wake up every morning with a hope of getting good news, and I sleep every night wishing that things will get better, but apparently and sadly they're not.

I've always been optimistic and thought it's the right way to deal with things, but it's true that sometimes you reach a point where optimist has no place in your life and where it starts to get a little bit darker.

It annoys me the fact that at this exact minute, there are people who are scared, who are hiding in shelters, and kids who will suffer from this nightmare for the rest of their lives.

It's not getting any better at work.. I can't describe how my days pass, or how hard it was for us to manage to get through last week's tragedy! Our flights are so full to the degree that we can't confirm anyone's seat unless it's 12 hours before departure!!! All Im trying to do is to relax when Im back home, yet this is not happening and what's bad is the fact that when im home I keep thinking of work... and I keep thinking of all the energy I need for tomorrow with a hope and a prayer that this will end sometime soon.

Three Turtles

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Wait-Listed

It seems to be our favorite sentence lately...'you are on the waiting list',,,
what? next week? ... ummm No, sorry, not possible!
So all flights are full till end of August... and still we have passengers wait-listed on 3 or 4 different days! It's not fun anymore... waking up for work!
It drives me mad and tired... going to office it's like going to a battlefield, with all the people sitting or just standing because there are no enough seats... People who are holding tickets out of Beirut that need to be changed... We hear sad stories everyday... some of them are understanding when we repeat our lately one and only sentence 'you're on the waiting list', others just seem to be more aggressive.. and we try to explain, to give hope... but for us it's just getting worse!
It's really hectic at work... never been as bad as this summer. I don't really feel encouraged anymore... i don't feel motivated!


Some of them are patient, and others keep nagging...it's really normal nowadays to see children running in the office, or screaming or even crying!
It's normal to hear loud voices, or just to see us losing our tempers and yelling at each other.

This is at work,,, getting back home doesn't make it any better when watching the news! So it's a battle in and out... it's a total mess.

YES im part of this crazy world

Since the day i've decided to start blogging, I knew that this would be a 'Simply ME' blog... that has nothing to do with anything else but my small little world!

No place for wars, no place for killing, no place for weapons, no place for environmental disasters, and definitely no place for blood.

It was something i've done for myself,,, felt that I owe it to myself! Was and sitll more like a therapy... and it did work! Im so glad i started blogging that i can't imagine ever stopping...It's more like an addiction, once you've started you can't stop!
It's my own little corner,,, a place where I can let it all out... sometimes i rant, sometimes i talk about my day and sometimes i talk about the past, basically whatever i feel like writing about.. a place where i can turn to when im down and helps me to feel better, no matter in what mood i am, no matter how bad my day was... and YES it always makes me feel better!

The reason why I thought this is supposed to be a 'Simply ME', is that I believed I had my share of pain and misery, and that was enough for me, or let's say more than enough,,, I believed it's time for me to move on! Looking at all the shit that's happening around the world would only make my life more bitter, more painful, and harder to live...

I've read so many posts regarding what's happening in the past few days, and this is when i decided that i can't go quiet anymore... that YES I do care, that YES what's happening around makes me SAD... that YES im part of this crazy world...
Killing innocent people makes me angry, depressed, and in so much pain.
Rage is a strong word yet it doesn't in anyway come close to express how I feel... I wonder how long would it stay this way,,, that our deaths are represented by numbers not by names.. ! How long would we stay quiet,,, would we stay still... or is it that we're getting quieter and weaker with every hit we get?

Going to work at 8 am to find the office full of people who share the same desperate look in their eyes, the begging tone in their voices... they just begged to get out of here on the first available flight... people who left their loved ones behind not knowing what will happen to them...
It was so sad, when all the tickets were changed to be 'out of Amman' instead of 'out of Beirut'... and It broke my heart everytime our colleagues in Beirut called us to ask for help, or to ask for confirmed seats on our flight.

Innocent children are dying, this needs to stop! When will there ever be peace? They just make it hard to live in peace - to sleep in peace ...!!! Peace?
What is peace?!

Finally

After two years,,, finally... Im getting my own business cards! It feels great!

I remember all the times i was abroad and when the time comes to exchange business cards it felt stupid, or the times when I had passengers asking me for my bussiness card, and then I'd just grab a piece of paper and start to write my name etc, it's not really practical especially for ones who has bad handwriting... and I guess im one of them, so I just had to write everything and then make sure that it's all clear or write everything twice!

For Free

What makes our work's parking unique is that you get a chance to have your car foamed everyday for free... without any extra effort or charge,,, just park it under the pipe that comes down from (Julibee restaurant), and this will do...

Falling

This is a picture taken when I was skiing in Dubai last month.

One should believe in SIGNS!

Im back from the airport, and still in Amman! And apparently will be staying here, and won't even try to plan for a vacation any time soon.

