In search of truth

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T00:03:00.001-08:00

Another year has come and gone. 2011 has been a fabulous year, where I have been able to connect with some old friends and make new ones. I have been truly blessed to have such great people in my life. I then moved to Madrid for my masters at IE Business School. I arrived. I looked outside. The tree in front my living room was bare with no leaves to cover it. This year started off as that tree,

I carry you in my heart

2011-12-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

This is something not written by me, but I had a hard felt conversation with an old friend. I wanted to dedicate this to all the people who have made a difference in my life, you know who you are. I carry your heart with meby E.E. Cummings i carry your heart with me (i carry it in my heart)i am never without it (anywhere i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my

We couldn't be any luckier

2011-10-29T02:09:00.000-07:00

We can not change the past, the present and the future however is in our hands. When I was growing up my mother drilled into us a story of being grateful. We were in the car on the way to school when my little brother wasn't looking at the cars around and complaining because he wanted us to have a bigger and better car. My mother one day looked at him and said, instead of looking up at the

Black Swan

2011-10-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

"Our nature is the mind. And the mind is our nature." -Bodhidharma Today we discussed in class the Black Swan theory refers only to unexpected large events which has played a dominant role in history. The chance of the Black Swan taking place is like the outliers in a study.The theorist Nassim Nicholas Taleb, defined the criteria as below:The event is a surprise (to the observer). The

Bumble Bee

2011-10-01T12:50:00.000-07:00

We have the ability to do and become anything. Nature is a constant reminder of that, especially with animals like the bubble bee. If they thought they couldn't do it, they wouldnt even try. Take a chance and you can fly to.

Letting Go of Grudges

2011-09-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

A friend recently shared a situation she was struggling with about a person she hadn't spoken to in ages. It brought me back to a fall out I had, and how my theory was the reason why we hold grudges is because its our defense mechanism to protect ourselves from a similar situation to repeat itself. I explored some research on the health consequences; which happened to be negative with studies

Dealing with the Scariest Person in the World

2011-09-17T03:19:00.000-07:00

"Seeing ourselves through someone elses eyes is backed by light while seeing ourselves through mirror is backed by darkness" - Prof Shems Friedlander The scariest person to deal with is ourselves. We are our greatest enemies because we put really high standards than we expect from other people. In many incidences we are not even aware of it; recently I realized that I was holding myself back

Industrial Revolution

2011-08-18T05:40:00.000-07:00

Venice

2011-08-03T12:41:00.000-07:00

When I was 13, I watched a documentary about Venice and how every year the water levels were rising. And after watching the merchants of venice, it became something that went on my bucket list. As much as the city was beautiful, I found it extremely touristic. There was a kazamillion souvenirs shops and the never ending flock of tourists. Highlights of the trip will definitely be the overprice

Get ready to Move

2011-07-24T06:41:00.000-07:00

MOVE from Rick Mereki on Vimeo.

RESPECT

2011-07-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

"Are you not supposed to be the generation that is supposed to care about the environment?" was the opening line from my financial management professor in a class this week. As the audience hands went up, he asked yet another question "Does caring about the environment not also include caring about your neighbor?" People has mixed answers, and he responded "Don't just talk, ACT and start

Beautiful Women Month

2011-07-14T14:54:00.001-07:00

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never

The Power of Stories

2011-07-10T09:29:00.000-07:00

Stories are powerful, not only because people love hearing them, but because they are a crucial tool for learning about values, strengthening bonds, helping us reminisce of good experiences. When I was a kid I preferred stories over spending time with people. They were less complicated and I loved being immersed into the world of tales, learning about people who had the ability to dream and

Time heals everything

2011-07-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

July 4th was the day that Lewis Caroll finished and told Alice in Wonderland for the first time, its when Philippines gains independence from the US, its when the Give Peace a Chance was released and when Americans celebrate fourth of July. For me its a reminder thats its been another year since my fathers passing. At this moment four years ago I felt that I could never be able to get over

It's like fashion

2011-06-19T16:13:00.000-07:00

"Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new" - Henry David Thoreau Today my friend Susan and I went to visit Avila and Segovia, two beautiful small towns 30-40 minutes from Madrid. I was intrigued when we visited Avila's Cathedral which was erected between the 12-16th century. The cathedral was an example of how fashion determines what we follow. As you can

Its the family moments

2011-06-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Spend time with your loved ones, and as Confucius says "Wherever you go, go with all your heart" I never realized how much family were important to me until my father got sick. Its the tough moments that teaches you. My family taught me that no matter our differences, when someone needs help we would all be there. Life happened and I ended up moving to Singapore three years ago and I got the

Birds of a flock, fly together

2011-06-04T23:39:00.000-07:00

When I first moved to Egypt, my mom pointed at the sky telling me "birds of a flock, fly together". She said that the reason why in Egypt they flew chaotically was because they replicated the lack of harmony in this society. With recent turmoils taking place in Egypt and the historic changes of 2011 Revolution. My brief trip home, gave me a glimpse of the impression of the people; who were scared

Life changing transitions

2011-06-01T00:05:00.000-07:00

Over the past three weeks I have had the chance to re-connect with old good friends during one of their life-changing transitions... their WEDDINGS. As all reunions are, it was great seeing and hearing updates about their new adventures. The past weeks, made me remember a story a friend shared about when he asked one of their bosses who had been married for a long what was the secret this

Celebration of life

2011-05-22T23:38:00.000-07:00

Recently on a flight back, I laughed at some of the people who were clapping that we had arrived safely. Its something that is very common in the Middle East or was at least when I was growing up; and it was only when I started taking flights from different places I realized it wasn't the norm. Its strange but the older I get the more uneasy I am with the take off and landing of flights. This

Waves going crazy

2011-05-06T03:26:00.000-07:00

“If water derives lucidity from stillness, how much more the faculties of the mind! The mind of the sage, being in repose, becomes the mirror of the universe, the speculum of all creation.” – Chuang Tzu This weekend I found myself stuck in a boat while the weather around me was going crazy. It made me think of how sometimes our life can be calm, peaceful and secure and other times it can get our

Nothing beats reconnecting with old friends

2011-04-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

This week has been MADNESS. I met up with different friends I haven't seen in years. Its amazing to ... realize that our adventures haven't stopped and probably won't :) ... discover how our priorities have changed since last interactions ... Enjoying the same activities like drinking tea and scones(well the scones aren't what we used to do, but we adapted to the english style) ... Connecting

The Search for Peace in a Materialistic Age

2011-02-15T06:12:00.000-08:00

I wrote an essay and competed in the Goi Foundation, my first essay submission and some of my friends asked me to post it online. Let me know your thoughts. "I envision a world. We are human, we smile at one another daily, we give heed to strangers, children have their bellies full and everyone has a roof over their heads. People have access to basic education, health care and appreciate life's

Masr Balady

2011-02-11T06:09:00.000-08:00