Last 2 years in a nutshell and lessons learnt

• Worked as tutor for 2 subjects at university while doing my final year project [ take on more than you can chew, and then chew like hell]
• Was a faci in AIESEC conference [preparation is underrated]
• Visited the middle east after a 2 years absences, visited Jordan, UAE and Oman for the first time [you can’t choose your family but if you could I would choose mine]
• Finished the Final Year Project at Uni [time management skills still need improving]
• Worked at The Australian Open 2010 [every once in a while you stumble upon something so busy and yet so fun]
• Became a TED fan [ creativity and inspiration are everywhere, you just need to look ]
• Worked at Baker Delight for a year [being in a student positions sucks]
• Did toastmasters for 6 months [public speaking not as scary as one might think]
• Took 2 courses of Spanish [languages are learnt by practice not just by taking courses]
• Parents visited Australia and then went on a family vacation to Malaysia [ kids grow so fast, and family gathering take a lot of planning]
• Went occasionally to the gym [must learn more self-discipline]
• Hosted multiple people to stay over [بيت الضيق بسع ألف صديق ] this is an Arabic proverb roughly translating to a small house has enough space for a thousand friends]
• Said good bye to a lot of close friends [ life moves on .. and so should you ]
• Had my first “business trip” to Sydney and Queensland [ if you think you can do something, put your hand up, and hotels are so much better than backpackers ]
• Had multiple amazing Sunday sessions [good times are really good energy boosters]
• Had endless BBQs and Sheesha sessions
  لجلسة مع أديب في مناظرة أنفي بها الهم أو أستجلب الطربا
  أحب إلي من الدنيا و زخرفها و ملؤها فضةً أو ملؤها ذهبا
• Applied for my last semester in Mexico [long term planning works and you don’t get what you deserve in life you get what fight for]
• Was a chair at AIESEC conference [ even you if you think you’re not ready … give it a try, and when in need ask for help]
• Got my first noise complaint [Arabs are loud by nature ]
• Got an IBM offer [having a peace of mind is so underrated]
• Got rejected by the ATO [WTF?]
• Bought my Mexican trip flight last minute at an amazing price [sometimes life throws you a bone]
• Got introduced to multiple good TV shows and movies [TV shows give you many inside jokes and conversations]

Farewell and Adieu… Part 1 [G06 Apartment]

As I get ready to embark yet another Journey... I find myself yet again in the situation where I have to leave (almost) everything behind, pack light and head off, it was a lot easier last time because I didn’t have as much invested in the place where I was living.

So to provide a bit of background G06 was “the apartment”, she was nice, warm and cosy. She was my first …. The first apartment I ever had a say in choosing, furniture, managing, and most importantly setting the rules, bringing together the guys, organising the furniture and for the first time since I left my parents place at 16 that I felt I had a home so-to-speak, a place that I can come back to If I was ever to travel, a place where I can hang ridiculous posters and change anything I didn’t like.

And for those you have been there, you would know there is always a bunch of us having a good time either over a nice Summer night sheesha, an intense card game, a competitive XBOX game, a last minute Sunday BBQ when the weather allows it, endless movie nights, Mint Tea, non-alcoholic Holsten, and very loud political conversations … Oh Oh Oh and most noticeably chocolates which for some reason were bought on almost a daily basis ( that one’s for you Yousef) and the list just goes on …

It was not easy leaving G06, especially as we packed everything, every item had its own little memory, like the TV where Mo and Yousef found outside a building and brought it home, and it was only a year later when Zaid was staying with us that he got fed up with the fuzziness and decided to get it a cable so we can watch clear TV, or the Ikea bookshelf that over time become a place for mail, keys, uni notes and other misc objects … (we found 5 3D glasses, and my Safeway tag).

But in the end … All good things come to an end … Such is life and this was too good to be an exception, as I move on I can only hope that the next place I settle down in is as warm and cosy as G06.