Hallelujah

I have been thinking a lot about what I am most grateful for this year, and I've realized that it is the luxury of dreaming - the luxury to dream big and to go after those crazy dreams. Furthermore, the luxury of having a support system that nurtures those wild ambitions, tolerates my madness in...

On Career Moves

I guess what most people fail to see when they shift careers 5 - 7 years into their work life is how difficult starting over truly is. You would be amazed at the amount of knowledge, skills and basic understanding that becomes irrelevant or which must be chucked at the door. Welcome to a new...

Reflections from the office – Kiki

Was sitting in Cilantro Zamalek talking about the future when I got asked if I knew Kiki. Naturally I know Kiki, she only sits on the desk right behind mine. We share a partition which is a lovely thing really. So here goes nothing, the start of a series of reflections about the people in...

On Gal Bladders

Thursday Me: See you after Eid. Boss: Actually we need to work on Tuesday, so you guys only get Sunday and Monday off. Me: But Eid break is usually three days. Boss: Hmm, still need you to work on Tuesday we have to move premises, so 9 am new premises. Today I interrupt my glorious...

On Citizenship

Meet Guitar Freak, the latest addition to my team. A young engineering AUC graduate. The AUCians amongst you might recognize him. He was a brilliant IGCSE student, a talented guitarist, an active campaigner, a hit fund-raiser, king of the activities and overall nice guy on AUC campus. His versatile profile inspired his professors to nominate...

Impressed..

... would be the understatement of the year! I interviewed a young man today, for a vacancy at our company. A young man who's CV was so impressive that he could practically jump off the page and dazzle you. First thing that caught my attention was that it said "finalist at the 2009 MIT business...

Catch Her If You Can!

Not sure how to start this, given that the event of the past month at our firm have been so unbelievable they have rivaled Hollywood great theft story-lines. I personally, had I seen this plot-line at the movies this summer, would have given the screenwriter in question hell about having an excessively vivid imagination and...

Note To Self

These are messages to myself, you may not necessarily agree with them, yet they are lessons I need drilled into my thick skull. There is such a thing as being over- competitive; that intense need to win can be detrimental and can backfire. It can also eat you alive or cause severe depression when you...

Going to blog readers for assistance!

Working on something and can really use the input. I need rough estimates of the following: 1) Hospital occupancy rates. 2) % of doctors who are surgeons. 3) Ratio of nurses to doctors on average in a hospital. 4) Price of doctor coats. 5) Price of scrubs. 6) Price of nurse uniforms (if you happen...

It’s the End of the Road

Looking for a new job. Thoughts?

Dreaded office phrases

These are sentences that are thrown around by bosses lightly but which experience has taught me are usually followed by a great deal of wasted time, effort and redundant work. "Can you spare a minute?" (Answer at your own peril.) "What is Z working on right now?" (Z being one of your subordinates) "Run that...

Spoilt rotten? Yes I am!

I’m not an angry person. Ok wait that wasn’t very accurate, I’m not a generally explicitly angry person. I’ve been told too many times already how like my dad I am. I’ve seen him angry. Hence I don’t want to be that person. I don’t want to be stressed out all the time. I don’t...

Dilbert :)

Freaky

I almost never dream, I get a nice black screensaver all night long and wake up all rested and stuff. Yet last night I had a lousy night and apparently was subconsiously arguing the night away. I woke up with reminiscens of that argument. I just checked my work e-mail and there is an e-mail...

Around our office

1. Random Guy: Allo Me: X&Y company; Juka speaking RG: Allo.. is this Hazem Hassan Me: No sir, this is X&Y RG: Are you a recruitment company? Me: No sir. RG: Are you hiring? Me: What exactly do you want sir? RG: Can you give me Hazem Hassan's contact info!!! 2. My Boss: Did you...