Driving Lessons

Lesson Number One :)

This post has nothing to do with Rupert Grint's movie "Driving Lessons", it's about *My* Driving Lessons :D
Last Saturday, was my first lesson, supervised by my Dad ;).
Actually, I was planning for this post long time ago, but I think I'm going to switch into Arabic as my cars English vocabulary isn't that good yet :D

اخيرا... وبعد طووووول إلحاح على الباشمهندس بابا... قرر سيادته ان يحول وعوده الى افعال!

وفي الحالات اللي زي دي، لا يمكن انزل من بيتنا من غير تحميس ورفع معناويات *هايل* من عفريت العلبه (اخويا الضغير):" تبقى سلمي لي على الارصفه وعواميد النور!!!"

رحنا ااااااااااخر المدينة، حيث الجبال و الرمال والهواء الحسن. كان شارع رايح جاي، بس ماكنش فيه ولا حد رايح، ولا حد جاي، كان فاضي خالص... جو مثالي للتدريب...

اول ما ركبت مكان السواق... اترعبت!! وبدأت افكار سوداء تتزاحم في عقلي... (مش هاعرف... هاخبط العربية... هانعمل حادثه... ازاي هسيطر عليهاااا!!!! مش هاعرف... مش هاعرف... مش هااااعررررررررف!!!!)...

وهلم جره (على رأي د. عمرو)... إلا اني قررت ان لا اسمح لمثل هذه الافكار ان تسيطر عليا، وان تسلبني متعتي. فبدأت الافكار البيضا تحل مكان اخواتها السود... (اييييييييوه... دي اللحظه اللي كنت مستنياها... اكيد مش هاتكون اسوء من الـ
Python with OpernERP
زي نيد فور سبيد بالظبط... ياااه... بقالى زمااااان ملعبتش اللعبه دي)!!

دي كانت البدايه... مبشره جداااااااااا... النهايه كانت احلى... لاني قدرت امشي بالعربيه فعلا لمده نص ساعه او ساعه إلا ربع تقريبا في الشارع. كنت بلف الشارع زي ماكون بلف التراك!! يعني قدرت اني امشي في خط مستقيم وألف على الواسع والضيق كمان...

اللي في النص بقى... دا بيني وبين البشمهندس !!

بس اتعلمت عالشان تطلع ، تدوس دبرياج على الاخر خااااالص، تجيب السرعه الاولى ، وبعدين تشيل رجلك من على الدبرياج واحده واحده، وفي نفس الوقت تدوس بنزين... دوس بنزين براحه. كنت فاكره ان كل ما ندوس بنزين السرعة تزيد، بس طلع ان السرعه بتزيد من العصايه اللي في النص دي (مش فاكره اسمها). الموضوع تقريبا معتمد على الاحساس بدواسه البنزين والدبرياج و الفرامل، ودي حاجه لسه محتاجه اتدرب عليها.

بس فعلا تجربه ممتعه، ومن ساعة ما خلص الدرس الاول وانا مستنيه الدرس التاني بفارغ الصبر.

بعد ما رجعت، كان لازم احسس عفريت العلبه ان *تشجيعه* جاب نتيجه، اول ما دخلت قلت له: "شيلت 5 ارصفه، و 16 عمود، وترليتين، وبس!!!!"

يتبع... ان شاء الله

Sami Yusuf's Honorary Doctorate Speech

Sami Yusuf is one of my inspiration sources. For me, he's not just a singer that I'm one of his fans. I do respect him so much, and highly admire his believes and mentality. May Allah blesses him, and help hem to continue his journey.
Here's a part of his Honorary Doctorate Speech. If you read it carefully, You'd know what I'm talking about.


"I am absolutely honored to accept the award of Doctor of Letters. ...
You may be feeling daunted by this, but we have one thing in common.

We all face challenges in our lives, and we will all strive to overcome them.

Before I go on, I have to admit that I am not a very good Popstar. I don’t drink, don’t do drugs, and you won’t find me hauling Paris Hilton out of a nightclub at 4am. I am also shy, and I hate talking about myself, so please bear with me, I would much rather prefer to sing you a few of my songs – but I have not got any biographical ones.

So a speech it is…

I am not a man to give unwanted advice, but I can tell from my own heart that nothing has given me more pleasure than to be creative, to challenge orthodox thinking and to be the best I can be – from my personal and business relationships, to my work.

