May 29, 2009

Internet Rule #1 – A Reminder


It seems that some of us keep forgetting the internet rules of thumb. And no it is not the “don’t give your real contacts to anyone online”. It is the rule about never receiving a file that you don’t know its sender. And never receive an executable even from your best-est friends. It is the rule of never enter your email password on any site other than your email provider site.

It is the rule of staying safe and secure online.

You don’t give your password(s) to anyone and you don’t enter this password(s) anywhere. You don’t give anyone your credit card number (or your bank details if that matters)online and always use a secured and verified way to your online payments. And it is strongly recommended to dedicate only one card for the online purchases with a very low credit limit. (You are not buying diamonds online!)
And if anyone is wondering why I am posting such a reminder now, it is because I keep receiving emails that scream “someone has been owned” like this one

“Dear friend:
i would like to introduce a good company who trades mainly in electornic products.Now the company is under sales promotion,all the products are sold nearly at its cost.They provide the best service to customers,they provide you with original products of good quality,and what is more,the price is a surprising happiness to you!It is realy a good chance for shopping.just grasp the opportunity,Now or never!
The web address: (www.) bolocn.com”


How would anyone know that such emails are fake, ( forget about the spelling mistakes because most of us won’t even notice but if this is a real promotional ad, the company would have at least used a word processor and revised the spelling mistakes!)

First the subject is vague, “Dear Friend, A business Opportunity … etc”. None of your friends will use such a subject line. But assume that they might do. And assume that you like the content of the mail and you are so tempted to follow that link. Please, please, please. I beg you to ask google 1st about that site. It is simple and idiot proof, you copy the link and paste it to google and press search. You might be amazed by the results. In the previous example, the search result should have returned a company’s home page but it actually returned nothing but people screaming that their accounts have been stolen and that the owners of this site have emptied many bank accounts.


Please, stay safe. The internet is just like a street; will you ever give someone in the street your bank details?!





May 23, 2009

Here's to the Future

We spend our whole lives worrying about the future, planning for the future, trying to predict the future, as if figuring it out will cushion the blow. But the future is always changing. The future is the home of our deepest fears and wildest hopes. But one thing is certain when it finally reveals itself. The future is never the way we imagined it.

May 22, 2009

The list of Eights



I was tagged by gjoe and jessy. Actually it took me too long to think. But it is really fun to know that I don't have as many wishes and I am not looking forward as many things ;)



8 Things I’m looking forward to:
1. Visiting my sister/ My sister’s vacation
2. My family and friends coming back on vacation
3. Sheri’s Wedding
4. Having some “me time”
5. The day I start over
6. None
7. None
8. None

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. Woke up
2. Texted Sameh (repeated all day)
3. Emailed sister (repeated all day)
4. Checked email/ FB/ google reader
5. Phone calls
6. House chores (cooking, laundry and unpacked)
7. Read a book.
8. Visited my Grandpa and Grandma

8 Things I Wish I could do: (ranked by the degree of feasibleness)
1. Drive
2. Have my own business
3. Travel the world
4. Meet S (yeah, you! I think it is that impossible! *broken heart*)
5. Cut off HH, peacefully!
6. Read minds
7. None
8. None


8 Shows I Watch
1. Grey’s Anatomy (This show deserves a whole post)
2. Fatafeat
3. None
4. None
5. None
6. None
7. None
8. None

8 Things I Love:
1. The smell of rain
2. Long walks
3. Warm talks
4. Good food
5. Reading
6. Silence
7. Cooking
8. None



I tag Haz, Om Hagar, ibhog, kochia and Inso



May 06, 2009

A Short Break

I am going back to the sacred valley, a journey that I am really longing to.

And till I see you again enjoy this song

May 04, 2009

On Blogging


When I started blogging, I started with no aim but finding a space to rant and a way to detoxify.

I was writing the things that bothered me, and when emailing friends failed to cure the wounds. Blogging seemed to help. Blogging became even handier when my first and last forum experience failed. Writing in a forum for the first time I was really amazed by discovering the advantage writing give me in a debate. When I write I have enough time to think and organize my thoughts. The thoughts that provoked a lot of people, and as a result I decided that it’s better to be the one and only who put the rules and the one and only to follow them. As one of the forum administrators, who is an old collage colleague, thought that only what he thinks is right is right. And that the rules are his to interpret.

I still used the blog mainly to vent that’s why most of the posts are too personal and too depressing. The blog became my new best friend. The safe place I think of whenever I face something that I can’t directly deal with.
But between complaining about my family and dreaming about Brad I blogged about other aspects of life. I found that blogging gives me a way to say what I think of things out loud not only to detoxify.

Then maybe when the thrill of novelty subsided Brad asked me why don’t I blog. And when I said I don’t really find something to blog about he kept talking about a book he read and inspired him a lot. I found his talk inspiring but it didn’t really make me want to write. And when I didn’t write he started saying things about how this blog has nothing to say and it is all about me. And that I should start writing something of value.

Actually what he said got to me, I won’t deny that. He made this comment short after he related my value in life with this blog, something a friend will also do later, so if this blog has no value that meant he was telling me in the face you are of no value.

I kept on, value or no value I still needed that place to vent. I still needed people to tell me I am not alone. I still wanted to share the things no one knows about me. And then came a point when I thought I have shared too much. I discovered that this blog is the living evidence of most of the events of my life. I felt naked on national TV.! The bad naked, not the good sexy naked. I felt that people are pointing at the ugliness I shared. I felt ashamed. I kept blogging to minimum but I have always came back when there was no place else to go.

The feeling of invaluableness and shame was the main reason I lost the ability to write. Every time I think something is interesting enough to be shared here, I get held back by the feeling that this isn’t good enough.
I just keep coming back. It feels good to scream and ask for help here. It just feels safe.

It feels safe to take off the guards and tell the whole world that I have dreams, I want to live, and I need to be granted new chances.
It feels safe to admit mistakes, and analyze them. It feels safe to come crying over the spilled milk and it feels safe to admit that I am genuinely thought-less. I am stupid and I do the same mistakes over and over.
It feels safe to say that I know that whatever I have gone through is little compared to what others are going through. It is safe to say that this little has taken most of me. It feels safe to admit that I have a dark secret life that this blog only reflects some of its incidents.

It just feels safe. Thanks to you.