So here's the story, I've been getting those signs that say 'don't go', 'don't go', it's not going to work, and kept ignoring them... thinking it's only because im just too excited.

What happened is that, my colleague who was supposed to be travelling with me didn't get her Schengen Visa on time... this is the first thing that happened to lessen our enthusiasm about the whole issue. And then when it finally worked and she got a national visa, another problem happened with a girl who was supposed to join us, she got to Germany and had a problem with her visa, and she was locked in the transit area, with nothing to do and no where to go... but to come back to Amman in the first returning flight at night.

It didn't stop here, things started to get worse, when I discovered that the flight was CANCELLED! I had my bag packed, everything prepared, and was in the way to the airport when I got the news. It was a shock! I've been working for two years now and this never happened! Not even once.

And with this shocking news, and the fact that the next flight will depart tomorrow evening.. i just made up my mind, and decided that it's just not meant to be,,, how do I feel? well, not bad... not bad at all! Cause i do believe that things happen for a reason, who knows what would happen if I was there... it all happens for the best... I'd say thank God, it stopped in this way!
And watching the final game in Amman is not too bad after all.. :)
So back to work tomorrow... and to all the fuss that will happen because of the unexpected cancelled flight!
Funny stories about tomorrow's passengers reactions will be posted soon!

Tonight

I'll be flying to Germany tonight! And although- for the first time it's not a duty trip, and despite the fact that this is the first time I use any of my free tickets, part of me wants to stay here. Im not good in exrpessing my feelings, but for the special one who'll be reading this tonight or tomorrow morning...
I want you to know that i'll be thinking of you..!

A road trip

Those are some of the pictures that were taken today.






One of the most things i enjoy seeing on the way to the dead sea, is THIS! Ok, so if anyone decided to go there all of a sudden... guys, no problem at all... you can just pick up a swimsuit so easily! And they come in different bright colors too! WOW!






This is nice, you can enjoy all the scenery while looking at the blue sea when you're up!









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A Candle

We had this brought to one of my friends on her birthday! And it was brilliant! A flower candle...
the flower opens and the candles glow! Not only that, but it's a musical candle.

Just be careful. Once you blow the candles, the music doesn't stop not even after pulling out all the wires. :)

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This is where... I WILL BE...

I will be among the crowd - watching the final game next week on the 9th of July, infront of one of the biggest -in the middle of the river- screens in Europe (Frankfurt). I wish Brazil was one of the two final teams... but well I cheer for Germany now! Go Go Go Germany.



Im glad the last minute unplanned plan didn't work last month, otherwise i'd miss living the final game's atmosphere on the World Cup hosting land.

Skiing - Ski Dubai

One of the most enjoyable things i've ever done was skiing in Ski Dubai! It was so much fun, i kept laughing the whole time, well actually laughing and screaming! my cousin wanted to make me a surprise so she booked for us in a beginner lesson. I thought we'll be playing with the snow and sliding on the slopes with the kids, but i got the first shock when a day earlier i was told that we'll do the real thing... skiing down a slope. Im not born in Switzerland and never skied before! As we we bought gloves and got our shoes and changed, i was telling my cousin to please change her mind and forget about it. Telling her i will make a disastrous scene and with the loud voice i have there will be lots of screaming!

And she kept saying we should go for it because no one really knows us and we won't get to see those people again in our whole life... so no one would really pay attention!

As I had the shoes on, it was even hard for me to walk with them or to carry them, they were just too heavy!
We had a Lebanese instructor, who was extremely patient. But i doubt he'll give another lesson ever after that one... :)

My heart was beating so fast, and i thought of changing my mind so many times, but then i thought fine, i'll just go inside and take pictures! No harm done! We started with the stretching exercises, as the instructor said without them falling down might be painful and harmful! And this is when I got really scared!!!

Watching people skiing on TV made me always think that it's a peace of cake! You just let your body relax and everything would be OK! Never thought that IT'S REALLY HARD! Needs lots of skills and muscles.
As we started our first moves, I couldn't even move, i moved my legs but it was useless... as if im walking in the same place, without moving forward, up or down.
I can't remember all the times i fell down, but luckily it was not painful. Whenever i felt like falling down, i'd cling to anyone near me... and make them lose balance... This was all exposed to everyone who was having dinner in a restaurant with a view on Ski Dubai! So with every fall you can see all the people laughing and smiling... We had to go up the slope, and go down all alone, but in my case, i didn't only have the instructor holding me, I also made him promise not to leave...

It was so much fun, one of the most adventurous things i've done beside kayaking, caving and canoeing! If you happen to be in Dubai, you have to try it... It's something you don't want to miss! I kept my gloves with her... I know this will be something I definitely want to do again.
* Thank you Linda*

Skiing and falling pictures will be posted after scanning!