Let me explain.

Some of you will obviously be wondering who I am! It is very hard for me to explain, but simply put, I am a proud British Muslim, from London, who has only ever made music I have wanted to make – I kind of call it “Art with a Purpose”

Basically I write and perform music which infuse the spirit of the Muslim character into a new sound both Western and Eastern in flavor and appeal. I have sold albums to fans in countries as diverse as Saudi Arabia, Malaysia and Iran. Which is nice, but that is more of a footnote to the journey.

I created records that were unthinkable by certain Islamic scholars, creating a new market among Muslims of all ages who were not permitted to listen to any popular music without incurring the wrath of family, friends and certain religious authorities.

So - when I first started composing and song-writing, there was simply no market for my music. I was writing about my love of God – not exactly something which would get me the attention of Sony or any of the global labels. Let alone Simon Cowell!

Sitting there at the piano or violin, I never considered whether it was brave or stupid…
…to create music no-one had ever created before
… in a genre that didn’t exist
…to a market which had never bought a pop record before.
Sounds pretty stupid right!

It was just real to me, it was truthful and came from my heart.

Looking back now, I can tell you it is a relief. I certainly must have done something very right.

My own faith, my own identity led me to create this music, which spoke of my love of God and respect for fellow human beings.

All of this came about of me following my dream, being truthful with myself, not faltering or diverting when others have suggested a path I felt in my heart was wrong.

Happiness and success come when you make sure you hold your ideals and dreams as sacred, and then I assure you..

Anything and everything is possible to achieve in life."
References:
http://www.samiyusufofficial.com/?p=1372
http://www.samiyusufofficial.com/?page_id=1065

Favorite Movies Quotes (2)

Ratatouille
"There are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends", Anton Ego

"Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere", Anton Ego
"Change is nature, Dad. The part that we can influence. And it starts when we decide", Remy


"If you focus on what you left behind. You will never be able to see what lies ahead. Now go up and look around", Gusteau
"There is excellence all around you. You need only to be aware to stop and savor it", Gusteau

"You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can cook... but only the fearless can be great", Gusteau

**********

Chocolat

"Listen, here's what I think. I think that we can't go around... measuring our goodness by what we don't do, by what we deny ourselves, what we resist, and who we exclude. I think... we've got to measure goodness by what we *embrace*, what we create... and who we include", Père Henri

**********

Spider Man II

"I believe there's a hero in all of us, that keeps us honest, gives us strength, makes us noble. And finally gets us to die with pride", May Parker

**********

Robots


"You can shine no matter what you're made of", Bigweld

First, Break All The Rules

This book explores the challenge of many companies - attaining, keeping and measuring employee satisfaction. Discover how great managers attract, hire, focus, and keep their most talented employees!

Key Ideas:
1. The best managers reject conventional wisdom.
2. The best managers treat every employee as an individual.
3. The best managers never try to fix weaknesses; instead they focus on strengths and talent.
4. The best managers know they are on stage everyday. They know their people are watching every move they make.
5. Measuring employee satisfaction is vital information for your investors.
6. People leave their immediate managers, not the companies they work for.
7. The best managers are those that build a work environment where the employees answer positively to these 12 Questions:

a. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
b. Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
c. At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best everyday?
d. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
e. Does my supervisor or someone at work seem to care about me as a person?
f. Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
g. At work, do my opinions seem to count?
h. Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel my job is important?
i. Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
j. Do I have a best friend at work?
k. In the last six months, has someone at work talked to me about my progress?
l. This last year, have I had the opportunity at work to learn and grow?
Without satisfying an employee’s basic needs first, a manager can never expect the employee to give stellar performance. The basic needs are: knowing what is expected of the employee at work, giving her the equipment and support to do her work right, and answering her basic questions of self-worth and self-esteem by giving praise for good work and caring about her development as a person.

More wisdom in a nutshell from First, Break All the Rules:

1. Know what can be taught, and what requires a natural talent.

2. Set the right outcomes, not steps. Standardize the end but not the means. As long as the means are within the company’s legal boundaries and industry standards,let the employee use his own style to deliver the result or outcome you want.

3. Motivate by focusing on strengths, not weaknesses.

4. Casting is important, if an employee is not performing at excellence, maybe she is not cast in the right role.

5. Every role is noble, respect it enough to hire for talent to match.

6. A manager must excel in the art of the interview. See if the candidate’s recurring patterns of behavior match the role he is to fulfill. Ask open-ended questions and let him talk. Listen for specifics.

7. Find ways to measure, count, and reward outcomes.

8. Spend time with your best people. Give constant feedback. If you can’t spend an hour every quarter talking to an employee, then you shouldn’t be a manager.

9. There are many ways of alleviating a problem or non-talent. Devise a support system, find a complementary partner for him, or an alternative role.

10. Do not promote someone until he reaches his level of incompetence; simply offer bigger rewards within the same range of his work. It is better to have an excellent highly paid waitress or bartender on your team than promote him or her to a poor starting-level bar manager.

11. Some homework to do: Study the best managers in the company and revise training to incorporate what they know. Send your talented people to learn new skills or knowledge. Change recruiting practices to hire for talent, revise employee job descriptions and qualifications.


This article is based on the following book:
First, Break All The Rules
‘What The World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently’
By Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
Simon & Schuster

Favorite Movies Quotes

Chicken Run


Bunty: The chances of us escaping are a million to one.
Ginger: Then there's still a chance!

"We die free or we die trying", Ginger

"You know what the problem is? The fences aren't just round the farm. They're up here, in you heads! There's a better place out there, somewhere beyond that hill, and it has wide open places, and lots of trees... and grass. Can you imagine that? Cool, green grass", Ginger

"Where there's a will, there's a way", Ginger

**********

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone


"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends", Albus Dumbledore

**********

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

"It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities", Albus Dumbledore

**********

The Lion King



"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it", Rafiki

"You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the Circle of Life. Remember who you are. You are my son, and the one true king. Remember...", Mufasa

**********

Antz


"Don't make my mistake, kid. Don't follow orders your whole life. Think for yourself", Barbatus

Out Seeing The Fields

Briskly rising to the sky
Cold clouds rushing past
Flying hopes to never land
Light Streatching out my hand

Out seeing the fields
What is a dream
And can you tell me what is real?

Everyone else is home in bed,
And I’m out here lost in my own head,
Out seeing the fields

Freeze crystal on the bridge
Trees frozen diamond leaves
Ice stiffening the wheat
Wind underneath my feet

I only feel close to you when I’m under open sky
I only feel guided when I’m free to question why
Only when I smell the earth upon my face,
will I ever be free to fly from this place

Morning wings against the ledge
Frost trees painted on the glass
Snow covering the streets
Home warm beneath my sheets

Song For: Dawud Wharnsby Ali
Album: Out Seeing The Fields

Because You Loved Me.. My Freinds

I was googling for some friendship quotes, when I found this amazing lyrics. I found it expressing what I wished to say to my special and closed friends.

I loved its words so much, then I realized that it's one of Celine Dion's songs :D

It's really amazing that all human kinds, regardless of their culture, faith, believes, or whatever, have some great common feelings that appreciated most of all..

It's really amazing that Allah blesses you with such an outstanding gift that's called..

True Friend

It's really amazing that Allah blesses you not only one True Friend.. but they are more than True Friend..

To my Best Ever Friends...
To the Friends of My Life...
I detected this song for You...

For all those times you stood by me

For all the truth that you made me see

For all the joy you brought to my life

For all the wrong that you made right

For every dream you made come true

For all the love I found in you

I'll be forever thankful baby

You're the one who held me up

Never let me fall

You're the one who saw me through..

Through it all

You were my strength

When I was weak

You were my voice

When I couldn't speak

You were my eyes

When I couldn't see

You saw the best there was in me

Lifted me up when I couldn't reach

You gave me faith 'coz you believed

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me

You gave me wings and made me fly

You touched my hand I could touch the sky

I lost my faith, you gave it back to me

You said no star was out of reach

You stood by me and I stood tall

I had your love I had it all

I'm grateful for each day you gave me

Maybe I don't know that much

But I know this much is true

I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were always there for me

The tender wind that carried me

A light in the dark

Shining your love into my life

You've been my inspiration

Through the lies you were the truth

My world is a better place

Because of you

I'm everything I am

Because you loved me

My Best Ever Friends :)

Love U All For Allah's Sake